Kevin Sandkuhler

Kevin Sandkuhler is an American lawyer, and retired Brigadier General in the United States Marine Corps.cite web
url=http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/safefree/mora_memo_july_2004.pdf
title=Memorandum from Navy General Counsel Alberto J. Mora to Navy Inspector General
date=July 7, 2004
author=Alberto J. Mora
publisher=United States Navy
accessdate=May 5
accessyear=2007
format=PDF] His 2003 memo expressing concerns about the US interrogation of terrorism suspects, released in 2005 after a declassification request by Senator Lindsey Graham, [cite web
url= http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/28/politics/28abuse.html?ex=1280203200&en=bc7bf5df6f7c044d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
title=Military's Opposition to Harsh Interrogation Is Outlined
date=July 28, 2005
author=Neil A. Lewis
publisher=New York Times
accessdate=September 7
accessyear=2007] received national [cite web
url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A759-2004Jun23.html
title=Lawyer for State Dept. Disputed Detainee Memo; Military Legal Advisers Also Questioned Tactics
date=June 24, 2004
publisher=Washington Post
accessdate=September 7
accessyear=2007 ] and international [cite web
url= http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521674614&ss=fro
title=The Torture Debate in America
date=July 28, 2005
publisher=Cambridge University Press
accessdate=September 7
accessyear=2007 ] attention.

Biography

After receiving his B.A. degree in history from the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1975, Sandkuhler was commissioned a Second Lieutenant via the NROTC Program. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines, First Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California, where he served as a Fire Direction Officer, Platoon Commander and Adjutant. In July 1978, he was selected to attend law school under the Funded Law Education Program.

Sandkuhler attended California Western School of Law, in San Diego, California from 1978 to 1981. He received his Juris Doctorate (Cum Laude) in May 1981 and was admitted to the Bar of the State of California.

Following the Naval Justice School, he was assigned to the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. He served in a variety of judge advocate positions including Trial Counsel, Defense Counsel, and Deputy Staff Judge Advocate. In 1984 he was transferred to Okinawa and served with the 3d Force Service Support Group as the O-I-C of the Review Section and deployed to Korea as the senior judicial advocate for the 35th Marine Amphibious Unit. In January 1985 he was reassigned to Camp Pendleton.

At Camp Pendleton, Sandkuhler served as the Senior Defense Counsel within the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate. In November 1986 he became the Director of the Contracting Division, MCB Camp Pendleton and a contracting officer. In 1989, he was selected under the Special Education Program to return to law school and received a Master of Laws degree in Government Contracts from George Washington University in 1991.

Sandkuhler was then assigned as an Associate Counsel within the Office of Counsel at Marine Corps Systems Command. In 1993 he attended the U.S. Army War College, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, graduating in June 1994. Subsequently, he was assigned to the Joint Staff, where he served as a Non-Proliferation Planner in the Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5). During Sept 1997, he was transferred to III MEF located on Okinawa, Japan and served as the Staff Judge Advocate for III MEF and 3d Marine Division.

Upon his return to the United States, he became the Director, Appellate Government Division (Code 46) at the Navy-Marine Corps Appellate Review Activity, Washington, D.C. In July 2000 he became the Chief Defense Counsel for the Marine Corps. [cite web
url=http://www.usmc.mil/genbios2.nsf/0/00C59A6A890060CF85256AB9005461A5?opendocument
title=Brigadier General Kevin M. Sandkuhler
date=August 31, 2001
publisher=United States Marine Corps
accessdate=September 8
accessyear=2007] He was appointed a Brigadier General in July 2001. [cite web
url=http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=2969
title=FLAG AND GENERAL OFFICER ANNOUNCEMENTS
date=July 12, 2001
publisher=U.S. Department of Defense
accessdate=September 8
accessyear=2007]

Role in rescinding rules for the use of "extended interrogation techniques"

Sandkuhler is notable for his participation in discussions, in December 2002, of reports that interrogators from the Joint Task Force 160 and Joint Task Force 170 were using controversial interrogation techniques on the captives held in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.

Sandkuhler was the Marine Corps's Staff Advocate General when Alberto J. Mora, the Department of the Navy's General Counsel convened several meetings of the Navy's most senior lawyers after David Brant, the Director of the NCIS, drew Mora's attention to use of the questionable interrogation techniques by the Navy's tenants at Guantanamo.

Regarding the threat to American GIs, if the controversial polices weren't rescinded, Sandkuhler commented:cite news
url=http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w050725&s=ackerman072705
publisher=Daily Express
title=Silent Treatment
author=Spencer Ackerman
date=July 27 2005
accessdate=2007-05-07] quotation|"Comprehensive protection is lacking for DOD personnel who may be tried by other nations and/or international bodies for violations of international law."

Neal Katyal, the attorney for Salim Ahmed Hamdan, one of the Guantanamo captives who faced charges before a Guantanamo military commissions quoted Sandkuhler and other senior military justice officials.cite web
url=http://thetalkingdog.com/archives2/000355.html
publisher=The Talking Dog
title=TD Blog Interview with Neal Katyal
date=October 6, 2005
accessdate=May 7
accessyear=2007] Katyal quoted Sandkuhler's comments on civilians in the Justice Department making decisions about how to treat America's captives, which would put Americans GIs at risk, if they were taken captive.According to Katyal, Sandkuhler pointed out the DOJ: quotation|"...does not represent the services; thus, understandably, concern for servicemembers is not reflected in their opinion."

ervice career

Congressional testimony

Sandkulhler was called to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee while it was considering replacing the military commissions the Executive Branch had created, which were subsequently struck down by the United States Supreme Court.cite news
publisher=Fox News
title=Senate Panel Reviews White House Proposal for Terror Detainees
date= August 02, 2006
url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,206672,00.html
accessdate=2007-05-07]

Retirement

Sandkuhler retired from the Marine Corp with the rank of Brigadier General.Following his retirement Sandkukhler went to work for
Pinkerton Government Services. On January 29 2007 Pinkerton Government Services announced that Sandkuhler had been appointed its new President and Chief Executive Officer.cite web
url=http://www.pinkertons.com/news.htm
title=News
publisher=Pinkerton Government Services
date=January 29 2007
accessdate=May 7
accessyear=2007]

Awards

*Distinguished Service Medal
*Defense Superior Service Medal
*Legion of Merit
*Meritorious Service Medal
*Joint Achievement Medal
*Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

References

External links

* [http://www.acsblog.org/bill-of-rights-professor-katyal-discusses-hamdan-v-rumsfeld.html Professor Katyal Discusses Hamdan v. Rumsfeld] , October 13, 2005
*William Fisher, [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0804-07.htm Early Warnings on Prisoner Abuse Ignored] , "Inter Press Service", Thursday, August 4, 2005