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Government lawyers said a major law to fight contractor fraud applies to contracts issued by the Coalition Provisional Authority, which ran Iraq from shortly after the 2003 invasion until it handed over power to an interim Iraqi government last June.
The U.S. Justice Department gave critical support yesterday to whistle-blowers in a federal lawsuit against U.S. security contractor, Custer Battles.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the rapid growth in private sector firms supporting military operations has worked well. From logistics to paramilitary security, the private sector is increasingly playing a critical role on the battlefield.
MARK COLVIN: War today isn't just about privates; it's also about privatisation.
The use of private contractors on the battlefield has been a distinctive element of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
And today the Australian Government's defence think-tank weighed in with a study that says it's time to create a legal regime covering the use of "business on the battlefield".
Graeme Dobell reports from Canberra.
GRAEME DOBELL: Call it the "Coalition of the Billing". There's bucks to be made on the battlefield.
The government contends that private aid groups, which control much of the donated money, have squandered it. Many business leaders say corruption and the lack of staff trained in government are largely to blame.
Former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has said he now believed the US-led invasion of Iraq was motivated by oil.
"I did not think so at first. But the US is incredibly dependent on oil," Swedish news agency TT quoted Mr Blix as saying at a security seminar in Stockholm.
Those throwing conniption fits over the United Nations' failure of oversight on Iraqi oil revenues might want to meditate a bit on the role of the U.S. government in all this before they further embarrass themselves denouncing perfidious foreigners.
When U.S. service members are accused of wrongdoing, they are investigated and, if necessary, court-martialed. That's not the case with civilians. Dozens of U.S. and British soldiers have been prosecuted for misconduct in Iraq - but not a single contractor.
It is the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund a TV show that encourages violent, extra-judicial revenge on people who have not been tried or convicted of any crime that stands in sharp contradiction of the Bush administration's claims to have successfully exported "democracy" to Iraq.
The commission investigating the United Nations oil-for-food program in Iraq cleared Secretary General Kofi Annan of exercising any influence in the awarding of a program contract to the company that employed his son.
In Earth Day 2000 celebrations around the globe, environmentalists plan to highlight the culprits of global warming and the solutions: renewable energy, including wind and solar.
In many cases, contractors charge twice for work done, a member of the Sadr City Advisory Council said. Schools cost about $10,000 to fix up, according to previous information from the Ministry of Education. That price tag can include paint, new tile and plumbing work.
If the World Bank's board had applied the same kind of "due diligence" to Paul Wolfowitz that they purport to apply to major development projects, they might have uncovered a significant conflict-of-interest that could have led them to rethink their embrace of the architect of the Iraq war.
Halliburton officials are being investigated for taking millions of dollars in bribes while staying at a lavish seaside resort in Kuwait, in return for sub-contracts to supply the US military in Iraq. Jeff Alex Mazon is the first of these Halliburton managers to be indicted for corruption.
A grieving family is suing Halliburton for the wrongful death of Tony Johnson, a truck driver killed while en route on the deadliest day the Iraq war has seen so far. Did the company knowingly place their workers in harm's way? The Johnsons -- and the flood of families waiting to file similar lawsuits -- say they did.
It is a lesson learned and relearned in Iraq. The U.S. has awarded billions of dollars' worth of work to American firms in the most ambitious rebuilding project since the Marshall Plan in Europe five decades ago. But nearly two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the U.S. is still struggling to deliver electricity, clean water, healthcare and other services.
Iraq's interim government is refusing to make payments on some contracts with foreign companies because they overcharged or failed to deliver everything they promised, an official said. "It's a problem all ministries are dealing with because of the lack of paperwork provided by the U.S.-led administration on contracts they signed before handing over power in June."
We allow our Navy brethren who serve with us to wear our uniforms because they share our sacrifices and our values. But civilian workers do not share those sacrifices. While they may share our values, they do not serve under an oath of fidelity in harm's way, but under a contract based on monetary gain.
Nearly a quarter of a century ago, Morrison set up a ground-breaking company called Defence Systems Limited in 1981. DSL was a commercial success and became the template for dozens of companies set up since to provide security in the world's hairiest areas."I never envisaged the market growing to this size," he says, shaking his head.