New York Contract Watch

Iraqis Tell L-3 Communications to Pay Up

2009-07-27T05:53:00.001-07:00

Iraqis Tell Defense Contractor to Pay Up
Courthouse News Service
July 1, 2009

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CN) - Iraq contractor L3 Communications refused to pay 33 native civilians who helped the U.S. military fight terrorism, the Iraqis claim in Federal Court.

L3 was contracted to supply the military with Iraqi-born civilians who would help U.S. soldiers and Marines combat insurgents in Iraq and Kuwait, the lawsuit claims.

The Iraqis say they worked around the clock "for upwards of a year or more, at times continuously."

"[P]laintiffs were confined to their living areas, could not wander off post or off base at will, and were literally 'on the job' 24 hours every day, 7 days a week," the lawsuit states. "Virtually every minute of every day while plaintiffs were in Iraq, their lives were controlled by the defendants."

The Iraqis admit to having signed papers stating that they were exempt from overtime pay, but said the contract was "a fraud and a sham and oppressive." They argue that the uniqueness and sensitivity of their jobs entitle them to labor protections. They demand actual and punitive damages for L3's alleged failure to pay regular and overtime wages, conversion and fraud.

The complaint was filed by Michael Green with Margolis Pritzker of Towson, Md.

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Friday, July 24 Protest Targets Military Trade Delegation to Iraq

2009-07-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

WHO: PEACE ACTION FOR DIPLOMACY AND PARTNERS

WHAT: PROTEST AGAINST MILITARY CONTRACTORS
"INFORMATIONAL PICKET"

WHEN: FRIDAY, JULY 24TH

WHERE: 12:00-12:45PM
AT L-3 COMMUNICATIONS
600 3RD AVE, NEW YORK, NY

1:00-1:45PM
AT VERITAS CAPITAL
590 MADISON AVE, NEW YORK, NY

WHY:DURING THE WEEK OF JULY 25TH TO JULY 31ST A U.S. DEFENSE INDUSTRY DELEGATION, WHICH WILL INCLUDE MEMBERS OF L-3 COMMUNICATIONS AND DYNCORP INTERNATIONAL, WILL BE HEADED TO IRAQ.

COME AND DEMAND THAT THESE WAR-PROFITEERS WITHDRAW FROM THE DELEGATION.

America's Secret Army Is Here in New York City.

In New York City alone there are 892 Defense Contractors which have received more than $4 Billion in defense contracts. Two of these contractors who reside in Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney's District are L-3 Communications and Veritas Capital.

Located at 600 Third Ave., L-3 Communications, is the sixth largest defense company in the United States and receives 86% of its revenue from defense contracts. L-3 owns MPRI and other subsidiaries that provide private military forces to train foreign armies and police, and fight in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries. L-3 Communications has been allocated more than $3.6 million in tax dollars for fiscal year 2009.

Just a few blocks away at 590 Madison Ave., Veritas Capital, parent company to DynCorp International, receives more than 96% of its $2 Billion in annual revenue from defense contracts. DynCorp International was recently awarded $7.5 Billion in contracts to provide logistical services in Afghanistan.

In addition to the more than 5,000 American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, there have been more than 1,000 additional military contractors killed.

What Can You Do?

During the week of July 25th-31st a U.S. Defense Industry Delegation, which will include members of L-3 Communications and DynCorp International, will be headed to Iraq.

DEMAND that these war-profiteers withdraw from the Delegation!

Government Stimulus?

Like any government spending, military spending does createsome employment. But it actually generates far fewer jobs for the dollar than equivalent civilian expenditures. Military spending uses relatively less labor than spending on domestic programs such as school lunches, health, child and elder care, housing,urban transportation and education. High levels of military spending divert resources that are needed for the civilian economy, and create local and regional dependence on futuremilitary contracts.

CALL NOW!!!

L-3 Communications
Manhattan Office
600 3rd Ave. Fl 35
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 697-1111

PEACE DEMANDS ACTION

For more information contact:
Peace Action for Diplomacy
630 Ninth Ave., Suite 216
New York, NY 10036

Suzanne Hayes Kelly, Chair
Tel: (646) 723-1749 or E-mail:

suzanneatpanys [at] yahoo.com
http://www.nycontractwatch.org/

New York City-Based Military Contractors

L-3 Communications -- L-3 Communications is a New York City-based military contractor that makes specialized electronic systems for satellites, air, ground and marine based weapons systems. Over the last several years L-3 has grown dramatically to become one of the ten largest military contractors in the U.S. by purchasing other military companies. The U.S. government, primarily the Department of Defense accounts for 80% of L-3’s business. L-3 is now a big player in the development of space-based weapons systems for the Department of Defense and the Missile Defense Agency.

L-3 Communications is also deeply involved in the U.S. occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. L-3 makes specialized Rover III laptops that are used by US troops to call in air strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan, where thousands of people have been killed by US bombing and missile attacks.

L-3 has also owns MPRI, a global “private military training company” with at least 500 employees working in Iraq and Afghanistan on many different contracts. MPRI claims to have over 12,000 contract military personnel who are available to go overseas on contract assignments for the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. MPRI's President, retired General Carl E. Vuono, served as Army chief of staff during the Gulf War and the U.S. invasion of Panama. The Vice President of the firm, General Ronald H. Griffith is a former Army vice chief of staff.

In March 2005, MPRI was awarded a $400 million contract to train police in Iraq and elsewhere. Two months later, MPRI set up a company in Bermuda to which it then subcontracted much of the work for the contract in order to avoid US social security and Medicare taxes.

Veritas Capital -- Veritas Capital owns 57% of DynCorp, a Virginia-based military contractor that provides paramilitary forces for global conflicts. Dyncorp describes itself as a "highly successful provider of critical support to military and civilian government institutions," with "commercial business in aviation, infrastructure development, security, and logistics, including international projects to build and manage regional air facilities.”

Dyncorp fields a paramilitary workforce of over 5,000 employees in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is heavily involved in police training and private security work, with over $2.8 billion in military contracts in 2005 alone.

“You could fight without us, but it would be difficult," says Paul Lombardi, former CEO of DynCorp. "Because we're so involved, it's difficult to extricate us from the process." Veritas Capital also invests in many other military companies to make money for investors, such as Aeroflex Incorporated, CRGT and McNeil Technologies, which develop electronic warfare systems and military information technologies for a wide range of military and federal agencies.

Veritas Takeover of Dyncorp Earns $350 million for Company Boss

2009-07-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Wall Street Goes to War
Forbes, 8/3/09

HIGHLIGHT:

The battle for wartime profits is waged in the boardroom. Inside the most lucrative--and the ugliest--deal of the Iraq and Afghan wars.

For 19 years Robert McKeon and Thomas Campbell were inseparable. They raised money and struck deals together, buying and selling dozens of companies, often in the defense sector--smallish outfits such as Athena Innovative Solutions, Integrated Defense Technologies and Vertex Aerospace. Working 12-hour days out of next-door offices in midtown Manhattan, they could hear each other's phone conversations and knew the most personal details about each other. They golfed together, went skeet and trap shooting, traveled together for meetings and once shared a hotel room in Mexico. On Fridays they would dine, just the two of them, at Harry Cipriani, the ritzy Manhattan restaurant. 'I believe we were pretty close to best friends,' says Campbell.

They also hatched the most lucrative deal of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their 2005 purchase of DynCorp International, the Falls Church, Va. provider of services to the U.S. military, landed McKeon and Campbell at the center of a booming and controversial business. The leveraged buyout also helped rip apart their relationship. McKeon ended up very rich, personally earning $350 million, or seven times his investment, and in control of a company that has emerged as the biggest winner in the war game. Campbell, forced out of DynCorp, came away with very little and has started over. Today the two former friends are locked in mortal combat--trading accusations of greed and betrayal in protracted litigation and competing for $25 billion a year in battleground services contracts for the U.S. government.

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Military Trade Delegation Claims To Provide Clients Easy Access in Iraq

2009-07-16T02:08:00.000-07:00

Unlicensed “New- Fields Exhibitions” Claims To Provide Clients Easy Access in Iraq
by Adam Lichtenheld, July 1, 2009, http://www.storiesthatmatter.org/

"Since the fall of 2003, New-Fields Exhibitions, a Dubai-based marketing company with a corporate office in Washington, has organized over a dozen conferences promoting opportunities in Iraq’s reconstruction, security and oil sectors."

"The names adorning the delegate lists of New-Fields’ events are among the Who’s Who of Iraq war profiteers: Halliburton/KBR, Bechtel, Titan, General Dynamics, Blackwater, Fluor, Perini, URS Corporation. But while the rebuilding effort in Iraq has become characterized by pervasive waste and fraud—turning funds once touted as a new Marshall Plan into what critics classify as corporate blood money—New-Fields, the self-arrogated hookup for Iraqi business deals, has avoided the scrutiny faced by some of its more dubious clientele..."

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L-3 and other Top U.S. Defense Companies Join an Industry Delegation to Iraq

2009-07-16T01:57:00.000-07:00

Army Guide - Boeing, L-3 and other Top U.S. Defense Companies Join an Industry Delegation to Iraq:

"Ten leading US defense companies including Boeing and L-3 have joined the US Defense Industry Delegation to Iraq July 25-31, New Fields Officials announced today."

'The ten companies participating in this delegation represent the cutting edge of US aviation security, sea, land and air defense products and technologies, which can Strengthen Iraq's Sovereignty & Security' said Maher Giundi, Government Programs Director of New Fields.

'The participating delegates will be meeting senior Iraqi Military Commanders and defense Specialists' Giundi added.

Since a major focus of delegation will be a series of one-on-one meetings between leading US defense executives and their Iraqi counterparts, New-Fields knowledgeable staff will be on the ground matching participating US companies with potential buyers including meetings with government officials and Military Commanders."

The delegation has the full support of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and Iraqi Military Commanders who are looking for products and technologies that will strengthen Iraq's sovereignty and security.

About US Defense Industry Delegation to Iraq

The USDID/Iraq delegation's goal is to provide market entry or increased sales in Iraq for US Security, Sea, Land and Air Defense products and technologies. In addition, first hand market information and access to potential business partners. Delegates will be holding a series of meetings with defense and security agencies, officials, and procurements specialists. "

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Dyncorp lures police with six-figure jobs overseas

2009-07-16T01:40:00.000-07:00

Firm lures police with six-figure jobs overseas - Inside Bay Area:
By Kristin Bender Oakland Tribune
07/03/2009

"OAKLAND — A company that recruits police officers and former military personnel to be international police trainers and border enforcement advisers in Iraq and Afghanistan was in Oakland last week recruiting for roughly 400 spots in the war-torn countries.

DynCorp International, which is based in Falls Church, Va., provides services to civilian and military government agencies worldwide.

It operates programs in law enforcement training and support, security services, base operations, aviation services and logistics support in the Middle East, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia and other places that have experienced conflict, violence and war.

The recruiting came as Oakland faces an $83 million deficit and could decide in the coming weeks or months whether to layoff police officers. The city has applied for $67 million in federal funding to pay for 140 police officers over a three-year period and expects to hear back on its grant application as soon as July. Depending on how much the city receives from the grant, Oakland may have to cut the ranks of its Police Department..."

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DynCorp, Fluor Win Afghan Work Worth $7.5 Billion (Update1) - Bloomberg.com

2009-07-16T01:34:00.000-07:00

DynCorp, Fluor Win Afghan Work Worth $7.5 Billion (Update1) - Bloomberg.com:

DynCorp International Inc. and Fluor Corp. have been selected over KBR Inc. for five-year contracts worth as much as $7.5 billion for each company to support the U.S. troop build-up in Afghanistan, an Army official said. 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 that include four one- year options for the same annual amount, Jim Loehrl, executive director of the Army’s Rock Island, Illinois, Contracting Center, said yesterday in a telephone interview.

The awards are the sixth and seventh -- and the 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 Fluor for individual tasks...

...DynCorp will take over services KBR provided for tasks such as laundry, food services and maintenance for existing base camps in southern Afghanistan. It also will build new bases as needed to accommodate an increase to about 68,000 troops from about 57,000 today. Fluor will take over similar services in northern Afghanistan.

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School of Americas Connection to Honduras coup

2009-06-29T16:54:00.001-07:00

Coup in Honduras the narcosphere:

"The crisis in Honduras began when the military refused to distribute ballot boxes for the opinion poll in a new Constitution. President Zelaya fired the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Romeo Orlando Vasquez Velasquez, who refused to step down. The heads of all branches of the Honduran armed forces quit in solidarity with Vasquez. Vasquez, however, refused to step down, bolstered by support in Congress and a Supreme Court ruling that reinstated him. Vasquez remains in control of the armed forces.

Vasquez, along with other military leaders, graduated from the United States' infamous School of the Americas (SOA). According to a School of the Americas Watch database compiled from information obtained from the US government, Vasquez studied in the SOA at least twice: once in 1976 and again in 1984."

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See related coverage at School of Americas Watch > http://www.soaw.org/

School of Americas Connection to Honduras coup

2009-06-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

New Frontiers in Military to Military Conversion

2009-06-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Not to worry -- apparently there's plenty of jobs to be had in producing OTHER TYPES OF MILITARY AIRCRAFT. Oh brother.

Wonk Room » F-22: Won’t Win Wars, Won’t Preserve Jobs:

"A year ago the industry was worried about huge labor shortages. Shutting down the Raptor line would see thousands of workers snapped up for active production lines churning out F-16s, F-35s, C-130s and modernized C-5s for Lockheed, not to mention the prospect that industry rivals Boeing and Northrop might lure Lockheed workers for their own active production lines for the F-15, F/A-18 and others.

Even in the New Depression, the U.S. has the world’s biggest and most diverse aerospace industry. Trimming a few dozen aircraft from one production line, and shuttering that line a few years early, will not put nearly 100,000 people out of work."

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War bill to benefit P&W, Sikorsky- The New Haven Register - Serving Greater New Haven, CT

2009-06-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

Speaking of regional dependence on military spending...

War bill to benefit P&W, Sikorsky- The New Haven Register - Serving Greater New Haven, CT:

"Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research for DataCore Partners in New Haven and chairman of Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s Council of Economic Advisors, said the funding will “make a big difference” for keeping jobs in the state, of which 2,500 are connected to F-22 engine production.

“To the degree that we can preserve manufacturing jobs, particularly when it comes to the F-22s, it’s going to be good for the state economy,” Klepper-Smith said."

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We Don’t Need the F-22

2009-06-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

Editorial - We Don’t Need the F-22 - NYTimes.com:

"Lockheed Martin and its partners parceled out work on the plane widely to ensure maximum political protection. And we deeply regret that jobs will be lost by phasing out the F-22. But the United States cannot keep paying for redundant and dubious systems. There are too many other compelling demands on the country’s battered budget — some of which will certainly create new jobs. It is up to House Democratic leaders to make this case to their members and ensure that the committee’s decision on the F-22 is overturned."

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Insurance claims mount for paramilitary fighters, insurance companies pocket the profits

2009-06-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wars test limits of law requiring insurance for overseas contractors (6/19/09) -- www.GovernmentExecutive.com:

"Between 2003 and 2007, an average of 11,000 civilian contractors annually filed injury claims with the Labor Department under the Defense Base Act, Fay said. Total payments for health care and benefits related to these claims rose fourteenfold during the first four years of the Iraq war, to more than $170 million annually, he said.

But, profits for insurance carriers also have skyrocked. Subcommittee investigators found that since the wars began insurers have collected more than $1.5 billion in premiums under the Defense Base Act -- all paid by taxpayers -- but paid out only $900 million in benefits.

'The single biggest cause of these failures is the insurance carriers' practice of seeking to profit in every way possible from our fight for national survival instead of becoming part of the forces united against our enemies,' said Timothy Newman, a former DynCorp contractor who lost his leg when an improvised explosive device detonated in Iraq.

Other injured contractors testified that insurance carriers refused to pay for treatment, medication and surgeries despite orders from the Labor Department or judges.

'We demand that we receive the care that was promised us and we deserve,' said Kevin Smith, a former truck driver for the Defense contractor KBR who was severely injured in Baghdad in 2004 when his convoy was ambushed by insurgents and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. 'We are not asking for ... [extravagant] bonuses, or lavish parties or even parades. We just want what we are entitled to under the Defense Base Act like medical care, disability pay and retraining if necessary.'"

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DynCorp gets Blackwater's service contracts for U.S. diplomats in Iraq

2009-06-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

DynCorp gets Blackwater's service contracts for U.S. diplomats in Iraq:

"The State Department has contracted DynCorp International to provide aviation and support services in Iraq. Under the award, DynCorp would replace the former Blackwater, which was the only major U.S. security contractor with an aviation fleet in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.

'This award is a tremendously important opportunity for DynCorp International to support the safety and security of U.S. diplomatic personnel serving in Iraq,' DynCorp International chief executive officer William Ballhaus said.

In May 2009, DynCorp replaced Blackwater as the leading security contractor for the State Department. Blackwater, responsible for aviation services as well, was banned from operating in Iraq in wake of the prosecution of six former security officers linked to a shootout in Baghdad in 2007 in which 16 civilians were killed."

Defense Aerospace: Long-Term Contribution Trends | OpenSecrets

2009-06-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Over the last ten years, military contractors have given $66 million to candidates for Congress to try to influence current and future contracts -- see here for details:

Defense Aerospace: Long-Term Contribution Trends OpenSecrets

Defense Aerospace: Background

The hundreds of billions of dollars the federal government spends each year on defense are the reason defense aerospace firms make millions of dollars in campaign contributions, a majority of which has gone to Republicans since 1989. Defense aerospace contractors concentrate their political donations on members of the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees that allocate federal defense money. Prime targets of defense aerospace money also include members of the Armed Services committees, who influence military policy and have the power to create demand for this industry's commodities.

Lockheed Martin is the industry’s top campaign contributor. The company’s political investment paid off in 2001 when it secured a $220 billion deal to build the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter combat jets. The contract was the largest ever awarded by the Pentagon, and at $ 44.8 million for the basic version, the fighter costs 60 percent less than the F/A-22, Lockheed's most advanced jet.

Other top contributors in the industry include United Technologies, best known for its Sikorsky “Black Hawk” helicopters, and Boeing, the commercial airplane maker that has recently expanded its line of fighter jets, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles

Washington’s Afghan Shadow Army

2009-06-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

Washington’s Afghan Shadow Army by Jeremy Scahill -- Antiwar.com:

"...Contractors are playing a key role in the drawdown of U.S. military forces in Iraq. As military units withdraw from bases, the number of contractor employees needed to handle closing or transfer tasks and to dispose of government property will increase… preparations for this major shift out of Iraq and into Afghanistan or other areas are sketchy."

"As the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have progressed, the military services, defense agencies, and other stakeholder agencies… continue to increase their reliance on contractors. Contractors are now literally in the center of the battlefield in unprecedented numbers."

"From fiscal years (FY) 2001 through 2008, the Defense Department’s reported obligations on all contracts for services, measured in real-dollar terms, more than doubled — from roughly $92 billion to slightly over $200 billion. In fiscal year 2008, this figure included more than $25 billion for services to support contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. These figures do not include State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracts..."

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Special Operations' Oversight of Contractors Is Faulted

2009-06-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

Special Operations' Oversight of Contractors Is Faulted - washingtonpost.com:

"...Federal government rules and regulations prohibit the hiring of contractors who perform actions reserved for government employees, yet a Special Operations Command unit managing the contract with L-3 Communications Integrated Systems permitted contractor approval of such matters as overtime and acceptably completed work, according to a report by the Pentagon inspector general released this week."

"The contracts called for L-3 Communications to provide logistic support for Special Forces equipment including repair, maintenance and support that between 2003 and 2008 involved 2,148 separate tasks. The Special Operations Forces Support Activity, which administered the contract, designated one government employee to be the contracting officer for the contract. But the IG report noted that 'it is not feasible for one individual to effectively oversee 2,148 task orders requiring surveillance in 20 locations.' "

"No L-3 Communications official was available to comment on the report."

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US audit faults security spending in Afghanistan

2009-06-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press: US audit faults security spending in Afghanistan:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The military command overseeing $15 billion in U.S. programs to develop Afghanistan's security forces cannot be sure the money is being managed effectively, a top government watchdog warned Tuesday.

In its first audit report since being formed a year ago, the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction says the Combined Security Transition Command 'lacks effective contract oversight capabilities.'

It is the command's responsibility to ensure U.S. tax dollars are spent properly, the audit says. That means command staff must visit locations where contractors are working to verify that contractors are following the terms of their deals with the government.

'This is not happening,' the audit said.

Arnold Fields, the special inspector general, said during a telephone interview with reporters there is no substitute for firsthand inspections.

'Those folks need to be on site for an extended period of time,' said Fields, a retired Marine Corps general.
He acknowledged that tough conditions in Afghanistan can make long-term visits difficult. But the huge sums of money being spent require that level of oversight, he said.

Fields' office examined one training contract worth $404 million and found the official responsible for monitoring contractor performance was located at an Army office in Maryland — nine time zones away.

The report does not name the contractor because the auditors did not assess the vendor's performance. But in comments from command authorities in an appendix to the report, the company is identified as MPRI. Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., MPRI is a large consulting firm led by retired U.S. military officers.

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Top Federal Contractors in New York (FY 2007)

2009-06-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP
$1,823,389,828
HARRIS CORP.
$957,689,401
BECHTEL GROUP, INC.
$568,605,776
NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP.
$548,822,742
BROOKHAVEN SCIENCE ASSOC LLC
$489,610,091
SYRACUSE RESEARCH CORP
$366,025,806
MCCANN-ERICKSON WORLDWIDE INC
$316,943,299
BAE SYSTEMS
$204,247,670
MITSUI AND COMPANY PRECIOUS ME
$171,717,094
LAWMAN HEATING & COOLING INC
$112,549,603
URS CORP.
$111,360,323
MASCARO INCORPORATED
$104,351,500
L-3 COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
$87,710,797

Top 5 Known Congressional Districts where Work is Performed
New York 28 (Louise McIntosh Slaughter)
$1,152,698,810
New York 22 (Maurice D. Hinchey)
$1,058,336,856
New York 21 (Michael R. McNulty)
$965,417,279
New York 2 (Steve Israel)
$807,510,758
New York 14 (Carolyn B. Maloney)
$724,463,622

Note: these are contracts performed in New York -- some companies headquartered here have many contracts around the country.

Source: www.FedSpending.org

Outsourcing Fuels Growth of "Private Military Firms"

2009-05-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

The growth of Private Military Firms (PMFs) is chronicled in a report from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. The report notes the recent consolidation of ownership that resulted in the New York-based L-3 Communications buying MPRI and Veritas Capital purchasing Dyncorp.

"The end of the Cold War and the United States’ (U.S.) military downsizing in the 1990s drastically altered the U.S. approach to warfare. The decrease in American forces by as much as one-third coupled with an increase in global military missions created the demand for private military services. Since the end of the Cold War U.S. military reliance on contract services in the form of consulting, security and other support has grown significantly, however, public scrutiny and distrust exist due to perceptions of inherent public-private shortcomings. Privatized Military Operations (PMO) can meet shortfalls in military capacity, but will only remain effective and
efficient if an agreed upon framework for planning, funding, execution, and oversight is implemented and enforced by the United States Government...

"...unlike the stereotypical small-unit mercenaries of the past, these modern PMFs are corporate bodies that offer a wide range of services, from tactical combat operations and strategic planning to logistical support and technical assistance."

Read full report

EXCLUSIVE...Pentagon Pundits: New York Times Reporter David Barstow Wins Pulitzer Prize for Exposing Military's Pro-War Propaganda Media Campaign

2009-05-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

EXCLUSIVE...Pentagon Pundits: New York Times Reporter David Barstow Wins Pulitzer Prize for Exposing Military's Pro-War Propaganda Media Campaign:

"AMY GOODMAN: We begin our show today with New York Times reporter David Barstow. He recently won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for exposing how dozens of retired generals working as radio and television analysts had been co-opted by the Pentagon to make its case for the war in Iraq and how many of them also had undisclosed ties to military contractors that benefited from policies they defended.

Barstow uncovered Pentagon documents that repeatedly refer to the military analysts as “message force multipliers” or “surrogates” who could be counted on to deliver administration themes and messages to millions of Americans in the form of their own opinions.

The so-called analysts were given hundreds of classified Pentagon briefings, provided with Pentagon-approved talking points and given free trips to Iraq and other sites paid for by the Pentagon.

David Bartow wrote, quote, “Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse—an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks.”

The officials appeared on all the main cable news channels—Fox News, CNN and MSNBC—as well as the three nightly network news broadcasts.

The Pentagon program started during the build-up to the Iraq war."

"...the week before 9/11, [former Gen. Barry McCaffrey] was asked to join the advisory—defense advisory board of a major private equity firm in New York called Veritas Capital, which at that moment, just at that moment, was making plans to invest heavily into defense contractors. Nine-eleven happened. Weeks later, General McCaffrey was hired by NBC to be its—one of its military analysts. And so, what you see happening with General McCaffrey in the years since is that he has been on, time and time again, talking about the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, but at the same time, most notably through his ties to Veritas Capital, he has been deeply involved in the business affairs of some of the major defense contractors who are operating in both of those war zones."

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