Threats to withhold food from US troops

[LowerCaseRepublican]

Halliburton Subcontractor Threatens to Withhold Food from Troops

In "U.S. General Criticizes Halliburton," the Wall Street Journal reports:

 

 

The top U.S. military officer in Iraq has criticized Halliburton Co. as stumbling in one of its most pressing assignments: the construction of new bases for U.S. troops in Iraq.

 

The critique by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, laid out in a draft letter to senior Army officers, marks the Army's first open criticism of Halliburton's conduct on the ground in Iraq and Kuwait. Until now, the Houston-based contractor has insisted the Army has been satisfied with its performance despite continuing fights with Pentagon auditors over alleged overbillings and shoddy record-keeping.

 

Gen. Sanchez's letter, which made the rounds in Washington last week, addresses efforts by Halliburton's Kellogg Brown & Root subsidiary to help the Army consolidate to fewer, but larger, bases around Iraq without interrupting military operations. In Baghdad, Iraq, for example, U.S. troops are moving from 26 bases to as few as six. But in the letter, Gen. Sanchez says KBR hasn't said precisely when it will have these consolidated bases ready for new troops. Army officials say KBR's shortcomings on the base construction have complicated the largest troop rotation since World War II.

 

As bad as this is, it's not shockingly unexpected. But what should have jaws hitting the floor is this revelation:

 

The letter also criticizes KBR for late payments to food subcontractors, said Army officials, who gave details of the letter but declined to provide a copy. At least one subcontractor has threatened to withhold food service to about 2,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq, leading the Pentagon's inspector general to investigate KBR food-subcontractor complaints that KBR isn't paying its bills on time.

 

Withholding food from troops during a war? Sounds like treason to me.