# DOD closes think tank arm marred by 'inefficiency' and criticized by GOP for ties to Trump-Russia probe

The  has dissolved its Office of Net Acquisition – a think tank-like arm of the Pentagon that Republicans have claimed was involved in the Trump-Russia investigation.

Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said civilian employees within the office would be "reassigned to mission-critical roles" as the DOD established a plan to rebuild the office "in alignment with the Department’s strategic priorities."

The office is meant to provide long-term strategic analysis within DOD, but it has become a target of Republicans who claim it has engaged in "projects unrelated to its mission."

"Godspeed" to the NASA crew set to be brought home from the International Space Station by SpaceX.

The Office of Net Acquisition has failed to produce classified net assessments for years, with whistleblowing analyst Adam Lovinger once complaining in emails to Director James Baker that the office seemed to attract overpriced academic-style papers instead of classified net assessments.

"ONA personnel could not provide us any evidence that Professor Halper visited any of these locations, established an advisory group, or met with any of the specific people listed in the statement of work."

Contracts show that Halper listed a Russian intelligence official as a consultant for an ONA project, the same intelligence official who was listed as a source in the Trump dossier used to spy on Carter Page. He was in contact with Page and former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, "raising questions about whether Halper used U.S. taxpayer dollars to seek connections with Trump campaign officials," according to Grassley.

Halper was also a confidential human source for the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections who recorded conversations with officials from the campaign. The senator claims that ONA has stonewalled on his inquiries about Halper’s relations to the .

Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I., top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, called the office’s closing "shortsighted," adding that it would "undermine our ability to prepare for future conflicts."
```