Timur J. Eads

Timur J. Eads is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, a Fox News commentator, a participant in the Pentagon military analyst program, and vice president of Blackbird Technologies, a military contractor. (His title at Blackbird has also been reported as "vice president of government relations," which would involve directing the company's lobbying efforts. )

Military service
Eads retired from the Army in 1996, leading Robert K. Dornan, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, to pay testimony to his service. "An officer of the highest ethical and moral standards he took the toughest jobs and succeeded where most fail. As an elite U.S. Army Ranger he truly led the way ... His service as the deputy director for the Nation’s counterdrug effort from U.S. SOUTHCOM in Panama provided such an invaluable service to this Nation, I cannot begin to quantify it." Dornan also praised Eads work as the deputy director of Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Special Operations Command for his "extensive knowledge of the intricate world of special operations, as well as an insightful perspective into national defense strategy."

The Pentagon's military analyst program
In April 2008 documents obtained by New York Times reporter David Barstow revealed that Eads had been recruited as one of over 75 retired military officers involved in the Pentagon military analyst program. Participants appeared on television and radio news shows as military analysts, and/or penned newspaper op/ed columns. The program was launched in early 2002 by then-Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Victoria Clarke. The idea was to recruit "key influentials" to help sell a wary public on "a possible Iraq invasion."

From special operations to lobbying
A biographical note on Fox News website states that prior to Eads going to work for Blackbird he was "the director of government affairs for the EMC Corporation and corporate vice president of government affairs for Science Application International Corporation (SAIC). Eads was a founding partner of Eads & Carter, a government relations firm representing 12 clients to all branches of the U.S. government and some foreign governments. From 1996-1997, Eads was an associate with Mehl and Associates, Inc."

The biographical note also states that "in July 1997, Eads was appointed by the secretary of defense as a member of the assessment task force that investigated the bombing of U.S. personnel at the barracks at Khobar Towers, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, making recommendations to the president on how better to protect American personnel and facilities around the world from terrorist attacks."

Details of lobbying contracts
The U.S. Senate Office of Public Records lists Eads on the following lobbying contracts (note that dollar amounts given may be for contract that include other lobbyists):
 * For the EMC Corporation:
 * $160,000 worth of lobbying in 2001, lobbying for "funding for data storage infrastructure" the U.S. Senate, House, Agriculture Department, NASA, Centers for Disease Control, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force;
 * $400,000 worth of lobbying in 2002, lobbying for "funding for data storage infrastructure" the U.S. Senate, House, Agriculture Department, NASA, Centers for Disease Control, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Department, Department of the Interior, Army, FEMA, Transportation Department, FBI and Coast Guard; and
 * $460,000 worth of lobbying in 2003, lobbying for "funding for data storage infrastructure" the U.S. Senate, House, Department of Defense (Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force), Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.
 * For Science Application International Corporation (SAIC):
 * $1,340,000 worth of lobbying in 1999, on the Armed Services Defense Authorization Bill and appropriations (spending) bills for Commerce, Justice, State; Energy & Water; Foreign Operations; Interior; National Security; Transportation; Treasury & Postal Services; and Veterans Administration, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Appropriations; and
 * $1,370,000 worth of lobbying in 2000, on the Armed Services Defense Authorization Bill and Intelligence Authorization Bill; and appropriations (spending) bills for Commerce, Justice, State; Energy & Water; Foreign Operations; Interior; National Security; Transportation; Treasury & Postal Services; Veterans Administration, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Appropriations; and Defense Appropriations.

Quotes
On North Korea's missile tests in July 2006, as Eads stated on the Fox show "The Big Story with John Gibson" on July 5, 2006:
 * Well, I guess what-if scares us most is if, in fact, we do have to go into North Korea to stop what they're doing. It would have to be either a massive troop deployment, which frankly, we're stretched pretty thin right now, or we'd have to look at some other option, you know, nuclear, that kind of thing, something to level the playing field quickly, because they have us in a, if you just do a head count on who has the most people. So, it would be a dangerous and dicey situation. It will totally destabilize the region. It will put South Korea and its economy in great jeopardy, and the price will be very, very steep. ...


 * Well, airstrikes is a definite possibility, probably the first thing we'd go for. It is something we could go for from the standpoint of taking out these missiles while they're on the pad, as former Secretary of Defense [William] Perry recommended a couple of weeks ago. The problem with that is, you don't know how the North Korean leadership is going to react. If we did that and they started shooting artillery into South Korea -- into Seoul, in a matter of hours, Seoul would be decimated, and there goes the South Korean economy, and you have casualties in the hundreds of thousands. Not a good situation at all.

SourceWatch resources

 * Blackbird Technologies
 * Covert propaganda
 * Donald H. Rumsfeld
 * Pentagon military analyst program
 * Psyops
 * U.S. Department of Defense
 * Victoria Clarke