[Vision2020] 05-08-05 Breaking AP: At Abu Ghraib, U.S. Army Discipline Disintegrated Among Bitter MPs

Sat, 8 May 2004 19:55:36 -0700

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May 8, 2004

At Abu Ghraib, U.S. Army Discipline Disintegrated Among Bitter MPs
By Jim Krane
Associated Press Writer

ABU GHRAIB, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. Army investigation into abuses at Abu Ghraib
prison depicts the military police running the penitentiary as a motley lot,
overwhelmed by one of the worst assignments in Iraq and bitter about the
military's broken promises of going home.
When Pentagon investigators arrived at the prison west of Baghdad, they found
fatalistic Army Reservists toting weapons while wearing civilian clothes. Also,
command authority had been replaced by old friendships, said a report written by
Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba.

"We were stretched thin and (headquarters) continued to assign us more missions
far outside of our capabilities," the unit's commander, Brig. Gen. Janis
Karpinski, told The Associated Press in an e-mail.

Taguba's report, which relates the abuses of Iraqi inmates at the sprawling
prison, also describes numerous breakdowns within the 800th Military Police
Brigade, especially its 320th Battalion, the unit running the prison.

The report blasts Karpinski for giving the 320th, the brigade's most troubled
unit, the formidable task of running the huge penitentiary. Battalion members
already were stigmatized by their beatings of Iraqi inmates last May at Camp
Bucca, a southern Iraq prison.

The report details myriad shortcomings of a unit given enormous responsibility.

The 320th, an Army Reserve unit based near Scranton, Pa., was woefully
unprepared to operate the 280-acre prison holding some 7,000 detainees, Taguba's
report said. That is almost twice as many detainees than are supposed to be
handled by a battalion, which usually contains no more than 500 soldiers.

It said the soldiers of the 320th appeared to have little training or knowledge
about running prisons or respecting detainees' rights. Escapes were rampant.

Prison life was punctuated by riots and guards' shootings of inmates. The few
soldiers who had worked in civilian prisons in the United States taught the
others what they knew, the report says.

Karpinski, a Gulf War veteran and a business consultant in civilian life, is
faulted for much that went wrong. But her job was never going to be easy.

Last June, Karpinski took command of the 800th MP Brigade, a unit led to believe
it was going home shortly after major combat ended May 1, 2003.

Instead, it got a new mission: running the entire U.S. prison system across
Iraq - 12 camps and jails.

"Morale suffered, and over the next few months there did not appear to have been
any attempt by the command to mitigate this morale problem," the Taguba report
says.

Those sent to Abu Ghraib found themselves living in one of Iraq's toughest
regions - the Sunni Muslim rebel stronghold west of Baghdad. The prison, which
also houses the base, became a target for guerrilla mortar barrages that killed
dozens, mainly prisoners.

The Abu Ghraib base also lacked the morale-raising amenities of other bases. It
had no cafeteria, convenience store or barbershop, and offered little
recreation.

As time wore on, the isolated 320th MP Battalion drifted away from Army
discipline, adopting characteristics that appear closer to the Vietnam-era Army
than those of the professional force touted by the Pentagon.

The Army's report documents that breakdown:

- Friendships took precedent to command relations among some Reservists, who
knew each other outside the Army, giving the deployment an informal feel.
Saluting on the base was optional for a while.

- Prison logbooks were filled with "unprofessional entries and flippant comments
which highlighted the lack of discipline within the unit." Taguba found no
indication that commanders ever reviewed the books.

- The 320th was blamed for security lapses that allowed dozens of inmates to
escape, or get caught trying. Taguba found 27 documented escape incidents and
said he was told about others that were never reported.

- The battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Jerry Phillabaum, was described in the
report as an "extremely ineffective" leader who left day-to-day operations to
his second-in-command.

At one point, Karpinski sent the overwrought Phillabaum to Kuwait for two weeks
to "give him some relief from the pressure he was experiencing."

Phillabaum was replaced by Lt. Col. Ronald Chew, another battalion commander
within the 800th MPs. Neither Karpinski, Phillabaum nor Chew told headquarters
about the temporary switch.

"Temporarily removing one commander and replacing him with another serving
battalion commander without an order and without notifying superior or
subordinate commands is without precedent in my military career," Taguba wrote.

Phillabaum was suspended from his duties in January.

Meanwhile, the MPs struck up relations with Army interrogators at the prison.
Low-level MPs were soon heeding interrogators' requests to "set the conditions"
for interrogations by mistreating inmates, the Taguba report says.

The MPs developed that relationship with interrogators outside the chain of
command, the Taguba report says.

For her part, Karpinski, now back in the United States - as is most of the 800th
MP Brigade - said in her e-mail to the AP that she got "little or no support"
from the U.S. military brass or the U.S.-led occupation authority.

This, she said, "resulted in my units having to do far more than detention
operations in an effort to maintain the most minimum standards."

Karpinski said the Army's reporting, and the way it is being presented by Maj.
Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the new head of prison operations, and military spokesman
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, appears intended to brand her - a Reservist and an
outsider - a scapegoat.

"The Taguba Report is flawed in many ways and Kimmitt and Miller know it,"
Karpinski said.

"The portion of the Taguba Report released to the press is only a small portion
of the complete report and once again there may have been ulterior motivation,
i.e., find a scapegoat (and) then create the basis for blame."

AP-ES-05-08-04 2202EDT

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAZ7Z4I0UD.html

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<DIV>
May 8, 2004
<H2>At Abu Ghraib, U.S. Army Discipline Disintegrated Among Bitter =
MPs</H2>By=20
Jim Krane Associated Press Writer ABU GHRAIB, Iraq (AP) - A =
U.S. Army=20
investigation into abuses at Abu Ghraib prison depicts the military =
police=20
running the penitentiary as a motley lot, overwhelmed by one of the =
worst=20
assignments in Iraq and bitter about the military's broken promises of =
going=20
home.=20
When Pentagon investigators arrived at the prison west of Baghdad, =
they found=20
fatalistic Army Reservists toting weapons while wearing civilian =
clothes. Also,=20
command authority had been replaced by old friendships, said a report =
written by=20
Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba.=20
"We were stretched thin and (headquarters) continued to assign us =
more=20
missions far outside of our capabilities," the unit's commander, Brig. =
Gen.=20
Janis Karpinski, told The Associated Press in an e-mail.=20
Taguba's report, which relates the abuses of Iraqi inmates at the =
sprawling=20
prison, also describes numerous breakdowns within the 800th Military =
Police=20
Brigade, especially its 320th Battalion, the unit running the prison.=20
The report blasts Karpinski for giving the 320th, the brigade's most =
troubled=20
unit, the formidable task of running the huge penitentiary. Battalion =
members=20
already were stigmatized by their beatings of Iraqi inmates last May at =
Camp=20
Bucca, a southern Iraq prison.=20
The report details myriad shortcomings of a unit given enormous=20
responsibility.=20
The 320th, an Army Reserve unit based near Scranton, Pa., was =
woefully=20
unprepared to operate the 280-acre prison holding some 7,000 detainees, =
Taguba's=20
report said. That is almost twice as many detainees than are supposed to =
be=20
handled by a battalion, which usually contains no more than 500 =
soldiers.=20
It said the soldiers of the 320th appeared to have little training or =

knowledge about running prisons or respecting detainees' rights. Escapes =
were=20
rampant.=20
Prison life was punctuated by riots and guards' shootings of inmates. =
The few=20
soldiers who had worked in civilian prisons in the United States taught =
the=20
others what they knew, the report says.=20
Karpinski, a Gulf War veteran and a business consultant in civilian =
life, is=20
faulted for much that went wrong. But her job was never going to be =
easy.=20
Last June, Karpinski took command of the 800th MP Brigade, a unit led =
to=20
believe it was going home shortly after major combat ended May 1, 2003.=20
Instead, it got a new mission: running the entire U.S. prison system =
across=20
Iraq - 12 camps and jails.=20
"Morale suffered, and over the next few months there did not appear =
to have=20
been any attempt by the command to mitigate this morale problem," the =
Taguba=20
report says.=20
Those sent to Abu Ghraib found themselves living in one of Iraq's =
toughest=20
regions - the Sunni Muslim rebel stronghold west of Baghdad. The prison, =
which=20
also houses the base, became a target for guerrilla mortar barrages that =
killed=20
dozens, mainly prisoners.=20
The Abu Ghraib base also lacked the morale-raising amenities of other =
bases.=20
It had no cafeteria, convenience store or barbershop, and offered little =

recreation.=20
As time wore on, the isolated 320th MP Battalion drifted away from =
Army=20
discipline, adopting characteristics that appear closer to the =
Vietnam-era Army=20
than those of the professional force touted by the Pentagon.=20
The Army's report documents that breakdown:=20
- Friendships took precedent to command relations among some =
Reservists, who=20
knew each other outside the Army, giving the deployment an informal =
feel.=20
Saluting on the base was optional for a while.=20
- Prison logbooks were filled with "unprofessional entries and =
flippant=20
comments which highlighted the lack of discipline within the unit." =
Taguba found=20
no indication that commanders ever reviewed the books.=20
- The 320th was blamed for security lapses that allowed dozens of =
inmates to=20
escape, or get caught trying. Taguba found 27 documented escape =
incidents and=20
said he was told about others that were never reported.=20
- The battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Jerry Phillabaum, was described =
in the=20
report as an "extremely ineffective" leader who left day-to-day =
operations to=20
his second-in-command.=20
At one point, Karpinski sent the overwrought Phillabaum to Kuwait for =
two=20
weeks to "give him some relief from the pressure he was experiencing."=20
Phillabaum was replaced by Lt. Col. Ronald Chew, another battalion =
commander=20
within the 800th MPs. Neither Karpinski, Phillabaum nor Chew told =
headquarters=20
about the temporary switch.=20
"Temporarily removing one commander and replacing him with another =
serving=20
battalion commander without an order and without notifying superior or=20
subordinate commands is without precedent in my military career," Taguba =
wrote.=20
Phillabaum was suspended from his duties in January.=20
Meanwhile, the MPs struck up relations with Army interrogators at the =
prison.=20
Low-level MPs were soon heeding interrogators' requests to "set the =
conditions"=20
for interrogations by mistreating inmates, the Taguba report says.=20
The MPs developed that relationship with interrogators outside the =
chain of=20
command, the Taguba report says.=20
For her part, Karpinski, now back in the United States - as is most =
of the=20
800th MP Brigade - said in her e-mail to the AP that she got "little or =
no=20
support" from the U.S. military brass or the U.S.-led occupation =
authority.=20
This, she said, "resulted in my units having to do far more than =
detention=20
operations in an effort to maintain the most minimum standards."=20
Karpinski said the Army's reporting, and the way it is being =
presented by=20
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the new head of prison operations, and =
military=20
spokesman Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, appears intended to brand her - a =
Reservist=20
and an outsider - a scapegoat.=20
"The Taguba Report is flawed in many ways and Kimmitt and Miller know =
it,"=20
Karpinski said.=20
"The portion of the Taguba Report released to the press is only a =
small=20
portion of the complete report and once again there may have been =
ulterior=20
motivation, i.e., find a scapegoat (and) then create the basis for =
blame."=20
AP-ES-05-08-04 2202EDT This story can be found at: <A=20
href=3D"http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAZ7Z4I0UD.html">http://ap.tbo.com=
/ap/breaking/MGAZ7Z4I0UD.html</A> </DIV></BODY></HTML>

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