Amid need for intelligence in Afghanistan, top Army brass defend troubled intel tech system

The Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. John Campbell, last year cited his son's experiences as a soldier in Afghanistan to answer a senator's tough questions about a troubled intelligence technology system.

This week, after an inquiry by The Associated Press, the Army acknowledged that Campbell misspoke about his son's unit. The general omitted some key facts during a budget hearing on Capitol Hill as he sought to defend a $4 billion system that critics say has not worked as promised.

Campbell faces another Senate hearing Thursday morning, this one on his nomination to lead U.S. forces in Afghanistan. He may get another chance to discuss the network of crash-prone software, sensors and databases that's supposed to allow troops to process and integrate intelligence from a variety of sources.