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Industry News
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Casualties
Civilian Contractor Toll in Iraq and Afghanistan Ignored by Defense Dept.
As the war in Afghanistan entered its ninth year, the Labor Department recently released new figures for the number of civilian contract workers who have died in war zones since 9/11. Although acknowledged as incomplete, the figures show that at least 1,688 civilians have died and more than 37,000 have reported injuries while working for U.S. contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Monday, October 12, 2009
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Industry News
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Casualties
Contractors in Iraq Are Hidden Casualties of War
Nearly 1,600 civilian workers -- both Americans and foreign nationals -- have died in the two war zones. Thousands more have been injured. (More than 5,200 U.S. service members have been killed and 35,000 wounded.) Many of the civilians have come home as military veterans in all but name, sometimes with lifelong disabilities but without the support network available to returning troops.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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Industry News
Scuffle With Security Contractors Highlights Iraqis' New Clout in Green Zone
In a dramatic illustration of shifting authority in the Green Zone, once an American preserve, Iraqi soldiers confronted a security detail contracted by the U.S. government, detained four of the guards and beat them in a standoff last week that lasted at least two hours, according to Iraqi officials, the company and the U.S. Embassy.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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Industry News
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Report Downloads
Federal law forces bad choices for embassy security, says special report
A single sentence in federal law is preventing the U.S. State Department from making the best choice of security contractors for embassies and other Foreign Service buildings in war zones and should be changed, according to a special report issued today by the federal Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Friday, October 2, 2009
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Industry News
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Future Outlook
Interview with KBR’s Bill Bodie
Defense contractors are seeing change on a variety of fronts. Topping the list is a shift from combat support in the Middle East to longer-term sustainment solutions. That’s no easy task given the current slew of challenges: an increase in oversight and fixed price competitions, plus a decrease in smaller contract values. For an inside look at how one defense contractor is shaping its military footprint to stay relevant, ExecutiveBiz recently spoke with Bill Bodie, interim president of Government and Infrastructure for KBR.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
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Industry News
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Casualties
Drugs suspected in death of Afghanistan contractor
A U.S. contractor in Afghanistan helping train the national police was found dead last week of a possible drug overdose, just months after his company was reprimanded by the State Department for another worker's drug-related death. The deaths have raised questions over how well DynCorp International selects and manages employees assigned to the police training contract, a crucial component of the U.S. effort to hand over more of the security burden to the Afghans.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
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Industry News
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Crimes - Investigations
ArmorGroup Statement - Update on Iraq Incident - 9th August 2009
Immediately following the incident that took place in Iraq on 9th August 2009, in which two valued colleagues, Paul McGuigan and Darren Hoare, were shot and killed and another, Arkhan Mahdi, seriously injured, we instigated two separate internal investigations - this was is in addition to the ongoing investigation by the Iraqi authorities.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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Industry News
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Crimes - Investigations
Interview with ArmorGroup Whistleblower John Gorman
John Gorman, retired U.S. Marine, was hired by ArmorGroup (AGNA) in 2007 to support security at the American Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Marie Anne St. Jean, a retired Marine herself, interviews Gorman.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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Industry News
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Crimes - Investigations
Civilian KBR contractor shot dead on US base in Iraq
A civilian contractor was shot and killed Sunday on an American military base in the Iraqi city of Tikrit and a U.S. soldier has been detained in connection with the incident, the U.S. military said. The contractor, whose name was being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was shot at 8:30 a.m. at Camp Speicher, the military said in a statement. Houston-based KBR confirmed that the person killed was one of its employees.
Monday, September 14, 2009
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Industry News
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Crimes - Investigations
Houston couple pleads guilty to Afghan fraud
A Houston couple has pleaded guilty in a plot to defraud the U.S. while working as contractors in Afghanistan. Delmar Dwayne Spier, 73, and his wife, Barbara Edens Spier, 60, pleaded guilty Wednesday. According to court documents, the Spiers were officers in United States Protection and Investigations, a subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
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Industry News
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Future Outlook
With U.S. Forces in Iraq Beginning to Leave, Need for Private Guards Grows
As the United States withdraws its combat forces from Iraq, the government is hiring more private guards to protect U.S. installations at a cost that could near $1 billion, according to the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. On Sept. 1, the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) awarded contracts expected to be worth $485 million over the next two years to five firms to provide security and patrol services to U.S. bases in Iraq.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
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Industry News
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Future Outlook
Iraq: Security contractors fall on harder times
The private security business in Iraq is in a vice-like crush. The goldrush that began with the conflict in 2003 is drying up. Contracts are not as lucrative, the trend is towards employing Iraqis instead of Westerners.
Monday, September 7, 2009
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Industry News
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Crimes - Investigations
Guards in Embassy Lewdness Scandal Fired
Eight security guards at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan have been fired following allegations of lewd behavior and sexual misconduct at their living quarters, the embassy said Friday. The Kabul senior management team of ArmorGroup North America, the private contractor that provides the guards for the State Department, is also "being replaced immediately," an embassy statement said.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
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Industry News
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About the Industry
Oliver North defends the use of civilian contractors
in Afghanistan there are more than 74,000 military contractors and the number is increasing as more U.S. and NATO troops "surge" into the theatre. Though it’s unlikely to make the lead story in any of the mainstream media, contractors are performing tasks that U.S. government entities either cannot do or that cannot be done as economically.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
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