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After almost 20 years of sporadic flying and finally being grounded, the first Iraqi Airways flight landed at Basrah International Airport June 4 with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region South. The next project, the second largest at the airport, involves the installation of Navigational and Visual Aids, according to Drew. The Navigational Aids contract, $28 million, was awarded to Raytheon and negotiations are continuing. The airport's radar equipment falls under this contract and the airport cannot receive International Civil Aviation Organization certification without it.
A controversy surrounding the detention of private contractors by US marines has exposed the sharp tensions being produced by the activities of thousands of mercenaries employed by the Bush administration to help enforce the occupation of Iraq.
Triple Canopy, founded just two years ago, got its first contract providing security for the Coalition Provisional Authority. At its peak, the company had 1,300 security personnel in Iraq. "We were a start-up and now we're in the leagues of companies who have been doing this for years," said the initial announcement.
Fijians returning home after a stint from security jobs in Kuwait say their government must thoroughly scrutinise all contracts. "I wouldn't want our local men to face the kind of life we experienced in Kuwait as it only brings tears when we think of our family back home," Mikaele Jiuta told a press conference last night
Iraqi unionists said their attempts to mobilize workers were being thwarted by all sides -- from foreign companies working in Iraq to insurgents and the U.S. and Iraqi military.
'In the 1980s, there were about 20 prime contractors; now there are only 4 or 5. There must be some recognition of the effect that this decline has on the supplier base and its ramifications for innovation and profitability. Furthermore, the Department of Defense apparently believes that the future of innovation resides with small companies, but this is counter to the ongoing trend-primarily mergers and acquisitions.'
The families of three Army soldiers who died in a plane crash in Afghanistan filed a civil suit Monday against Blackwater Lodge and Training Center, a company that contracts with the military to provide staff and equipment in war zones, and several aviation companies that Blackwater owns. At least one of the companies was operating the flight that crashed into a mountainside in November, the lawsuit claims.
The Pnetagon wants to overhaul a controversial $5.5 billion workers' compensation insurance program for overseas civilian contractors after discovering that it is paying up to 10 times more for insurance than other government agencies.
Environmental groups hailed a federal court's dismissal of a major lawsuit filed by the coal industry that had sought to silence debate on global warming and impose massive damages for the groups' global warming publicity.
The families of three soldiers killed in an Afghanistan plane crash on Monday sued the contractor that supplied the plane and crew, Blackwater USA, saying it was negligent and didn't make safety a priority.
Former executives of Custer Battles _ an American firm accused of stealing millions from Iraq reconstruction projects and banned from further government contracts _ have continued doing contracting work and have formed new companies to bid on such projects, The Associated Press has learned.
There is no centralized procedure for monitoring scores of contracting firms rebuilding Iraq with U.S. funds, according to the military. The controls that do exist have been criticized for failing to keep track of millions of dollars.
Today's private security companies are corporate endeavors that perform logistics support, training, security, intelligence work, risk analysis, and much more. They operate in an open market, work for many employers at once, and boast of their professionalism.
After years of failing to control cost overruns, the most powerful officials at the Pentagon are becoming increasingly alarmed that the machinery for building weapons is breaking down under its own weight.
Rick Blanchard says he was one of eight former U.S. Marines among 14 security specialists in a 19-man convoy employed by Zapata Engineering of Charlotte, N.C. on May 28 in Northern Iraq where Marines intercepted them and escorted them to Camp Fallujah.
One respects him for his work and taking responsibility for children. Another sees him like a fraternity brother. All recognized him as suffering human foibles, but acknowledged his attempts to overcome them. All but one were named by Blanchard as people who know him here. Their recollections paint a picture of a multi-faceted man with a story worth hearing.
All four worked for ArmorGroup, a security firm with 1,000 employees in Iraq protecting official buildings and companies. They were part of a civilian convoy working on the security of a reconstruction project close to Mosul when their convoy came under fire from gunmen.
"We are not looking for cowboys or reactionary musclemen," explains CEO Kevin James, a former Navy Seal and martial arts expert. "The best men and women for these jobs are those who have the physical skills, think tactically, and can handle the pressure. We are equipping professionals to succeed in hostile environments."
The website, www.boycottbush.net, has been set up to allow individuals to influence the global politics of climate change. Set up by UK-based campaign organisation ECRA, the new website seeks to show that by targeting the companies that bankrolled Bush to victory in November, individuals can force his hand at climate talks in Bonn this July.