According to a new report, the Pentagon's "America Supports You" (ASY) campaign was used to channel millions to friends and allies of its head, Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. One of ASY's projects included special-edition Marvel comic books for the troops. In another, Sesame Street characters appeared in DVDs aimed at the troops' families and youngsters, designed to initiate conversations on overseas deployments.
However, a Department of Defense report now claims nearly $10 million was illegally transferred and the program was run in a "questionable and unregulated manner."
"Instead of focusing on its primary mission of showcasing and communicating support to the troops and their families, the ASY program focus [turned to] building or soliciting support from the public," the Inspector General says. At least one official alleged to be involved has resigned.
The full story is available from Wired.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
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