Petraeus Orders Probe of Rolling Stone Allegations

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2011 – Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, will appoint an investigator to determine the facts of issues raised in a Rolling Stone magazine article that appeared today.

The article alleges that Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV used information operations officers in an attempt to influence distinguished visitors to his command, NATO Military Training Mission Afghanistan.

Caldwell’s command is responsible for training Afghan soldiers and police. Afghan and NATO plans call for Afghan security forces to take over lead responsibility for security in their nation by the end of 2014.

The investigation “is not focused on any particular person other than determining the facts and circumstances that were raised in that story,” said Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan.

The article alleges an information operations team was ordered to prepare dossiers on visiting distinguished visitors, including senators, congressional representatives and senior military officers.

Citing the pending investigation, Lapan would not comment on the specifics of the article, but speaking generally, he said, violations would depend on the circumstances.

“On the face of it, it doesn’t have to be [a violation],” he said. “It’s the actions, not just the assignment.”

What is being done with information and how it is used determines if there is a violation, the colonel said. This would be the same no matter who compiled the information, he explained, be it a public affairs officer, a protocol specialist, a legislative affairs officer or an information operations officer.

The investigation will determine what actions took place and if any of them were inappropriate or illegal, Lapan said.

Military Connection's Comments:

Armed Forces News, Military News and regular news is a way to keep current with what is happening around the globe. MilitaryConnection.com is one of the best sites for up-to-date news on a timely and regular basis. Reading Armed Forces News and Military News is a good way to learn what is happening with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. We are grateful to the American Forces Information Services and the Department of Defense for these timely news articles.

If you want a look back, you will find Armed Forces News and Military News archived for years in our News Archives too. Sometimes the best way to understand current news is to look at past Armed Forces News and Military News. MilitaryConnection.com takes pride in providing our users vast information on news in a timely manner.

MilitaryConnection.com wants to take this opportunity to thank all of those who report, photograph and write these timely Armed Forces News articles and Military News Articles. Many put themselves at risk to bring us Military News and Armed Forces News. These news articles are thought provoking and important.

We encourage you to use all of the resources provided on MilitaryConnection.com. We are called The Go To Site because MilitaryConnection.com is the one site that has everything you need in one place. You will find Thousands of Jobs on our Job Board, our Virtual Job Fairs, Job Tips including important Interviewing Questions, everything you want to know about the Post 9/11 GI Bill including a Directory of Schools and Scholarships, Benefits, Pay Charts, Commissaries, Articles of Interest, Conferences and more. To access premium services, we only request your name and email and will send you a password. Please register now to receive these services: Register here. When the next tour is back home, it's on MilitaryConnection.com.