War & Disaster Profiteering

The Pnetagon wants to overhaul a controversial $5.5 billion workers' compensation insurance program for overseas civilian contractors after discovering that it is paying up to 10 times more for insurance than other government agencies. Read More

The families of three Army soldiers who died in a plane crash in Afghanistan filed a civil suit Monday against Blackwater Lodge and Training Center, a company that contracts with the military to provide staff and equipment in war zones, and several aviation companies that Blackwater owns. At least one of the companies was operating the flight that crashed into a mountainside in November, the lawsuit claims. Read More

'In the 1980s, there were about 20 prime contractors; now there are only 4 or 5. There must be some recognition of the effect that this decline has on the supplier base and its ramifications for innovation and profitability. Furthermore, the Department of Defense apparently believes that the future of innovation resides with small companies, but this is counter to the ongoing trend-primarily mergers and acquisitions.' Read More

Today's private security companies are corporate endeavors that perform logistics support, training, security, intelligence work, risk analysis, and much more. They operate in an open market, work for many employers at once, and boast of their professionalism. Read More

The families of three soldiers killed in an Afghanistan plane crash on Monday sued the contractor that supplied the plane and crew, Blackwater USA, saying it was negligent and didn't make safety a priority. Read More

The Pentagon suspects vast overcharging for workers' compensation in war zones. A financial giant has fought a proposal to cut rates. Read More

A defense contractor with ties to Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham took a $700,000 loss on the purchase of the congressman's Del Mar house while the congressman, a member of the influential defense appropriations subcommittee, was supporting the contractor's efforts to get tens of millions of dollars in contracts from the Pentagon. Read More

There is no centralized procedure for monitoring scores of contracting firms rebuilding Iraq with U.S. funds, according to the military. The controls that do exist have been criticized for failing to keep track of millions of dollars. Read More

Former executives of Custer Battles _ an American firm accused of stealing millions from Iraq reconstruction projects and banned from further government contracts _ have continued doing contracting work and have formed new companies to bid on such projects, The Associated Press has learned. Read More

Abt Associates was found to have been little, if any, help to Iraqi health care. Its funding was cut, but it has won new pacts. Read More