Official defends alleged spy program

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A Defense Department official under investigation for allegedly running an off-the-books spy operation with private contractors in Afghanistan and Pakistan said the program was authorized by military commanders and saved lives.

Michael D. Furlong told the San Antonio Express-News that his now-suspended program prevented the assassination of two Afghani leaders, and that the private, unarmed teams he used to gather intelligence didn't go around "kicking in doors" and killing people.

Furlong's program was first brought to light this week by The New York Times, and Pentagon officials said the story raised serious allegations that warranted review. The Times reported that some of the intelligence was used to track down and attack militants.

Furlong, in an interview the newspaper published Thursday, denied those allegations.

"I take stuff in open source and throw it in the intelligence pipeline," Furlong told the Express-News. "I don't take this information and go directly to a kill."

Furlong is retired from the Army and is now stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, where he said he is a principal strategist for U.S. Strategic Command. He said he has been locked out of his office and no longer has access to documents or e-mails.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the department is still gathering facts and will take action if improprieties are found.

A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case, told The Associated Press this week that Furlong directed a defense contract to gather information about the region that could be shared with military units. After military officials suspected he was using Defense Department money for an off-the-books spy operation, defense officials shut down that part of the contract, the official said.

Furlong said military supervisors approved the program, and a legal opinion was sought that deemed the operation lawful.

Furlong said contractors collected information that was openly available, such as banter at markets or bazaars that might contain information about potential attacks on U.S. interests.

"This is not about anything but providing the best force protection we can provide all of those 20-somethings in foxholes," Furlong told the newspaper. "It's about saving lives."

Part of the original $22 million contract that Furlong was directing remains intact, the official told the AP, because it provides the funding for nine workers involved in information-gathering, translation and similar work. Those workers are employed by International Media Ventures with offices in Florida, Texas and elsewhere.

------

Associated Press Writers Anne Flaherty and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.