Blackwater (company)

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Blackwater USA
Company typePrivate military company
security firm
IndustryGovernment contracting
Founded1997
FounderErik Prince
Headquarters
850 Puddin Ridge Road, Moyock, North Carolina[1]
,
U.S.
Key people
Cofer Black
Joseph E. Schmitz
Gary Jackson
Bill Mathews
Chris Taylor (a former VP, now studying at Harvard[2])
DivisionsBlackwater Training Center
Blackwater Security Consulting
Blackwater Canine
Blackwater Armor & Targets
Blackwater Logistics
Blackwater Airships
Raven Development
Blackwater North (Illinois)
SubsidiariesBlackwater vehicles
Websiteblackwaterusa.com

Blackwater USA is a private military company[3] founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. It has alternatively been referred to as a security contractor or a mercenary organization by numerous reports in the international media.[4][5][6][7][8] Blackwater is based in the U.S. state of North Carolina, where it operates a tactical training facility that it claims is the world's largest. The company trains more than 40,000 people a year, from all the military services and a variety of other agencies. The company markets itself as being "The most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world".

Blackwater is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors.[9] At least 90% of its revenue comes from government contracts, two-thirds of which are no-bid contracts.[10] Missions conducted by Blackwater Security Consulting have raised significant controversy both through casualties suffered[11] and inflicted by their employees.[12] Blackwater USA is currently contracted by the United States government to provide security services in the Iraq War.[1] The cost for each Blackwater guard in Iraq, $445,000 per year, has come under fire.[13]

Personnel

File:Erik prince blackwater.jpg
Erik Prince, Blackwater founder and owner.
File:Amb black piii.jpg
J. Cofer Black, Vice chairman of Blackwater.

Blackwater's owner and founder is Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL. Erik Prince attended the Naval Academy, graduated from Hillsdale College, and was an intern in George H.W. Bush's White House. Prince has contributed $168,000 to the Republican National Committee since 1998, and also has supported the candidacies of politicians such as President George W. Bush and Senator Tom Coburn.[14]

Blackwater's president, Gary Jackson, is also a former Navy SEAL.[15]

Cofer Black, the company's current vice chairman, was the Bush administration's top counter terrorism official when 9/11 occurred. Blackwater has become home to a number of former senior CIA and Pentagon officials. Robert Richer became the firm's Vice President of Intelligence immediately after he resigned his position as Associate Deputy Director of Operations in fall 2005. He is formerly the head of the CIA's Near East Division.[16]

Facilities

Blackwater's training facility, located on 7,000 acres (28 km2) in North Carolina, comprises several ranges, indoor, outdoor, urban reproductions, a man-made lake, and a driving track in Camden and Currituck counties. Company literature claims that it is the largest training facility in the country.

In November 2006 Blackwater USA announced it recently acquired an 80-acre (30 ha) facility 150 miles (240 km) west of Chicago, in Mount Carroll, Illinois to be called Blackwater North. That facility has been operational since April 2007 and serves law enforcement agencies throughout the midwest.

Blackwater is also trying to open a 824-acre training facility three miles north of Potrero, a small town in rural east San Diego County, California for military and law enforcement training.[17][18][19][20][21] The opening has faced heavy opposition from local residents and environmental organizations have also voiced opposition due to the proposed facility being in proximity to the Cleveland National Forest.[22]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Blackwater was also hired during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by the Department of Homeland Security, as well as by private clients, including communications, petrochemical and insurance companies.[23] In each case, Blackwater received a no-bid contract. Overall, the company has received over one billion dollars in government contracts.[24]

Corporate structure

Main article: Blackwater USA businesses

Blackwater USA consists of nine divisions, and a subsidiary Blackwater Vehicles.

Iraq involvement

In 2003, Blackwater attained its first high-profile contract: guarding the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Administrator L. Paul Bremer in Iraq, at the cost of $21 million for 11 months. Since June 2004, Blackwater has been paid more than $320 million out of a $1 billion, five-year State Department budget for the Worldwide Personal Protective Service, which protects U.S. officials and some foreign officials in conflict zones.[25] In 2006, Blackwater won the remunerative contract to protect the U.S. embassy in Iraq, which is the largest American embassy in the world. It is estimated by the Pentagon and company representatives that there are 20,000 to 30,000 armed security contractors working in Iraq, and some estimates are as much as 100,000, though no official figures exist.[26][27] Of the State Department's dependence on private contractors like Blackwater for security purposes, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, told the U.S. Senate: "There is simply no way at all that the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security could ever have enough full-time personnel to staff the security function in Iraq. There is no alternative except through contracts."[28]

For work in Iraq, Blackwater has drawn contractors from their international pool of professionals, a database containing "21,000 former Special Forces operatives, soldiers, and retired law enforcement agents," overall.[29] For instance, Gary Jackson, the firm's president, has confirmed that Bosnians, Filipinos, and Chileans, "have been hired for tasks ranging from airport security to protecting Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority."

Between 2005 and September 2007, Blackwater security staff was involved in 195 shooting incidents; in 163 of those cases, Blackwater personnel fired first. 25 members of staff have been sacked for violations of Blackwater's drug and alcohol policy and 28 more for weapons-related incidents. [30]

Fallujah mission

Main article: 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush

On March 31, 2004, Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah attacked a convoy containing four American private military contractors from Blackwater USA who were conducting delivery for food caterers ESS.[31] The four armed contractors Scott Helvenston, Jerko Zovko, Wesley Batalona and Michael Teague, were attacked and killed with grenades and small arms fire. Their bodies were hung from a bridge crossing the Euphrates.[11] In the fall of 2007, a congressional report found that Blackwater intentionally "delayed and impeded" investigations into the contractors' deaths.[32]

Later incidents

In April 2004, a few days after the Fallujah bridge hanging, a small team of Blackwater employees, along with a fire team of U.S. Marines, held off over four hundred insurgents outside the Coalition Provisional Authority Headquarters in Al Najaf, Iraq, waiting for U.S. troops to arrive. Due to details of the situation, U.S. commanders would not risk inserting additional troops. The Headquarters was surrounded and it was the last area in the city that remained in Coalition control. During the siege, as supplies and ammunition ran low, a team of Blackwater contractors 70 miles (113 km) away flew on a rescue mission to the compound to resupply, maintain Coalition control, and bring an injured U.S. Marine back to safety outside of the city. [33][34][35]

In April 2005 six Blackwater independent contractors were killed in Iraq when their Mi-8 helicopter was shot down. Also killed were three Bulgarian crewmembers and two Fijian gunners. Initial reports indicate the helicopter was shot down by rocket propelled grenades.

On January 23, 2007, five Blackwater contractors were killed in Iraq when their Hughes H-6 helicopter was shot down. The incident happened in Baghdad, Haifa Street. The crash site was secured by a Personal Security Detail Platoon, callsign "Jester" from 1/26 Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Three Iraqi insurgent groups claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter, however, this has not been confirmed by the US.[36] A US defense official has confirmed that four of the five killed were shot execution style in the back of the head, but did not know whether the four had survived the crash.[37] Robert Young Pelton broke the full details of the crash on his site. Pelton also met and flew with the Little Bird pilots.[38]

In late May 2007, Blackwater contractors, "opened fire on the streets of Baghdad twice in two days... and one of the incidents provoked a standoff between the security contractors and Iraqi Interior Ministry commandos, U.S. and Iraqi officials said."[26] And on May 30 2007, Blackwater employees shot an Iraqi civilian deemed to have been "driving too close" to a State Department convoy being escorted by Blackwater contractors.[39][26] Other private security contractors, such as Aegis Defence Services have also been accused of similar actions.[40] However, "Doug Brooks, the president of the International Peace Operations Association, a trade group representing Blackwater and other military contractors, said that in his view, military law would not apply to Blackwater employees working for the State Department."[41]

Killing of Vice-presidential guard

Main article: Andrew J. Moonen

On Christmas Eve, 2006, a security guard of the Iraqi Vice-president, Adel Abdul Mahdi, was killed by Andrew J. Moonen, a former employee of Blackwater USA, who is accused by the Iraq government of murdering him while drunk. Moonen left Iraq days after the killing, returning home to Seattle, Washington in the United States, where the United States Attorneys are currently investigating.[42] The United States State Department and Blackwater USA had attempted to keep his identity secret.[43]

Baghdad shooting controversy

Main article: Blackwater Baghdad shootings

On September 17, 2007, Blackwater's license to operate in Iraq was revoked, resulting from a highly contentious incident that occurred the previous day during which seventeen (initially reported as eleven) Iraqis were killed.[44] The fatalities occurred while a Blackwater Private Security Detail (PSD) was escorting a convoy of U.S. State Department vehicles en route to a meeting in western Baghdad with United States Agency for International Development officials. The US State Department has said that "innocent life was lost"[45] while U.S. military reports indicate Blackwater's guards opened fire without provocation and used excessive force.[46] The incident has sparked at least 5 investigations, with the FBI now saying it will begin a probe.[47]

The US House has passed a bill that would make all private contractors working in Iraq and other combat zones subject to prosecution by U.S. courts and Senate Democratic leaders have said they plan to send similar legislation to President Bush as soon as possible.[48]

Evacuation of Polish diplomat

In spite of the fallout from the September 17 shooting, Blackwater helicopters were dispatched to evacuate the Polish ambassador following an insurgent assassination attempt on October 3, 2007.[49] Footage of the aftermath was carried by the Euronext network.[4]

The legal status of Blackwater and other security firms in Iraq is a subject of contention. Two days before he left Iraq, L. Paul Bremer signed "Order 17"[50] giving all Americans associated with the CPA and the American government immunity from Iraqi law.[51] A July 2007 report from the American Congressional Research Service indicates that the Iraqi government still has no authority over private security firms contracted by the U.S. government.[52]

On September 23, 2007, the Iraqi government said that it expects to refer criminal charges to its courts in connection with a shooting involving Blackwater guards.[53]

Litigation

Further information: [[:Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security]]

Blackwater is currently being sued by the families of the four contractors killed in Fallujah in March, 2004. The families say they are not suing for financial damages, but rather for the details of their sons' and husbands' deaths. They claim that Blackwater has refused to supply these details, and that in its "zeal to exploit this unexpected market for private security men," the company "showed a callous disregard for the safety of its employees."[54] Four family members testified in front of the House Government Reform Committee on February 7, 2007. They asked that Blackwater be held accountable for future negligence of employees' lives, and that Federal legislation be drawn up to govern contracts between the Department of Defense and the defense contractor.[55] Blackwater has counter-sued the lawyer representing the empty estates of the deceased for $10 million on the grounds that the lawsuit was contractually prohibited from ever being filed.[56]

On April 19, 2006, The Nation magazine published an article titled, "Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater," concerning the lawsuit against Blackwater brought by some of the families of the four deceased employees.[57] The article discussed the removal of the word "armoured" from already-signed contracts, and other allegations of wrongdoing.

According to an Army report, in November 2004, a Blackwater plane, "in violation of numerous government regulations and contract requirements," crashed into a mountainside, killing all six aboard.[58] The families of the three soldiers killed — Lt. Col. Michael McMahon, Chief Warrant Officer Travis Grogan and Spec. Harley Miller — filed a wrongful death suit against Blackwater, alleging negligence. However, Presidential Airways, a division of Blackwater, questioned the hastiness of the Army's report, stating that it "contains numerous errors, misstatements, and unfounded assumptions."[58]

Post-Katrina involvement

Blackwater USA was employed to assist the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts on the Gulf Coast. According to a company press release, it provided airlift, security, and logistics and transportation services, as well as humanitarian support. It was reported that the company also acted as law enforcement in the disaster stricken areas, such as securing neighborhoods and "confronting criminals".[59]

Blackwater moved about 200 personnel into the area hit by Hurricane Katrina, most of whom (164 employees) were working under a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to protect government facilities,[60] but the company held contracts with private clients as well.

Overall, Blackwater had a "visible, and financially lucrative, presence in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as the use of the company contractors cost U.S. taxpayers $240,000 a day."[61] There has been much dispute surrounding governmental contracts in post-Katrina New Orleans, especially no-bid contracts such as the one Blackwater was awarded. Blackwater's heavily-armed presence in the city was also the subject of much confusion and criticism.[62]

Other employments

Blackwater USA is one of five companies picked by the Department of Defense Counter-Narcotics Technology Program Office in a five-year contract for equipment, material and services in support of counter-narcotics activities. The contract is worth up to $15 billion. The other companies picked are Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Arinc Inc.[63]

Blackwater USA has also been contracted by various foreign governments. In 2005, it worked to train the Naval Sea Commando regiment of Azerbaijan, enhancing their interdiction capabilities on the Caspian Sea.[64]

Controversy and criticism

In March 2006, Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater USA, allegedly suggested at an international conference in Amman, Jordan, that the company is ready to move towards providing security professionals up to brigade size for humanitarian efforts and low intensity conflicts. Critics have suggested this may be going too far in putting political decisions in the hands of privately owned corporations.[65] The company denies this was ever said.[66]

Critics consider that Blackwater's self-description as a private military company is a euphemism for mercenary activities.[67] They point out, for example, that Chilean nationals, mostly former soldiers, whose country of origin does not participate in and actually opposes the occupation of Iraq, work for Blackwater in that country, thus those Chileans meet the definition of a "mercenary."[68][69] Former Chilean soldiers are currently employed by the USA to carry on military assignments, most of them motivated by salaries that are high by the standards of their home country, at least 60 of whom are commandos trained during dictator Augusto Pinochet's regime.[70][71][72]

Author Chris Hedges wrote about the establishment of mercenary armies, referring to Blackwater USA as an example of such a force, asserting their existence as a threat to democracy, and a step towards the creation of a modern day Praetorian Guard in a June 3, 2007 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer.[73]

According to Erik Prince, there has been a “rush to judgment” about Blackwater, due to "inaccurate information". [74]

The crash of Blackwater 61 in Afghanistan, Nov. 27, 2004

Underqualified Blackwater staff made a series of errors leading to the plane crashing into a rock wall in Afghanistan. Several US military personnel were on board because there was space on the cargo plane. Errors included not filing a flight plan and not using oxygen masks, possibly resulting in the pilot succumbing to high-altitude euphoria.[75]

Arms smuggling

Main article: Blackwater USA arms smuggling allegations

On September 22, 2007, U.S. federal prosecutors announced an investigation into allegations of Blackwater employees who may have smuggled weapons into Iraq, and that these weapons may have been later transferred to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish nationalist group designated a terrorist organization by the US, NATO and the EU.[76][77][78] The United States government is presently investigating Blackwater for these alleged crimes.[79] On October 4, 2007, the FBI took over the investigation.[80]

Congressional investigation

On October 2, 2007 Erik Prince was subject to a congressional hearing conducted by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform following the controversy related to Blackwater's conduct in Iraq and Afghanistan.[81][82]

  • When asked by a member of Congress for financial information about his company, he declined to provide it. "We're a private company, and there's a key word there — private," Prince answered.[84] Later he stated that the company could provide it at a future date if questions were submitted in writing.[85][86]
  • When the term "mercenaries" was used to describe Blackwater employees, Prince objected, characterizing them instead as "loyal Americans".[87]
  • A Committee on Oversight and Government Reform staff report, based largely on internal Blackwater e-mail messages and State Department documents, describes Blackwater as "being staffed with reckless, shoot-first guards who were not always sober and did not always stop to see who or what was hit by their bullets."[13]
  • A staff report compiled by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on behalf of Representative Waxman questioned the cost-effectiveness of using Blackwater forces instead of United States troops. Blackwater charges the government $1,222 per day per guard, "equivalent to $445,000 per year, or six times more than the cost of an equivalent U.S. soldier," the report alleged.[88] During his testimony on Capitol Hill, Erik Prince disputed this figure, saying that it costs money for the government to train a soldier, to house and feed them, they don't just come prepared to fight. "That sergeant doesn't show up naked and untrained", Prince stated. [89][90]

New rules from State Department

In the wake of Prince's Congressional testimony, on October 5, 2007 the State Department announced new rules for Blackwater's armed guards operating in Iraq. Under the new guidelines, State Department security agents will accompany all Blackwater units operating in and around Baghdad. The State Department will also install video surveillance equipment in all Blackwater armored vehicles, and will keep recordings of all radio communications between Blackwater convoys in Iraq and the military and civilian agencies which supervise their activities.[91]

Public relations

In early October 2007, Blackwater hired the public relations firm BKSH & Associates Worldwide, a subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller, to help Erik Prince prepare for the congressional hearing. Robert Tappan, a former US State Departement official who worked for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, was one the executives handling the account.[92] BKSH portrays itself as a "bipartisan" firm and is lead by Charlie Black, a prominent Republican political strategist and former chief spokesman for the Republican National Committee and Scott Pastrick, former Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee.[93][94].

Although Burson-Marsteller has historically deep connections to both Republican and Democratic politicians, Mark Penn, the chief adviser to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, is the CEO.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b House Oversight Committee record of Blackwater USA contracts for Iraq security services. Cite error: The named reference "OversightContract1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ How Iraq Contractors Deal with Trauma, ABC News, October 3, 2007.
  3. ^ Gielink, Dirk (2007). "No Contractors on the Battlefield: The Dutch Military's Reluctance to Outsource". In Thomas Jäger, Gerhard Kümmel (ed.). Private Military and Security Companies: Chances, Problems, Pitfalls and Prospects. VS Verlag. p. 149. ISBN 3531149016. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Sunday Herald, Scotland, "BACK IN IRAQ: THE 'WHORES OF WAR'", October 2, 2007.
  5. ^ Jeremey Scahill, The Nation, "Will Blackwater Be Kicked Out of Iraq After Recent Bloodbath?", September 28, 2007.
  6. ^ David Swanson, Scoop New Zealand, "Observing Our Government Through Blackwater", September 29, 2007.
  7. ^ Ian Bruce, The Herald, London, "Blackwater uses armed force ‘twice as often as other Iraq firms’", September 28, 2007.
  8. ^ Tehran Times, "Blackwater admits employees illegally sold weapons", September 23, 2007.
  9. ^ Matthew Lee, "Feds Target Blackwater in Weapons Probe", Associated Press, September 22, 2007.
  10. ^ hamptonroads Blackwater: On the Front Lines by Bill Sizemore and Joanne Kimberline, The Virginian-Pilot, July 25, 2006
  11. ^ a b 'Residents hang slain Americans' bodies from bridge' — CNN.com
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference PentProbe1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b Stout, David (October 1, 2007). "Report Depicts Recklessness at Blackwater". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  14. ^ Flintoff, Corey (September 25, 2007). "Blackwater's Prince Has GOP, Christian Group Ties". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2007-09-28. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Four Civilians Worked for N.C. Security Firm, Associated Press, March 31, 2004.
  16. ^ Ken Silverstein, "Revolving Door to Blackwater Causes Alarm at CIA," Harper's Magazine, September 12, 2006.
  17. ^ "Locals Against Training Camp In East County". 10News.com. May 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-28. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  18. ^ R. J. Hillhouse (April 26, 2007). "Exclusive Interview: Blackwater USA's President Gary Jackson". The Spy Who Billed Me. Retrieved 2007-09-28. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ Bauder, Don (February 22, 2007). "Tiny Potrero Battles County and Blackwater USA". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  20. ^ Van Deerlin, Lionel (April 19, 2007). "Blackwater in Potrero?". Retrieved 2007-09-28. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  21. ^ Bauder, Don. "Tiny Potrero Battles County and Blackwater USA". San Diego Reader. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
  22. ^ "Blackwater Plans for New Military Facility Near San Diego Draws Fire From Residents, Peace Activists and Local Congressmember". Democracy Now!. 2007-04-19. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
  23. ^ Private Security Company Creates Stir in New Orleans — The Virginian-Pilot
  24. ^ US-IRAQ: Blackwater Blues for Dead Contractors' Families, by Bill Berkowitz, IPS, June 29, 2007.
  25. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1599682,00.html "Victims of an Outsourced War" — time.com
  26. ^ a b c Fainaru, Steve (May 27, 2007). "U.S. Security Contractors Open Fire in Baghdad". Washington Post. pp. A01. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1599682,00.html
  28. ^ http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1662586,00.html
  29. ^ http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38379
  30. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7024370.stm
  31. ^ The High Risk Contracting Business
  32. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/27/iraq.blackwater/index.html
  33. ^ 'Private Guards Repel Attack on U.S. Headquarters
  34. ^ 'Contractors in combat: Firefight from a rooftop in Iraq
  35. ^ http://najafproject.iespana.es/pages/testimonios.html
  36. ^ U.S. crew of downed helicopter shot at close range — CNN.com
  37. ^ 4 Americans in Iraq Crash Shot in Head — WTOP.com
  38. ^ Pelton, Robert Young: "Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns in the War on Terror," Crown, August 29, 2006
  39. ^ [1]
  40. ^ [2]
  41. ^ http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=117400&ran=74075
  42. ^ John M. Broder, New York Times, "Ex-Paratrooper Is Suspect in a Blackwater Killing", October 4, 2007.
  43. ^ Robin Wright and Ann Scott Tyson, Mercury News, "Iraq reveals $100 million purchase of Chinese arms", October 4, 2007.
  44. ^ Blackwater 'killed 17', says Iraq
  45. ^ U.S., Iraq to probe firefight involving Blackwater
  46. ^ Blackwater faulted by U.S. military: report
  47. ^ FBI Opens Probe Into Blackwater
  48. ^ House Passes Bill That Would Hike Penalties for U.S. Security Contractors in Iraq
  49. ^ Curtis, Kim (2007-10-04). "Ambush Injures Polish Diplomat in Iraq". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-10-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  50. ^ COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY ORDER NUMBER 17 (REVISED)
  51. ^ Hirch, Michael (2007-09-20). "Blackwater and the Bush Legacy". Newsweek. p. 2. Retrieved 2007-09-23. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  52. ^ "Blackwater staff face charges". CNN.com. 2007-09-23. Retrieved 2007-09-23. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  53. ^ "Security Firm Faces Criminal Charges in Iraq". The New York Times. September 23, 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  54. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1599682,00.html
  55. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1599682–1,00.html
  56. ^ http://www.onpointnews.com/docs/blackwater3.pdf
  57. ^ http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060508/scahill
  58. ^ a b Witte, Griff (October 5, 2005). "Blackwater Broke Rules, Report Says". Washington Post. pp. D02.
  59. ^ Overkill: Feared Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans
  60. ^ http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=92177&ran=4586
  61. ^ http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38379
  62. ^ http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=92177&ran=4586
  63. ^ http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/31393-1.html
  64. ^ http://www.blackwaterusa.com/training/inter_default.asp
  65. ^ Blackwater USA says it can supply forces for conflicts
  66. ^ Inside America's Private Army (continued)
  67. ^ Cherbonnier, Alice (March 26, 2007). "Blackwater Reveals Underpinnings of 'Private Security' Industry". Baltimore Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  68. ^ Can Iraq (or Anyone) Hold Blackwater Accountable for Killing Iraqi Civilians? A Debate on the Role of Private Contractors in Iraq
  69. ^ US contractor recruits guards for Iraq in Chile: Forces say experienced soldiers are quitting for private companies which pay more for similar work by Jonathan Franklin, The Guardian, March 5, 2004.
  70. ^ [3] Coletazos de Guerra Sucia En Iraq
  71. ^ News Analysis: For security in Iraq, corporate America turns to Central and South America by Louis E. V. Nevaer, The Athens News, Athens Ohio, 6/28/07. Discusses the recruitment and motivations of foreign fighters recruited by Blackwater.
  72. ^ BACK IN IRAQ: THE 'WHORES OF WAR': America’s hired guns in Iraq have been called ‘the coalition of the billing’, but Blackwater mercenaries are accused of more than just taking the money by Neil Mackay, The SUnday Herald, September 27, 2007
  73. ^ What if our mercenaries turn on us? by Chris Hedges for the New York Times, philly.com, June 3, 2007.
  74. ^ Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, "FBI probes Blackwater over shooting", October 2, 2007.
  75. ^ The Chronicle of a Deadly Blackwater Flight by Marc Pitzke, Der Spiege, October 06, 2007.
  76. ^ "Foreign Terrorist Organizations List". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2007-08-03. - USSD Foreign Terrorist Organization
  77. ^ "Terrorism Act 2000". Home Office. Retrieved 2007-08-14. - Terrorism Act 2000
  78. ^ "Council Decision". Council of the European Union. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  79. ^ MSNBC, "Feds probe Blackwater links to arms smuggling", September 22, 2007.
  80. ^ AFP, "FBI probes Blackwater as Congress moves on Iraq security firms", October 4, 2007.
  81. ^ BBC News, "Blackwater boss grilled over Iraq", October 2, 2007.
  82. ^ Testimony of Erik D. Prince, Chairmand and CEO, Blackwater For The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, October 2, 2007.
  83. ^ Iraq security firm denies trigger-happy charge by Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian, October 3, 2007.
  84. ^ The Man From Blackwater, Shooting From the Lip by Dana Milbank, The Washington Post, October 3, 2007, Page A02.
  85. ^ Rise of the white-collar mercenary, Brian Dickerson, Detroit Free Press, October 3, 2007.
  86. ^ CSPAN video of the quote on Youtube.
  87. ^ Blackwater Unplugged by Bonnie Goldstein, Slate, October 3, 2007.
  88. ^ "Blackwater Chief Defends Firm", The Associated Press, October 3, 2007 By: Lardner, Richard
  89. ^ The Associated Press, October 3, 2007 By: Lardner, Richard "Blackwater Chief Defends Firm"
  90. ^ The Washington Post, October 4, 2007 By: DeYoung, Karen. "Former Seal Calls Allegations Against Employees 'Baseless'"
  91. ^ Broder, John M. (2007-10-05). "State Dept. Plans Tighter Control of Security Firm". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  92. ^ Blackwater Aided by PR Giant by Richard Lardner, the Associated Press, October 5, 2007.
  93. ^ BKSH web site
  94. ^ National Association of Republican Campaign Professionals (NARCP) Board of Directors: Charlie Black

Template:Wikinewshas

  • Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns in the War on Terror by Robert Young Pelton, Crown Books 2006, 368. pp. Extensive material on Blackwater in Prologue and Chapter 2, "The New Breed," Chapter 5, "The Blackwater Bridge," Chapter 6, "Under Seige" which discusses Blackwater at An Najaf, Chapter 7, "The Dog Track and the Swamp," which chronicles Pelton's visits to Blackwater training facilities, one of which is a dog track, Chapter 8, running the Gauntlet, and Chapter 11, "The Lord and the Prince," partly about Erik Prince.


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