Reminder to Contractors Regarding Iraqi Jurisdiction

DoD Memorandum:
Class Deviation Additional Contractor Requirements and Responsibilities relating to alleged crimes by
or against Contractor Personnel in Iraq or Afghanistan

WSI- Ronco  Armorgroup  Wackenhut  G4S Ronco Consulting  AGNA ArmorGroup North
America

ProPublica's T Christian Miller Wins Award


Deployment Brain Injuries, Amputations, Jumped in 2010 Army report
Despite the Obama administration’s ramping down of combat operations in Iraq, 2010 saw the highest number of
troops with reported traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) for any year of the U.S. occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan —
and more than twice the number of deployment-related amputations seen in 2009, according to a newly-released
report by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.

Number of DoD Contractors in Afghanistan at Record high
The number of private security contractors employed by the Department of Defense in Afghanistan has reached a
new record high, according to DoD statistics in a recently updated report (pdf) from the Congressional Research
Service.

Afghanistan lets Blackwater stay despite shakeup of security contractors
Blackwater looks set to survive an Afghan government clampdown on mercenaries after Hamid Karzai was forced
by his western partners to abandon a complete disbandment of private security companies.

Shipping Companies can defend themselves against piracy
The Somali pirates and the merchant ships that ply the Indian Ocean have two things in common. The first, of
course, is that they both make their living at sea. The second is that they lack sufficient incentives to change their
harmful behaviour. The pirates persist

Aaron DeHaven
Us Contractor arrested on Visa violation Pakistan
Follow the Story here



Raymond Allen Davis, CIA, Blackwater, Diplomat, Ball Room Dancer
Hyperion Protective Services, Hyperion Protective Consultants
Follow the story here


Overseas Contractor Count  First Quarter 2011
This update reports DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater for the first quarter of 2011. It covers DoD
contractor personnel deployed in Iraq (Operation New Dawn (OND), Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom
(OEF), and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

Kabul Suicide Bomber Kills Eight (Nine), Taliban says Blackwater Head Target
Updating as casualty reports become available

Watch for the coming collapse of Monsanto
In what appears to be a move to bring diversity to its holdings, Monsanto has quietly purchased a controlling share
of Xe Services. . Xe Services is the new name for what used to be called Blackwater. In a clear case of Evil
consolidating with Evil, the world’s largest producer of genetically modified food crops has teamed up with the
world’s largest producer of private corporate terrorism.

New Defense Base Act Claims Summary shows civilian contractor casualty numbers on the
rise
One hundred forty civilian contractor deaths in the last quarter on 2010

Government Contractor, Daniel Phillips, arrested for rape of young girl
Norfolk police, with the assistance from the federal government, arrested a civilian government contractor that was
wanted for the rape of a juvenile female relative between 2004 and 2005. The suspect fled to Iraq soon after the
crime to avoid arrest and began working with computers as a government contractor.

Arnold Fields, U.S. watchdog for Afghanistan contracting resigns, SIGAR
WASHINGTON — The embattled top watchdog of U.S. contracting in Afghanistan announced Monday that he's
resigning days after vowing to resist congressional demands to step down.

Arnold Fields, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, offered no explanation for his
decision to leave. His resignation becomes official at the beginning of next month.


Defense Contractors in Afghanistan
Number of Contractors
As of September 2009, there were 104,101 DOD contractors in
Afghanistan, compared to approximately 64,000 uniformed personnel. Contractors made up 62%
of DOD’s workforce in Afghanistan (see Figure 7). In December 2008, contractors represented
69% of DOD’s workforce in Afghanistan, which apparently represented the highest recorded
percentage of contractors used by DOD in any conflict in the history of the United States.

Stevan Nathan Ringo, Ex Army Sgt., sentenced in Afghanistan Fuel Theft Plot
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A former U.S. Army staff sergeant has been sentenced to more than seven years in
prison for his role in a fuel theft scheme to solicit bribes from a government contractor in Afghanistan.

Twenty-six-year-old Stevan Nathan Ringo of Marrero, La., was also ordered at sentencing on Friday to forfeit the
proceeds of the scheme, more than $400,000.

Secretary of Defense Defense of Freedom Medal
Defense of Freedom Medal for Civilian Contractors

KBR employee recalls attack in Iraq
Anna Mayo HOUSTON (KTRK) — A Houston woman is telling her story of survival for the first time on camera. She
is a former KBR contractor who began working in Iraq in November of 2008.

PSCs at Sea: The Reasons They Really May be "All at Sea"
It will come as no surprise that, given the attacks by Somali pirates, recent years have seen a marked increase in
the call for using private security contractors to protect commercial shipping, both defensively, in terms of
protecting commercial shipping, and proactively in terms of training Somali forces to take on Somali pirates on
their home ground.

Blackwater seeks dismissal of Iraq shooting suit
RALEIGH, N.C. — The security firm formerly known as Blackwater told a federal judge
Thursday that the U.S. government – and not the company – should be held accountable for a
2007 shooting by its contractors that killed 17 Iraqis.

Defense Logistics Agency extends contract for firm whose officials include former director
Army Lt. Gen. Robert T. Dail
The Defense Logistics Agency has extended without competitive bidding a $4 billion food-supply
contract to a company whose top officials include a retired lieutenant general who commanded the
agency just over two years ago.


The Worldwide Protective Services (WPS) Sept 29 Contract Awards
The Worldwide Protective Services (WPS) program provides comprehensive protective security
services to support U.S. Department of State operations around the world.

Efraim Diveroli sentenced to 4 years for defrauding the Defense Department
The sale of banned Chinese ammunition to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan landed the 25-year-old from
Miami Beach in trouble, and led to his guilty plea

Several Warnings, Then a Soldier’s Lonely Death
WASHINGTON — A gentle snow fell on the funeral of Staff Sgt. David Senft at Arlington National
Cemetery on Dec. 16, when his bitterly divided California family came together to say goodbye. His 5-
year-old son received a flag from a grateful nation

But that brief moment of peace could not hide the fact that for his family and friends and the soldiers
who had served with him in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, too many unanswered questions
remained about Sergeant Senft’s lonely death in a parked sport utility vehicle on an American air base
in Afghanistan, and about whether the Army could have done more to prevent it.

Pentagon issues conflict of interest rule for contractors
The Pentagon last week issued a new rule on organizational conflicts of interests — or instances in
which a company provides multiple services that could have conflicting interests, such as building a
system and then testing it — that instructs contracting officers to promote competition.

The rule has been a hot-button issue in the contracting industry, as Congress has pushed for clearer
and stricter regulations while industry organizations have pushed back against requirements they
considered too broad or too burdensome.


Danny Fitzsimons, ArmorGroup, Murder Trial Updates
Danny Fitzsimons was hired by ArmorGroup to carry a gun despite having been diagnosed with PTSD,
being in trouble with the law, and posting on Facebook about “The War Inside His Head”. ArmorGroup
should be on trial here too.

Wackenhut Information Breach
Stolen hard drives put former Iraq firefighters at risk
On December 9, Wackenhut Services, LLC (WSLLC) President David W. Foley sent a letter to the New
Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and informed them that:

On November 29, 2010, we discovered that certain hard drives shipped from our office in Iraq were
stolen in transit to out US offices along with other office equipment. After investigation, on November
30, 2010 we determined, to the best of our knowledge, that the stolen hard drives contained personal
information of certain of our past employees. Based on our investigation, we believe that the stolen
hard drives contained the following unencrypted personal information of our past employees: (i) first
and last names, (ii) social security numbers, (iii) passport numbers, (iv) last known home addresses
and (v) date of birth and place of birth.

On December 13, 2010 WSLLC notified each of the affected personnel via the US Postal Service to
inform them of the breach. They were offered a one year subscription to ConsumerInfo.com credit
monitoring service and some advice on how to best protect their credit.

South African, Sean Brehm, DynCorp, extradited to US under the Military ­Extraterritorial
Jurisdiction Act
Johannesburg – A South African contractor working in Afghanistan has been arrested and spirited
away across the world under a controversial United States law.  Sean Brehm, 44, arrived in the US on
Tuesday and is being held near ­Washington.  Brehm, who ran a VIP ­protection company in Cape Town
and who had been working in Afghanistan since October last year, was arrested at the ­Kandahar Air
Force Base last month after allegedly stabbing and severely wounding a British contractor in a
dispute.  At the time, Brehm was ­employed as a travel consultant for US department of defence
contractor DynCorp.  Brehm was held for more than three weeks by military police before being
extradited to the US under the Military ­Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act.

Kevin Davis, DynCorp, Killed Christmas Day in Kandahar Attack
Kevin, 40, of Missouri City, Texas, joined DI on September 30, 2010, to support the U.S. Army Logistics
Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) contract.  Kevin previously spent several years in Iraq with KBR.


Rufford "Hobby" Hobson, EOD, Former Ronco Employee, remains found

SA man embroiled in bizarre US court case
Johannesburg - A South African contractor working in Afghanistan has been arrested and spirited
away across the world under a controversial United States law.
Sean Brehm, 44, arrived in the US on Tuesday and is being held near ­Washington.
Brehm, who ran a VIP ­protection company in Cape Town and who had been working in Afghanistan
since October last year, was arrested at the ­Kandahar Air Force Base last month after allegedly
stabbing and severely wounding a British contractor in a dispute.
At the time, Brehm was ­employed as a travel consultant for US department of defence contractor
DynCorp.
Brehm was held for more than three weeks by military police before being extradited to the US under
the Military ­Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act.

Beyond WikiLeaks: The Privatization of War
The United Nation Human Rights Council, under the Universal Periodic Review, started in Geneva on
November 5, 2010 to review the human rights record of the United States. The following is an edited
version of the presentation given by Jose L. Gomez del Prado in Geneva on November 3, 2010 at a
parallel meeting at the UN Palais des Nations on that occasion.

Rogue security companies threaten US gains in Afghanistan war
The Pentagon is dependent upon contractors in the Afghanistan war. But many of the security
companies are undermining – or even working against –the US war effort.
Since its Revolutionary days, the American military has been no stranger to the use of paid
help – from carpenters to ditch diggers – to wage war. By 1965 in Vietnam, the practice of
relying on private defense companies became widespread enough within the Pentagon that
Business Week dubbed it a "war by contract."

Labor Rights in Occupied Lands: US Busting Labor Unions in Iraq
It is only in comic books and Hollywood movies that America's superheroes exist to defend the
underdog. In practice, the armies of America have fanned out around the globe to show they are the
willing servants of the corporate overdog. As Noam Chomsky writes in his book “Imperial Ambitions”
(Metropolitan), “You can almost predict (U.S.) policy by that simple principle: Does it help rich people
or does it help the general population? And from that you can virtually deduce what's going to
happen.” There is no more disgraceful example than Iraq.

Instead of supporting Iraq's pro-democracy labor unions, which would have put Washington on the
side of the working-class, the U.S. signaled its attitude toward Iraqi labor unions in 2003 “when
coalition troops stormed the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions(IFTU) headquarters in Baghdad,
ransacked their offices, arrested eight union workers, and shut down the office,” wrote Matthew
Harwood in the April, 2005, issue of “The Washington Monthly.” Harwood added that when historians
re-examine what went wrong during the U.S. occupation of Iraq, “somewhere on the list will be the
administration's indifference, indeed hostility, to Iraqi organized labor. The Iraqi people are paying a
price for that attitude.”


British and Australian Contractors killed in Iraq
BAGHDAD – A British company says a British and an Australian contractor have been killed in a
shooting in the protected Green Zone in Baghdad.  Patrick Toyne-Sewell, a spokesman for ArmorGroup
Iraq, says that two employees of the group were killed early Sunday "in a firearms incident."  He says
the company is working with Iraqi authorities to investigate the circumstances of their deaths.  He has
identified the men as Briton Paul McGuigan and Australian Darren Hoare and said relatives have been
informed.  It's the second incident in as many months involving contractor killings in the Green Zone.  
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces detained five Americans on June 3 in connection with an investigation into
the stabbing death of a fellow contractor.

UK Contractor Hostages Killed

Two more British hostages held in Iraq are "very likely" to have been killed by their captors, meaning
four of a group of five Britons seized in May 2007 are now dead, the UK prime minister has said.  
Gordon Brown said his government was "doing everything that we can" to gain the release of Peter
Moore, the final hostage, whom he believed to still be alive.  The four hostages were all working as
security guards for Moore, who was employed as a contractor in Iraq, when they were kidnapped two
years ago in the Iraqi finance ministry by around 40 heavily-armed fighters posing as security
personnel.  In a statement, Brown said: "I can confirm that on July 20, with great sadness, the
government informed two families of those British men kidnapped in Iraq that Alan McMenemy and
Alec MacLachlan, two of the three hostages still held, were very likely to be dead.  "This is the worst of
news, and my thoughts are with the families, whom I hope will be given the privacy they need to deal
with their grief."

10 OFW's in Afghan Crash Identified
MANILA, Philippines--(UPDATE) The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed the identities of
the ten Filipino workers killed in the helicopter crash in Kandahar on July 19.  The employer of the
Filipino workers, United States-based construction firm The AIM Group Inc., furnished the names to
the DFA after their families have been informed of the incident.  The Filipinos on board the aircraft
which malfunctioned during takeoff and plunged to the ground were:  * Celso Q. Caralde (born in
Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental) * Ely I. Cariño (Cabusao, Camarines Sur) * Ernesto C. De Vega (Naic,
Cavite) * Manolito C. Hornilla (Taysan, Batangas) * Leopoldo G. Jimenez, Jr. (Lubao, Pampanga) * Mark
Joseph C. Mariano (Floridablanca, Pampanga) * Marvin P. Najera (San Fernando, Pampanga) * Rene D.
Taboclaon (Cagayan de Oro City) * Recardo E. Vallejos (Bislig, Surigao del Sur) * Noli M. Visda (Lubao,
Pampanga)

Daughter of Contractor fights for her life
David Dyess, Samantha’s father is presently stationed in Iraq, working as a civilian contractor.

Fluor Removes Internet Access from it's Middle East Servers
Recently Fluor has, for some reason unbeknown to their employees in the Middle East, removed
Internet access from their servers. Fluor employees are now unable to privately or anonymously
access the following from the Fluor Network. To access any of the following they must wait at an MWR
or access it from a another companies computer.

Sonny Hinchman killed in Iraq Blackwater/XE
The Greene County Daily World has received confirmation that William F. "Sonny" Hinchman was killed
when a helicopter went down near Baghdad.  Details are still sketchy but according to early news
reports, the helicopter crash is under investigation. Two crew members were killed and two others
were injured when the chopper crashed on the Butler Range Complex, a U.S. military training ground
just east of Baghdad.  CW5 Ret. Hinchman is believed to have recently completed his second tour of
duty in Iraq. He was a helicopter pilot.  Reports indicate that at the time of the crash, Hinchman was
working for a private security firm/contractor called Xe Services, formerly known as Blackwater.

Civilians apply their special skills in combat zones
Thousands of specialists volunteer to assist forces in Iraq, Afghanistan.
Bill Neimes' job might sound fairly typical for a government engineer: Long days filled with bid
conferences, site inspections and contractor meetings.
Most engineers, though, don't have to deal with explosive devices going off near their vehicles while
they're on their way to look at a bridge.
"Every time I go out, I say a prayer," said Neimes, a civilian who's working in Afghanistan. "Someone
could blow my head off. You can't let it scare you too much."

16 killed as civilian helicopter crashes at Afghan Base
KABUL, Afghanistan — Sixteen civilians working under contract to Western forces were killed today
when their helicopter plunged to the ground just after takeoff from NATO's main base in southern
Afghanistan, military officials said.  It was the second deadly crash in less than a week involving a
Russian-made helicopter operated by a civilian contractor. It also came a day after an American F-15E
jet fighter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing the two-member crew.


6 die in contractor copter crash in Afghanistan;
All the deaths occur in Helmand province, where a major military operation is underway.
Laura King, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
4:58 AM PDT, July 14, 2009
Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan -- A helicopter flying under private contract to Western forces in
Afghanistan crashed in volatile Helmand province today, killing all six civilians aboard.

Military officials also reported the deaths of two U.S. Marines in the same southern province, where
the biggest U.S.-led military operation since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 is underway.

The downed helicopter was operated by a contractor working for NATO's International Security Assistance Force,
Western military officials said. The contractor was not identified, and the nationalities of those aboard were not
disclosed.

Dyncorp, Flour Win Afghan Support Work Worth Up to 7.5 Billion
July 7 (Bloomberg) -- DynCorp International Inc. and Fluor Corp. have been picked over KBR Inc. for five-year
contracts worth as much as $7.5 billion for each company, if all options are exercised, to support the U.S. troop
build-up in Afghanistan, according to an Army official.

Falls Church, Virginia-based DynCorp International Inc. and Irving, Texas-based Fluor Corp. each won basic one-
year contracts worth as much as $1.5 billion and four one-year options, Jim Loehrl, executive director of the Army
Rock Island, Illinois, Contracting Center, said in a telephone interview.

Today’s awards are the sixth and seventh -- and largest -- since the program was revamped in April 2008 into a
competition that now pits Houston, Texas-based KBR, the incumbent contractor that won the original logistics
contract in 2001, against DynCorp and Flour for individual tasks. KBR hasn’t yet won a task order.

A Sickening Situation
Josh Eller, a military contractor stationed in Iraq in 2006, was driving through Balad Air Base when he spotted the
wild dog. He wasn't sure what was in its mouth—but when Eller saw two bones, he knew he was looking at a human
arm. The dog had pulled the limb from an open-air "burn pit" on the base used to incinerate waste. Eller says it's
"one of the worst things I have seen."

Five US Contractors held in slaying of Jim Kitterman
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Five American security contractors have been detained in connection with the
killing of another American contractor last month inside Baghdad's Green Zone, the U.S. Embassy in
Baghdad confirmed Sunday morning.
The five men work for Corporate Training Unlimited, sources with knowledge of the investigation told
CNN Saturday.  The company was founded by a former member of the Delta Force elite anti-terrorist
unit and has been operating in Iraq since 2003, according to its Web site.  
Among those detained are the founder of the company and his son.   Iraqi and U.S. personnel took the
five into custody in an operation inside the Green Zone before dawn on Friday, according to an Iraqi
official involved in the investigation into the killing of James Kitterman.



American Killed in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, May 23 -- The man found dead Friday morning in Baghdad's Green Zone has been identified
as Jim Kitterman, the president of Janus Construction, a small company he formed last year. Kitterman,
60, lived in Houston, Texas.
Another American working for a contractor was killed Friday in a suspected rocket attack near the U.S.
Embassy, U.S. officials said. It appeared to be the first fatal rocket attack in the Green Zone in more
than a year.

Contractor gets probation in death of Afghan prisoner
ALEXANDIA -- The military security contractor who shot and killed an Afghan prisoner being held after
setting an unarmed social scientist on fire was sentenced today to five years probation.  Don Ayala, who moved
to New Orleans about six years ago, will serve no prison time, but will have to pay a $12,500 fine.

slaying of Afghan man divides
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — In his military and civilian career, Don Ayala served as a personal bodyguard
to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. He has been shot at eight
times and twice had to handle the remains of dead American soldiers.
None of it prepared him for the tragedy he confronted Nov. 4 in the Afghan village of Chehel Gazi
while serving as a military contractor.


IG reviewing security manager's exit from Iraq
Abrupt exit of manager for Iraq security firm leads to reprisal review by inspector general


The good, and bad, news on contractors
A United States government report released last week is a classic good news, bad news story on
private security contractors (PSCs) operating in Iraq.

Lawyers try to force Army contractor exec to be deposed in suit
An executive of an Army contractor that has been sued for wrongful death in federal court can't have it
both ways, say attorneys seeking to compel his deposition.  He can't assert on a newspaper editorial
page that his company -- KBR -- had nothing to do with the electrocution death of a soldier in the
shower in Iraq, and then claim he has no knowledge of the incident.


Cape Coral family mourns death of Afghanistan contractor
The family of a Cape Coral man and retired Marine who was working as a contractor in Afghanistan today is
mourning the loss of his life after he was killed Saturday in an attack near the Afghan/Pakistan border. Craig
Fuller, 33, was killed, along with a civilian Afghan leader of his team in a roadside firefight.
Jeff Hermey, another Lee County man, was injured by shrapnel in the attack, and is now on his way back to Florida
.
Third Annual Brandon's Ride, in honor of fallen soldier, contractor, Set for May 9, Provo Utah

Cummings Requests Congressional Hearing on AIG denying claims
Washington, DC—Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), a senior member of the House
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter (text below) to Domestic Policy
Subcommittee Chairman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) requesting a hearing to examine a recent
investigation by the Los Angeles Times, ABC News, and ProPublica. According to the investigation, AIG
and other insurance companies have been unnecessarily denying and prolonging serious health
insurance claims of civilian contractors who were injured or killed while participating in U.S. combat
activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

USAID’s Private Air Force for Afghanistan’
The U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. government's corps of international do-
gooders, wants to build its own air force to support the mission in Afghanistan.

DynCorp Faces State Dept Probe Following Death

Contractors Wounded in War Return Home to Fight AIG and Other Insurers
by Eric Umansky, ProPublica - April 16, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

ABC News Blind Amputee Has to Fight AIG for New Plastic Leg, Wheelchair
While Executives Get Bonuses,  John Woodson Gets "Cheapest They Could Get Away With"

Custer Battles Loses The Battle In The Court Of Appeals
The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently decided U.S. ex rel DRC, Inc. v. Custer Battles,
LLC, in which is ruled in favor of a qui tam relator in a False Claims Act case arising out of fraud by a
contractor hired to provide services in Iraq.

Draft Law puts foreign companies under Iraqi jurisdiction
BAGHDAD -- A law giving Iraqi courts jurisdiction over foreign companies such as U.S. security
contractor Blackwater is being drafted in the Iraqi parliament.


Mass Exodus from 'Human Terrain' Program; At Least One-Third Quits
In February, the program's managers gave everyone in the 27 Human Terrain Teams (HTT) stationed in Iraq and
Afghanistan a choice. Either they could choose to be converted from a generously-paid contractor to a less-well-
compensated government employee. Or they could step down.  So far, 82 overseas Human Terrain employees
have agreed to make the switch. Many others did not. As of February, there were between 135 and 243 HTT
members. (Military officials won't give an exact number -- "for reasons of operational security," according to Army
spokesman Gregory Mueller.) Which means at least one-third of the program's deployed workforce is now gone.
Maybe as much as two-thirds.


US soldier charged with contractor murder in Iraq
The U.S. military says an American soldier has been charged with murder in last month's shooting of a
foreign contractor at a base north of Baghdad.  A U.S. statement says Pfc. Carl T. Stovall III was taken
into custody soon after the March 26 shooting at the U.S. base in Taji, which is about 12 miles (20
kilometers) north of Baghdad.



Pinoy carpenter killed, another injured in Afghanistan mortar attack
Updated 2:14 p.m) MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino carpenter was killed, while another one was injured last March
20 in a mortar attack at a military camp in Afghanistan, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported on Tuesday.  
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. told reporters that the Filipino was working in the Kandahar
airbase, southeast of Kandahar City, when attackers fired mortar shells into the camp.   Citing reports from the
Philippine Embassy in Pakistan, Conejos identified the Filipino as Norbert Malana Hobayan, a carpenter hired by
Recon International, a United Arab Emirates-based construction firm.

Leaders must press Iran on lost US Contractor
It has now been over two years since my father, Robert "Bob" Levinson, was reported missing in Iran.  
He disappeared on Kish Island, a free-trade zone on March 9, 2007, while investigating cigarette
smuggling for his security-consulting firm. No one has seen or heard from him since.


Questions raised over Afghanistan contractors
The military buildup in Afghanistan is stoking a surge of private security contractors despite a string of
deadly shootings in Iraq in recent years that has called into question the government’s ability to
manage the guns for hire.

Arizona man gets prison for stabbing
PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was sentenced Friday to 26 months in federal prison for stabbing another
defense contractor while they worked in Iraq in 2007.  Aaron Bridges Langston, of Snowflake, also was
ordered by a federal judge to undergo three years of supervised release after serving his prison time.

Marine arrested in contracting probe
A large-scale bribery investigation involving Marines and private contractors in Iraq has led to its first
arrest.

Dogs of War: Have Ph.D., will travel
For more than six years, Iraq has served as a test case of the strengths and weaknesses of private
military and security contractors. They most often operate well. At times, they are primarily bad. But
most of the time, they have elements of both -- meaning that even if a contractor does exactly what it
is supposed to do, the end result may still be negative.

Shoddy wiring 'everywhere' on Iraq bases, Army inspector says
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thousands of buildings at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan have such poorly
installed wiring that American troops face life-threatening risks, a top inspector for the Army says.



Plaintiffs Get a Boost from Rocket Docket Judge in Iraq War Contractor Cases
How effective have military contractors in Iraq been at asserting immunity in civil suits against them?

Oregon's own toxicologist points out toxicity of hexavalent chromium
The plant is located near Iraqi oil fields that were previously exposed to this industrial compound that
if inhaled, greatly increases the risk of lung cancer.  The group, Veterans for Common Sense, reports
that at least 48 Oregon soldiers tasked with protecting Haliburton contractors at the Qarmat Ali water
treatment plant, were exposed.  The chemical, Hexavalent Chromium Salts, are best exemplified by
various Dichromate salts usually used to remove ALL traces of organic material by chemically burning
them from any other material.


Taliban Rocket kills one civilian on NATO base

(Note:  The number of contractors in Sudan is increasing, we will be including Sudan in our news
Dogs of War, Theory is fine action is better
WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- The International Criminal Court issued a warrant on March 4 for the
arrest of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Among other things, he is suspected of "intentionally directing attacks against an important part of the
civilian population of Darfur, Sudan, murdering, exterminating, raping, torturing and forcibly
transferring large numbers of civilians and pillaging their property."   As a result, Bashir halted the
work of relief organizations operating primarily in Darfur, leaving more than 1 million people without
food, medical care or drinking water.

CACI Faces Abu Ghraib Torture Suit
CACI International, a provider of intelligence-gathering services for the U.S. government, must face a
lawsuit by four former detainees who say they were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

US Department of Defense New Contracts 3-19-09

Justin Pope Dyncorp Killed in Iraq
Patricia Salser told The Associated Press that 25-year-old Justin Pope died after being shot
Wednesday. Southfield television station WJBK said Pope had served two tours of duty in Iraq and
Afghanistan and was assigned to protect U.S. diplomats in Kirkuk when he was killed by sniper fire.

Anthropologist Maps Afghanistans Humain Terrain
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan – For Audrey Roberts, the journey to this remote
base in eastern Afghanistan began 18 years ago in Plano. When she was 8, Audrey dropped the first
volume of an encyclopedia on the floor of her home to see where the open pages would lead her. The
word "anthropology" caught her eye.

Tampa Contractor  killed in Afghanistan
Ashby said Santos Cardona was on a patrol early Saturday morning. There had been many roadside
bombs in the past few days, and "they wanted him to go out with his dog. The explosion split the
Humvee he was in, and it landed on top of him. He was killed instantly."  Cardona was a contractor with
American Canine, a Florida-based contracting company. The 34-year old had been working with a bomb
dog since November 2008 and was under a one-year contract. Prior to that, Cardona served as a
military police officer, and had been a dog handler since 1993. "He had been everywhere from Haiti to
Bosnia to Iraq," Ashby said.

'Safe Water' May Have Been Contaminated; Suit Alleges Military Contractor
Huntington, WV (HNN) - A water plant in Iraq, maintained by a defense contractor, may have contained
toxic levels of the same chemical about which Hollywood's Julia Roberts played impassioned legal
investigator Erin Brockovich. Hexavalent chromium, which is used in the removal of pipe corrosion, has been
linked to lung cancer.


NLV airline denies withholding pay for war-zone flights
A covert North Las Vegas airline is denying claims that it withheld federal hazard pay from flight crews that flew
dangerous military and diplomatic missions into Afghanistan and Iraq.

A drawdown of Contractors in Iraq
The reduction of civilian contractors in Iraq, ordered by Gen. Ray Odierno, will pose challenges as troop
reductions are carried out.


Xe, formerly Blackwater, names new leadership
First Blackwater changed its name. Now it is changing its management.  Erik Prince, owner of Xe, the North
Carolina-based security contractor and training company known until last month as Blackwater Worldwide, has
stepped down as the chief executive officer.  The company did not name a replacement for Prince. The Wall Street
Journal today reported on its Web site that Prince will retain his post as chairman but relinquish daily oversight of
the company.


KBR's Robert Rob Jones Camp Falcon A Tragic Death
Robert Michael Jones, age 38 died on January 12, 2009 while working for KBR as a Labor Foreman at Camp
Falcon in Iraq. Robert had worked for KBR since 2005.   He was a Senior Airman in the United States Air Force
and served in Desert Storm.  He is survived by his loving mother, son, sister, nieces and nephew as well as other
family and extended family members. He also had countless friend in both the US and Iraq.  The Army Criminal
Investigations Command (CID) investigation is still “open and ongoing” and the “cause of death” is still
“undetermined”.


Slain Iraq Contractors Family drops suit
The family members of a Utah National Guard soldier killed in Iraq while working as a security contractor say they
won't continue efforts to sue the owner of the contracting company.   Carol Thomas Young, mother of slain
contractor Brandon Thomas, said she wanted to leave the dispute in the hands of a "higher court."   "I don't feel
that you are worth the time or emotion involved in suing you," Young wrote in an e-mail to CTU Security Services
chairman Don Feeney last week.


Senators seek answers on troops chemical exposure
In a letter dated Tuesday to the Army and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the senators say Houston-based
contractor KBR Inc. allowed soldiers to be exposed to the chemical for more than two months even though KBR
knew the site was contaminated.



Blackwater Dodges Taxes

ALJ William Dorsey, San Francisco, Deals Blow to Blackwater Families
A federal administrative law judge ruled last week the children of one of the slain contractors should receive
compensation through a government insurance program known as the Defense Base Act. It prohibits those eligible
for benefits from filing lawsuits against companies covered by the insurance.

Houston Lawsuit blames Halliburton, KBR on Iraq death
A Michigan woman whose father was shot to death by American soldiers while driving a truck in Iraq filed a lawsuit
in Houston this week against his employers, Halliburton and KBR.  Kristen Martin alleges wrongful death, fraud and
conspiracy regarding the February 2007 shooting of her father, Donald Tolfree.  Guy Watts, the Austin lawyer who
filed the lawsuit, said Tolfree was assured he would be protected by the U.S. military 24 hours a day. Instead,
because of gross negligence and fraud on the part of his employer, he was killed by the U.S. military, Watts
contends.


US Military pieces together Afghan supply chain
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Threatened with the loss of a key air base, the US military is making plans to move
material and fuel to US forces in Afghanistan through a network of commercial links through Russia and Central
Asia, a military spokesman said Friday.

Army reopens electrocucion investigation
Amid an escalating controversy that has lawmakers and family members clamoring for answers into the
electrocution deaths of soldiers in Iraq, Army criminal investigators have re-opened three additional cases that
initially had been ruled accidents
.
Pentagon boosts spending on PR  
As it fights two wars, the Pentagon is steadily and dramatically increasing the money it spends to win what it calls
"the human terrain" of world public opinion. In the process, it is raising concerns of spreading propaganda at home
in violation of federal law.

Detention in Iraq of U.S. Civilian Challenged
WASHINGTON (CN) - An attorney has filed a habeas petition for a civilian contractor who has been imprisoned at
Al Asad Air Base in Iraq since November, and whom the U.S. military wants to court martial - though he is a civilian.
David Breda Jr. says the military confiscated his passport, and claims he was "never officially notified of the nature
of the pending charges which allegedly confer jurisdiction on the United States military to hold (him) against his will
at Al Asad Air Base."

Clinton sees smaller role for security contractors
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged to reduce the government's use of private
security contractors abroad, in comments Wednesday.

U.S. Army wastes billions not supervising contractors in Iraq

Kyrgyzstan to close U.S. base used to supply Afghanistan
MOSCOW — In a setback to the escalating U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan , the president of Kyrgyzstan said
Tuesday that his government will shut down the American air base in his country.

Army Colonel arrested over alleged leaks to human rights researcher
An Army Colonel has been arrested in Afghanistan over claims that he breached the Official Secrets Act by
leaking sensitive information to a female researcher from a human rights group.

Kuwaiti Contractor Accused of Forced Labor on U.S. Bases in Iraq

Why a defense contractors seemingly mundane decision has Iraqi interpreters fearing for their lives

Iraq Deal Dead, Blackwater Now Faces A'stan Scrutiny
In testimony yesterday before the new bipartisan commission on wartime contracting, the State Department's
inspector general said his office was conducting a top-to-bottom review of its war zone security contractors -- and
said that Blackwater's conduct in Afghanistan was in for close scrutiny.

Pakistan militant attack halts US, NATO supplies
PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Islamist militants blew up a bridge in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, cutting a major
supply line for Western troops in Afghanistan, a government official and a NATO spokesman said.  The attack was
the latest in a series on the Khyber Pass by insurgents seeking to hamper the U.S.-led mission against the Taliban
in neighboring Afghanistan.

Stimulus bill leaves Whistleblowers vulnerable
the stimulus bill fails to adequately protect employees of government contractors, who are in the best position to
blow the whistle on fraud and abuse of taxpayer money.

Horne Engineering Lands 3mil contract in Afghanistan
The engineering contractor announced Tuesday that it is part of a team that will provide reconstruction support
services to the Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan. The potential value to Horne Engineering is at least $3
million.  Horne engineering’s role on the team will be to provide quality assurance oversight for construction
projects undertaken by the Corps of Engineers’ Afghanistan Engineer District.


Sailor Electrocuted
A third U.S. service member has been determined to have been electrocuted in a shower in Iraq, and Navy criminal
investigators are investigating, The Associated Press has learned.  Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class David A.
Cedergren, 25, of Saint Paul, Minn., died Sept. 11, 2004, while showering. His family was told he died of natural
causes.  Late last year, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology changed the manner of Cedergren's death to
"accidental," caused by electrocution and inflammation of the heart. The Naval Criminal Investigative Services has
reopened an investigation into his death, Ed Buice, a NCIS spokesman, said Monday.

Pentagon Letter Undercuts DoJ in Blackwater case WASHINGTON (AP) —
The Pentagon wrote in 2007 that Blackwater Worldwide contractors in Iraq are not subject to U.S. civilian criminal
laws. That position undercuts the Justice Department's effort to prosecute five Blackwater security guards for
manslaughter.  The letter highlights the uncertainty prosecutors face in bringing charges against contractors
involved in a 2006 shooting that left 17 Iraqis dead in a Baghdad intersection. Iraqis are closely watching how the
U.S. responds to the shooting, which inflamed anti-American sentiment abroad


Commission gets grim report on wartime spending
A new commission examining waste and corruption in wartime contracts is getting a grim report from government
watchdogs who say poor planning, weak oversight and greed combined to soak U.S. taxpayers and undermine
American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Suicide Bomber kills 19 Afghan Policemen
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a police training center in southern
Afghanistan on Monday, killing 19 officers and wounding at least 20, a police chief said.


Afghan Aid Lacks Accountability
WASHINGTON — After seven years of work in Afghanistan, the U.S. government's premier development agency
continues to pay hundreds of millions of dollars annually to private contractors that frequently fail to demonstrate
results, according to aid workers, former diplomats and audits by the agency's inspector general.

Suicide Bomber Attacks Foreign Troops in Kabul
KABUL – A suicide bomber in a car attacked a convoy of foreign troops in the Afghan capital Sunday, but there
was no immediate word on casualties, a police officer said. Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attack.  
The bomber targeted the convoy in Kabul's western outskirts, said Gen. Zulmay Khan Horiyakheil, a regional
police commander. It was not clear if the bomber hit the convoy. Representatives for NATO and U.S. troops said
they were checking the report.

Defense Department Establishes Civilian Expeditionary Workforce
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 – The Defense Department is forming a civilian expeditionary workforce that will be
trained and equipped to deploy overseas in support of military missions worldwide, according to department
officials.

Octuplets Father Contractor in Iraq
Suleman said things would be difficult for her daughter because her husband was returning to Iraq, where he
works as a contractor, to help support the newly-extended family.

Daylight hits covert NLV Airline
Four times a week, pilots working for a North Las Vegas private airline charter company quietly fly to Baghdad and
Kabul.  The company, Vision Airlines, is just another U.S. government contractor doing furtive work in Afghanistan
and Iraq. But a lawsuit filed against the company in federal court last week reveals something of the otherwise vast
and veiled business. Reading the case against Vision Airlines is like squinting through a keyhole to size up the
contents of a hangar.

Iraq, Afghan auditors discuss rebuilding from wars
WASHINGTON — The often chaotic and wasteful $125 billion Iraq rebuilding effort will face new trouble and
uncertainty this year despite the decline in violence there, a new audit report says.  A separate report on
Afghanistan said there is no coherent strategy for that country's $32 billion reconstruction campaign.

A capped volcanoe of suffering
Thursday 29 January 2009  by: Dahr Jamail, t r u t h o u t | Perspective  
Baghdad today, on the eve of provincial elections, feels like it has emerged from several years of horrendous
violence, but do not be misled. Every Iraqi I've spoken with feels it is tenuous, the still-fragile lull too young to trust.

Blackwater Mercs likely to stay in Iraq Despite Government Ban
The State Department has a contract for "Worldwide Personal Protective Services" with three firms: Blackwater,
DynCorp, and Triple Canopy. If Blackwater is no longer allowed to operate in Iraq, a lawyer steeped in the field
tells Danger Room, there's no legal reason why the other two firms can't scoop up Blackwater's employees. "State
simply issues a new task order to DynCorp or Triple Canopy, who turn around and hire some or all of Blackwater's
employees," he says.

Afghan Experience disappointing for retired deputy
At least that's what Ed Henricks of Eau Claire thought before he embarked in August on what was supposed to be
a yearlong mission to help train members of the Afghan National Police.  However, Henricks, 57, a retired Eau
Claire County sheriff's deputy and former Osseo police chief, cut the trip short when he didn't see eye-to-eye with
his employer, a private security contractor, about what he considered unethical recruiting methods.

Iraq Won’t Grant Blackwater a License
BAGHDAD -- Blackwater Worldwide, the security firm whose guards killed 17 civilians on a crowded Baghdad
street in 2007, will not have its security license granted by the Iraqi government, officials said Thursday.   It is
unclear how soon Blackwater will leave Iraq, but it is likely that it will remain at least until spring, when a joint Iraqi-
American committee is scheduled to complete guidelines for private contractors operating in Iraq, officials said.

KBR Awarded Convoy Support Center Contract by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers HOUSTON, Jan 28,
2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- KBR (KBR:KBR Inc 4:03pm
KBR 16.04, +0.85, +5.6%) today announced it has been awarded a $35.4 million contract by the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (USACE), Transatlantic Programs Center, Winchester, Va., for the Phase II design and construction
of a convoy support center at Camp Adder in Iraq.  The KBR team will design and construct a power plant,
electrical distribution center, water purification and distribution system, waste water collection system, and
associated information systems, along with paved roads at this site. Work on the project is expected to begin in
February 2009.

Contractor, Joshua Powers, dies in head on crash in Iraq
For about the last two years, Powers had been working off and on with private security companies in Iraq, using
his down time to travel. On Thursday, he was killed in Iraq when a security vehicle in which he was riding was
struck head-on while guarding a truck convoy.

In Dangerous Locals, HIV Discrimination isn't an open and shut case
Should an employer be required to hire an applicant who has HIV for work that could become bloody in a place
where there is poor medical care?
Suppose the job is protecting diplomats in dangerous places. The employee would carry a gun, probably a big
one, and would be trained to expect attacks. The result of an assault, of course, could be a bloody mess.  
The State Dept. says private security firm Triple Canopy's government contract requires that workers "be free from
communicable disease."

Pinoy Workers Needed in Afghanistan
ANGELES CITY, Philippines - A country representative of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) contractor
has announced that thousands of Filipino workers are needed to support NATO/United States Department of
Defense (US-DOD) military installations in Afghanistan.

Dogs of War:  Slippery Slope
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- If anything about the private military contracting industry is certain, it is that it will
continue to grow in the future. And that raises an interesting question: What impact will the continuing and growing
dependence on private contractors have on the U.S. military establishment?

Negligent Homicide
The largest Iraq war contractor, the one most responsible for feeding and taking care of our troops in Iraq and
Afghanistan, has committed "negligent homicide" according to an Army investigator. This investigator's report was
leaked to the AP yesterday. KBR, a former division of Halliburton, was deemed responsible for the death of Green
Beret Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth, who was electrocuted in Iraq while taking a showed in a KBR maintained shower. At
first the death was declared "accidental" by the Army but Maseth's determined mother, Cheryl Harris, pressed the
Army to find out the truth.

CAE Wins $80 Million in Defence Contracts
CAE today announced a series of military contracts valued at more than $80 million Canadian. Key customers
include the United States Navy and Army, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, NATO, as well as the German defence
procurement agency.

Taxing Iraqi Interpreters raises identity questions
Meanwhile, the interpreters are wondering why they are paying taxes — when even most government workers don’
t.  “Khalid,” a Baghdad interpreter whose real name is being withheld for security reasons, said he feels that his
employer, by asking for his personal information, “will deliver us to the government. Most of these [insurgent
groups] are controlled by the government.”  More than 300 interpreters working with American units have been
killed since 2003, including some who were clearly targeted because of their jobs.  Douglas Ebner — a spokesman
for DynCorp, the majority owner of GLS — said the translation company will not turn over personal information. It is
still working with the Iraqi government on how to do this without putting its employees at risk.


Las Vegas man confined in Iraq
A Las Vegas man who works for a contractor in Iraq faces a rare civilian court-martial and is confined at an
overseas air base in violation of his constitutional rights, one of his attorneys said Monday. If the military is allowed
to pursue a court-martial against Justin M. Price, the 29-year-old would be the first U.S.civilian in 38 years to be
tried under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a defense attorney said. Price is described in court documents as
a civilian employee of Battlespace Flight Services, a Las Vegas-based company. He was taken into custody in
November by Air Force authorities on allegations that he set fire to a Predator spy plane.

Kyrgyzstan to close US Air Base in a matter of days
Kyrgystan will order the closure of a US military airbase used to support operations in Afghanistan "in a matter of
days" under pressure from Russia, a senior Kyrgyz official told AFP. "The presidential decree on the annulment of
the agreement with the United States is already prepared. In a matter of days it will be published in the Kyrgyz
media," the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.


Injured Contractor awarded medal for defense of freedom
Editors note: The last guy I heard of getting one of these had to sign away his rights to
compensation
The honour, established to acknowledge civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DoD) who are killed or
wounded in the line of duty, has been given to Stuart after he was injured in Iraq while protecting American
engineers.  It is the civilian equivalent of the US military’s Purple Heart medal for soldiers wounded in combat.
Thanks to John Sexton at the Bulletproof Blog for this story

Afghan Suicide bomb near Germany Embassy kills Five
The US military said five US soldiers and an American civilian, apparently a contractor, were wounded in the Kabul
blast. One soldier later died in hospital of his injuries.

Remains of Ronald Shultz and fiancee recovered in Iraq


Paula Loyd as Metaphor?
It is November 4th, 2008. An American woman, chartered by the U.S. Army, is talking to an Afghan man in a small
town 80 kilometers from Kandahar about the price of fuel. Suddenly, he ignites the pitcher of gas he is holding,
and throws it on her. She is set aflame. He is immediately captured, held by American contract and uniformed
security forces for the ten minutes it takes to get a report on the woman’s condition. She is alive, but horribly
burned. A U.S. security contractor presses his pistol against the side of the Afghan’s head and pulls the trigger,
killing him instantly.  The woman was Paula Loyd, and she died January 7th of her injuries. The dead Afghani was
Abdul Salam. The security contractor, Don Ayala, was temporarily held in a joint US-Afghan facility that allegedly
did not meet the incarceration standards required for US citizens. Now home in New Orleans on a $200,000 bail,
he is charged with second-degree murder. Plea bargaining appears to be underway with the US Federal District
Court in Alexandra, VA.   Ayala is the first defense contractor to be charged with murder under the Military
Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, a 2000 law which allows prosecution of civilian contractors accused of crimes while
working for the United States in a foreign country. CIA contractors have been charged with murder, as have active
duty military members. Defense contractors, after eight years, are now on notice.


Baghdad Life:  LIttle Changes in the Green Zone Since Handover
With several of my staff needing to get their badges renewed, I asked if any of the policies had changed in what
badges our Iraqi employees could receive because of the Green Zone handover. I was told everything was the
same. But some local media have reported that the prime minister’s office will soon take over the issuing of Green
Zone badges. One Iraqi friend joked that he wouldn’t have problems getting into the Green Zone then since he
could likely just pay a bribe to get the access he wanted. “I could pay for higher access than what even (Iraqi
Prime Minister Nouri) al-Maliki has,” my friend said with a laugh. “But I probably still couldn’t get into the PX.”  


Sudan Fears US Military Intervention Over Darfur / Sudan Increasingly Fearful US Will Resort
To Military Intervention



ACLU Challenges Secrecy of Whistleblowers Law
Secret courts and secret proceedings have no place in this country," said Chris Hansen, senior attorney with the
ACLU's First Amendment Working Group, in a statement.  The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria,
also alleges that the Justice Department has abused the law to keep allegations hidden for years.


Suicide Spotlights troops' mental care
At the time of Scheuerman's suicide, unlicensed psychologists and other counselors were allowed to examine
soldiers provided they were supervised by licensed professionals. The same rules are common in civilian
evaluations.

The Other Infrastructure Stimulus Program: Iraq and Afghanistan
So this is the deal. U.S. government spending in Iraq and Afghanistan isn’t going to slack off. If anything, it’ll go up
as reconstruction and security responsibilities shift to the private sector.  The companies that can take advantage
of both of Obama’s huge infrastructure programs – the one that will play out in the U.S. and the one that will play
out in Iraq and Afghanistan – will be big winners in 2009.

U.S. Construction in Afghanistan Sign of Long Committment


NATO Contractor  kidnapped, murdered near Afghan capitol
An Afghan contractor, who worked on road construction projects for the NATO-led International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF), was found murdered three days after being kidnapped by insurgents in Kapisa Province,
some 80 km north from capital city of Kabul, said an ISAF statement released here on Thursday.
"The local-national contractor was kidnapped on Jan. 6. During his captivity, he was shot three times and killed.
Afghan police found the contractor's body hanging from a tree near Feroza district on Jan. 9," the statement said.
"The contractor was part of a road construction project in the Afghanya valley of Kapisa."


Best East Coast Cities for Defense Jobs
Metropolitan Washington, D.C. serves as the proverbial home base for defense jobs. But with the private sector,
research labs, universities, and government contractors factored in, the playing field gets even bigger all the time.
Opportunities extend throughout Northern Virginia's suburbs and down about a three hour drive to the Hampton
Roads area. Traditionally this region included Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Newport News. But current metropolitan
statistics now embrace Suffolk, Chesapeake, Williamsburg, Portsmouth and six surrounding counties. North of the
district in Maryland, opportunities flourish from Bethesda and Rockville up to Baltimore, Columbia and Ellicott City
— all within an hour or so of the nation's capital.

Report Details Iraq Contract Failures
A $722 million contract to rebuild Iraq's oil and gas production facilities was marked by multiple changes, cost
overruns, failure to meet schedules and lack of oversight, according to a new inspector general's report.

Sexual assault suspect captured in Thailand
Castleberry has been on the run for about three years, working as a civilian maintenance contractor in
Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places, authorities said. He left the U.S. in 2006 after authorities
heard the accusations.

KBR Seeks to Blame U.S. Army, Insurgents for Iraq Convoy Deaths  Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- KBR
Inc. and its former parent, Halliburton Co., filed a request in court to tell a jury that the U.S. Army and Iraqi
terrorists are responsible for deaths and injuries to company truck drivers in Iraq in 2004.   Families of the dead
and injured drivers claim in a federal lawsuit that KBR and Halliburton officials sent unarmed civilians into active-
combat zones in April 2004 knowing they would be attacked and possibly killed. The contractors and their families
say Houston-based KBR misrepresented the risk and should be held accountable.

UN Allows It's Antifraud Task Force to Dissolve
The United Nations hasn't renewed funding for a special task force that uncovered about $630 million in alleged
contract fraud, and efforts to retain some of its investigators have been delayed following objections from the
Russian government.  The delays could put at risk 175 investigations that the task force had not completed,
according to Inga-Britt Ahlenius, who oversees the U.N.'s main investigative division, the Office of Internal
Oversight Services, or OIOS.  Some of those investigations involve Russian nationals and companies, according
to a person familiar with the matter. The task force also followed up on a case in which a former U.N. purchasing
agent from Russia pleaded guilty in 2005 to federal charges of soliciting bribes from U.N. contractors, this person
said.


Crash Opens Window Into Afghan Contract Helicopters
Shortfalls in allied helicopter contributions to Afghanistan have been an issue for several years now. The USA
ended up having to extend some of its Chinook fleet’s time in theater to make up the shortfall, but the longer term
response to NATO’s under-performance has involved another option: contracted helicopter services from private
firms like Hummingbird, Blackwater affiliate Presidential Airways, CHL, Jingle Air, et. al.

Munns' family and others seek information on their kidnappings and murders
An attorney representing the family of a 23-year-old Anderson man who was kidnapped and murdered in
Iraq while working as a private security contractor has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the
federal government to try to learn details of the kidnapping and murder.

December 29, 2008
Veterans Sue Federal Government Over Lack of PTSD Disability Benefits
A class action lawsuit has been filed against the federal government by five veterans of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. The soldiers allege that they were illegally denied disability benefits despite being
diagnosed with severe cases of post-traumatic stress disorder

Quick Response by Munitions Clearance Team in Iraq helps stranded Marines
The Soldier's Creed states, "I will never leave a fallen comrade." Army Civilian and contractor employees feel the
same way.  On Jan. 14, a convoy supporting the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center's Coalition Munitions
Clearance (CMC) program encountered two Marine Corps M-1 tanks involved in a serious accident on a remote
road in Western Iraq.