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HavenWorks.com/business/research/blackwater Blackwater USA News |
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 Blackwater
BLACKWATER News:
Blackwater
-  Corporate
-  Military
-  Federal
-  Crime
- North
Carolina
"Blackwater using cache of AK-47s: Rifles given to sheriff in deal that skirts law." ... "The private military company Blackwater [owned by Erik Prince] has found an unusual way to skirt federal laws that prohibit private parties from buying automatic weapons. Blackwater bought 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters, gave ownership of the guns to the Camden County [North Carolina] sheriff and keeps most of the guns at Blackwater's armory in Moyock [North Carolina]." ... "Tiny Camden County -- population 9,271 -- is one of the most peaceful in North Carolina. In the last 10 years, there have been two murders, three robberies and seven rapes reported. The sheriff has just 19 deputies." ... "Sheriff Tony Perry said his department has never used the 17 AK-47s outside of shooting practice at Blackwater. None of his 19 deputies are qualified to use the AK-47s, Perry said, and his department's need for automatic weapons is "very minimal."" ... "In the summer of 2005, Blackwater CEO Gary Jackson signed two agreements with [Major] Maj. Jon Worthington of the Sheriff's Office. Worthington has worked as a firearms instructor for Blackwater." ... ""Blackwater has financed the purchase of 17 Romanian AK-47 rifles for the Camden County Sheriff's Office for use by Sheriff's Office," the agreement says. "The Camden County Sheriff's Office will have unlimited access to these rifles for training and qualification, and state of emergency use." Worthington and Jackson also signed an agreement for the purchase of 17 Bushmaster XM15 E2S automatic rifles." ... "Why did Blackwater strike this deal with the Camden County sheriff?" ... ""Because they needed guns, I imagine," Jackson said." ... "Under federal law, it is illegal for a person to receive or possess an automatic weapon that is not registered to that person in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record." -By Joseph Neff -NewsObserver.com 
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US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Business
- Military
- 
Politics
- "Rice's
Management at Issue: Critics Cite Blackwater, Baghdad
Embassy and Passports." ... "Shortly after Condoleezza Rice took charge
of the 57,000-person State Department in 2005, she said she relished the
challenge of "line responsibility" in leading a large organization. "I
really
enjoy that," she said in an interview. "Some of my favorite times here
have been my budget and high-level management reviews."" ... "Nearly three
years later, Rice is under fire from inside and outside the State Department
for a range of crises that are largely managerial in nature -- the failure
to monitor private security guards in Iraq, the delays in opening the huge
U.S. Embassy under construction in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] and the resistance
of some Foreign Service officers to being forced to serve there. Over the
summer, the department also fell woefully short in processing passport
applications, resulting in ruined vacation plans for many Americans." ...
"Within the department, Rice is viewed by many rank-and-file employees
as an aloof manager who relies on a tight circle of aides, leaving her
out of touch with the rest of the staff, in contrast to her predecessor,
Colin L. Powell, a retired Army general who won praise from workers for
treating them as though they were his "troops." At her last town hall meeting
with employees 2 1/2 years ago, Rice told staffers: "I consider myself
the chief management officer of this department." But a poll by the American
Foreign Service Association indicated that an overwhelming majority did
not feel that Rice was their advocate." (1, 2)
-By Glenn Kessler -WashingtonPost
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Government
- 
Law
- Politics
- Blackwater
- Criminal
- Business
- "Exclusive:
ABC News Obtains Text of Blackwater Immunity Deal:
State Department Grants Immunity to Guards Investigated for Shooting Iraqi
Civilians." ... "ABC News has learned the exact wording of the immunity
deal the State Department granted Blackwater security guards involved in
a September shooting incident that left 17 Iraqis dead." ... "The security
guards were given a limited immunity called "use immunity" in exchange
for giving sworn statements about their involvement in the Sept. 16 shooting
incident." ... "The wording of the immunity is included at the beginning
of the Blackwater guards' sworn statements, which have been obtained by
ABC News." ... "In each of the statements, the guards begin by saying "I
understand this statement is being given in furtherance of an official
administrative inquiry," and that, "I further understand that neither my
statements nor any information or evidence gained by reason of my statements
can be used against me in a criminal proceeding, except that if I knowingly
and willfully provide false statements or information, I may be criminally
prosecuted for that action under 18 United States Code, Section 1001.""
... "The immunity deal was granted in the immediate aftermath of the shooting
by State Department officials in Iraq who were under intense pressure to
quickly explain what happened in the face of allegations by Iraqi officials
that the contractors murdered civilians in cold blood." ... "The immunity
granted to the Blackwater guards is more limited in scope than so-called
"transactional immunity" which would prevent any proscution for the alleged
crimes. But the immunity granted to the guards means that anything said
in the statements -- and anything learned as a result of the statements
-- cannot be used by prosecutors." ... ""It's a nightmare for prosecutors,"
said legal expert Eugene Fidell. " (1, 2)
-By Jonathan Karl and Kirit Radia
-ABCNEWS.com
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Government
- Politics
- Blackwater
- Criminal
- Business
- "U.S.
promised Blackwater guards immunity, officials say."
... "State Department investigators promised Blackwater guards immunity
from prosecution for last month's deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians
in Baghdad [Iraq's capital], according to officials familiar with the matter."
... "That could potentially complicate any attempt to bring criminal charges
in the case, the officials said." ... ""They were told their statements
can't be used against them," said one U.S. government official. "But this
doesn't necessarily mean charges can never be brought against these guys.""
... "A second official called the limited immunity "surprising and confusing"
and questioned the authority of the State Department's diplomatic security
investigators to unilaterally make immunity decisions." -By
Terry Frieden with contributions by Elise Labott
-CNN
US
- Iraq
- 
International
- Blackwater
- War
Crimes - Business
- Military
- Politics
- "America's
own unlawful combatants? Using private guards in
Iraq could expose the U.S. to accusations of treaty violations, some experts
think." ... "As the [Republican President] Bush administration deals with
the fallout from the recent killings of civilians by private security firms
in Iraq, some officials are asking whether the contractors could be considered
unlawful combatants under international agreements." ... "The question
is an outgrowth of federal reviews of the shootings, in part because the
U.S. officials want to determine whether the administration could be accused
of treaty violations that could fuel an international outcry." ... "Unresolved
questions are likely to touch off new criticism of Bush's conduct of the
unpopular Iraq war, especially given the broad definition of unlawful combatants
the president has used in justifying his detention policies at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba." ... "The designation of lawful and unlawful combatants is set
out in the Geneva Convention. Lawful combatants are nonmilitary personnel
who operate under their military's chain of command. Others may carry weapons
in a war zone but may not use offensive force. Under the international
agreements, they may only defend themselves." ... "For a guard who is only
allowed to use defensive force, killing civilians violates the law of war,
said Michael N. Schmitt, a professor of international law at the Naval
War College and a former Air Force lawyer. "It is a war crime to kill civilians
unlawfully in an armed conflict," he said." -By Julian
E. Barnes -LAtimes
US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Company
- Politics
- "Blackwater
Is Soaked: An arrogant attitude only adds fuel to
the criticism." ... "The colonel was furious. "Can you believe it? They
actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers." He was describing a 2006
car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed
into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad's [Iraq's capital] Green
Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke
on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the
U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they
could disentangle the SUV. His account was confirmed by the head of another
private security company. Asked to address this and other allegations in
this story, Blackwater spokesperson Anne Tyrrell said, "This type of gossip
has led to many soap operas in the press."" ... "Whatever else Blackwater
is or isn't guilty of—a topic of intense interest in Washington—it has
a well-earned reputation in Iraq for arrogance and high-handedness. Iraqis
naturally have the most serious complaints; dozens have been killed by
Blackwater operatives since the beginning of the war." (1, 2)
-By Rod Nordland and Mark Hosenball with contributions
by Larry Kaplow and Michael Hastings -Newsweek
via -MSNBC
US
- Iraq
- 
Kuwait
- Construction
- 
Homes
- 
Health
- Safety
- Blackwater
- Military
- Politics
- "Iraq
Embassy Cost Rises $144 Million Amid Project Delays:
Planning, Workmanship Cited as Problems." ... "The massive U.S. embassy
under construction in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] could cost $144 million
more than projected and will open months behind schedule because of poor
planning, shoddy workmanship, internal disputes and last-minute changes
sought by State Department officials [under Republican President Bush],
according to U.S. officials and a department document provided to Congress."
... "The embassy, which will be the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in
the world, was budgeted at $592 million." ... "The growing price tag and
delayed opening have alarmed members of Congress, some of whom regard the
troubled project as the latest in a series of State Department management
problems in Iraq. The department has been criticized for failing to send
enough reconstruction specialists to assist U.S. forces in Baghdad and
for not providing adequate oversight of its principal private security
force, Blackwater USA, whose personnel have been accused of using excessive
force to protect U.S. diplomats." ... "Department officials contend that
some of the delays are a result of poor workmanship by the project's primary
contractor, First Kuwaiti General Trade and Contracting, a Middle Eastern
firm. Apparent building and safety blunders in a facility to house embassy
security guards have made it unsafe to open. Originally due to open last
December, the facility is still not operational because of formaldehyde
fumes in 252 prefabricated residential trailers." ... "A Sept. 18 internal
report on problems with the guard facility's electrical system, prepared
for Charles E. Williams, the director of building operations, suggested
that KBR, the former Halliburton subsidiary hired to run the facility,
was responsible for overloading the system." (1, 2)
-By Glenn Kessler -WashingtonPost
US
- Iraq
- Police
- Government
- Military
- Law
- Blackwater
- "Sources:
Blackwater contractor wrote first U.S. report on shooting."
... "A Blackwater contractor wrote an initial U.S. government report about
how his colleagues killed Iraqi civilians in a September shooting that
strained U.S.-Iraqi relations, government and industry sources told CNN."
... "The Iraqi government claims private contractors with Blackwater USA,
who were guarding a U.S. diplomatic convoy, killed as many as 20 civilians
on September 16 in western Baghdad's [Iraq's capital] Nasoor Square." ...
"The incident produced an outcry in Iraq and raised questions about the
accountability of foreign security contractors in Iraq, who under an order
laid down by the U.S.-led occupation government are not subject to Iraqi
law for actions taken within their contracts." ... "Blackwater -- which
provides security to U.S. diplomats -- says its employees responded properly
to an insurgent attack on a convoy, and the State Department initial "spot
report" written by the Blackwater contractor underscores that scenario
and doesn't mention civilian casualties." ... "However, that account is
at odds with what the Iraqis are saying. A senior Iraqi National Police
official participating in the Iraqi governmental probe of the shooting
said the Blackwater gunfire was unprovoked and the guards fired randomly,
killing and wounding several civilians." ... "The Blackwater contractor,
Darren Hanner, drafted a two-page "spot report" on the letterhead of the
Bureau of Diplomatic Security for the embassy's Tactical Operations Center,
said a source involved in diplomatic security at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad."
... "The TOC -- which tracks and monitors all incidents and movements involving
diplomatic security missions -- has outsourced positions to Blackwater
and another private firm, the embassy source said." -Contributed
to by Jomana Karadsheh, Zain Verjee, and Suzanne Simons
-CNN
US
- Iraq
- 
History
- Blackwater
- Military
- Business
- Politics
- 
Calif
- "Blackwater
blamed for guard deaths." ... "Blackwater USA triggered
a major battle in the Iraq war in 2004 by sending an unprepared team of
guards into an insurgent stronghold, a move that led to their horrific
deaths and a violent response by U.S. forces, says a congressional investigation
released Thursday." ... "The private security company, one of the largest
working in Iraq and under scrutiny for how it operates, also is faulted
for initially insisting its guards were properly prepared and equipped.
It is also accused of impeding the inquiry by the Democratic staff of the
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee." ... "The results of the
staff inquiry come less than a week before Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL
and Blackwater's founder, is scheduled to testify before the committee,
which is chaired by [California Democratic Representative] Rep. Henry Waxman,
D-Calif., a longtime critic of Blackwater." ... "The March 2004 incident
involving Blackwater was widely viewed as a turning point in the Iraq war
after images of the mutilated bodies of the four guards were seen around
the world. Four days after the Blackwater guards were killed, a major military
offensive, known as the Battle of Fallujah, began." ... "The combat lasted
almost a month in Fallujah, which is 40 miles west of Baghdad [Iraq's capital].
At least 36 U.S. military personnel were killed along with 200 insurgents
and an estimated 600 civilians, the congressional investigation found."
-By Richard Lardner and Mike Baker
-AP via -Yahoo
Iraq
- US
- Government
- Blackwater
- Company
- Military
- Law
- Politics
- "Where
Military Rules Don't Apply: Blackwater's Security
Force in Iraq Given Wide Latitude by State Dept.." ... "Blackwater USA,
the private security company involved in a Baghdad [Iraq's capital] shootout
last weekend, operated under [Republican President Bush's] State Department
authority that exempted the company from U.S. military regulations governing
other security firms, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials and industry
representatives." ... "In recent months, the State Department's oversight
of Blackwater became a central issue as Iraqi authorities repeatedly clashed
with the company over its aggressive street tactics. Many U.S. and Iraqi
officials and industry representatives said they came to see Blackwater
as untouchable, protected by State Department officials who defended the
company at every turn." ... "The State Department allowed Blackwater's
heavily armed teams to operate without an Interior Ministry license, even
after the requirement became standard language in Defense Department security
contracts. The company was not subject to the military's restrictions on
the use of offensive weapons, its procedures for reporting shooting incidents
or a central tracking system that allows commanders to monitor the movements
of security companies on the battlefield." ... "A one-paragraph subsection
to a 2004 edict issued by the Coalition Provisional Authority, the now-defunct
U.S. occupation government, granted contractors immunity from the Iraqi
legal process. This edict is still in effect. Congress has moved to establish
guidelines for prosecuting contractors under U.S. law or the Uniform Code
of Military Justice, but the issue remains unresolved." ... "The use of
private security skyrocketed in Iraq after the March 2003 invasion because
of troop shortages and growing violence. U.S. authorities have no idea
how many hired guns operate in the country; estimates range from 20,000
to 50,000 or higher." ... "Over the past year, the military has issued
a series of "fragos," or fragmentary orders, designed to impose greater
accountability on security contractors operating under Defense Department
contracts. Blackwater was not covered because it reported to the State
Department." ... "None of the new orders applied to Blackwater, which has
received $678 million in State Department contracts since 2003 and operates
under the department's authority." ... "Blackwater is not required to report
its movements to the military." (1, 2,
3,
4,
5)
-By Steve Fainaru with contributions by Joshua Partlow,
Megan Greenwell, and Julie Tate-WashingtonPost
Howard
J Krongard - US
- Iraq
- 
Afghanistan
- Military
- 
Accounting
- Law
- Government
- 
Employees
- Blackwater
- Money
- Politics
- California
- "State
Dept. Official Accused of Blocking Inquiry." ...
"A top House Democrat began an inquiry on Tuesday into accusations that
the State Department's inspector general repeatedly interfered with investigations
into fraud and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan, including security defects
at the new United States Embassy in Baghdad [Iraq's capital]." ... "[Democratic]
Representative Henry A. Waxman of California, the chairman of the Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform, sent the inspector general, Howard
J. Krongard, a 14-page letter spelling out accusations made by several
current and former employees of Mr. Krongard's office who documented their
charges with e-mail messages." ... ""One consistent element in these allegations
is that you believe your foremost mission is to support the [Republican
President] Bush administration, especially with respect to Iraq and Afghanistan,
rather than act as an independent and objective check on waste, fraud and
abuse on behalf of U.S. taxpayers," Mr. Waxman wrote. He invited Mr. Krongard
to respond to the accusations at a committee hearing on Oct. 16." ... "Mr.
Waxman told Mr. Krongard that he had been accused of impeding an investigation
of a security company suspected of "illegally smuggling weapons into Iraq."
The Associated Press reported that the unnamed company was Blackwater."
-By David Stout with contributions by Brian Knowlton
-NYTimes
US
- Iraq
- Howard
Krongard
- Blackwater
- Money
- Employees- Military
- Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
- North
Carolina - 
Virginia
- "Rules
of engagement are sketchy when private security firms are deployed in war."
... "The fog of war keeps getting thicker." ... "Iraq's decision to temporarily
ban Blackwater USA after a fatal shooting of civilians in Baghdad [Iraq's
capital] reveals a growing web of rules governing weapons-bearing private
contractors but few signs U.S. agencies are aggressively enforcing them."
... "Nearly a year after a law was passed holding contracted employees
to the same code of justice as military personnel, the [Republican President]
Bush administration has not published guidance on how military lawyers
should do that, according to Peter Singer, a security industry expert at
the Brookings Institution in Washington." ... "Blackwater, based in Moyock,
North Carolina, is one of three private security firms employed by the
State Department to protect its personnel in Iraq. The two others, both
of which are headquartered in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, are Dyncorp,
based in Falls Church, Virginia, and Triple Canopy of Herndon, Virginia."
... "In a letter to Howard Krongard, the State Department inspector general,
the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Krongard impeded
a Justice Department probe into claims that a "large private security contractor
was smuggling weapons into Iraq."" ... "Although the security company is
not named in the letter, several senior administration officials confirmed
it is Blackwater." (1, 2)
-AP via -IHT.com
Mitt
Romney
- 
2008
Election - Military
- 
Terrorism
- 
Intelligence
- Money
- Osama
bin Laden
- Religion
- North
Carolina - "AP
Interview: Romney says he's not the only one switching positions, [Republican]
rivals do it too." ... "[Republican Mitt Romney]
said the country would be safer by only "a small percentage" and would
see "a very insignificant increase in safety" if al-Qaida leader Osama
bin Laden was caught because another terrorist would rise to power. "It's
not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying
to catch one person," Romney said. Instead, he said he supports a broader
strategy to defeat the Islamic jihad movement." ... "The Romney campaign
said Thursday that a former counterterrorism chief who served during the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has joined the campaign as a senior adviser."
... "Cofer Black served as the director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center
during the attacks and was singled out for especially harsh criticism by
the agency's inspector general in a 2005 report on faulty intelligence
efforts before the attacks." ... "Black has worked for the past two years
as vice chairman of Blackwater USA, a North Carolina-based security firm
which specializes in private security and private military services." ...
"Earlier this year, Black announced he had formed a new company called
Total Intelligence Solutions, which focuses on providing intelligence gathering
to companies." -By Liz Sidoti with contributions by
Michael R. Baker -AP
via -SFGate.com
US- Iraq
- Government
- Military
- Money
- Accounting
- Politics
- 
Cheney
- CA
- 
TX
- "Waxman
Probes Iraq Contracting, Missing $12 Billion (Update1)."
... "[California's Democratic] Representative Henry Waxman, kicking off
hearings on government contracting, questioned former Ambassador L. Paul
Bremer today on what happened to as much as $12 billion in unaccounted-for
cash spent when he was in charge of rebuilding Iraq." ... "A report from
Waxman's House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said the money
represented more than half of Bremer's budget from May 2003 to June 2004.
The report described contractors being told to bring big bags to collect
shrink- wrapped bundles of money and one episode where a Bremer staff member
was allegedly told to spend $6.75 million in a week." ... "``We have no
way of knowing if the cash that was shipped into the green zone ended up
in enemy hands,'' Waxman, a California Democrat, said at today's hearing.
``We owe it to the American people to do everything we can to find out
where the $12 billion went.''" ... "The hearings, which fulfill a Democratic
campaign promise, will spotlight the use of contractors in Iraq and on
homeland security under President George W. Bush, as well as spending on
Medicare and Medicaid." ... "Representatives of eight companies -- among
them Halliburton Co.'s KBR Inc. subsidiary, Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin
Corp. -- have been called to testify. The committee will also hear from
family members of four Blackwater USA contractors who were killed in Fallujah
in March 2004, their bodies burned and dragged through the streets. The
families have accused Blackwater of failing to protect the men." ... "In
addition to Bremer, Waxman today will call Stuart Bowen, the special inspector
general for Iraqi reconstruction. In a report to Congress last week, he
said [Texas] Houston-based KBR, the largest U.S. military contractor in
Iraq, failed to account for $22.3 million of items surveyed in two audits
in 2004." ... "KBR, 80 percent owned by Halliburton [which has an ongoing
compensation arrangement with Republican Vice President Cheney], transports
war supplies and provides food to U.S. troops in Iraq. " -By
Jay Newton-Small -Bloomberg
