Michael DeKort
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| name = Michael J. DeKort
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| image = 2008_IEEE-SSIT_Barus_Award_Presenation.jpg
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| caption = Michael Dekort at the Carl Barus Award presentation with Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation; and at right Ms. Janet Rochester, President of IEEE-SSIT.
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| occupation = Engineering project manager
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| employer = Lockheed Martin
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| known_for = Whistleblowing video on Youtube.com about the Lockheed Integrated Deepwater System Program
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Michael DeKort was an American engineering project manager at Lockheed Martin who posted a whistleblowing video on YouTube about the Lockheed Integrated Deepwater System Program.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd3VV8Za04g |title=Original-See other copy if this version is frozen |publisher=YouTube |date=2006-08-03 |accessdate=2015-08-25}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/28/AR2006082801293.html|title=On YouTube, Charges of Security Flaws|newspaper=The Washington Post|accessdate=4 April 2013|first=Griff|last=Witte|date=29 August 2006}}
Career
DeKort began working as an engineer at Lockheed Martin in 1994. He was working as a lead system engineer in 2003 when he noticed that the equipment Lockheed Martin was installing in U.S. Coast Guard vessels as part of the Deepwater program was faulty. According to DeKort, he alerted the CEO and Board of Directors of Lockheed Martin, but was ignored and removed from his position as project manager.{{cite book|last=Helvarg|first=David |title=Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes|year=2009|publisher=MacMillan|isbn=9781429989534|page=252}} DeKort then reported the equipment problems to the Department of Homeland Security. DeKort felt that the Coast Guard was failing to cooperate adequately with the DHS. His attempts to alert The Washington Post and the Associated Press were unsuccessful.{{cite book|last=Helvarg|first=David|title=Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes|year=2009|publisher=MacMillan|isbn=9781429989534|page=250}} DeKort released a YouTube video on August 3, 2006, detailing the problems with the Deepwater program.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd3VV8Za04g|title=Original-See other copy if this version is frozen|date=3 August 2006|work=YouTube|accessdate=26 September 2015}} The same year, DeKort was laid off from Lockheed Martin. He filed a whistleblower's lawsuit against Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.{{cite news|last=Baumann|first=Nick|title=Coast Guard: Still in Deep Water?|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/07/coast-guard-still-deepwater|newspaper=Mother Jones|date=July 29, 2009}} The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2010.{{cite web|last=Lipowicz |first=Alice |url=http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2010/12/02/deepwater-false-claims-lawsuit-partially-settled.aspx?m=2 |title=Deepwater False Claims agreement reached between Lockheed Martin and whistle-blower |publisher=Washington Technology |date=2010-12-02 |accessdate=2015-08-30}}
In 2008, DeKort was awarded the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers–Society on Social Implications of Technology public service award, as well as the Barus Ethics Award from the IEEE for his efforts to ensure accountability and whistleblowing video.{{cite news|last=Axe|first=David|title=LockMart Whistleblower: Vindicated!|url=https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/01/lockmart-whistl/|newspaper=Wired|date=January 30, 2008}} The Barus award was presented by U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings.[http://ieeessit.org/awards/ "Barus Award for Outstanding Service in the Public Interest"], Retrieved on September 1, 2015.
In April 2013, DeKort was featured in the documentary, War on Whistleblowers.{{cite web|url=http://www.bravenewfilms.org/about_whistleblowers |title=About Whistleblowers |publisher=Brave New Films |date= |accessdate=2015-08-25}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-dekort/9/757/340 "Michael De Kort LinkedIn page"],
{{Lockheed Martin}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:DeKort, Michael}}
Category:American whistleblowers
Category:Lockheed Martin people
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
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