War & Disaster Profiteering

More than 1,000 contracts were issued by U.S. officials in June, about double the usual number. This apparent indifference toward accountability in spending Iraqi money was common among American officials last year as they rushed to sign contracts in the waning days of U.S. control of Iraq, according to interviews and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Read More

"Triple Canopy stands alone in the industry in the quality of its hiring and training practices, and we are seriously concerned that reports from Honduras this week have misstated our standards for recruiting employees for the services we provide in Iraq," said Joe Mayo, Director, Public Affairs. Read More

Assistant Labor Minister Africo Madrid said the company, Triple Canopy, had contacted the government, saying it wanted Hondurans with military training and was willing to pay 10 times the going rate for similar jobs in Honduras. Read More

The contract, under the State Department's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, could extend from an initial base period to 10 years with incentives for strong performance. The annual contract value is $174 million, but could vary depending upon mission changes. Read More

Chief Executive Dave Lesar told reporters after the meeting that the company is still evaluating a contract to rebuild southern Iraq's oil industry. As for its larger contract to provide meals, shelter and other support to the troops, he said, "We are committed to see that contract through." Read More

More than 4,000 translators work for San Diego, Calif.-based Titan, which supplies the U.S. military with Arabic- and Kurdish-speaking linguists. The company reported record revenues last month, but its death toll also is far higher than any other civilian contracting firm in Iraq, including those with many more workers. Read More

In Kampala, the gates of Askar Security Services in Kamwokya are buzzing with enthusiastic young men and women signing in for deployment in Iraq. They want to take the chance of a lifetime. They cannot wait to test the waters. Read More

Two years after Mr. Hussein's ouster, revelations about his alleged bribery system have developed into a full-force international financial scandal. The controversy involves both the nature of bribes and the zeal, or lack thereof, of the United Nations reaction. Read More

'Those knowledgeable with the cut-throat, multi-billion dollar global security contractors' business would not quickly dismiss the claims by Askar Security that it was asked by Kroll Associates and South African Coin Security to recruit thousands of Ugandans for security work in Iraq and elsewhere.' Read More

More than 200 protesters flanked Halliburton Co.'s annual shareholders meeting Wednesday, adding drama to an otherwise perfunctory gathering to elect directors and retain auditors. Fifteen were arrested. Read More