Does not surprise me at all. This contract is a cash cow for the CoE- the more the contract costs, the more money that get funneled into the Corps. The thought that someone who has risen all the way through the civil service ranks suddenly become a poor duty performer worthy of being fired defies common sense. My guess is that her poor duty performance is her objection to the contracting methods being used. In my dealings with KBR and Corps of Engineers, they do not like anyone threatening their cash cow. I have seen military officers removed from their positions - wrongfully - for questioning KBR prices and recommending they not get work orders.
As I have said many times - this is not a political issue in the Democrat or Republican sense. It is purely political in the military culture sense.
B
Edit: I wrote this on my laptop and without a wordprocessor and my eyes are really getting bad. I need a bigger font or glasses.