Iraq Defense Contracting Gets Slammed in Hearing (As if We Needed More Reasons to Hate Blackwater, Halliburton, or the Pentagon)

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

Last week, BuzzFlash highlighted the problem of an estimated 50,000 private military contractors running amok in Iraq at taxpayer expense. They are completely hidden from government oversight and their activity is not accountable to either military or civilian law. A congressional hearing before the House Reform Committee led by chairman Rep. Henry Waxman yesterday exposed even more waste and corruption than previously suspected, particularly surrounding the leading contractor and war-profiteer, Blackwater.

The tension of the hearing was heightened the day before when the secretary of the Army unexpectedly announced that after "extensive research" the Pentagon had suddenly realized that Blackwater had in fact been subcontracted through another subcontractor for an initial government contract. Previously, the Pentagon had been unable to link Blackwater to contracts in question when asked by Democrats.

The source of the previous ignorance was highlighted by testimony from Tina Ballard, Army Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Procurement. When asked by the committee, she stated she had no idea how many private contractors were in Iraq because the government does not keep tabs on them or any subcontracting. "It just strikes me as amazing that this information would not be readily available," Waxman noted. "Tell me why I shouldn't be concerned by that?" added Republican Rep. Christopher Shays.

Unsurprisingly, Halliburton is being tied to the scandal. As the hearing took place the Army announced it would withhold $19.6 million from Dick Cheney's old company because its subcontracting with Blackwater violated its government contract.

New details also emerged surrounding the four Blackwater employees who were brutally killed, mutilated, and hung on a Fallujah bridge in 2004. Only hours before their deaths, another Blackwater contractor told the company they were woefully unequipped. "I need ammo," he said in an email demanding Blackwater end the "smoke and mirror show" and provide its employees with adequate weapons and armored vehicles. "Guys are in the field with borrowed stuff and in harm's way."

The response from Blackwater was that the contractor Blackwater worked for was responsible for equipment and it was not their problem.

Heartbreaking testimony from family members of the fallen men - all highly decorated veterans of the military, including one who at age 17 had become the youngest person ever to become a Navy SEAL - detailed how Blackwater had grossly under-equipped workers in order to raise profits, which led directly to the deadly ambush.

"They did not provide anything for him," said Donna Zovko, the mother of one of the men. "He had his discipline, he had his know-how, knowing the Middle East as he did. But they didn't give him the tools to work with. They just simply sent him out there to die."

Blackwater is now suing the families for $10 million after they tried to seek information surrounding the incident as well as damages for wrongful deaths.

Waxman noted yesterday that almost $4 billion in taxpayer funds has been spent for private security contracting in the reconstruction effort alone. The clever AP headline "Private Soldiers also Short Supplied" is all the more ironic considering the exorbitant markups companies like Blackwater charge: personnel are paid $500 per day but are often billed at more than twice that amount. This markup does not include costs for food, housing, and insurance because those are covered separately by another contractor.

Blackwater's representative received a delightful grilling during the hearing that was eclipsed only by his arrogance. Even after admitting Blackwater had not followed the basic security standards of the contractor it was employed by in the Fallujah incident - things like armored vehicles, a tailgunner, and a minimum of six team members - the Blackwater rep insisted that they had "not skimped on equipment."

The men did not even have a map that day.

We already knew Bush invaded Iraq so his friends could make a buck off the money and suffering of others. This subcontracting crisis is just one of the many disasters to occur as a result. Luckily, the additional powers gained by the Democratic Congress is allowing the American people to learn more about the failures going on above and below the radar. Heck- even the Army is now finding out more about what is happening with its own money.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

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