Jonathan Turley: General Hayden wasted 2 billion dollars at NSA

[IndianaGreen]

on a program called Trail Blazer. On Keith Olbermann tonight!

Here is what I googled on this:

System error

The NSA has spent six years and hundreds of millions of dollars trying to kick-start a program, intended to help protect the United States against terrorism, that many experts say was doomed from the start.

By Siobhan Gorman

Originally published January 29, 2006

A program that was supposed to help the National Security Agency pluck out electronic data crucial to the nation's safety is not up and running more than six years and $1.2 billion after it was launched, according to current and former government officials.

The classified project, code-named Trailblazer, was promoted as the NSA's state-of-the-art tool for sifting through an ocean of modern-day digital communications and uncovering key nuggets to protect the nation against an ever-changing collection of enemies.

Its main goal when it was launched in 1999 was to enable NSA analysts to connect the 2 million bits of data the agency ingests every hour -- a task that has grown increasingly complex with the advent of the Internet, cell phones, and instant messaging -- and enable analysts to quickly pick out the most important information.

The stakes could scarcely be higher.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/custom/attack/bal-te.trailblazer29jan29,1,1444424.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

09/12/05; Vol. 20 No. 18

Trailblazer loses its way

By ALICE LIPOWICZ

Launched in 2000 by former NSA Director Gen. Michael Hayden, who recently became deputy to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, Trailblazer's aim is to replace the agency's Cold War technologies for collecting intelligence, geared mostly to intercepting Soviet radio messages, with modern global IT that can handle surveillance of cell phones, e-mail, fiber-optic telephones and other modern communication technologies. Trailblazer not only collects but also aids in analyzing the information.

"Every time a Soviet plane took off, NSA knew about it. It was pretty easy to track," Bamford said. "Now they have to track people who use cell phones, pay phones and calling cards ... You have to be a bit optimistic to think it will work."

<snip>

But the IT program, most of which is classified, has become mired in difficulties. Last year, a joint congressional committee inquiry into the Sept. 11 attacks said Trailblazer is viewed as the solution to many of NSA's challenges, "but the implementation of those solutions is three to five years away, and confusion still exists at NSA as to what will actually be provided by that program."

In April, Hayden testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee that Trailblazer was racking up extra costs and dropping behind schedule.

http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/20_18/federal/26960-1.html

[Misskittycat]

1. KO was the first I'd heard about this. No one else is talking about it.

[Berry Cool]

2. Once again, he blazes the trail.

Good for him!

To all who missed it: in case no one puts it on the Web, reruns are at midnight ET and 9 AM ET tomorrow.

[IndianaGreen]

4. More info on the costs of Trailblazer that Hayden managed

So once again a blank check was given to the big contributors of the Bush/Cheney reelection Campaign.

Trailblazer - Another Rip Off?

Washington, DC. Apr. 20th, 2005 ---- First it was the awarding of billions of dollars of unspecified secret contracts to Haliburton, which were later found to be one overcharging after another, some would say a rip-off.

Then the FBI's computer systems were way over budget, didn't work and had to be scrapped. All details of course secret.

Now we find the NSA is blowing smoke instead of intelligence out of it's computer systems. To quote Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden at the Senate Hearings:

"The cost was greater than anticipated in the tune, I would say, in hundreds of millions,"......"I would say that we underestimated the costs by, I would say, a couple to several hundred million, in terms of the costs."

http://www.comlinks.com/polintel/pi050420.htm

Anatomy of a troubled project

National Security Agency Trailblazer

Contractors:

Conquest Inc., Annapolis Junction, Md.; two contracts worth $197 million for systems engineering
Science Applications International Corp.; $280 million contract for a “technology demonstration platform.” Teammates include Northrop Grumman Corp., Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., the Boeing Co., Computer Sciences Corp., and former SAIC subsidiary Telcordia Technologies Inc.


Public value: $477 million

Value of classified work: Estimates range into several billion dollars

Problems:

Several hundred million dollars over budget
Significantly behind schedule
IT challenges
Unclear focus

http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/20_18/federal/26960-1.html

[IndianaGreen]

3. I think this brings Hayden's competence into question

a man in love with expensive gadgets that don't work and costs too much is the wrong man to lead CIA which is in dire need of human intelligence, CIA needs people like Valerie Plame.

I am glad Turley mentioned this on the Olbermann show because I never heard of Trailblazer before and the role Hayden played in it.

[fooj]

8. Me, either.

Too bad it took Turley (as opposed to our elected officials) to fill us in! Assholes.

[acmavm]

5. Hmmmm. Any of this money end up in his pocket? Or in a close friend's

or member of his own family? That's how it usually works, isn't it?

[IndianaGreen]

6. It ended up in the pockets of contractors that gave money to Bush/Cheney

SAIC, Northrup Grumman, Booz Allen, Boeing, CSC, etc.

[fooj]

7. Why isn't this on the Greatest Page?

Why have all of the politicians told us that he is EXTREMELY qualified? This, my friends, is NEWS that should be splattered EVERYWHERE!

[IndianaGreen]

9. They tell us he is qualified thinking that no one would check his record

I think that being responsible for a $2 billion dollar hole in the ground should raise questions about his competence to lead CIA.

[0007]

10. Good find. Hope this gets the juices flowing again after

the NSA investigation came to a screeching halt today.

[IndianaGreen]

11. NSA is stonewalling

they are knowingly breaking the law and are hiding behind the flag and national security to obstruct justice. The saddest part is that the people that work at NSA consider themselves patriots, but in fact are nothing but common criminals and traitors to the Constitution.

[Bruden]

12. Sounds about par for this administration

[dusty64]

13. Another reason to oppose

this evil asshole. How bad does a nominee got to be to be opposed these days?