Is the Intellegence Industrial complex honing in on U.S. Ports?

[Truth2Tell]

Well, another long post. But if ya care, here goes:

There's been some controversy in Seattle lately about a candidate for Port of Seattle Commission with close ties to the intelligence agency contractor Science Applications International Corp (SAIC) - a firm that sells nuke scanning equipment to ports and has a history of meddling in local politics for corporate gain, among other disturbing things.

Some say it's just political business as usual. Others disagree and suggest its part of a larger - dare I say - conspiracy - bringing the secretive business of spookvile right into our local electoral process. Decide for yourself.

Some background from The Port Observer:

Port of Seattle Commission candidate Gail Tarleton says she wants to restore accountability and transparency to the Port of Seattle. But an investigation by The Port Observer of Tarleton’s own involvement with a controversial ports contractor raises troubling questions about her own ties to special interests.

Prior to her current position at The University of Washington's Office of Global Affairs, Tarleton was a long time employee (1990-2002) of Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), a large contractor for the U.S. defense and intelligence communities with a troubled history.

The Port Observer has learned that in addition to a wide array of other business, SAIC sells multi-million dollar gamma ray container scanning equipment to ports around the world. In recent years SAIC has been aggressively courting U.S. Ports in an attempt to sell this equipment.

snip- It’s not just Tarleton, but also her campaign contributors who stand to benefit from scanning equipment deals with the port. A review of Tarleton’s Public Disclosure Commission filings reveals that more than 30 of Tarleton’s top contributors are current or former executives of SAIC or their family members.

More at: http://www.portobserver.com/26.html

And from The Seattle Weekly:

According to a list obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and provided to Seattle Weekly, the Port of Seattle had 11 contracts with SAIC between 2002 and 2004, totaling more than $7 million. Details on the contracts are sparse, but all appear to be security and "safe commerce" related. A 2002 Seattle P-I article said the Port obtained one of the $1.2 million vehicle and cargo inspection machines in 2002 and intended to purchase another.

snip- to quote another candidate in the race:

"With all the problems we're having with accountability and transparency at the Port, it scares the hell out of me that SAIC has taken an interest in this race," Block says. "Obviously SAIC is moving into the port security business. With their emphasis on security and sensors this is a big market for them."

http://www.seattleweekly.com/2007-07-18/news/port-commission-candidate-gael-tarleton-s-saic-backers-could-soon-be-asking-her-for-business.php

Why is this of concern? Well, one reason is that these guys have a history of meddling in local politics for alleged corporate gain. According to an October 2000 article by Matt Potter in the San Diego Reader, San Diego County proposed to "outsource" its data-processing system to a group of private contractors:

Despite the critics, the board of supervisors proceeded with what was to become a seven-year, $650 million contract to revamp and operate the county's confusing maze of computer and telecommunications systems.

snip- When the winner was announced on October 15, 1999, few insiders were surprised, says Potter. An alliance including SAIC had carried the day. When the final contract was ratified by the supervisors on October 26, suspicions were fueled when the board voted 4-0 to approve the plan without question or discussion. According to an account in the next day's San Diego Union-Tribune, "Supervisor Ron Roberts acknowledged the lack of questions, but said he and other supervisors had closely tracked the yearlong process and had asked questions behind closed doors.

snip- Less than a month after the final vote to approve the Pennant Alliance contract, records show, SAIC employees began to contribute heavily to the Roberts campaign for San Diego mayor...

More here: http://www.sdreader.com/php/cover.php?mode=article&showpg=2&id=20001005

"So what" you say?

Well, let's start with a bit more on SAIC. Like, "who are these guys?”

From Business 2.0 via CorpWatch:

Privately held SAIC makes much of the supersecret technology that's at the core of the sleuthing done by the National Security Agency, CIA, and other spook services...

snip- Intelligence agencies don't list or rank their contractors. Intelligence sources, however, say SAIC was the NSA's top supplier last year and in the top five at the CIA. In addition to the high-powered data-mining software that helped nail Mohammed (Khalid Sheikh, alleged 911 mastermind), SAIC makes undersea thermal imaging sensors for tracking submarines. It produces software that spy satellites use to map the earth and feed target data to precision munitions, including those that have been pounding Iraq. It's also a leader in the booming homeland security business: It builds gear that uses gamma rays to peer inside cargo containers and truck trailers.

Much more at: http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=7892&printsafe=1

And more from The Baltimore Sun via CorpWatch:

When the Pentagon wanted to assemble a team of Iraqi exiles to assist in restoring postwar Iraq, it gave the job to a company with a name not chosen for flashy marketing: Science Applications International Corp.

When Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. wanted experts to assess alleged security problems with electronic voting machines Maryland is buying, he, too, turned to SAIC.

The National Security Agency signed a contract with SAIC last year to overhaul its top-secret eavesdropping systems. The Army hired the company to support the delicate task of destroying old chemical weapons at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The National Cancer Institute relies on SAIC to help run its research facility in Frederick.

And this month, when the Transportation Security Administration decided it needed help disposing of all those nail clippers confiscated from air travelers, it gave the multimillion-dollar contract to SAIC.

And yes, more at: http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=7889&printsafe=1

But the most disturbing of all - in relation to the Seattle candidate scandal - is this from The NYT last year about SAIC and their (successful) dishonest attempts to influence Federal policy on container scanning at ports:

When the storm erupted several months ago over plans by a United Arab Emirates-based company to take over management of half a dozen American port terminals, one voice resonated in Washington.

Stephen Flynn, a retired Coast Guard commander and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, repeatedly told lawmakers and reporters that domestic ports were so vulnerable that terrorists could easily sneak a radioactive device into something as innocuous as a shipment of sneakers. And he offered a solution: a cargo inspection system in Hong Kong that scans every container, instead of the fraction now checked in the United States.

snip- But as Democrats and Republicans rushed to act on his advice, one fact usually remained in the background: From 2003 until 2005, he was a paid consultant to Science Applications International Corp., known as SAIC, the San Diego company that manufactured the system and could make hundreds of millions of dollars if its port security solution was adopted worldwide.

snip- Scanning all the cargo in Hong Kong would require about 50 of these systems, said Terry Gibson, an SAIC vice president leading the sales effort. At $2.5 million per system, the total cost would be $125 million, Gibson said.

More here: http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/19/news/ports.php

Much more is out there about SAIC and its activities. Aficionados of the electronic voting machine scandals will recognize these guys. As will watchdogs of the fights over the Yucca Mountain nuke disposal site in Nevada.

The big question is: are these guys running candidates for local public office with an unstated agenda. If this were indeed true it would indicate a whole new level of duplicity. I hope it's not, but so far it doesn't look good.

[Truth2Tell]

1. self-kick