Blackwater's 'Drug War' Bonanza

While Blackwater's mercenaries beg for mercy for killing a baby and 19 other people in Baghdad on Sunday, they're already working on another lucrative government contract on yet another foreign adventure: the "war on drugs."

In a major new outsourcing deal reported by only a few outlets, including the Army Times, Blackwater will divvy up a $15 billion pot of government gold, along with four huge defense contractors: Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Arinc.

Blackwater claims to be building remote-control spy airships. Purty darn good for an army based in a little North Carolina town — no, it's Currituck, not Mayberry.

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t probably didn't hurt the mercenary army that, according to federal campaign records, its top execs gave $1,000 to Tom DeLay's campaign on December 14, 2004. Or that they contributed mostly to other openly God-fearing lawmakers, like Bono pal Rick Santorum, Kansas's Todd Tiahrt, and Indiana's Mike Pence — whose campaign-finance tool is the Principles Exalt a Nation PAC.

Iraq Orders Murdering Blackwater USA Contractors Out

Attacks on supply convoys protected by private security companies in Iraq have more than tripled as the U.S. government depends more on mercenaries

BAGHDAD � Attacks on supply convoys protected by private security companies in Iraq have more than tripled as the U.S. government depends more on armed civilian guards to secure reconstruction and other missions.

There were 869 such attacks from the beginning of June 2006 to the end of May this year. For the preceding 12 months, there were 281 attacks.

Deaths and injuries increased to 206 from 157 during that same time, according to the Army Corps of Engineers' Logistics Movement Control Center. Most of those convoys carry U.S.-funded reconstruction supplies for the Iraqi government.

Guarding convoys is one part of the work in Iraq done by private companies, jobs that were once done by the military. Private firms also protect diplomats and staff checkpoints at U.S. military facilities.

The Private Security Company Association of Iraq, a trade group, estimates there are about 30,000 security company employees, of which 3,000 to 5,000 are Westerners. About 15,000 are Iraqis, and the rest are other foreigners.

"We will never go to war in the future without civilian assistance," because the active military lacks the people for the job, said Jack Holly, logistics director for the Army Corps of Engineers' Gulf Region Division.

Republikkkan Rip offs of American Taxpayers 35 billion and counting

The government watchdog that monitors Iraq reconstruction programs will conduct the most sweeping review of contractors since the war began, auditing four companies with combined contracts worth $3.3 billion. The audits come amid complaints of lax oversight of the $35 billion in taxpayer money spent so far to rebuild Iraq.
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Parsons Corp., a construction company with more than $2 billion in Iraq work. Previous SIGIR audits found problems with mismanagement and shoddy workmanship by the California-based company, including on a contract to build 151 health clinics. Parsons delivered 20 completed facilities after spending more than $200 million. Parsons spokeswoman Erin Kuhlman said the company did the best it could in a war zone and is cooperating with the latest probe. "In Iraq, things cost more than originally anticipated. Security costs added to a lot of that," Kuhlman said.

•Blackwater USA, a North Carolina-based security firm paid about $766 million to protect diplomats and contractors in Iraq. A 2005 audit for the State Department said the firm's time-keeping procedures were inadequate and Blackwater had improperly inflated its proposed profits on the contract. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

•Aegis Defence Services, a London-based security firm with a nearly $300 million contract to protect Army workers and gather intelligence for other contractors. A 2005 audit found some lapses in record-keeping but said the problems were fixed before the audit was completed. Aegis spokeswoman Kristi Clemens said SIGIR had not yet contacted the company about the audit. "We welcome the audit," she said. "We think we've served the U.S. government very well."

•BearingPoint, a Virginia-based consulting firm hired by the U.S. Agency for International Development on a $240 million contract to help Iraq build a private-sector economy. BearingPoint spokesman Steve Lunceford said the company hasn't been contacted about the audit but would cooperate fully. "We're confident of our performance," he said.