Friday, July 24 Protest Targets Military Trade Delegation to Iraq

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.