Following the controversies surrounding detainee interrogations during the Bush administration, the Department of Defense has issued new regulations formally banning the use of private contractors to grill suspected terrorists held by the U.S. military.

 

The new rules do include some important exceptions, however.

 

The Secretary of Defense would be allowed to waive the prohibition temporarily for the sake of national security. Also, the Pentagon will still be able to hire private firms to assist in interrogations as linguists, interpreters, report writers and IT specialists, and they may continue to be involved as trainers and “advisors.”

 

The new rules were instituted after employees of CACI International and L-3 Communications (formerly Titan Corp.) were accused of torturing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and, in fact, were successfully sued in U.S. court by Iraqi detainees.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Defense Bans Contractors from Interrogating Detainees (by Robert Brodsky, Government Executive)

Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Prohibition on Interrogation of Detainees by Contractor Personnel (Federal Register)