Military At JBLM, WA Conducting Surveillance of 'No Kings' Demonstrations

The Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Directorate of Emergency Services (DES), Protection Division [Anti-Terrorism Office] is reported to be conducting a massive surveillance and intelligence collection operation targeting 'No Kings' demonstrations in Washington State and throughout the Pacific Northwest. According to sources in the JBLM DES, Protection Division Chief Daniel L. Vessels stated that anyone participating in 'No Kings' demonstrations is engaged in insurrection against the US Government and should be classified as 'homegrown violent extremists'. Vessels allegedly stated that the Protection Division would work to identify participants in protests and enter information about everyone identified into DOD intelligence databases such as Intelink [https://www.intelink.gov/my.policy] and the Joint Analytic Real-time Virtual Information Sharing System (JARVISS) [https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Photos/igphoto/2002299070/].

Illegally gathering information about individuals engaged in protected 1st Amendment activities, maintaining unauthorized records, conducting illegal surveillance, infiltrating peaceful and lawful protests, manufacturing evidence, and submitting false police reports and perjured testimony, and using their official position to harass and intimidate anyone who questions government misconduct is an on-going problem at JBLM. When JBLM personnel expressed concern about using military assets to target protected activities in the civilian community it is alleged that Vessels replied 'F-Off, I can do whatever I want'!

The activities of the JBLM DES Protection Division clearly violate DOD regulations which state: “No information shall be acquired about a person or organization solely because of lawful advocacy of measures in opposition to Government policy. No computerized data banks shall be maintained relating to individuals or organizations not affiliated with the Department of Defense, unless authorized by the Secretary of Defense, or his designee.” (DoD Directive 5200.27)

Daniel Vessels the JBLM DES Protection Division Chief can be contacted here:

Dan Vessels

Protection Division Chief

Directorate of Emergency Services (DES)

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

Building 2007 Room A108

Office: 253-966-7319 [DSN 347-7319]

Cell: 253-278-3121

Email: daniel.l.vessels.civ@army.mil

The JBLM Commander, COL Kent Park, can be contacted through the JBLM/ICE comment system here: https://ice.disa.mil/index.cfm?fa=site&site_id=957&dep=DoD

While it seems likely that comments sent to both Daniel Vessels and COL Park will be ignored, we have a 1st Amendment right to protest government misconduct and a duty to demand that those involved in that misconduct be held accountable for their actions.