Michael Bumgarner
Michael Bumgarner | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 |
| Occupation | United States Army military police officer |
| Years active | 1980s–2010 |
| Known for | Commander of Joint Detention Group, Joint Task Force Guantanamo (2005–2006) |
Colonel Michael Bumgarner (born 1959) is a seasoned officer in the United States Army military police. He gained prominence as the leader of the Joint Detention Group, the security unit of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, from April 2005 until June 2006 at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. During his command, he played a key role in resolving a major hunger strike in 2005. On June 10, 2006, three detainees were discovered dead, with the United States Department of Defense officially labeling the deaths as suicides.
Following his Guantanamo service, Bumgarner undertook various military roles and retired in 2010.
A 2009 analysis by Seton Hall University Law School criticized the Department of Defense’s NCIS inquiry into the detainee deaths, highlighting discrepancies and investigative flaws. In January 2010, a joint probe by Harper's Magazine and NBC News—authored by Scott Horton—accused Bumgarner and other senior officers of being involved in concealing homicides linked to harsh interrogations at a secret facility outside the main detention area. This issue remains unresolved.
Early life and education
Michael Bumgarner was raised in a military family; his father was a career sergeant major in the army. During his high school years, he resided in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Although he was accepted to West Point, he left during his first year and instead joined ROTC to fund his studies at Western Carolina University. After graduation, he enlisted in the army.
Career
In April 2005, Bumgarner assumed command of the Joint Detention Group, the guard contingent of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, reporting to Maj. Gen. Jay W. Hood, and served until June 2006. Hood assigned him the task of enhancing adherence to the Third Geneva Convention concerning detainee treatment, following the classification of prisoners as illegal enemy combatants, which excluded them from convention protections. His appointment came in the aftermath of the 2004 Abu Ghraib abuse revelations.
At Guantanamo, legal ambiguities persisted regarding approximately 530 detainees, many labeled "noncompliant." After the Supreme Court’s 2004 ruling in Rasul v. Bush granted detainees habeas corpus rights, no military commissions had yet been convened. Bumgarner worked to reduce friction between guards and detainees, addressing grievances such as complaints about tap water by supplying bottled water.
During a large-scale hunger strike in summer 2005 protesting detention conditions and demanding fair trials or release, Bumgarner acted as lead American negotiator to end the strike on July 28. However, detainees later alleged that promises made during negotiations were not honored.
On June 10, 2006, three detainees died under circumstances officially described as suicides. Bumgarner expressed significant doubt regarding the credibility of these detainees. A Department of Defense investigation cleared personnel involved but recommended changes in detainee treatment; its heavily redacted findings were published in 2008.
After leaving Guantanamo, Bumgarner led the Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate at the Maneuver Support Center located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, focusing on advancing new protective concepts for the army. Between 2007 and 2008, he served as senior U.S. advisor to the Baghdad Police College through the Civilian Police Training Team (CPATT). His final assignment from 2008 until retirement in 2010 was as professor of military science for the Army ROTC program at Virginia Tech.
Allegations of Concealment Disputed
In 2009, a report titled Death in Camp Delta, produced by Seton Hall University Law School, criticized the NCIS inquiry and pointed out discrepancies in the Department of Defense (DOD) narrative. The document raised concerns about serious negligence or a potential cover-up involving detainee fatalities, possibly connected to interrogation-related torture.
In January 2010, Scott Horton, a journalist and human rights lawyer, authored an article for Harper's Magazine based on a collaborative investigation with NBC News. The piece challenged the DOD's assertion that the three detainees died by suicide through hanging. Instead, it claimed they perished due to severe interrogations at "Camp No," a clandestine facility located beyond the main camp perimeter. Accounts from four former guards, including a sergeant stationed at Camp Delta, revealed that detainees were transported from this secret site to the medical unit rather than from their cells. Horton further accused Sergeant Bumgarner of orchestrating a significant cover-up by instructing guards to assert that the deaths resulted from rags forced into the detainees' throats while encouraging them to uphold the official suicide explanation.
On January 18, 2010, Sergeant Bumgarner refuted Horton's allegations, describing them as a "blatant misrepresentation of the truth" and indicated plans to provide a comprehensive rebuttal once authorized by his superiors.