Shake Up at SIGAR

Retired General Major General Arnold Fields, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), announced his resignation on Jan. 10, less than a week after firing two of his top deputies. The lead official responsible for investigating corruption, waste, fraud and abuse in the $56-billion Afghanistan rebuilding effort since June 2008, Fields has been widely criticized for failing to manage the SIGAR office effectively. Critics in the U.S. Senate had urged President Obama to replace Fields. “With billions of dollars being spent in Afghanistan, our country must have top-notch leadership at the agency responsible for rooting out the waste and fraud that can jeopardize our efforts,” says Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). “Mr. Fields is simply not the right person for this very difficult job.”