1,000 U.S. Troops Begin Arriving in Israel
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, boys. I'm right here.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The video is shocking Americans working for a top U.S. security contractor in Afghanistan inside the war zone allegedly so drugged and intoxicated they could hardly function. Brian Todd is working this story for us. He's coming into "the SITUATION ROOM. he's got details. Brian, what are you learning?</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a security firm that's received $900 million worth of security contracts from the U.S. government. One watchdog group says the behavior of its employees in this video undermines America's diplomatic mission in Afghanistan.</s>TODD (voice-over): Staggering around, half naked, seemingly drunk, wrestling, shouting at the man videotaping them.</s>TODD: This is amateur video from earlier this year of people working for an American security contractor in Kabul, Afghanistan. This man identified as the country security manager for the contracting firm, Jorge Scientific.</s>JOHN MELSON, SUING SECURITY CONTRACTOR: They reminded me many times I visit any of my friends going to college that were in fraternities, the parties at the frat houses, they were out of control.</s>TODD: John Melson is one of two former employees of Jorge Scientific filing a seven-figure lawsuit against the firm for allegedly committing fraud on the U.S. government. They say they were harassed for trying to blow the whistle. They allege rampant drinking, drug use, the misuse of firearms at that facility in Kabul, which they say prevented the company from carrying out its assigned duties. The video was shot on a cell phone by another former employee, Kenny Smith. He tapes himself complaining that he's being awakened by the behavior. How often did you observe this behavior?</s>KENNY SMITH, SUING SECURITY CONTRACTOR: The misbehavior actually was almost every other night, several times a week. It was just -- at any given time it could just say, hey, we're going to get together tonight and walk outside. Typically, at the end of the evening, some time late in the afternoon.</s>TODD: Smith says he and Melson tried to stop the behavior taking it to the top levels of the company. He says they were told it would be addressed. In this section of the video, a man identified as the security firm's medic appears incoherent. There's a syringe on the floor.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, you are.</s>TODD: The plaintiffs claim he'd injected a horse tranquilizer called ketamine. We were unable to reach the medic for comment. Danielle Brian from the group project on government oversight which monitors contractors is concerned.</s>DANIELLE BRIAN, PROJECT ON GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT: How can the medic be doing his job or the security contractors be able to actually protect those that are training the Afghan police? Then you have the fact that they're having this behavior in the middle of Kabul. So, they're blowing up ammunition in bonfires.</s>TODD: That's a reference to this video of a bonfire at the Kabul facility which the suit claims led to injuries. Contacted by CNN, Jorge Scientific issued a statement saying "it took decisive action to correct the unacceptable behavior of a limited number of employees." The company says it implemented a no drinking policy and dismantled the bonfire pit. But Jorge Scientific denies committing fraud. Representatives for the company say the man identified as the security manager and the other man in these scenes did not have top security roles, that they had administrative and support jobs, sometimes, driving. I asked the plaintiffs' lawyer about that. (on-camera) The people representing the company say these guys had no security detail, that they were just administrative support.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a gross understatement of what these individuals did. These individuals are the security manager for the facility and the operations manager of security for the entire country of Afghanistan for the company. They were supposed to protect their own people as well as the local Afghans from attack.</s>TODD: Jorge Scientific disputes that, reiterating that those men did not have a protective role for local Afghans and that they would not have been tasked with protecting that facility from attack. The company also denies the plaintiffs were harassed for blowing the whistle. The U.S. military is supposed to oversee those contractors. Contacted by CNN, officials from the NATO command, the international security assistance force, say they take these allegations very seriously and the U.S. army's criminal investigation division is looking into the allegations. We also made attempts to reach the two men in the video aside from that medic, and we were unable to reach them, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Has the firm cleaned house at this facility?</s>TODD: They say that they have. They claim that they brought out everyone involved, including the alleged ring leader of all the partying. That's a person different from the main character you see in that video. They brought out that ring leader about the same time that these plaintiffs left Afghanistan. They say that everyone else involved has either been fired or placed on leave and they say that the company is conducting its own investigation.</s>BLITZER: The video is shocking in a war zone.</s>TODD: It is.</s>BLITZER: Thanks very much for that, Brian. A massive show of military power between the United States and Israel underway right now. The first of a thousand American troops arriving in Israel for the largest joint missile defense exercise in the history of the U.S./Israeli alliance. It all comes amid escalating intentions with Iran and international concerns it may soon flex its nuclear muscle down the road. Our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence, is over at the Pentagon. He's got the very latest. What's going on here, Chris?</s>CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, just recently, an Iranian military commander warned that no matter which country attacks Iran, it would retaliate against both the U.S. and Israel. These exercises are designed to prove that the U.S. and Israel working together could repel an attack like that. But coming just a couple of weeks before the United States presidential election, they really carry a political message as well.</s>LAWRENCE (voice-over): Military commanders won't even say the word Iran when it comes to these exercises. They don't have to. The Israeli general in charge of planning said the fact we're practicing together is a strong message by itself. Iran will see how well U.S. ships and troops can work with Israeli rocket shields as they defend Israel from simulated attacks from rockets, missiles, and drones. The pentagon can also test some new technology it helped pay for, like Israel's iron dome short range missile defense system. In all, the exercise will involve 3,500 U.S. troops at a cost of $30 million. They'll be training over three weeks in parts of Israel, Europe, and the Mediterranean. The chairman of the joint chiefs wrangled Israeli leaders in August when he said the U.S. did not want to be complicit in an Israeli attack on Iran, but just six weeks later, Gen. Martin Dempsey will go to Israel to personally observe the exercise.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a big deal. And it's meant to be a big deal.</s>LAWRENCE: Republicans have accused President Obama of emboldening Iran and damaging America's alliance with Israel.</s>MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president said that he was going to put daylight between us and Israel.</s>LAWRENCE: So, for a president preparing for his final national security debate, the timing of a thousand American troops arriving in Israel couldn't be better.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It also, by the way, helps President Obama in his re-election to reassure people that U.S./Israeli ties are strong.</s>LAWRENCE (on-camera): But the fortuitous timing seems to be just coincidental in that these exercises are held every two years. They were originally scheduled for earlier back in the spring in April, but they were postponed at Israel's request, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Chris Lawrence with that story. Thanks very much. We'll stay on top of it. Appreciate it. In a few minutes, we're going to discuss President Obama and Governor Romney's attempt at comedy later tonight. Stand by for that. And a shuttle's final journey in a way you've never seen before.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands were made to make things, that's why we have thumbs. We've gotten away from making so much. That instinctive drive to create. I like to think the tech shop helps and rekindle that and get them back to being makers. There's so many things that -- it could be little tiny things, it could be big world changing things. All the things people do here just really light me up. Really excite me.</s>BLITZER: A huge countrywide protest in Greece turns violent. Lisa Sylvester's monitoring that and some of the other top stories in the SITUATION ROOM right now. What's going on?</s>LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf. Well, Greek police say 30,000 people showed up to protest huge wage and pension cuts but became agitated at the police presence so they began throwing stones and bottles. the protest comes as Euro Zone leaders convene in Belgium and as Greece's government struggles to make 11 billion Euros worth of cuts to satisfy conditions of a bailout. And intense scrutiny of the Boy Scouts right now. Attorneys representing victims of alleged child molestation want Congress to investigate if the Boy Scouts of America is doing enough to prevent abuse. The attorneys released previously secret Boy Scout documents identifying more than a thousand leaders banned for alleged inappropriate conduct with boys. But the Boy Scouts of America standby its policies just releasing a statement that says, quote, "nothing is more important than the safety of our scouts." And check out this super cool time lapse of the retired shuttle "Endeavour" making its way through the streets of Los Angeles. This is pretty amazing stuff. Look how close it got. Pretty amazing. They were able to make all those turns around street corners. You can see it came within inches of hitting some houses and trees. Look at that. Just barely making it. Fortunately, "Endeavour" was actually moving at a much, much slower pace. A safer speed of about two miles an hour taking two days to travel the 12 miles from L.A.X. to its final resting spot at the museum. They had to cut a few trees down to make that, but they are planning on planting some more trees to replace the ones they had to cut down. But you see that video. Some of those shots and those pictures where it literally seems to come within inches of some of those houses, but it got there all in one piece safe and sound, so all is well. We'll have to make a trip and take a look at it once it's open for the public.</s>BLITZER: There it is. That's in the hangar. All right, good work all around. Thank you -- up next the tale of two ex-presidents and their respective roles or non-roles in the race for the White House.