Jeanette Arocho-Burkart

Jeanette Arocho-Burkart
Occupation(s)	United States Army Sergeant, Interrogator, Civilian interrogation trainer
Years active	Military service until retirement; subsequent civilian contractor and trainer
Known for	Controversial interrogation tactics at Guantanamo Bay detention camp

Jeanette Arocho-Burkart held the rank of Sergeant (E-5) in the United States Army.

Military career

Arocho-Burkart was assigned as an interrogator at the naval detention facility located in Guantanamo Bay. She became notable as one of the female personnel who utilized tactics involving sexual degradation and provocation aimed at undermining the resolve of committed Muslim prisoners. Accounts revealed that she compelled detainees to touch her breasts and deliberately wore provocative attire to disturb them.

In a highly publicized episode, Arocho-Burkart applied red dye onto the face of a restrained prisoner, asserting it was menstrual blood, and threatened to cut off the water supply to their cells to prevent removal. This approach took advantage of Islamic practices that forbid prayer when a person is regarded as "ritually impure."

While she was not officially charged for these interrogation techniques, Arocho-Burkart received a "strong, immediate, verbal reprimand" and was subsequently reported to have undergone a 30-day suspension.

Civilian career

Following her military retirement, Arocho-Burkart spent one year working as a contractor with Phoenix Consulting Group. During this period, she was reportedly chosen by the Defense Intelligence Agency, under the leadership of Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, to instruct on strategic debriefing. Fast served as the top military intelligence official in Iraq during the Abu Ghraib scandal. Subsequently, Arocho-Burkart took on a role as a civilian interrogation trainer at Fort Huachuca. After media reports surfaced regarding her actions at Guantanamo, she was removed from this position.