Defense Contractor ARINC, Inc. accused of ripping off the U.S. Army by
   overcharging the government for unqualified personnel hiring.  Group has
  called for a federal investigation into the Army's and defense contractor
 ARINC's GPS training at military installations, amidst allegations of fraud,
                             waste and cover-up.

    HOUSTON, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of United States Military
Veterans, CONCERNED VETERANS FOR SOLDIER SAFETY (CVSS), has today leveled
serious charges against the United States Army and Annapolis, Maryland based
defense contractor ARINC, claiming that together they have negligently
endangered the lives of American ground troops now serving in Iraq and
Afghanistan who are using the critically important Defense Advanced GPS System
(DAGR).
    CVSS asserts that with the full knowledge of the Army, ARINC hired
numerous unqualified and uncertified trainers responsible for training ground
forces currently at war in Iraq and Afghanistan on the current GPS system,
while charging that the salaries and wages paid to ARINC by the Army are non-
commensurate with their experience level.
    In letters sent to President Bush, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Attorney
General Gonzales and members of the House and Senate, CVSS has asked for a
full scale government investigation into this training scandal, waste of
taxpayer dollars and cover up.
    In publicly making these very serious charges, and in asking for a full
and thorough investigation into them by the United States Defense Department,
the United States Congress, the General Services Administration and the United
States Attorney General's office, CVSS firmly believes that these soldiers
lives have been and continue to be in danger without the full training so
vitally needed to operate this potentially life saving GPS equipment.
    The CONCERNED VETERANS FOR SOLDIER SAFETY, a National Consortium Of
Military Veterans Advocating & Promoting Safety & Preparedness Of American
Soldiers In Theater is a non-profit organization committed to the protection,
maintenance and betterment of the health and welfare of the American Soldier
in the theater of war.
    David L. Billingsley, Jr., a member of CVSS and a former GPS trainer said,
"many of the qualified and certified GPS trainers repeatedly complained to
ARINC about their hiring of these unqualified and uncertified personnel.  When
one of the country's top New Equipment Trainers (NET) Managers directly
complained to the Army, he was fired by ARINC."
    "It was unconscionable and unacceptable to the legitimate members of the
GPS training corps," Billingsley further states, "to have these people
training those who would in turn have the awesome and sobering responsibility
of training our troops whose lives could very well depend on their proficient
operational knowledge of these critical and complicated GPS systems.  Because
of this breach and this compromise, many of them including myself resigned
their positions in protest."
    Larry V. Green, Attorney for the CVSS announced in a statement today, "we
are today calling on President George W. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Speaker of the House of
Representatives Dennis Hastert, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and the
House and Senate Armed Services Committees to launch a full scale and thorough
investigation into these very serious charges against the Army and ARINC, and
to immediately stop these hiring and training practices that could ultimately
result in the loss of the lives of American Soldiers."
    "We further ask that the Congressional Budget Office, the General Services
Administration and the Internal Revenue Service conduct a thorough audit into
the multi Billion Dollar Ombudsman Defense Contract wherein ARINC is
contracted to provide qualified and certified GPS training personnel amidst
these charges of Fraud and Waste," Green continued.
    CVSS in making these charges against the Army and ARINC cited the
importance of thorough and incisive GPS equipment training by soldiers in the
field of war, highlighting the Private Jessica Lynch incident early in
Operation Iraqi Freedom, when their lack of GPS experience and situational
awareness incorrectly put their unit in harms way and resulted in their
eventual capture and ultimate demise.
    And CVSS also cited other examples of flawed GPS operational use
highlighting close air support friendly fire incidents wherein incorrect GPS
coordinates resulted in the bombing of the troops using the GPS equipment.
    CVSS plans to meet with members of the House, Senate and the Pentagon to
further bring attention to these charges and to pressure the White House and
other agencies to bring a stop to these practices.

    Contact:
    Harvey Glenn/713-320-7788  /  D. L. Fields/713-256-6243

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