By Here is an update on the USFK contractor issue:
A new Army Audit Agency report says officers responsible for deciding whether civilian contractors qualified for status of forces agreement visas in South Korea were sometimes not properly trained to make those decisions.Many contractors who thought they were working in the country legally have lost their jobs in recent months when officials began looking into SOFA discrepancies.
The report also said that decision-makers wrongly assumed that contractors qualified for SOFA status if they were U.S. citizens.
“USFK (U.S. Forces Korea) didn’t meet its SOFA-defined responsibility to prevent abuse of privileges the agreement granted to USFK and its personnel,” said the report, released in June. [Ashley Rowland - Stars & Stripes]
What I am wondering is whether or not the officers that made these decisions will face any consequences for the mess they made that has affected the lives of dozens of people and their families?
You can read more about this issue at the USFKSOFA.com webpage and I have also set up a special Forum over at the ROK Drop Forums as well to discuss the USFK contractor issue.
11:00 am on July 3rd, 2009 1
“What I am wondering is whether or not the officers that made these decisions will face any consequences for the mess they made that has affected the lives of dozens of people and their families?”
Well.. no. They are not to blame. They were not trained. And the “tainers” din’t now they were supposed to train them in that way.
Obviously, the System failed… so the System, and not people, is to blame.
So, there will be stand-downs, additional training and a re-restrospective post-incident effort-redoubling investigative evaluation to ensure that it is clear that these systemic problems are taken seriously.
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2:49 am on July 4th, 2009 2
Oh, those officers are not here anymore–don’t you know the person who just left is always the one to blame–
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7:26 am on August 23rd, 2009 3
I heard Scott Boner made it out of Korea in one piece.
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