Fay Report Annex: Statement of Lieutenant Colonel, Commander, 115th Military Police Battalion re: Command Operations at Abu Ghraib Prison

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1. LOCATION 2 DATE IYYYYMMD ./61. 12ME641 4. FILE NUMBER
)
Metro Park, Springfield, Virginia 2004/06/01
5. LAST NAME, FIRST NAME, MIDD AME 6. SSN 7. GRADE/STATUS
LTC/O-5
ORGA1QfIA I iOWOR ADDRESS
115th Military Police Battalion, Salisbury, Maryland
9.
, WANT TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT UNDER OATH:
currently the Commander of the 115th Military Police (MP) Battalion (BN), Salisbury, MD, and was the Commander duringthe 115th deployment to Iraq. We mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom on 10 Feb 03 and arrived at our Mobilization Station at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD 16 Feb 03, and deployed via Kuwait arriving at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) on or about23 Apr 03. The 115th MP BN mission was to establish a 'Special Prison/Confinement Facility" (SP/CF) capable of holding 100High Value Detainees (HVDs) in isolation at Camp Crupper on BIAP. We later assumed a second mission of running a Corps Holding Area as the 3rd MP BN was preparing to depart BIAP. With the exception of a two week period when•I was detailed to Abu Ghraib (AG), I remained at Camp Cropper until I departed for Kuwait in late Nov en route to the US. Camp Cropper was a split operations facility. The SP/CF occupied the end of Cropper near the west perimeter of BIAP, with only a garbage dump between the SP/CF and the perimeter wall surrounding BIAP. The SP/CF had four buildings, three of which were divided into 42 cells each. It was surrounded by triple strand concertina wire and had manned guard towers. The Iraqi Survey Group (ISG) also brought in a number of trailers where they ended up doing interrogations. The Corps Holding Area (CHA) occupied the other end of Cropper, about 300 to 350 meters from the SP/CF, and was divided into numerous smaller compounds with a "GP Large" tent in each. The CHA was encircled with triple strand concertina wire, with double strand wire dividing each of the smaller compounds. There was a large warehouse in which medical, SJA, and other in-processing and support functions were located. The 325th MI BN eventually set up six segregation booths in one corner of the warehouse. We were tasked to build the CHA tohouse 200 detainees, but we built it to hold 250. At its most crowded, there were approximately 1,100 detainees in the CHA. From May through October 2003, over 10,800 detainees were processed through Camp Cropper. The CHA was closed in early Oct 03, when operations were consolidated at AG. The Interrogation elements of the 519th MI BN were located at Cro poer.and Iundo the) s on to be interrogation operations to obtain tactical intelligence in the CHA, and not in the SP/CF. t
along with an E-7 I name I can not recall, constituted the MI leadership at Cropper .'3 ommander) took over operations from the 519th, when the 519th
venrua y, B Company, 25th MI BN
moved to AG. While at Camp Cropper, never saw any iiiterrogauons taking place. I never saw, nor heard of, any detainee
abuse by Ml personnel at Camp Cropper, nor observed or heard of an rized interrogation techniques. I am aware of two
incidents regarding detainee abuse. One incident involved a soldie d. _Hc was accused of
urinating on a detainee who was awaitin roces The incident was investigatedby

of the 800th MP
Brigade, and he recommended that
court martialed. The 377th Theafir Support ommand (TSC) JAG toldthe 830th MP BDE JAG to give the-soldier a Field Grade Article 15, instead of pursuing court martial, which Idid. .The second incident regarde a detainee returned to the SP/CF by Task Force 20. The detainee was bruised over a large portion of his body. I reported the incident to the 10th MP Bn (CID). I did not hear the outcome of their investigation. .1 never saw, nor heard of, any detainees being stripped or held naked. 1 never saw or heard of any unauthorized photographs or videos of detainees. in fact, 1 issued Special Order #1 which prohibited taking photographs of detainees and of security measures within Camp Cropper. I had never used the term ''ghost detainee", but I vaguely recall that OGA had expressed an interest in placing some of their detainees in Cropper without being in-processed, but I argued against that practice, because the detainees would not have been officially in-processed and accounted for. I can not recall any specific instances where such detainees were admitted into the Army system at Camp Cropper, but it is possible. The Iraqi Survey Group (ISG) did bring in a number of trailers into the SP/CF where they ended up doing interrogations, but I was not privy to those interrogations. A couple of times, I also went intothe six segregation booths the 325th had set up, and I never saw any problems. Initially, the CHA at Cropper was the only place in
Baghdad where detainees could be held. The 3rd Infantry Division Commander, MG BLOUNT wanted to get the looting in
Baghdad (3rd ID AOR) under control and there was a large effort to round up looters. The population at Cropper began to
mushroom as we were receiving upwards of 100 criminal detainees per day. MG BLOUNT bad ordered that looters be held for 21
days and then released, but the number of incoming detainees far exceeded the number of outgoing. As the population steadily
increased, the need for more space was identified. The search began for new prison space, and the Coalition Provisional Authority
(CPA) was also involved. A small office of the Prison Bureau evaluated several former regime prisons, but apparently none wer
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deemed adequate. AG was identified as the largest facility available that hadn't been completely looted or destroyed for establishment of a large detention facility. AG was the only site identified that was surrounded by a wall which would provide protection for the detainees against direct fire. I was generally involved in discussions about looking for new, larger d •• facilities, but I was not involved in th • • • •• . a. • g. I recall that BG KARPI : ks¦ • ,, • :DE Commander),(800th MP BDE Deputy Commander 18th MP BDE Commander 400th MP BN Co and CPA Bureau of Prisons personae ‘ •f detention operations at AG. I
.11 is .4 ved in discussions related to ss ••• do not recall any MI involvement in these discussions, and I don't know who made the final decision on the matter. The 72nd MPCompany, 400th MP BN, was the first MP unit to arrive at AG. I cannot remember the timeframe. In addition to the AG detention facility, the 400th also had the responsibility for a few smaller jails downtown that had come on line. I remained atCropper at this time, but 1 did not hear of any instances of detainee abuse at AG. I do not remember when the 320th MP BN
Oct 03, BG KARPINSKI called me into her office and told me that the Commander of the 320th MP BN was 'overwhelmed", and that she was putting him in a deputy commander of the 800th role. I was under -
pression 1. t s I ewas searching for a new battalion commander for the 320th. She said I would "fill in" at AG for no more than two weeks. I never received any written orders appointing me to AG, and she was not very spec' w we I'm not quite sure w . I arrived at AG on 18 Oct and departed on 31 Oct 03, whenreturned to AG. commander. While I was at AG, my X as never appointed mm in er et er. ed being the 320th commander, just as I never ceasedbeing the 115th's commander.The troo ove in fact they called him 'Dad" behind his back. Theirmorale was fairly low. None of my own staff, any of my so ers were with me at Abu Ghraib, although I asked my Executive
Officer and S-2 to go there for a day to help me assess the security posture, which they did. I do not remember the date they were
there. When I arrived at AG, my first priority ction. The 320th MP BN was tasked for both detainee operationsand perimeter security. I had discussions with and then COL PAPPAS, about having MI soldiers augment theMPs on perimeter security. Internal security igges concern, because there were numerous local national contractors (food deliveries, sewage removal, construction workers, etc.) present in large numbers and were generally not monitored closely enough due to a lack of manpower. I recommended to the 320th to improve this situation by tightening up the access roster,working with the S-2 to implement a better accountability/badge system, and worked with the MI screeners to get a better handleon contractors coming into the facility. While at AG, the international Committee Red Cross (ICRC) provided a verbal back brief,which 1 attended. I never saw any ICRC written product. The ICRC briefed that generally things at AG seemed to be fine, commenting that the detainees were receiving adequate food and water. An ICRC doctor then briefed that he was concerned that there were a few detainees in the hard site that appeared to have psychological problems, having provided "abnormal responses", and that they should be evaluated. He also said that some of the detainees had alleged that they had been hand-cuffed to their cell doors while they were naked. Some detainees had claimed that they had been made to wear underwear on their heads, and one claimed be was forced to wear female underwear. r• • • .1111 _ SO. 611 • • 1 11 11 :1
V% :an " but the circ
were • • • • • • •
t. c meeting I briefed • 111 i • Il • •
• tainee allegations the ICRC had brought out. Out in the
Integration Commune- a.; • • F1f1It •. ii . „ 2 1
ith BG KARPINSKI and
(800th MP BDE S-3),
ere were others present • •en • • lie, .. although I can not recai i here was any o •er • presence besides' While at AG, I never saw, nor heard of, anynever 'Saw, nor 'ear. .1, any unauthorized interrogation techniques, I never heard of any incidents involving the use of military working
n)
o support intcrrogauon operations. I never saw, nor card of, any unauthorized photos or videos of detainees. No one ever
asked me, or anyone else of which 1 am aware, to "soften up" a detainee, or "give the treatment" or any words to that effect. The
only time I ever heard a statement similar to that was when MG MILLER (CG, Guantanomo Bay detention facilities) was

conducting his assistance visit at Camp Cropper and mentioned that the MPs should help "set the conditions for successful interrogations" by having the HVDs moved only in five-point restraints The HVDs had not been moved in restraints up to that point, and after discussion with the CG, ISG (MG DAYTON), we never did use the restraints, as the treatment the detainees received at the SP/CF was appropriate to their age (average age 61) and former status. I understand that I am not to discuss any
details of this AR 15-6 inquiry with anyone other than my laa7,1ztinsel and investigating officers that I know are associated withthe inquiry I have nothing further to add to this statement
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FFIDAVIT
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HAVE READ OR HAVE HAD READ TO ME THIS STATEMENT
WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 1, AND ENDS ON PAGE
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I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE CONTENTS OF THE ENTIRE STATEMENT MADE
B" ME THE STATEMENT IS TRUE. I HAVE INITIALEr) ALL CORRECTIONS AND
HAVE INITIALED THE BOTTOM OF EACH PAGE
CONTAINING THE STATEMENT. I HAVE MADE THIS STATEMENT FREELY WITHOUT
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THREAT OF PUNISHMENT, AND WITHOUT COERCION, UNLAWFUL INV'
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Atkrt .IV:1U NY"'
( ignature of Person eking Statement)
WITNESSES
Subscribed and sworn to before me, a person authorized by law to administer oaths, this 1st day of June
2004
at Metro Park, Springfield, Virginia
t/O:trft •Q./5“...caGe
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yped Name of Person Administering Oath)
5 U.S.C. 303
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