Joint Task Force Guantanamo plays a role with commissions when they are in session at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to assist the personnel that arrive here for commissions. This task is assigned to the Commissions Liaison Office.
Commissions is a military court of law, traditionally, used to try law of war and other offenses.
“The Commissions Liaison Office, or CLO, is the directorate charged with coordinating the requisite support from the JTF to the Office of Military Commissions, which is one of the pillars for the JTF mission,” said U.S. Navy Capt. William S. Fedor, the director to the CLO. “This includes coordinating the provision of housing at Camp Justice, vehicles, cellphones, badging, escorts and other ancillary services.”
Despite this, few know of who or what CLO’s role is. Even
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If they [attorneys] didn’t have vehicles they couldn’t do their interviews with detainees,” said the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of transportation. “Our main thing is to support commissions and the lawyers who come down.”
Fedor credits his staff with continuous process improvement and finding ways to more efficiently complete their tasks.
“There is nothing more critical to the success of the CLO than my staff,” said Fedor. “The people on my team are the ones who make this work. My team takes pride in what they do and I would be lost without them.”
Even after the commissions is over, the CLO schedule does not change gears. Fedor and the CLO staff are focused and preparing for the next round of commissions. The CLO staff is busy checking equipment, replacing items and ordering any additional elements that are needed for next military commissions that re-adjourns.
“We use the periods between commissions to focus on process improvements - and ensure the maintenance of the housing, vehicles, phones and other critical components,” said Fedor. “Our schedules may vary, but we are always focused on support and