WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) was briefed today by U.S. Army officials on the results of their investigation into chronic problems at Virginia’s Arlington National Cemetery and pledged to work to help correct many of systemic mismanagement issues at the cemetery, including its failure to incorporate modern information technology.

Senator Warner spoke today with Secretary of the U.S. Army John McHugh, and received offers of assistance from leaders of Northern Virginia’s technology community to begin addressing the lack of automation and computer backup of Arlington’s extensive paper records.

“The Army has spent $5.5 million since 2003 on at least three different contracts to digitize and automate the gravesite registration records at Arlington, yet it is appalling to hear that cemetery officials are still relying on paper records and hand-written 3x5 index cards,” Senator Warner said. “That means we are one fire, flood or coffee-spill away from damaging or losing these irreplaceable records. This chronic culture of mismanagement that existed at Arlington National Cemetery is incredibly disrespectful to the families and loved ones of the veterans that we honor there.”

A June 10th report from the Army rendered 76 findings and more than 100 specific recommendations, and the Secretary of the Army announced a long-term plan to correct deficiencies at Arlington that same day.

“I have spoken with Secretary McHugh about our desire to be helpful, specifically on this IT challenge. For instance, I have spoken to leaders of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, who indicated members of this region’s IT industry would be eager to step-up, even on a pro-bono basis, to help protect and preserve these fragile records in the short-term, and offer advice on longer-term IT solutions.”

Arlington National Cemetery, which contains more than 330,000 graves on 200 acres in northern Virginia, has served as the nation's pre-eminent military cemetery for almost 150 years. More than 100 military burials are conducted at Arlington each week. Four million visitors pay their respects every year.

Army officials have established a call center for families to try to address concerns about burial discrepancies at Arlington. The phone number is (703) 607-8199, and it operates from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., EDT, Monday through Friday.

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