Administration’s Incompetence Has Worsened Data Theft Episode

I was one of the veterans whose information was compromised, initially by the Department of Veterans Affairs. And that was shocking and disturbing. And now I’m even more shocked that there are actually 2.2 million of active duty military personnel, including 80 percent of our active duty soldiers and 430,000 National Guard members and 645,000 Reservists currently on duty with the military forces, whose information has been compromised. Defense officials have already said this loss is unprecedented. It’s a major security breach. And it imperils not only the safety of our individual soldiers, the men and women of our armed forces, Marines, Navy, Air Force, National Guards men and women, but it could pose a threat to the overall security of the nation.

The Bush Administration’s dangerous incompetence in handling this situation has only compounded the problem. We have got 130,000 troops in Iraq, other troops in Afghanistan. We should be doing all we can to make sure that they are protected and that they are supported. This incompetence has, once again, put a great stress – mental stress, I think — on the forces that are in the field and their families here at home. It’s unacceptable. It’s something that not only we are shocked about but, frankly, it leaves us to ask the question: What will happen next? What other area will this administration let us down on?