Mismanagement at Defense Academic Center
Josh Rogin has the scoop on an investigation into mismanagement at the National Defense University's Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies which would comical if it wasn't so inept on every level as to be tragic. Apparently retired Lt. Gen. David Barno and his staff discouraged the use of Arabic at the center, held a major conference in Prague, a location totally unrelated to the subject matter, and exercised favoritism in faculty appointments. Rogin writes:
"I've never seen a situation in which such a small agency is mismanaged so badly," said one NESA employee with decades of government experience, who lamented that no official action has yet been taken. "It is to me incredible that you can have, on one hand, such mismanagement and that no one is prepared, evidently, to do anything about it."
Institutes like this are key examples of the extraordinary work people can do in government. It's not so much that mismanagement at organizations like this is more tragic than at, say, the Social Security Administration. But it is unfortunate that organizations like this can be so easily damaged by putting someone in place who is not up to the requirements of keeping them extraordinary.
COMMENTS
Post a Comment
By using this Service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although GovExec does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Government Executive Editor in Chief Tom Shoop, along with other editors and staff correspondents, take a fresh look at news affecting the management and operations of the federal bureaucracy.
This applies to my DOD "Academic Activity" also. One needs only to change name.
Rooster Posted Thursday, March 25, 2010 11:31 AMThis really smells... LTG(R) Barno is a good person and a good leader who served pretty credibly in a very challenging last military assignment. My read of this is an inbred academic culture that is resisting a new leader from outside their monastic order. The issues raised sound petty and lacking context. Not sure Josh has a scoop. Sounds more like one-sided rumor. I assume it is a slow news day and a drive-by on a retired senior officer makes for a splash. Bully for Josh.
Fishy Posted Thursday, March 25, 2010 5:31 PMGuess he's never looked at the State Dept, time to send old Hilary to the bench
dan ketter Posted Thursday, March 25, 2010 6:02 PMFavoritism is just about universal in DOD. Every thing DOD does is a flop. From wars to over-priced weapon systems.
Wise Old Owl Posted Friday, March 26, 2010 10:18 AM