Allen: Speculation About Bales Case ‘Serves No Purpose’

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2012 – Criminal and administrative investigations continue following charges announced March 23 against Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the NATO International Security Assistance Force commander said here today.

Bales, who is being held at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., is charged with killing 17 Afghan civilians and trying to kill six others March 11.

U.S. officials have paid compensation to the victims’ families, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen confirmed to reporters during a Pentagon news conference, noting that such payments are according to Afghan cultural norms.

“I extend once again my sincere condolences to the loved ones, family members and friends of those who were killed and injured in that senseless act of violence,” Allen said. “I also extend my deepest sympathies to the Bales family, who are going through a great deal right now. They, too, deserve our support as they come to grips with the inevitable and drastic changes … in their lives.”

Allen said because investigations continue and jurisdiction rests with officials at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., he could not to go into more detail about the case. He added that investigators “have and will retain my full support to let the facts take them where they may.”

Investigative and judicial processes will proceed according to military regulations, Allen said.

“Speculation in the media and through anonymous commentary serves no one's purpose in our interest and in our earnest desire to see justice done here,” he added.

The special court-martial convening authority at Joint Base Lewis-McChord must next decide whether to direct an investigation of the charges under Article 32 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. No case can proceed to a general court-martial unless a command first conducts an Article 32 investigation.

Under the UCMJ, the maximum possible punishment for a premeditated murder conviction is dishonorable discharge from the armed forces, reduction to the lowest enlisted grade, forfeiture of pay and allowances, and death. The minimum sentence is life imprisonment with eligibility for parole.

U.S. Forces Afghanistan Prefers Criminal Charges Against Bales

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2012 – U.S. Forces Afghanistan formally preferred criminal charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice today against Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales.

The charges, described in a statement from the command’s headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul, allege that on March 11 Bales acted with premeditation to murder 17 Afghan civilians and assaulted and tried to murder six other civilians near Belambey in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.

“It’s the first step in this process,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby told reporters this morning.

Bales, who is in pretrial confinement at the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., is assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

The infantryman, who Army officials say completed sniper training and held three good conduct medals, was flown from Afghanistan on March 14 to a military detention facility in Kuwait. From there, he was transferred to Kansas.

The next step in the military justice process is for the special court-martial convening authority at Joint Base Lewis-McChord to decide whether to direct an investigation of the charges under the UCMJ’s Article 32. An Article 32 hearing is similar to a preliminary hearing in civilian law. No case can proceed to a general court-martial unless a command first conducts an Article 32 investigation. The investigating officer submits to the command a written report with nonbinding recommendations about the sufficiency of the charges and evidence.

The report helps the command determine an appropriate disposition of the charges.

Under the UCMJ, the maximum possible punishment for a premeditated murder conviction is a dishonorable discharge from the armed forces, reduction to the lowest enlisted grade, forfeiture of pay and allowances, and death. The minimum sentence is life imprisonment with eligibility for parole.

No disposition decision has been made yet about the preferred charges.

Preferral of charges represents an accusation of criminal misconduct only. As in U.S. civilian law, a military member accused of criminal misconduct is presumed innocent until proven guilty at a trial by court-martial.

“The investigation is ongoing,” Kirby said, “and it is possible that more charges could come until the investigation is closed.”

Army Identifies Afghanistan Shooting Suspect

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – The Army has identified the U.S. soldier accused of killing Afghan civilians in a March 11 rampage as Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, according to a statement released here last night.

Bales, from Fort Jensen Beach, Fla., is accused of leaving his base in Kandahar province in the middle of the night and shooting Afghans in their homes nearby. Afghan officials say 17 were killed.

The infantryman, who Army officials say completed sniper training and held three good conduct medals, was flown from Afghanistan March 14 to a military detention facility in Kuwait, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed during an interview last night during an interview with Charlie Rose in New York.

From Kuwait, Bales was transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and is being held in pre-trial confinement there at the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility, a state-of-the-art, medium/minimum custody facility, Army officials said.

That facility provides pre- and post-trial confinement for U.S. military inmates sentenced to up to five years of confinement. It has 464 beds but the number of inmates in pre-trial confinement at any given time typically is around 12, Army Col. James Hutton, chief of media relations, said.

Also at Fort Leavenworth is the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, which houses military inmates sentenced to more than five years of confinement.

Bales is being held in special housing in his own cell. He will be able to go outside the cell “for hygiene and recreational purposes,” Hutton said, and will be allowed religious support if he asks for it.

According to the Army release, Bales enlisted two months after 9/11 on Nov. 8, 2001, and was with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

According to Bales’ service record, he had an associate’s degree from a 2-year college and his military training included warrior and advanced leaders courses, sniper training and combatives levels 1 and 2.

He was deployed three times to Iraq -- in 2003 for 12 months, in 2006 for 15 months and in 2009 for 10 months. He was deployed to Afghanistan on Dec. 1.

Besides three good conduct medals, Bales’ awards and decorations include two Iraq Campaign Medal Campaign Stars, the National Defense Service Medal, combat and expert Infantry Badges, six Army Commendation Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, two Meritorious Unit Commendations and an Army Superior Unit Award.

Panetta: Afghanistan Strategy on Track Despite Recent Events

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT  - Recent tragic events in Afghanistan highlight important lessons, but should not detract from significant progress achieved or derail the overall International Security Assistance Force objectives there, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.

"We cannot allow these events to undermine our strategy," he emphasized.

Panetta told reporters traveling with him en route to Kyrgyzstan that yesterday's shooting, when a U.S. service member allegedly killed 16 Afghan villagers and wounded eight or nine others in villages near a remote outpost in Kandahar province, was a criminal act and a terrible loss of life.

"We were all deeply shocked and saddened," the secretary said. Panetta reiterated what he told Afghan President Hamid Karzai during a telephone conversation yesterday, offering his "deepest condolences" to the families of those killed and wounded, to the villagers where the shootings happened, and to the Afghan people.

Panetta said he spoke today with Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, who told him all indications are that the service member who carried out the shootings did so on his own, and alone.

"As best as we can determine, this individual went out on his own in the middle of the night ... and went into these homes and started shooting," the secretary said.

The service member then returned to his forward operating base and turned himself in, and is now in custody, Panetta said.

Investigation into the events continues, the secretary added, and military leaders are awaiting results to learn "why this soldier did the terrible thing he did."

"He will be brought to justice and held accountable," Panetta said.

Afghan and ISAF forces have worked together effectively to maintain security following those killings, Panetta emphasized, just as they did in the aftermath of another recent incident in which coalition forces accidentally burned several copies of Islam's holy book, the Quran.

"The Afghan army has really performed in outstanding fashion," the secretary said. Even in the face of widespread civilian protests over the accidental Quran burnings, Afghan forces have done "very well in maintaining order," with no large-scale desertions, he noted.

"They recognize what they have to do and they're doing it," he added. "What we've accomplished to this point is beginning to pay off."

Panetta stressed that both recent incidents deserve close study, noting it's important for military leaders to learn everything they can to prevent such things from happening again. At the same time, he added, it's critical to "bring the war to a responsible end and achieve the mission."

That mission, he told reporters, is defeating al-Qaida and preventing Afghanistan from ever again becoming a safe haven from which terrorists can launch attacks against the United States and other nations.

The secretary noted Afghan and international forces have achieved real progress toward those goals. "The level of violence [in Afghanistan] ... is at its lowest point in five years," he said. "It's down 24 percent this year alone."

Afghan army and police forces now lead security efforts for half of their nation's people, and the transition from NATO to Afghan security responsibility is well into its second stage, Panetta noted. That transition is set to finish by the end of 2014, while the 23,000 U.S. troops remaining from the 30,000-person "surge" of 2010 will leave Afghanistan by the end of September.

Under that timetable, fewer than 70,000 U.S troops will remain by October, and the "ultimate drawdown" of those forces is set to conclude before 2015, the secretary said.

Panetta said Allen will provide him with recommendations for the timing of that troop withdrawal. He sees no reason to change the overall strategy at this point, he added.

The secretary acknowledged while domestic political pressure may argue for accelerating the pace of drawdown, "I think it's very important for policy makers to keep [their] eye on the target."

"The test has to be whether or not Afghanistan is working with us to maintain the strategy," he said. "Despite these events, President [Hamid] Karzai continues to cooperate with us."

The two nations have agreed to a process for transitioning to Afghan oversight the Parwan detention facility near Bagram Airfield, he said, and are working on an agreement over "night raids" targeting high-value insurgents.

In the goal of establishing Afghanistan's ability to secure its own people, 2011 was an important transition point, Panetta said.

"We need to ensure that what happened over these last few weeks does not happen again ... These are serious matters," he said.

But he added, "We're on the right path now ... I do not believe there is any reason at this point to make any [strategic] changes."

Officials Believe Gunman Acted Alone, Press Secretary Says

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2012 – Officials believe a lone service member was involved in the shooting deaths of civilians in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province over the weekend, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.

Allegedly, an Army noncommissioned officer left his base and killed Afghans in nearby villages. He turned himself in to authorities upon his return to the base, Little said.

The soldier had served multiple tours in Iraq and is on his first Afghanistan deployment, the press secretary said.

“We believe at this time only one service member was involved,” Little said. “Beyond that, I really can’t comment further.” The investigation into the incident continues, he added.

U.S. officials – including Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta – are in touch with their Afghan counterparts. The secretary called Afghan President Hamid Karzai and expressed his deepest condolences to the victims and their families.

“This is an isolated incident,” Little said. “We will pursue accountability for the alleged actions of this service member.”

Little would not speculate on a motive for the incident. “We are very troubled it happened and are very interested in knowing why the alleged shooter might have done this,” he said. But the actions of one individual will not force the United States to change its fundamental strategy in Afghanistan, he added.

“We continue to work closely with our Afghan partners throughout the country to pursue our common mission,” he said. “We are mindful it wasn’t just a U.S. response to this incident. Our Afghan partners responded quickly as well, and we believe that is a sign of strength in the relationship.”

No one should think that the United States “is steering away from our partnership with the Afghan people, from our partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces, and from our commitment to prosecute the war effort,” the press secretary said.

Little could not say when the service member will be charged, nor would he put timelines on the investigations. “We want to make sure we have a complete picture of what happened in this horrific event,” he said. “And we prepare for possible criminal prosecution.”

An investigative team and a prosecutor have been assigned, Little said. “We are going to work closely with the Afghans on this investigation,” he added.