G-RAP FAQs
Army National Guard Soldiers put their lives on the line for their country. Now the U.S. government is prosecuting them. Their crime: recruiting fellow soldier through a government incentive program.
What is G-RAP?
G-RAP stands for Guard Recruiting Assistance Program. It was a program that paid existing soldiers to recruit in their communities. Members of the National Guard could sign up to become Recruiting Assistants. (RA). RA’s were offered $2,000 for each recruit (and up to $8500 for those qualified as an officer) who joined the Army National Guard.
https://www.army.mil/aps/08/information_papers/sustain/ARNG_Recruiter_Assistance_Program.html
What was G-RAP’s purpose?
To transform the way the Army National Guard recruits and retains soldiers, to return to community-based recruiting, reduce the cost of recruiting, and increase the number of new soldiers. And it worked. Within a year of its inception, the Army National Guard was back at full strength.
Why did the National Guard start G-RAP?
The U.S. Government was involved in the war on terror Afghanistan and Iraq. There were not enough people enlisting in the National Guard to cover all of the military commitments.
http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/ADA478163.pdf
How many National Guard Members signed up for G-RAP?
109,000 National Guard Members were active Recruiting Assistants (RA). They helped recruit 139,000 people. G-RAP was the most successful and cost effective recruiting program ever conducted by the military.
http://www.nationalguard.mil/News/ArticleView/tabid/5563/Article/572909/ohio-armynational-guard-attains-its-1000th-g-rap-enlistment.aspx
How long was G-RAP in operation?
G-RAP operated from 2005 to 2012. Why was the program suspended? In early 2012, Secretary of the Army John McHugh suspended G-RAP based on reports of fraud. Who investigated G-RAP? The Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID) continues to investigate G-RAP. How did the National Guard react to the investigation? The National Guard Association, a membership organization of National Guard Officers, refers to the G-RAP investigation as “half truths, innuendo and anonymous government leaks.”
http://www.ngaus.org/sites/default/files/G-RAP%20Program-%20The%20Investigations%20and%20an%20Injection%20of%20Reality.pdf
How much fraud has been identified?
The government has recovered roughly $2.5 million (as of 1/2016) in what is considered fraudulent payments, despite the Army reporting to Congress that the amount of fraud could go as high as $100 million.
How is fraud defined?
The Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) considers it fraud if Recruiting Assistants simply did not follow the guidelines. There were 60 changes to the guidelines in seven years. Other, more high profile instances of fraud included RAs sharing bank account with recruitment officers — or collusion between recruitment officers and RAs. The soldiers that “DefendOurProtectors” is working with fall into the category of either not following the rules — or being paid for nominating soldiers who do not remember the name of their RA, eight to ten years later. Many of the G-RAP cases are prosecuted on the basis of memory when CID asks a recruited soldier, ‘who was the first person you gave your social security number to.’ If the nominated soldier cannot remember, often, CID will list that nomination as potentially fraudulent. The result of a CID
Conclusion Army Audit GRAP Contract
What happens when a former RA is investigated?
If the subject of an investigation is still in the military, a CID investigation will likely lead to Titling and Flagging which halts promotions and compromises any security clearance. The individual’s name becomes listed in the Defense Clearance and Investigations Index and likely filed in the Army’s Crime Records Center. This can all happen even without charges being filed.
How did National Guard members become recruiting assistants?
National Guard members had to complete a ten-minute online orientation to become a recruiting assistant.
Who ran the G-RAP program?
The U.S. Government awarded $500 million to Docupak, a private company in Alabama to run G-RAP.
Did other military branches have similar recruiting programs?
Yes. The Air Force, the Army, the Army Reserve, and the Air National Guard all had programs similar to G-RAP. But G-RAP is the primary target of the Army CID investigation, resulting in criminal charges and career-ending action against Army National Guard Soldiers.
What do former National Guard recruiting assistants have to say?
“I thought there were checks and balances in place at Docupak. Now CID is investigating the memories of teenagers…I truly believed in my country. And for me to turn and say that I’m afraid of my country breaks my heart.” “The damage done by a Government that I supported with my all, turning on me and thousands of fellow Soldiers, has crushed me. I am not sure this wounding will ever heal. I will move on and do my best to heal, all while trying to deal with chronic physical and emotional/psychological pain born from my service in war.”