Business

Nearly $1 Billion Spent To Elevate Afghan Women May Have Been Squandered

Neither the State Department nor USAID could identify any results from the $850 million spent to improve the lives of women in Afghanistan. By Charles S. Clark

Business

7 Ways the $104 Billion Reconstruction Effort in Afghanistan Could Fail

Corruption leads the list of ‘potent threats’ to Afghanistan’s post-war future—but it’s far from the only challenge. By Ben Watson

Threats

Corruption in Afghanistan Is Getting 'Significantly Worse'

The top watchdog for reconstruction in Afghanistan says it 'seems like nobody is responsible for anything.' By Jordain Carney

Business

After $18M, US Halts Work on Half-Renovated Prison in Afghanistan

The State Department paid a contractor $18 million to renovate the aging facility, but canceled the contract with only half of the work completed. By Charles Clark

Business

Afghanistan's Opium Trade Is at an All-Time High

After nearly a decade and $7.6 billion to eradicate Afghanistan's poppy fields, farmers grew an unprecedented 209,000 hectares of opium last year. By Charles S. Clark​

Business

The Pentagon Scrapped $500 Million Worth of Afghan Planes for Pennies on the Dollar

Officials from the Defense Logistics Agency destroyed the planes after Afghan military personnel proved unable to service the vehicles. By Katherine Peters

Business

Afghanistan's Reconstruction Future Looks Very Bleak, IG Warns

The IG for Afghanistan reconstruction says the financial and operational burdens of rebuilding that nation are still well beyond anything Kabul can manage by itself. By Charles S. Clark

Science & Tech

Pentagon Satellite Maker Ignoring 'Thousands' of Major Cyber Vulnerabilities

Raytheon blasted for ignoring 'high-risk' vulnerabilities to weather satellites shared by government agencies. By Aliya Sternstein

Business

The VA Scandal Just Keeps Spreading

Add hidden documents, improperly-processed disability claims, and at least six new offices under scrutiny to the already long list of problems facing the Department of Veterans Affairs. By Jordain Carney

Business

The VA Paid More Than $40 Million in Improper Claims Last Year

For 2 months in 2013, the Veterans Benefits Administration hurried to eliminate its disability claim backlog. That rush resulted in many costly mistakes. By Bob Brewin

Threats

Afghanistan Needs More Than U.S. Troops to Survive

While the U.S. waits for Afghanistan to sign a post-2014 troop deal, a new report shows the war-torn nation is going to need a lot more than that. By Stephanie Gaskell

Business

CIA Accused of Spying on Senate Intelligence Committee

The CIA's inspector general, is reviewing whether CIA agents hacked into the computers of Senate staffers. By Brendan Sasso

Threats

The Looming Narco-State in Afghanistan

Afghan farmers are growing more opium today than at any time in recent memory, according to America’s watchdog in the country. By D. B. Grady

Business

U.S. Troops Exposed to Afghan Burn Pits After $5.4 Million Incinerators Fail

A new watchdog report says that troops at a forward operating base in Afghanistan were put at risk because solid waste burned in open-air. By Charles Clark

Business

Operators Are Standing By at Pentagon Whistleblower Hotline

Since 2009, the small office has seen a 125 percent increase in the use of the hotline, alerting federal investigators of thousands of possible cases of waste, fraud and abuse. By Charles S. Clark

Science & Tech

Government Agencies Have No Way of Warning Each Other About a Cyber Attack, IG Says

The Pentagon, Homeland Security and NSA have no way of sharing warnings of cyber attacks with each other or with industry, a DHS inspector general report finds. By Aliya Sternstein

Business

Pentagon Building Security Chief Is Accused of Abusing His Authority

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency chief is accused of abusing firing range, golf and meal privileges. By Charles S. Clark

Business

Will Corruption Force U.S. Troops to Abandon Afghanistan?

There’s growing concern that the number of U.S. and NATO troops that remain past 2014 might be too small to oversee billions of aid money to Afghanistan. By Stephanie Gaskell

Business

Afghan War Waste Revealed: Coalition Lost $230 Million in Spare Parts

One year ago, ISAF learned it had lost track of more than $300 million in taxpayer funded vehicle parts for the Afghan army. Now, the inspector general let the public know. By Kevin Baron