War & Disaster Profiteering

The U.S. Army awarded $72 million in bonuses to Halliburton Co. for logistics work in Iraq, but had not decided whether to give the Texas company bonuses for disputed dining services to troops. Read More

What private security firms in Iraq actually do has been shrouded in mystery. Some provide more than just security. Many are involved in military activities. Read More

Japanese officials scrambled to find information on the kidnapping of a 44-year-old Japanese security specialist working as a consultant for Hart Security Ltd., a Cyprus-based security contractor. Read More

Asked if rebuilding funds were being spent as Congress intended, the special inspector general said "No," Money had been diverted to security, forcing projects to be scaled back. There has also been evidence of corruption in some U.S.-funded deals. Read More

Among other things, rules reaffirm that it is permissible for contractors--at the discretion of the combatant commander--to carry weapons in war zones such as Iraq. Such provisions are bound to please some headed for work in hostile environments, but they have some companies worried about their legal liabilities. Read More

U.S. contractors hit by improvised explosive devices and small arms fire in Iraq are victims of circumstance, and there is little evidence that attacks on U.S. contractors are 'systematic,' says a Pentagon report to Congress. Read More

A Socialist deputy has taken legal action against the head of a company recruiting Chilean military personnel and adventurers in order to send them to Iraq as mercenaries. Read More

According to the Federal Procurement Data System (fpds.gov) database, the US DOD's US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has awarded just over 29,000 contracts since at least October of 2003. A review of 2,000 of those contracts shows that awards go to the usual suspects like SAIC, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Some go to unusual suspects like Colombia Tri-Star pictures and Time Warner for movie and video distribution services. Read More

The U.S. Army plans to split the worldwide translation work now held by Titan Corp. into three contracts when the current $400 million award runs out in September, to make more room for involvement by small businesses. Read More

There are actually fewer than 70 Australians registered with the Australian Embassy in Iraq, but the true number is thought to be more than 200. Many contractors arrive without telling authorities.They include aid workers, security guards, truck drivers and representatives from Australian firms, including Perth-based oil and engineering companies. Australian companies have won an estimated $1 billion in Iraq contracts. Read More