Dirk Padgett is an American lawyer and officer in the United States Navy Reserve's Judge Advocate corp.[1] Padgett is notable for his appointment to serve as a prosecutor for a Guantanamo military commission.

The Guantanamo military commission audio system, which has the ability to cut the sound to reporters when witnesses are testifying about classified topics, failed to let reporters hear Padgett's introduction to the court on July 15, 2009.[1]

In civilian life Padgett is a Prosecutor in Bedford County Virginia.[2] He was hired as the Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for Bedford County in late 1995.[3] He was recalled to serve a hitch of active duty in Iraq on October 14, 2004.[4]

On January 5, 2005 the Roanoke Times published an op-ed by Padgett, entitled ""Beware uninformed blathering about Iraq from the safety of home".[5] Padgett, then a Lieutenant Commander serving in Iraq, was critical of civilians at home who criticized the conduct of the war, without ever experiencing military service.

Carol Rosenberg, writing in the Lakeland Ledger, on July 15, 2009, described the Military Commission's new electronic audio management system malfunctioning when Commander Padgett tried to make his opening remarks.[1] According to Rosenberg Padgett requested a delay, while the Obama administration reviewed the military commission system.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Carol Rosenberg (2009-07-15). "Pentagon Presses Ahead With War Court". The Ledger. p. A10. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2009-07-28. The Pentagon plunged forward Wednesday with pretrial hearings against eight detainees in its beleaguered war court system with challenges to both the ongoing terror prosecutions and their remote state-of-the-art technology. 'Hopefully, this is going to get better,' Navy Cmdr. Dirk Padgett said as court staff complained they couldn't hear him introduce himself as a prosecutor in the case of Ibrahim Qosi.
  2. ^ "Bedford Country". Virginia State. Archived from the original on 2006-01-03. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  3. ^ "Prosecutor's move brings full time job". Roanoke Times. 1995-11-18. p. C4. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  4. ^ "Community". Roanoke Times. 2004-10-14. Retrieved 2009-07-28. Bedford County Chief Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Dirk Padgett, a Naval reservist, has been called to active duty with the US Navy.
  5. ^ Jean-Claude Racinet (2009-01-27). "A veteran's critique, then, of an unjust war". Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2009-07-27.