{"id":170033,"date":"2020-10-12T12:00:19","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T11:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=170033"},"modified":"2020-10-10T10:31:03","modified_gmt":"2020-10-10T09:31:03","slug":"revealed-key-assange-prosecution-witness-is-part-of-academic-cluster-that-has-received-millions-from-uk-and-us-militaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/10\/revealed-key-assange-prosecution-witness-is-part-of-academic-cluster-that-has-received-millions-from-uk-and-us-militaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Revealed: Key Assange Prosecution Witness Is Part of Academic Cluster That Has Received Millions from UK and US Militaries"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>2 Oct 2020 &#8211; <em>One of the US prosecution\u2019s key medical witnesses in the Julian Assange hearing, who claimed that Assange\u2019s risk of suicide is \u2018manageable\u2019 if extradited to the US, works for an academic institute that is funded by the UK Ministry of Defence and linked to the US Department of Defence, it can be revealed.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_170035\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Declassified-assange-leon-penetta.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-170035\" class=\"wp-image-170035\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Declassified-assange-leon-penetta-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Declassified-assange-leon-penetta-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Declassified-assange-leon-penetta-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Declassified-assange-leon-penetta-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Declassified-assange-leon-penetta.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-170035\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta speaks at Kings College in London, 18 Jan 2013. (Photo: DoD \/ Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo)<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>US prosecution witness works at Institute of Psychiatry funded by UK military, although is not personally funded by it.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Witness leads research group which works \u201cin collaboration\u201d with centre set up with US Department of Defence funding.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>He co-leads the group with academic whose work is often funded by UK military.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Institute\u2019s partner department is closely linked to the Anglo-American military and intelligence communities, and created a course for British intelligence officers on behalf of the UK government.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Responding to <em>Declassified<\/em>, witness says: \u201cI had no conflicts [of interest] to declare.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Revelations come following end of Old Bailey hearing on Assange\u2019s US extradition.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dr Nigel Blackwood, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/people\/nigel-blackwood\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reader<\/a> in forensic psychiatry at King\u2019s College London (KCL), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252489587\/Not-unjust-to-extradite-WilkiLeaks-founder-Julian-Assange-court-hears\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told<\/a> the extradition hearing in London last week that<strong> Julian Assange<\/strong> was suffering only \u201cmoderate\u201d depression.<\/p>\n<p>Giving evidence as an expert witness for the US prosecution, Dr Blackwood <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressgazette.co.uk\/doctor-tells-old-bailey-assange-suicide-risk-is-manageable-even-if-he-is-extradited-to-us\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rebutted<\/a> other experts\u2019 findings on the seriousness of Assange\u2019s condition, adding his suicide risk was \u201cmanageable\u201d. He told the court: \u201cMr Assange has proved himself to be a very resilient and very resourceful man, and he has underplayed that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the request of US prosecution lawyers, Dr Blackwood <a href=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/2020\/09\/24\/final-report-assange-hearing-day-thirteen-prosecution-witness-tries-to-play-judge-leaves-out-reason-why-assange-was-sent-to-belmarsh-medical-ward\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">examined<\/a> Assange during two meetings in March. In his written submission to the court, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252489587\/Not-unjust-to-extradite-WilkiLeaks-founder-Julian-Assange-court-hears\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> that it would \u201cnot be unjust\u201d to extradite Assange to the US.<\/p>\n<p><i>Declassified<\/i> has discovered that Dr Blackwood\u2019s professional work at KCL is linked to a cluster of academic groups which are funded by or associated with the British and American militaries.<\/p>\n<p><i>Declassified<\/i> has seen a contract showing that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) provided more than \u00a32-million to KCL\u2019s Institute of Psychiatry for the years 2013-16 for a project which KCL is forbidden to mention in public without MOD approval. It is likely the contract has been renewed and is still active.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/478319632\/The-2-2m-contract-between-King-s-College-London-s-Institute-of-Psychiatry-and-the-UK-Ministry-of-Defence#download&amp;from_embed\" >Read: The \u00a32.2m contract between King\u2019s College London\u2019s Institute of Psychiatry and the UK Ministry of Defence<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The project is managed \u201con behalf of the Secretary of State for Defence\u201d and is for Phase 4 of a \u201cwellbeing\u201d study of veterans of Britain\u2019s recent military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Seeking to \u201cinform MOD decision-making\u201d, the project began in 2003.<\/p>\n<p>The value of the first three phases of the contract is not known but if the Institute of Psychiatry received a similar level of funding for Phase 4 as they had previously, the total contract value would be more than \u00a38-million. A spokesperson for the institute refused <i>Declassified<\/i>\u2019s request to divulge the amount of funding from the MOD.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Blackwood <a href=\"https:\/\/kclpure.kcl.ac.uk\/portal\/nigel.blackwood.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">works<\/a> in the Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, which is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn\/research\/centres-groups?letter=F\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">part<\/a> of KCL\u2019s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. He told <i>Declassified<\/i> he was aware of MOD funding the institute in which he works, but said he had never personally worked on an MOD contract.<\/p>\n<p>Asked by <i>Declassified<\/i> if he declared any conflicts of interest to the hearing, Blackwood responded, \u201cI had no conflicts to declare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, <i>Declassified<\/i> has found that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn\/depts\/fans\/research\/forensic-research-group\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forensic Research Group<\/a> (FRG) that Dr Blackwood heads at KCL \u2014 and which \u201cexplores the complex relationship between mental disorders and crime\u201d \u2014 is conducting research which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn\/depts\/fans\/research\/forensic-research-group\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">uses data<\/a> from Phase 3 of the MOD-funded project.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the FRG works \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn\/depts\/fans\/research\/Domestic-Violence-and-Abuse-in-the-Military\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in collaboration<\/a>\u201d with the King\u2019s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), which is part-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn\/depts\/pm\/research\/kcmhr\/index\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">funded<\/a> by the MOD and was \u201coriginally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/sspp\/research\/casestudies\/kcmhr\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">funded<\/a> by the US Department of Defence\u201d. A KCMHR webpage, which is undated, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/sspp\/research\/casestudies\/kcmhr\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">states<\/a> that \u201clatterly\u201d the centre is being funded by the Department of Defence \u201cagain\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>US Department of Defence<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The King\u2019s College website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/kcmhr\/mission\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">states<\/a> that the KCMHR is \u201cthe leading civilian UK centre of excellence for military health research and independent of the UK Ministry of Defence\u201d. The centre <a href=\"https:\/\/kcmhr.org\/about\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">notes<\/a> that it also \u201ccollaborates\u201d with the UK Ministry of Justice and the US Department of Defence.<\/p>\n<p>The KCMHR is a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/sspp\/research\/casestudies\/kcmhr\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">joint initiative<\/a> between the Institute of Psychiatry and the Department of War Studies and makes significant contributions to UK military personnel policy\u201d, the university website states.<\/p>\n<p>KCL\u2019s Departments of War Studies and Defence Studies \u201chave a number of contracts\/agreements with various departments within government, including the Cabinet Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Ministry of Defence\u201d, according to a response to a Freedom of Information Act request sent to KCL by <i>Declassified<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>However, \u201cmore specific information\u201d on the contracts themselves was withheld by KCL because \u201cthe majority of contracts are listed as classified under UK security legislation. This means we are not permitted to disclose details, since they predominantly involve areas either directly or pertaining to the UK security services.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The university also said disclosure would damage its commercial opportunities. \u201cTwo of the largest contracts [with the UK government] are due for renewal in the next 12 months and will go to open tender,\u201d it explained.<\/p>\n<p>US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta visited King\u2019s College War Studies Department in 2013, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.defense.gov\/transcripts\/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=5180\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">saying<\/a>: \u201cI deeply appreciate the work that you do to train and to educate our future national security leaders, many of whom are in this audience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Panetta, who also served as director of the CIA from 2009 to 2011, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kgosztola\/status\/1305292416199602176?s=20\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> in an interview that the purpose of prosecuting Assange was to stop other journalists from revealing information about the US government: \u201cAll you can do is hope that you can ultimately take action against those who were involved in revealing that information so you can send a message to others not to do the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/kcmhr\/kcmhrteam\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">co-directors<\/a> of the KCHMR, which collaborates with Dr\u00a0Blackwood\u2019s FRG, is Nicola Fear, a professor of epidemiology and a former MOD <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcmhr.org\/pdf\/delegate_pack_2020.pdf\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">staffer<\/a> who is on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/participants\/interview-study\/studyteam\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">study team<\/a> working on the MOD \u201cwellbeing\u201d project.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcmhr.org\/pdf\/delegate_pack_2020.pdf\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">centre<\/a>, Professor Fear \u201cleads several studies\u2026 which have been awarded funding from the UK Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defence\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>One recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scipalliance.org\/assets\/files\/professor-Nicola-Fear-Military-children-keynote_for-distribution.pdf\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">project<\/a> led by Professor Fear for the KCHMR, which was funded by the US Department of Defence,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/research\/kcmhr\/space-study\/index\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">studies<\/a> how the military deployments of parents affect children\u2019s emotional development.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/478319819\/Presentation-slide#download&amp;from_embed\" >Read: King\u2019s College London rejects a Declassified Freedom of Information Act request for its UK government contracts \u201csince they predominantly involve areas either directly or pertaining to the UK security services\u201d<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcmhr.org\/pdf\/delegate_pack_2020.pdf\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">biography<\/a> of Professor Fear notes that \u201cNicola frequently briefs senior government officials and military leaders on the work of KCMHR and the impact of service life on personnel, veterans and families\u201d. From 2014-15, she worked on a US army <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.dtic.mil\/dtic\/tr\/fulltext\/u2\/a625472.pdf\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><i>Declassified<\/i> has also discovered other KCMHR projects <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/research\/kcmhr\/participants.pdf\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">funded<\/a> by the US Department of Defence. Different KCL researchers have received <a href=\"https:\/\/minerva.defense.gov\/Research\/Funded-Projects\/Article\/2000451\/strategy-and-the-network-society\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">funding<\/a> from the US Office of Naval Research for a project which \u201cexamined the political, social and the strategic dimension of cybersecurity\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The KCMHR\u2019s other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/kcmhr\/kcmhrteam\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">co-director<\/a> is the vice-dean of Academic Psychiatry, Professor Sir Simon Wessely, who is one of the \u201capproved\u201d researchers on the MOD \u201cwellbeing\u201d contract.<\/p>\n<p>The KCHMR has been developing data-sharing links with colleagues in the US, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/sspp\/research\/casestudies\/kcmhr\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to the university\u2019s webpage. \u201cWe want to make increasing use of the possibilities of electronic data linkage, reflecting the fact that the UK and US have been fighting the same war,\u201d Professor Wessely is quoted as saying.<\/p>\n<p>Wessely and Fear are two of the four members of the \u201csenior team\u201d of KCL\u2019s Academic Department of Military Mental Health (ADMMH) which, according to KCL\u2019s website, appears to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/admmh\/index\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">funded<\/a> solely by the MOD. The ADMMH \u201cworks directly\u201d with the KCMHR, with which it shares a research policy, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/admmh\/index\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has<\/a>\u201cboth academic and military personnel seconded to the unit\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The other two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/admmh\/admmhteam\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">senior members<\/a> of the ADMMH, Lieutenant Colonel Norman Jones and Major Amos Simms, are both serving UK military personnel.<\/p>\n<p>The ADMMH <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/admmh\/index\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">says<\/a> its \u201cmission is to act as the uniformed focus for military mental health research\u201d for the UK military. It adds: \u201cThe centre aims to gather, assess and report on information that will enhance the health and operational effectiveness of the United Kingdom\u2019s Armed Forces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forensic research<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dr Blackwood told <i>Declassified<\/i> he had never personally worked with the KCMHR, adding that his \u201ccolleague\u201d has \u201cworked with\u201d the centre examining Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the ex-service population.<\/p>\n<p>That colleague, Dr Deirdre MacManus, is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn\/depts\/fans\/research\/forensic-research-group\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">co-team leader<\/a> with Dr Blackwood of the FRG and \u2014 according to the KCL website \u2014 a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/kcmhr\/kcmhrteam\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">member<\/a> of the KCMHR team. She is also part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/kcmhr\/participants\/interview-study\/studyteam\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">study team<\/a>working on the MOD \u201cwellbeing\u201d contract.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn\/depts\/fans\/research\/forensic-research-group\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MacManus<\/a>, a clinical senior lecturer in forensic psychiatry, has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(13)60354-2\/fulltext\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">funded<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcmhr.org\/pdf\/delegate_pack_2020.pdf\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">directly<\/a> by the UK military to produce research. MacManus also appears to have published a number of <a href=\"https:\/\/kclpure.kcl.ac.uk\/portal\/en\/persons\/deirdre-macmanus(3b73fba7-6288-4ce4-84cb-9d4fec1a2385)\/publications.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">outputs<\/a> produced from the MOD \u201cwellbeing\u201d contract alongside academic <a href=\"https:\/\/kclpure.kcl.ac.uk\/portal\/en\/persons\/deirdre-macmanus(3b73fba7-6288-4ce4-84cb-9d4fec1a2385)\/publications.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">papers<\/a> co-authored with, among others, a serving member of the British army.<\/p>\n<p>Dr MacManus and Dr Blackwood <a href=\"https:\/\/kclpure.kcl.ac.uk\/portal\/en\/publications\/ptsd-in-prison-settings-a-systematic-review-and-metaanalysis-of-comorbid-mental-disorders-and-problematic-behaviours(d654cad1-f2f3-403d-af34-ee2010832c9c).html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">co-authored<\/a> an academic paper in September 2019 on the subject of PTSD in prisons, which \u201cidentified significant associations between PTSD and suicidality\u201d. This was a subject on which Blackwood gave evidence to the Assange hearing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Intelligence training<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The War Studies Department at KCL, which co-founded the KCMHR with the Institute of Psychiatry, is also linked to the UK and US intelligence community.<\/p>\n<p>The department was in the mid-2000s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cia.gov\/library\/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence\/csi-publications\/csi-studies\/studies\/vol-52-no-4\/teaching-intelligence-analysts-in-the-uk.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">commissioned<\/a> by the \u201cprofessional head of intelligence analysis\u201d \u2014 working within the Cabinet Office\u2019s Intelligence and Security Secretariat \u2014 \u201cto develop a course for experienced [intelligence] analysts\u201d in order to \u201cenhance the analytic capability of the United Kingdom\u2019s intelligence community\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>A study titled \u201cTeaching Intelligence Analysts in the UK\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cia.gov\/library\/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence\/csi-publications\/csi-studies\/studies\/vol-52-no-4\/pdfs\/Teaching%20Analysis%20in%20UK.pdf\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">published<\/a> in the US Central Intelligence Agency\u2019s (CIA\u2019s) in-house journal, notes that: \u201cExposure to an academic environment, such as the Department of War Studies at King\u2019s College London, can add several elements that may be harder to provide within the government system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Co-written by David Omand \u2014 a former director of the UK\u2019s largest intelligence agency, GCHQ, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/people\/professor-sir-david-omand\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">teaches<\/a> on KCL\u2019s War Studies course \u2014 the article notes that \u201cthe CIA had recognised as early as 1960 how beneficial it would be to use universities as a means of intelligence training\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The paper continues by noting that KCL \u201coffers a containing space in which analysts from every part of the [intelligence] community can explore with each other the interplay of ideas about their profession\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of War Studies is currently home to a number of personnel connected to the US <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/people\/mr-christopher-d-kolenda\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">military<\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/people\/professor-jack-spence-obe\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">intelligence<\/a> community.<\/p>\n<p>The university also runs a cross-department centre \u2014 called the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cybersecurity Research \u2014 which brings King\u2019s College academics together to look at the \u201csociotechnical aspects of cybersecurity\u201d. The body runs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/research\/cybersecurity-centre\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cin association\u201d<\/a> with the National Cybersecurity Centre, an arm of GCHQ.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Consent of the MOD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The contract seen by <i>Declassified <\/i>is made out between the \u201cSecretary of State for Defence\u201d and the \u201cInstitute of Psychiatry, King\u2019s College London\u201d. Worth \u00a32.17-million, Phase 4 of the project ran from February 2013 to January 2016. Earlier phases were renewed in 2006 and 2010.<\/p>\n<p>The Institute for Psychiatry refused to disclose to <i>Declassified<\/i> the total level of funding provided by the MOD, saying that the university\u2019s \u201cweb pages are very comprehensive and should help with your queries\u201d. KCL\u2019s website does not appear to provide such details.<\/p>\n<p>The contract stipulates that KCL cannot \u201cwithout the prior written consent of the [MOD], advertise or publicly announce that work is being undertaken for the [MOD]\u201d. It adds that KCL researchers \u201cmay not communicate on these matters with any communications media representatives\u201d unless they are granted written permission by the MOD.<\/p>\n<p><i>Declassified<\/i> searched the British government\u2019s contract database and could find no other contract between the MOD and a department of psychiatry in the UK.<\/p>\n<p>The contract states that \u201cthe Ministry of Defence did not expect, and was unprepared for, the criticism that arose some years after the 1991 Gulf conflict over the so-called Gulf War Syndrome\u201d. The project\u2019s purpose is to \u201chave early warning of any similar problem arising from the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and to be in a position to respond appropriately with targeted medical research\u201d.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Excerpts from the contract between King\u2019s College\u2019s Institute of Psychiatry and the UK Ministry of Defence:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-730809 img-responsive aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymaverick.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/Declassified-assange-inset-4.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 569px) 100vw, 569px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailymaverick.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/Declassified-assange-inset-4.jpg 569w, https:\/\/www.dailymaverick.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/Declassified-assange-inset-4-480x366.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.dailymaverick.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/Declassified-assange-inset-4-350x267.jpg 350w\" alt=\"\" width=\"569\" height=\"434\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Funding of the Forensic Research Group<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dr Blackwood told <i>Declassified<\/i> his FRG at King\u2019s College had never received funding, directly or indirectly, from the MOD.<\/p>\n<p>The group does, however, receive funds from organisations associated with the British military. One of its six listed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn\/depts\/fans\/research\/forensic-research-group\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">funders<\/a> is Help for Heroes, which supports wounded military personnel. The organisation receives <a href=\"https:\/\/h4hcmsstorageprod.blob.core.windows.net\/publications\/Annual-Reports\/2019\/files\/assets\/basic-html\/page-1.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">funds<\/a> from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, an <a href=\"https:\/\/questions-statements.parliament.uk\/written-questions\/detail\/2020-02-25\/20455\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MOD-funded<\/a> charity that was until 2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/covenantfund.org.uk\/our-history-2\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">based<\/a> inside the ministry.<\/p>\n<p>Another funder of the FRG is the Forces in Mind Trust (FIMT), which supports former British military personnel. The chair of FIMT\u2019s board, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fim-trust.org\/person\/hans-pung\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hans Pung<\/a>, is President of RAND Europe and a former US army officer.<\/p>\n<p>Other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fim-trust.org\/about\/board\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">directors<\/a> include Major General Martin Rutledge, who served in UK military headquarters during the Iraq campaign, and General Sir John McColl, a former deputy commander of Nato.<\/p>\n<p>_________________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Matt Kennard is head of investigations of <\/em>Declassified UK.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Mark Curtis is editor of <\/em>Declassified UK<em>, an investigative journalism organisation that covers the UK\u2019s role in the world.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymaverick.co.za\/article\/2020-10-02-revealed-key-assange-prosecution-witness-is-part-of-academic-cluster-which-has-received-millions-of-pounds-from-uk-and-us-militaries\/\" >Go to Original &#8211; dailymaverick.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"copyright\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2 Oct 2020 &#8211; One of the US prosecution\u2019s key medical witnesses in the Julian Assange hearing, who claimed that Assange\u2019s risk of suicide is \u2018manageable\u2019 if extradited to the US, works for an academic institute that is funded by the UK Ministry of Defence and linked to the US Department of Defence, it can be revealed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":170035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[229,918,910,942,487,378,651,234,911,454,572,639,292,70,126,921,113],"class_list":["post-170033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media","tag-activism","tag-assange","tag-big-brother","tag-ecuador","tag-human-rights","tag-journalism","tag-justice","tag-media","tag-surveillance","tag-sweden","tag-torture","tag-uk","tag-un","tag-usa","tag-violence","tag-whistleblowing","tag-wikileaks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}