Defense Secretary Robert Gates has issued his combatant commanders new guidance that urges them to make use of their authority to investigate alleged crimes committed by civilian Defense Department employees and contractors in war zones. "Commanders possess significant authority to act whenever criminal activity may relate to or affect the commander's responsibilities, including situations in which the alleged offender's precise identity or actual affiliation is to that point undetermined," Gates wrote in a March 10 memo. "I expect commanders and...
