Former State Department official found behind curtains of passport scandal

That “consultant,” is John O. Brennan, a veteran intelligence official who served as former CIA Director George Tenet’s right-hand man in both the Clinton and Bush administrations. Brennan’s employee is still on the job but allegedly cooperating with the federal government’s investigation into the passport breaches, according to CNN.

But what CNN is not telling you is who sits above Brennan in the corporate food chain in this tale of presidential intrigue. Brennan is the president and CEO of the national-security consulting firm The Analysis Corp., which is owned by an even larger spook-assistance firm called SFA Inc. — which last year was acquired by a British firm called the Global Strategies Group.

And guess who heads the U.S. operations of Global Strategies — whose subsidiary, The Analysis Corp., holds the State Department contract that opened the door for its employee to breach the passport records of both Obama and allegedly Sen. John McCain as well?

The president of Global Strategies Group (USA) LLC is John Hillen, a former high-level State Department employee who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs from 2005-2007 — just prior to being tapped to lead Global Strategies’ U.S. operations.

Hillen also is a former contributor to the neo-con mouthpiece publication the National Review and served as an advisor on defense policy to George W. Bush’ 2000 presidential campaign.

Upon Hillen’s appointment to the State Department post in 2005, National Review ran the following short announcement:

John Hillen, an NR contributing editor, has been nominated by President Bush to be assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. Hillen earned a Ph.D. at Oxford in international affairs, and a Bronze Star in the Persian Gulf War for his role in leading a cavalry unit that went into Iraq ahead of the main invasion force

We regret that our formal association with him will be suspended, but are delighted that the State Department is getting the services of such a solid conservative and fine foreign-policy mind.

An interview published in the July/August 2004 issue of Duke Magazine, Hillen’s alma mater, offers the following insight into Hillen’s character:

In March 1999, John Hillen testified before the House of Representatives' Committee on Armed Services. "It is well worth thinking now about how to handle an Iraq on the brink of developing nuclear weapons," said Hillen, then a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "A pre-emptive invasion of Iraq might then be our least-worst course of action."

... Hillen is "one of the leading younger defense policy intellectuals in the Republican camp," says Duke political scientist Peter Feaver. "If Bush were to win in 2004, you'd expect he would be positioned to take a post."

"It's possible, it's possible," admits Hillen, who says he has long aspired to become assistant secretary of defense. "I certainly intend to serve again in my career as a public servant."

And though the news of the numerous breaches of presidential candidates’ passport records is now creating a windstorm of chatter in the midst of an election season, in the long-term, after the election is a distant memory, those security breaches are likely to lead Washington to address the problem as it normally does, by throwing more money at the perceived problem.

And who benefits from an up-tick in spending on security-related technology and services?

From a June 2007 article in the publication Washington Technology:

The goal of Global (USA) is to go after big contracts and compete against large IT providers, said Ron Jones, president of technology strategies and a board member at SFA, the company Global Strategies acquired in February.

The company is competing for a $3 billion indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity contract from DOD’s Counter-Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office.

“All the bids are in and all the ‘bigs’ have competed for it,” Hillen said, citing Lockheed Martin Corp., Raytheon Co., Blackwater USA of Moyock, N.C., and Arlington, Va.-based Stanley Inc.

All of the companies hold spots on Washington Technology’s Top 100 list of the largest government contractors. Hillen could not say when the award would be announced.

Stanley Inc.? That’s right. Stanley is the other government contractor embroiled in the passport scandal — with two of its employees, since fired, accused of breaching the passport records of Sen. Obama.

This is not to say that the passport scandal is really some kind of intentional play to juice up the money-spending machine in Washington at a time when security and terrorism are playing second fiddle to the economy and an unwinnable war. But six months from now, when this scandal is replaced by a dozen more, who's going to remember Stanley or Global Strategies, particularly if an investigation into the passport breaches leads nowhere or the blame for the breaches is laid at the feet of a few low-level hack employees?

The point is, regardless of what or who is behind the passport scandal, it does promise to be good for the contracting business, given our elected leaders past habits of spending lavishly on anything that has the word “security” attached to it.

Just a thought to consider as “PassportGate” continues to unfold.