Explore Publications

The U.S. Army awarded $72 million in bonuses to Halliburton Co. for logistics work in Iraq, but had not decided whether to give the Texas company bonuses for disputed dining services to troops.

What private security firms in Iraq actually do has been shrouded in mystery. Some provide more than just security. Many are involved in military activities.

Japanese officials scrambled to find information on the kidnapping of a 44-year-old Japanese security specialist working as a consultant for Hart Security Ltd., a Cyprus-based security contractor.

Asked if rebuilding funds were being spent as Congress intended, the special inspector general said "No," Money had been diverted to security, forcing projects to be scaled back. There has also been evidence of corruption in some U.S.-funded deals.

Among other things, rules reaffirm that it is permissible for contractors--at the discretion of the combatant commander--to carry weapons in war zones such as Iraq. Such provisions are bound to please some headed for work in hostile environments, but they have some companies worried about their legal liabilities.

This week, a Moscow court will issue a verdict in the tax fraud trial of billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky. While some critics argue that the charges are politically motivated, others question his innocence in the eyes of the West.

U.S. contractors hit by improvised explosive devices and small arms fire in Iraq are victims of circumstance, and there is little evidence that attacks on U.S. contractors are 'systematic,' says a Pentagon report to Congress.

A Socialist deputy has taken legal action against the head of a company recruiting Chilean military personnel and adventurers in order to send them to Iraq as mercenaries.

According to the Federal Procurement Data System (fpds.gov) database, the US DOD's US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has awarded just over 29,000 contracts since at least October of 2003. A review of 2,000 of those contracts shows that awards go to the usual suspects like SAIC, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

Bush's air pollution plan is a sweetheart deal for polluters and is on a fast track in the Senate.