Possible Next Pentagon Spy Chief Facing Battle on Capitol Hill Over Flawed Army Software

A Republican House member is vowing to make things difficult for the leading candidate to be the next Defense Intelligence Agency director because of her association with a flawed multibillion-dollar Army software program.

Lt. Gen. Mary A. Legere, the Army's deputy chief of staff for intelligence. (Image source: U.S. Army)

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), sent a letter Thursday to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper Thursday warning that the possible nomination of Lt. Gen. Mary Legere will not be met without a fight.

Hunter said Legere, the Army's top intelligence officer, is responsible "for failing to deliver urgent capabilities to the warfighter and overseeing initiatives that have repeatedly failed to meet budget and schedule requirements."

"These failures have manifested in several areas, including poor technical execution, a lack of response to urgent operational needs, unwarranted influence over official assessments, serious breaches of federal funding requirements and misleading statements to Congress," said Hunter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Legere, one of the top-ranked women in the military, is expected to be nominated when Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn finishes his command at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Hunter also opposes the possible nomination of Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Fogarty, commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence, who works closely with Legere on the Army's software program.

Army officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment from TheBlaze about Hunter's letter.

Last week, TheBlaze TV's For The Record reported on how top Army officials failed to provide necessary technology to troops to track and predict roadside bombs, instead choosing to promote their own less effective software. Hunter, a former Marine, has led the charge in demanding accountability from the military.

The Army's software, referred to as DCGS-A, has been met with complaints, prompting soldiers and commanders to ask for a Silicon Valley-developed product, known as Palantir.

Army officials and soldiers interviewed by TheBlaze said it was Legere who ordered that the Pentagon deny battalion requests for Palantir.

AP

In 2012, Legere ordered an unfavorable assessment of DCGS-A by the Army's own testing facility be rescinded and destroyed, ultimately resulting in an edited report offering a more favorable view of the Army's product.

Legere made a personal call to have the report destroyed, according to the internal Army investigation.

Legere’s office declined numerous requests for an interview with TheBlaze.

Read parts one, two and three of TheBlaze's reporting on Palantir.

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