Video Shows Blackwater's Pinpoint Air Drops in Afghanistan

Want to see one of the ways Blackwater is supporting the troops? Watch this video. As a temporary service to fill the Air Force's lack of small fixed-wing aircraft, Blackwater Worldwide has beeen providing front-line air drop services in Afghanistan. Its fleet of twin-engine C-212 cargo aircraft has been a vital resupply link for US and Coalition forces in remote areas of the country.

A recently posted video, apparently shot last winter at a US forward operating base (FOB) in Afghanistan, shows the precision of the Blackwater drops. To avoid enemy antiaircraft fire, the small unarmed planes fly in, nap-of-the-earth about 35-50 feet off the ground at about 160 knots, pop up high enough over the drop zone to release pallets of supplies by parachute, and escape before the Taliban can shoot them.

Each highly skilled contractor pilot performs these missions several times daily, delivering everything from mail, food and water to spare parts and ammunition. Our Special Forces could not function without them.

Blackwater CEO Erik Prince told Congress last fall that the military at present cannot perform the mission because Air Force fixed-wing aircraft cannot land on the short, unimproved, high-altitude airstrips in remote parts of Afghanistan, and that the planes are too large to carry out small missions.

In the above video, someone is heard saying that a Blackwater pilots are flying in the wrong way, but he soon eats his words. Two Blackwater planes then zoom in and drop the pallets exactly on-target. It's an instructive little video.

A unit of the 82nd Airborne based at the Salerno FOB in Khost made a video of similar Blackwater missions and put it to music. To view it, click here: http://blackblawg.blogspot.com/2007/10/video.html.

Audit Proves Blackwater Critics are Wrong Again

An audit by the city of San Diego has proven that critics of Blackwater are wrong, and that the company honestly and fairly represented itself when it applied for permits to build an indoor firearms training range for the US Navy.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that opponents of the company tried to stop Blackwater from building the range after activists agitated against development of an outdoor training facility.

The opponents alleged - falsely - that Blackwater had misrepresented itself when applying for permits. Those false accusations led San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders (pictured) to try to prevent the company from executing its training contract with the US Navy and keep the facility from opening.

According to the Union-Tribune, Mayor Sanders requested an audit of the company's permit application on May 5, and tried to block Blackwater from opening the Navy training facility on May 19. Blackwater appealed to a federal court, which ruled in its favor and blocked San Diego from obstructing the company. The city's internal auditor, Eduardo Luna, stated in a report last week that "we determined that Blackwater did not misrepresent their identity."

“I think the auditor's report is clear,” said Blackwater VP Brian Bonfiglio. “It basically exonerated us from being misleading or intentionally doing anything inappropriately or incorrectly.”

The next round in federal court is June 16, but the judge, according to the Union-Tribune, "has already indicated that Blackwater is likely to prevail."

"Peace" groups opposed to a US victory in Iraq have organized the local anti-Blackwater campaign.

Federal Court Decision a Victory for 'Rule of Law' Against 'Pandering Politicians'

The editors of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote an excellent editorial piece praising a federal court's defense of Blackwater as a victory for the "rule of law" against "pandering politicians."

The newspaper praised US District Judge Marilyn Huff's decision to force the City of San Diego to issue the permits Blackwater had coming for its naval training facility. The editors contend that the recent decision "should put a damper on the political posturing and petty pandering over Blackwater Worldwide before it winds up costing San Diego taxpayers millions of dollars in a legal judgment."

Moreover, the Union-Tribune editorial board points out that "as a candidate for city attorney, City Councilman Scott Peters started the hullabaloo. Considering his distant third-place finish in the race last week, voters were not too impressed with his huffing and puffing over Blackwater's plans to open an anti-terrorism training center for Navy personnel." The editors conclude:

At times like this, thank heavens for the rule of law and the role of the courts in enforcing it in the face of countervailing political opinion. After Blackwater made a strong case that its rights to due process were being violated arbitrarily by pandering politicians, Judge Huff issued a temporary restraining order requiring Peters, Aguirre and Sanders to get out of the way and allow the project to proceed....

The opponents never had a case on land-use grounds. Their opposition was really rooted in Blackwater's unpopularity as a controversial military contractor in Iraq. Blackwater's political opponents are entitled to voice their opinions, but they are not allowed under the law to deny a valid land-use permit to Blackwater simply because of their political objections. Thank you, Judge Huff, for setting the politicians straight.

Blackwater Gets Go-Ahead for Navy Facility

Federal District Judge Marilyn Huff has ordered the City of San Diego to issue Blackwater Worldwide the permits to open its new training facility, the Associated Press reports. Blackwater sued after the city refused to issue the permits, in spite of the fact that the conditions had been met.

Huff found that other firing range operators in the city had not been required to undergo similar reviews.

Classes for Navy sailors will begin Thursday, according to Brian Bonfiglio, a Blackwater executive overseeing the project. They were originally set to begin at the center Monday but were suspended pending the judge's ruling.

The facility will be used strictly to train US Navy personnel in small arms, a growing concern to the Navy since the bombing of the USS Cole, diagrammed below.(Click the image to see a larger version)

Report: Lula Approved Fighter Plane Sale to Blackwater

One of Brazil's leading newspapers is reporting that President Inacio "Lula" da Silva personally approved the sale of an Embraer fighter plane to Blackwater Worldwide.

The article in O Estado de Sao Paulo says that the Embraer Super Tucano 314-B1 fighter (pictured), popular in the Brazilian military, was sold to a Blackwater subsidiary for $4.5 million. According to AP, the plane is intended for training purposes in the United States. The Blackwater aircraft does not sport the standard-issue .50 caliber machineguns on the wings.

Blackwater has sought the inexpensive, propeller-driven fighter plane as an innovation in counterinsurgency training. The plane lacks most of the capabilities of jet fighters, but it's cheap and easy to maintain, and is just right for attacking insurgents, company experts have said. Colombia uses the plane effectively to battle FARC guerrillas and related drug smugglers.

Reuters reports that Blackwater has confirmed the successful purchase of the plane. Some of the news reports do not say that President da Silva personally approved the sale, but rather that he is likely to have approved it. The sale came after consultations with the US government.

In a separate move, the US government itself is looking to buy eight of the Embraer Super Tucanos for use in Iraq, Forbes reports, highlighting the effectiveness of the craft for this sort of work.

Judge to Decide Permit on Tuesday

US District Court Judge Marilyn L. Huff said she will decide until Tuesday whether to order officials of the City of San Diego to issue a permit that would allow Blackwater Worldwide to open a training center for the Navy, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

But in questions and comments to lawyers Huff indicated she was inclined to grant the company's request for a temporary restraining order, which would allow them to begin operations.

"Questions came hard and fast from U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Huff as the city laid out its claim that Blackwater misled officials about the nature of the facility, which includes indoor firing ranges and a multi-level mock ship bulkhead built out of cargo containers: Did Blackwater fail or skip any required inspections? (It did not.) Why hadn't other firing ranges undergone the same degree of scrutiny the city proposes for Blackwater? Did the city object to Blackwater itself?" the Union-Tribune writes in another article.

Moreover, the Union-Tribune points out that Huff's ruling will come on election day, depriving any city council candidates - either incumbents or challengers - of political fodder.

Washington Post Misconstrues Grand Jury

Not surprisingly, the Washington Post is twisting the truth again. Never mind that they reported Blackwater as being headquartered in Virgina - operations are actually run out of Moyock, North Carolina; their reporting of a grand jury investigating the events of 16 September in Nissor Square last year show a clear bias.

"At least three Iraqis appeared yesterday before a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the September shootings in Baghdad by Blackwater Worldwide security guards that left 17 Iraqis dead," writes the Post in its opening line. Five paragraphs later they finally get around to admitting that the grand jury is a little more balanced than the post: "The grand jury has also heard testimony from Blackwater personnel and U.S. officials."

Moreover, what the Post never comes out at admits is what is implicit in the holding of a grand jury: the truth about the events of 16 September remain unclear. If everything were as obvious as the Post makes it out to be, we wouldn't be holding a grand jury.

In addition, the Post claims that after last September's firefight "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice imposed new rules on the contractors after the incident, placing video cameras in their vehicles and ordering that State Department Diplomatic Security Service agents accompany all contractor security convoys." As this blog has vigorously pointed out, the "new rules" were not so novel and the cameras were something Blackwater had asked for years before.

City of San Diego Obstructs Navy Contract

Blackwater has asked a federal judge to help it meet the terms of US Navy contract by removing obstacles placed by the City of San Diego. The private security contractor's deal with the Navy requires them to open a training facility by June 2, but city officials have politicized the process and gone back on their word regarding permits. So now Blackwater is petitioning the federal judiciary to order the city to issue the due certification.

In a lawsuit filed Friday, the North Carolina-based company noted that city clerks and inspectors already had signed off on permits for turning the warehouse into classrooms and an indoor firing range when Mayor Jerry Sanders, City Attorney Michael Aguirre and other city officials voiced concerns. Blackwater said its training center was being scrutinized more intensely than similar facilities that previously won the city's approval. The company also said that politics was playing a role in the dispute, noting that both Sanders and Aguirre face re-election votes on June 3.... “We have met all of the permitting requirements, and withholding the certificate of occupancy is in violation of law,” said Michael Neil, a San Diego attorney who represents Blackwater in the suit.

A spokesman for Mayor Sanders said his office would not comment on the litigation.

The facility in question will be used to teach sailors will marksmanship, weapons assembly and disassembly, basic arrest and apprehension techniques and how to safely handle the latest weapons. Blackwater, which has never attempted to hide the nature of the facility or the company's role in training US Navy personnel, has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on renovating the facility.

Rocker Tells of Air Force, USO and Blackwater Tour with Troops

Members of the Boston punk rock band Lansdowne talk about playing for American troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East and Central Asia. The emerging band won an audition last year with Armed Forces Network and recently signed an arrangement with USO to tour the war theater in support of military personnel.

Blackwater - recently a USO partner - flew the rockers to forward operating bases in Afghanistan to entertain the troops.

"It's kind of a blur now," lead singer Jon Ricci tells the Boston Herald. "Being flown around on C-17s, which are like the biggest planes you can think of, and by Blackwater to and from bases, it was all pretty amazing."

Congress Targets PSCs, Potentially Ruins Iraq Efforts

Congress may be on its way to hamstringing our efforts in Iraq, the Politico reports. A new bill shepherded through the Senate Armed Services Committee by Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI, pictured left) would could allow Congress to cut off existing contracts made by the executive and would also allow the government and private security contractors to be sued. And that, the Politico argues, could do serious damage to the government's attempts to stabilize the region.

"Interpreted broadly, the measure could slash the number of private security contractors now operating legally in Iraq.... Even if getting rid of the security contractors in Iraq would fix a problem of adequate oversight, it would widen personnel gaps at the State Department and the Pentagon. The agencies don't have enough personnel to take over the security for officials, installations and reconstruction zones that contractors currently provide.... In a recent Senate hearing, P. Jackson Bell, the Pentagon's deputy under secretary for logistics and materiel readiness [pictured right], said a broad policy against private security contractors could affect up to 9,000 individuals. Replacing that many contractors would require even more soldiers and Marines, due to a demanding rotation schedule."

Part of the problem with the new legislation is its use of some ambiguous terms, such as "inherently governmental function" and "highly hazardous." Would mundane missions such as guarding mail fall into this category?

A Pentagon official familiar with the issue reiterated these concerns about unclear terminology: "Contractors are not supposed to do things like combat," the official said. "So the question comes in, 'What is combat?' And there is no easy answer to that."

"Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel of the Professional Services Council," which represents a number of government service contractors, including Blackwater, "said that the security industry is not averse to regulations but that the regulations need to be clear. For example, if Congress wants to prohibit contractors from firing the first shot, it should spell that out. Bogging down regulations with catchphrases can create more confusion, Chvotkin said."

Blackwater Unveils Joint Light Tactical Vehicle

Blackwater and Raytheon unveiled their much anticipated prototype six-passenger Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) at the US Special Operations Industry Conference in Tampa yesterday, Defense News reports.

"Our vehicle will go faster and carry more weight safely than any other JLTV," said Blackwater Vice President Bill Mathews. "With Raytheon being the integrator for so many ground vehicles for C4ISR [command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance], our JLTV will have the technological equivalent of an F-18 cockpit."

"The Blackwater-Raytheon partnership," writes Defense News, "aims to combine the fast, off-road vehicle expertise with the systems integration and C4ISR abilities of Raytheon. Made by Ares Systems Group, its appliqué armor uses add-on composite materials designed to provide more protection at lower weight than traditional materials."

"The integral armor packages are exceptional, and the appliqué makes this one really tough, capable vehicle," said Mathews. "We will be providing protection that is on par with MRAPs [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles] in a package that is mobile."

Defense News reports that "in the coming weeks, the Blackwater-Raytheon JLTV prototype will be tested with gunfire, high temperatures and other combat conditions.... The Army plans to award three 27-month JLTV development contracts at the end of June."

Blackwater Founder Addresses Grand Rapids Club

Erik Prince, founder and CEO of Blackwater, once again returned to his West Michigan roots and addressed the Economic Club of Grand Rapids, the Chicago Tribune reports.

He pointed out that in over 18,000 security detail operations, Blackwater has not once lost a client. "No one under our care has been killed or injured," Prince told an audience. But the popular image that this has been done through the heavy and excessive use of firepower is totally wrong. In less than half of one percent of those 18,000 missions were firearms even discharged.

Prince also discussed the history of private security contractors in the United States, tracing them back to the American Revolution.

In discussing the founding of Blackwater and its 7,000-acre training facility, Prince expressed disappointment with some of the small sites at which he had to train during his years as a Navy SEAL. "No one had ever done it on an industrial scale," he said.

Small Town Supports Blackwater Guard

The town of Dickens, Texas is located in a vast swath of openness between Lubbock, Wichita Falls and Abilene. At the 2000 census it reported a population of 332. This town might not make the evening news too often, but it's standing by one of its native sons, Blackwater contractor Paul Slough.

Last September, while part of a Blackwater diplomatic security convoy, Slough and his companions came under fire at Nisoor Square in Baghdad. Some in the liberal media have called the Blackwater guards murderers for returning the enemy fire. But the folks of Dickens would never make such a claim.

"Most of Dickens considers Slough a patriot and a hero," writes Lubbock Online. "We are all very proud of him," said Dickens County Sheriff Ken Brendle. "That boy was always a leader. He's not a murderer."

"We're proud of PJ," said Andy Zarate, whose son Michael was good friends with Slough during high school. "We stand behind him 100 percent."

Slough played football, was active in Future Farmers of America and served on the student council while at Patton Springs High. After graduating from high school he joined the Army, participated in several deployments - including to Boznia - and was honorably discharged. He then served in Iraq with the Texas National Guard. Having completed his military service, Slough joined Blackwater's security operations.

Paul Slough is the only member of the Blackwater convoy to have his name released to the public. All the documents released by the FBI, other government entities and Blackwater have referred to the participants in the events by anonymous numbers. But the New York Times felt the need to leak Turret Gunner Number 3's identity. So now Slough, having come under the physical fire of insurgents, is now coming under the metaphorical fire of anti-war elements.

Tookie Cash, who recently retired as Dickens County clerk and knew Slough when he was growing up, said, "It's a shame. Our boys are putting their lives on the line and this is what they get in return."

Entrepreneurial Culture Keeps Blackwater Growing

TradingMarkets.Com carried a very balanced and interesting article on Blackwater, discussing the company's history and ethos. “Blackwater is thriving because of its aggressive and entrepreneurial business culture and a strong network of… connections,” they write. “The company has hired extensively from the top levels of the CIA, Defense Department and State Department, and named the former No. 2 official at the CIA to its Board of Advisors.” Looking back to the early days of the company, they explain:

Blackwater Lodge and Training Center was the brainchild of Al Clark, a Navy SEAL and instructor. Dissatisfied with the Navy's rented training grounds, Clark told colleagues he would open his own when he left the service. Clark hooked up with Erik Prince, a young Navy SEAL who shared his interest in training.... When the two broke ground on Blackwater Lodge and Training Center in Currituck and Camden counties in northeast North Carolina in 1997, the timing was good. The military had closed and consolidated bases after the Cold War and neglected training facilities. Blackwater built the largest shooting facility in the country, with indoor ranges, mock urban landscapes, a 1,200-yard firing range, driving tracks and a lake for naval training. Blackwater boasted it could design any sort of training a client might want. The location was excellent, within four hours of the Pentagon in Washington, and Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The country's biggest naval base in Norfolk, Va., was less than an hour away.

But Blackwater's service really began after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the launching of the Global War on Terror:

The CIA was stretched thin in the aftermath of Sept. 11 and the invasion of Afghanistan. Blackwater landed a… contract to provide security at CIA stations in Afghanistan…. The contract was not a big one; it called for 16 Blackwater security personnel, plus dozens of Afghan guards hired locally.... In August 2003, Blackwater won a… contract to guard Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority and probably the top assassination target of insurgents. The contract called for helicopters to fly Bremer around Iraq. Blackwater was well positioned for that; the company had bought a Florida aviation company four months earlier.

Blackwater's patriotism and business acumen converge when it comes to identifying new threats to the United States and pouncing on them. “They are very good and very savvy at identifying market needs and pushing hard to enter into those markets, even before clients have recognized the need,” Peter Singer, an expert on private military contractors said.

For all the controversy, Blackwater has an unblemished record on its main task in Iraq: None of the diplomats in the company's care have been killed or wounded. Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy recently told The New York Times that the diplomats could not function in Iraq without Blackwater: “If the contractors were removed, we would have to leave Iraq.”

State Department Installs Cameras on Blackwater Vehicles - Three Years Late

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently ordered federal agents accompanying Blackwater security convoys to install video cameras in the contractor's vehicles. Some news outlets are trying to pretend that this is news. And in a sense, it is. But not in the way you think.

Three years ago Blackwater requested cameras for its vehicles, a request the State Department refused (as this blog has previously pointed out). Blackwater trusts the conduct of its employees enough that it wanted a record of all their actions, believing that the video record would bear them out in the case of any incidents.

Well, the boys at State didn't think the cameras would be necessary and now - after the events of 16 September in Nisoor Square - we're left wishing those cameras had been there. Don't blame Blackwater; blame the State Department.

Secretary Rice, way to do the right thing - three years late.

Blackwater Aids USO

Blackwater Worldwide, the American private security contractor, has pledged $2 million to USO to support entertainment and service programs for US troops, WBTV reports.

Blackwater President Gary Jackson points out that Blackwater is staffed almost entirely by military veterans, and therefore understands the importance of USO's mission to support the troops.

Blackwater will provide the money over the next four years. In addition, seven other companies have made similar pledges.

Blackwater a 'Strategic Partner' with USO

The United Services Organization (USO) has announced that Blackwater Worldwide has joined AT&T, Coca-Cola and other companies as a strategic partner to fund morale-boosting support to American troops and their families.

According to a USO news release, "Blackwater Worldwide has joined the USO as its newest Worldwide Strategic Partner. Blackwater, a global leader in advanced law enforcement and military peacekeeping training, has committed $2 million over four years to support USO programs and services for the troops, including homecoming celebrations and logistical support for USO entertainment tours.

"'We welcome Blackwater Worldwide to the list of corporations who demonstrate their commitment to supporting American service members and their families by partnering with the USO,' said Edward A. Powell, USO president and CEO. 'This partnership will help the USO to continue its vital work Until Every One Comes Home.'

"'We are honored to partner with such a fine organization,' said Blackwater President Gary Jackson. 'Blackwater is a company that is owned, managed, and staffed almost entirely by military veterans, and we look forward to expanding the support we can offer to Americans serving overseas.'

"As a private, nonprofit organization, the work of the USO and its centers is made possible by the support of the American public. Corporate in-kind donations and sponsorships, along with volunteer hours and monetary donations, help the USO continue improving the lives of America’s men and women in uniform and their families. For more information on the USO’s programs and services, and how to help, visit www.uso.org."

Polish Ambassador Praises Blackwater

Yesterday the Polish ambassador to Iraq, Lt. Gen. Edward Pietrzyk (pictured), gave an address at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington where he praised Blackwater, the private security contractor that rescued him after a terrorist attack last October.

The Polish government has already bestowed the Bronze and Silver Star awards upon Blackwater employees - the first awards given by the Poles to foreigners since World War II.

Video of the rescue can be found on this blog, while video of the AEI lecture can be found on their website. (Just click on the "Video" option in the upper right corner.)

Blackwater Unlikely to Face Charges

The Associated Press reports that Blackwater Worldwide, the private security contractor, is not expected to face criminal charges stemming from the firefight at Nisoor Square last September.

The seven-month-old Justice Department investigation is focused on as few as three or four Blackwater guards who could be indicted in the... shootings, according to interviews with a half-dozen people close to the investigation.... Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said, "If it is determined that there are any individuals who need to be held accountable, we support that."

However, it appears unlikely that Blackwater, as a corporation, will be charged. "Companies are sometimes charged for the wrongdoing of their employees, but the standard is high. Prosecutors must prove that the corporation — not just the employees — intended to break the law."

In any case, "the final decision on any charges will not be made until late summer at the earliest, a law enforcement official said." So don't get too bent out of shape about rumors you hear between now and then.

Blackwater Developing Light Strike Vehicle

"The US military is looking for light, high-speed four-wheelers that can zip troops around battlezones," Wired reports. Always ready to serve, Blackwater is coming out with a new prototype, the Light Strike Vehicle.

In recent years, military vehicles have become increasingly heavy. The current incarnation of the Humvee, the M1151, weighs more than twice the original model, the M998. All that additional armor and equipment is great, but it means the vehicle can no longer accomplish all the missions for which it was originally designed. Moreover, the extra weight is putting extra strain on the helicopters that have to ferry these things around.

That's where the Light Strike Vehicle comes in. "Still in the prototype stage, the 3,000-pound vehicle will have a 500-horsepower engine, 41-inch tires and a 2,500-pound payload." And under the right conditions, it can do 100mph.

“A vehicle with outstanding off­road capability and high axle articu­lation requires a compliant and loose suspension with maximum travel,” said Marty Strong, Blackwa­ter USA vice president of communi­cations. “These are the opposite characteristics required of a high­speed platform. Our suspension de­sign spans both worlds by offering high articulation and extreme off­road performance, while still main­taining great manners when travel­ing at speeds approaching 100 mph.

Pictures of Blackwater's Light Strike Vehicle prototype are not yet avaliable, so what you see above is a similar vehicle from Chenoweth, deployed during the first Gulf War.

This is not, of course, Blackwater's first vehicle project; the Grizzly is an armored personnel carrier (APC) on the heavier side of the spectrum, a vehicle which received critical acclaim from those that would have to use it. One military blogger praised it for its "attention to detail" and its design to "deflect the effect of roadside bombs and mines."

Idaho Gives Blackwater Show of Support

Certain elements of the media would like to brand Blackwater and other private security contractors as pariahs. But reality tells another story. Just today the Associated Press reported that Blackwater will be entering into an agreement with the Idaho Peace Officer Standards & Training Academy (POST).

Blackwater will be entering into agreement with the state of Idaho to build a training facility, Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell told the Coeur d'Alene Press. In this agreement, Idaho POST would be a tenant. There would be other law enforcement agencies from the surrounding areas.


The complex would include an emergency vehicle operation course, shooting ranges, classrooms, dormitories for at least 80 people, a cafeteria and administration buildings, she said.

Like law enforcement agencies around the country, those in northern Idaho understand that Blackwater is a company of talented and patriotic experts in their field who can provide hard-to-find services.

"They're the Cadillac of training services," said J. Adler, national executive vice president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. "You've got the best of the best teaching."

ABC Eats Its Words on Blackwater Report

Take a look at this attempted sleight of hand by ABC News. The network giant reported on its website that Cerberus Capital Management, the hedge fund that bought Chrysler, is angling for a $200 million stake in Blackwater Worldwide.

The Wall Street Journal countered with a blog story that the ABC item is untrue. Whereas ABC relied on an anonymous source, the Journal did something real journalists do: It called a real person and quoted him by name. After the inaccurate ABC report came out, a Journal reporter phoned Cerberus operations chief Mark Neporent, who acknowledged consideration of an investment in Blackwater but said no deal was in the works. ABC was wrong.

After the Wall Street Journal went online with the debunking, ABCNews.com pulled down its original story and replaced it with one headlined, "Exclusive: Investment Giant Ends Talks with Blackwater." ABCNews.com kept the same URL as the original inaccurate story, as if to fool people. (Imagine if Blackwater had done such a thing!)

ABC put the best spin on its reporting reversal, saying, "After news broke this morning on the Blotter on ABCNews.com of the ongoing talks between the investment giant Cerberus and the controversial security firm Blackwater, the talks have now ceased, and there will be no deal."

No word from the guys in Moyock.

Blackwater Evacuates US Ambassador from Assassination Attempt

Blackwater guards evacuated US Ambassador to Afghanistan William Wood to safety after Sunday's assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

News reports cited “security guards” as protecting the envoy, but not a single news organization identified the guards. Blackwater has the sole contract to guard the American ambassador in Afghanistan.

Wood and other dignitaries joined Afghan leaders in celebrating the 16th anniversary of the Afghan victory over the Soviet Union when Taliban terrorists opened fire with automatic weapons, rockets and mortars. Several people were killed.

Blackwater CEO Erik Prince told Congress last fall that the company's State Department diplomatic security job under the Worldwide Personal Protective Services (WPPS) program is to get their protectees "off the X," meaning to rush them from an attack site to safety.

Iranian Press Condemns Blackwater - Oh No!

The Associated Press isn't the only one abandoning journalistic integrity when it comes to reporting on Blackwater. In fact, AP in very good company: the Iranian state-controlled media.

Iran's Press TV describes Blackwater's operations at Nisoor Square on 17 September last year as "an unprovoked shooting spree." Well I'm glad the Iranians have sorted out this difficult matter for us, a matter the FBI is still investigating. (Though Time magazine has reported that a variety of evidence supports Blackwater's account of events.)

The Iranians' journalism is almost laughable; one doesn't expect much more from the mouthpiece of a terrorist-sponsoring theocratic autocracy. But when the Associated Press (along with Reuters, the New York Times and others) use the same sort of non-nonsensically biased language, it's a cause for concern. It's time for more accountability in American journalism.

In the Line of Fire: A Contractor Tells His Story

Today the UAE's 7 Days news service carried an interview with a former private security contractor (PSC) in Iraq. The account he gives is quite a bit different from the recycled 'cowboy mercenary' stories you usually read in the blogosphere.

“With suicide bombers and snipers where do you draw the line?” he asked. “Their tactic is to drive alongside a convoy and detonate a bomb, so you’ve got to control which vehicles come close to the convoy and that’s not easy. Do you shoot first, risking civilian lives, and ask questions later - or wait for them to prove themselves to be terrorists, by which time they will have already killed you? It’s an awful situation to be in.”

And in many ways, it's getting worse: “In 2004, convoy protection was easy, as traffic was mainly military. But this time last year there were a lot of civilian vehicles which made it more difficult.”

There is a myriad of potential problems to consider; operational security - keeping your plans out of the hands of the enemy - is just one consideration: “With convoy protection, the number of people who know your routes and timings is minimized for safety - Iraq is a corrupt place - and the fewer people who know where you are going, the better.”

Iraq is no playground and the contractors, of all people, are keenly aware of this. In spite of the difficult situations insurgents try to place them in, these contractors are still a force for good: “Security guards have been getting very bad press... but if it were not for privates [PSCs], the situation in Iraq would be ten-times worse.”

Lawyers Accuse Blackwater - But their Cop-Killer and Al Qaeda Ties Taint Allegations

Trial lawyers suing Blackwater Worldwide on behalf of Iraqis allegedly suffering from the September 16 Nisoor Square incident in Baghdad are accusing the company of covering up evidence.

But the trial lawyers' documented ties to terrorist groups and activists causes undermine the credibility of the accusations. And the propagandistic reporting of the Associated Press undermines the credibility of the news organization.

For months, the Associated Press has avoided identifying the trial lawyers by name andtheir terrorist connections in its reporting on the issue. In a display of the wire service's increasingly sloppy journalism, the AP's April 25 headline reads, "Iraqis Accuse Blackwater of Shredding Documents." The article identifies none of the accusers and carries no byline, raising questions about accountability within AP's editorial offices.

As this blog has documented, members of the legal team suing Blackwater in this case include Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights, who has spent the better part of 40 years defending terrorists and cop-killers as part of his self-described professional mission; and Shereef Hadi Akeel, who represents a group the US says is an al Qaeda organization.

For more of AP's propagandistic reporting of this lawsuit, see our December 19 posting.

Terrorist Propaganda Targets Contractors

WIRED reports that the Islamic Army of Iraq (IAI), a Sunni breakaway faction of al Qaeda, has released a video specifically targeting the contractors who protect US diplomats and provide key services to American uniformed personnel.

Sophisticated propaganda operations - such a slick website in English, Spanish, French and Arabic designed for Western media outlets and a strong presence on YouTube - seem to be hallmarks of the Islamic Army of Iraq and other new insurgent groups.

Noah Shachtman of Wired.com writes:

The video starts on March 31, 2004 -- a day when Iraqis, not American contractors, were the ones acting barbaric. Four Blackwater employees were killed by locals after getting lost in Fallujah. Their bodies were burned, dragged through the streets, and hung from a bridge.

The video goes on to claim that "crimes against Iraqis happen on a daily basis done by unleashed barbarians dressed in security uniforms, criminals protected by law and instructed by the Bush administration to murder for the sake of killing." As this blog and others committed to the truth have worked hard to show, this is not at all the case. But the propaganda pieces of the IAI and others have been picked up and believed by the American media and extreme elements of the anti-war movement and the political left. The consequence? Terrorist vitriol against those serving the US government has now become "common knowledge."

This latest video from the IAI shows "that security contractors are not being targeted just as an extension of targeting US forces but rather as a direct target," says Ben Venzke, the CEO of IntelCenter, which meticulously tracks insurgent and jihadist propaganda.

While attacks on contractors are nothing new, this video is one sign that the threat profile for contractors has continued to increase and that groups like IAI are specifically looking for ways to attack contractors such as Blackwater both on the ground and in the information war space.

Mag Describes Blackwater's Fight Against Heroin Trafficking

With so much attention focused on Blackwater's private security contracting work for the State Department, it's understandable that few people know about the company's other activity - including its leading role in fighting heroin and opium production and trafficking in Afghanistan.

Faced with out-of-control narcotics production in Afghanistan, NATO and the United States have relied on several contractors - especially DynCorp, Lockheed Martin and Blackwater - to make the fight more effective. The US Army photo above illustrates how civilian contractors work directly with the military and with Afghan civilians. Blackwater is working for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the US military, according to a cover story in the March-April issue of the industry magazine Serviam.

The magazine describes a "five-pillar" counternarcotics strategy for the country, and shows how Blackwater helped set up Afghanistan's elite Narcotics Interdiction Unit (NIU).

“We’re involved on DoD side,” Jeff Gibson, vice president for international training at Blackwater, tells Serviam. “We interdict. The NIU surgically goes after shipments going to Iran or Pakistan. We provide training to set up roadblocks, identify where drug lords are, and act so as not to impact the community.”

The article is long and contains several sidebars, so it's worth visiting the original piece for the full story. Here's a representative snippet:

NIU police cover a cross-section of Afghan society. Their faces reflect the diverse racial and cultural makeup of the country. About 10 to 15 percent of NIU personnel are women: a cultural step forward in local terms, as the women work side-by-side with the men. While the women wear traditional scarves to cover their heads, they do not cover their faces unless wearing black balaclava masks to shield their identities while on an operation, or voluntarily wearing burqas to go undercover.

Once out in the field, the NIU graduates show the same determination they displayed in their training.

“About a year and a half ago they lost two officers in an ambush,” Gibson says. “They got intelligence on a drug lab outside of Kabul. Two officers went out to verify the source, but it was a setup and they were ambushed and killed.

“We believed that this unit was becoming more effective and that the ambush was a backlash. We were concerned that the Afghans would say, ‘Screw this, we’re not going to do it any more.’ But they got energized and they became stronger, and much more proud of what they were doing. It steeled their determination,” the Blackwater
international training chief says. “I thought guys would quit or not show up, but instead they put more purpose behind it.”

PSCs Defend Maritime World

With international piracy on the rise, Blackwater and other private security contractors (PSCs) are taking to the waves.

In a report released by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich - Albert Einstein's alma mater - cites statistics from the International Maritime Bureau showing that piracy is on the rise. Recent news accounts regarding French and Spanish vessels reinforce this story.

Within the private sector, shipping, oil and insurance firms have been impacted by a significant and long-term increase in pirate attacks mounted against off-shore oil platforms, tankers and cargo vessels traveling throughout the world's shipping lanes. In strategic choke points like the Malacca Straits, large, slow-moving container ships and tug-pulled drilling rigs are easily approached and boarded by the much smaller, agile and quicker boats used by today's pirates. These attacks, measured in terms of ship and cargo losses as well as increased insurance premiums, have amounted to losses of up to US$16 billion annually.

That's where PSCs come in.

At the federal level, both the Department of Homeland Security and the US Coast Guard have solicited advice from PSCs on matters of maritime security. For example, after the 9/11 attacks, a number of British firms - including Marine Underwater Security Consultants and Hart Security - were invited to participate in a committee drafting of the US Coast Guard's ISPS Code submission to the International Maritime Organisation. After the bombing of the USS Cole, the PSC Blackwater was awarded a contract to train over 50,000 US sailors in the use of small arms to defend their ships from terrorist attacks.

This US public-private interface has not been limited to merely an advisory or training role. At the local government level, the US has launched a number of pilot programs using the firm Seawolf Marine Patrol to provide manned guarding services for a US ports. Overseas, the US navy has relied upon the PSC Glenn Defense Marine Asia to provide security - complete with armed ghurkhas - for its naval vessels while in port.

The United States is not the only employer of maritime PSCs:

Middle Eastern and Asian states have hired PSCs like Britam to provide training for their own maritime security forces to protect state-owned high-risk maritime assets. In the wake of the 2002 assault on the Limburg tanker in Yemeni coastal waters, for example, Hart Security was hired to train the Yemeni Navy in waterborne anti-terrorist tactics. African states have turned to PSCs in an even more proactive capacity....

Traditionally, various members of the maritime industry more broadly have hired PSCs in risk mitigation roles. For example, the marine insurance industry utilizes PSCs in various political risk advisory, due diligence, asset recovery and maritime kidnap and ransom (k&r) services associated with piracy and terrorism.... Large shipping and oil companies sensitive to increasingly violent pirate attacks against their oil tankers and drilling rigs have turned to PSCs like Background Asia Risk Solutions to provide armed personnel and armored escort vessels to "ride shotgun" while escorting these expensive assets through some of the world's most dangerous waterways.

Truth about Pay, Rules Clarified

In a letter to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Anne E. Tyrrell clarified some of the popular misconceptions that still swirl in the media about private security contractors (PSCs).

With regards to levels of financial compensation, Tyrrell writes,

When you compare military compensation -- which includes base pay plus housing, tax benefits, education assistance, bonuses, retirement benefits and other benefits -- to the compensation offered Blackwater contractors (base pay only), the two are essentially equal.

Regarding rules of engagement and accountability mechanisms , Tyrrell explains:

Blackwater operates under detailed contracts with the US government that provide intensive government oversight, direction and control. Blackwater's contracts with the US government dictate almost every aspect of operation and contract performance, including the hiring, vetting guidelines, background checks, screening, training standards, rules of force and standards of conduct.

In conclusion:

Blackwater protects US officials so the military can focus on its mission. During our 17,000 missions in Iraq, 27 of our personnel have lost their lives. However, no individual we have protected has been killed or seriously injured. We consider our responsibility to protect US government employees, members of Congress and other diplomats in Iraq to be a very important duty.... While opinions on Blackwater may differ, your readers deserve the facts.

In Geneva, Red Cross Legal Adviser Affirms Place for PSCs

Cordula Droege, legal adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva, recently gave some comments about the role of private security contractors (PSCs) on the international scene. Her remarks, posted on the ICRC website, underlined the legitimacy of this business sector and the legal framework in which it operates.

Journalists and even experts often claim that there is a gap in the law when it comes to PSCs, she said. For the ICRC, on the other hand, it is clear that in situations of armed conflict there is a body of law that applies, namely IHL [international humanitarian law], which regulates both the activities of PSC staff and the responsibilities of the States that hire them. The law also places obligations on the governments of countries where these companies are registered or incorporated, and where they operate. In case of breaches of IHL, the legal responsibility of PSC staff and of the States that hire them is quite clear.

She pointed out that these laws exist to protect the contractors themselves as well as those around them.

We shouldn’t forget that the law is also there to protect the personnel of these companies, under certain conditions. The protection they are entitled to will vary, according to the type of activity they are carrying out.

Rice, Gates, Petraeus "quite satisfied" with PSCs

The Associated Press reports that in joint Congressional testimony Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Bob Gates expressed their confidence in the work that private security contractors (PSCs) are doing in Iraq. Gates said General David Petraeus, Commanding General of Multi-National Force Iraq, was "quite satisfied with the arrangement that exists today" between PSCs and the government. Rice agreed. "I do think we've come to a good modus vivendi."

Use of Force by PSCs Extremely Rare

United Press International reports that the use of force by private security contractors (PSCs) is extremely rare, according to congressional testimony by Jack Bell (pictured), the deputy under secretary of defense for logistics and material readiness.

"He said that between August 2004 and February 2008, 'a period of rampant insurgency and sectarian violence in Iraq,' there were 19,268 contractor convoys run for the U.S. military. There were 1,441 attacks against them. But in only 151 cases -- less than 1 percent of convoys overall, and just over 10 percent of those that were attacked -- was the discharge of firearms by [PSC] personnel reported. And in some of these 151 incidents, only warning shots or disabling shots aimed at vehicles were involved."

UPI points out that these figures are for PSCs operating with the Pentagon and does not include those under State Department contract; "nonetheless, these figures and documents challenge the popular conception of PMCs as out-of-control 'cowboys.'"

Top US Diplomat Defends Blackwater

In his comments to Congress on Friday, Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to Iraq (pictured with Gen. David Petraeus), defended private security contractors (PSCs) like Blackwater, calling them "absolutely essential" to the functioning of the US embassy, the AP reports.

Crocker is one of the most highly regarded senior diplomats in the entire foreign service.

"The challenges of getting the nation's business done in Iraq are pretty substantial," he said. "We have to function in conditions that would in most places have us pretty much in a stand-down. But this is the nation's most critical work, and it has to go on, and security contractors like Blackwater are absolutely essential to this effort."

Crocker's comments confirm that this blog and others have already said: Hillary Clinton's plan to remove all PSCs from Iraq and Afghanistan would result in the deaths of countless diplomats and VIPs. We'd like to be charitable and think she's just naive, but having been to Iraq and enjoyed PSC protection, she knows better. She's just rather put political gain above the lives of our diplomats.

Poland Decorates Blackwater Men for Valor - First Awards to Foreigners Since World War II

The government of Poland has bestowed its Silver Star and Bronze Star combat medals on foreigners for the first time since World War II - and Blackwater security men were the recipients.

Polish Ambassador to Iraq Edward Pietrzyk (fourth from right) presented the awards on behalf of his government in a January, 2008 ceremony to recognize the Blackwater guards for evacuating him by helicopter after an October 2007 assassination attempt. Poland is one of the most important NATO allies in Iraq.

The State Department's internal State Magazine has the story in its April, 2008 issue. The award ceremony was considered so important that US Ambassador Ryan Crocker (third from right) and General David Petraeus (left) attended and posed for pictures with the contractors. The above photo, picturing some of the Blackwater men, appears in the magazine.

Here's how the State Department describes the event:

"On January 25, Poland's ambassador to Iraq, Edward Pietrzyk, honored the heroism of 18 members of the US Embassy in Baghdad's regional security office who helped rescue his motorcade when it came under attack in Baghdad in October.

"The motorcade was struck by four roadside bombs and a barrage of small-arms fire from more than two dozen assailants. One member of the Polish Special Forces security detail was killed, several were wounded and Pietrzyk was severely burned.

"During the midday attack, the Polish security detail contacted the RSO's tactical operation center, which dispatched two helicopters. The arriving personnel found the motorcade group sheltering in a residential compound and provided first aid while evacuating the wounded. Ambassador Pietrzyk was flown to a combat surgical hospital and later to Poland. After several months of treatment, he returned to Iraq.

"In the award ceremony, with gloves still protecting his badly burned hands, the ambassador pinned on the shirts of his rescuers Poland's Silver and Bronze Star medals, the first time these awards had been given to foreigners since World War II.

"Attending were US Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus, commander of the Multi-National Forces - Iraq. Ambassador Crocker noted the long history of Polish-US mutual assistance.

"The award recipients are employees of the contractor Blackwater and work with the RSO to protect Mission Iraq staff."

Click here for a PDF of the April 2008 State Magazine. Scroll down to page 3 for the Blackwater rescue story.

Petraeus Presence with Blackwater Lays Criticisms to Rest

The presence of General David Petraeus at the Polish Embassy event to bestow combat medals on Blackwater security contractors in Iraq puts an end to the validity of criticisms that the military is at odds with the diplomatic security provider.

Petraeus is one of the busiest men in Iraq, and his time is at a premium. US Ambassador Ryan Crocker, as the supervisor of the Blackwater guards, was already at the event, ensuring a proper level of official recognition from a protocol standpoint. The Blackwater men were not under Petraeus' command. There was no need for Petraeus to attend, but he did it anyway. That's an important indication of his support for Blackwater and its mission.

Though under contract with the State Department, Blackwater has assisted the US military on many occasions in Iraq, and performed a number of unheralded evacuations and rescues of American troops.

(Photo: Petraeus, left, with Blackwater security contractors at Polish Embassy ceremony. Cropped from larger State Department photo from State Magazine, April 2008, p. 3.)

State Department Renews Blackwater Contract

Mom always said actions speak louder than words. The big news today is that the US State Department has renewed the contract with Blackwater Worldwide to provide diplomatic security in Iraq.

The BBC, the AFP, the Washington Post, and everybody else is carrying the story. No matter how much any of them try to spin the story, several key points are obvious:

1. The US government still depends upon private security contractors (PSCs).

2. Blackwater's service has been exemplary, winning them another year on the contract.

In spite of all the pressure from trial lawyers, anti-war protesters and elements of the Democratic Party, the State Department has still come to the conclusion that no one - including the State Department's own Bureau of Diplomatic Security - can provide the quality of service that Blackwater does.

"I have requested and received approval to have Task Order 6, which Blackwater has to provide personal protective services in Baghdad, renewed for one year," the State Department's Gregory Starr said.

When asked about allegations against Blackwater, he replied: "I am not going to prejudge what the FBI is going to find in their investigation. I think really, it is complex. I think that the US government needs protective services. Essentially I think they [Blackwater] do a very good job."

"Experts" Get It Wrong, VP Gets It Right

Reuters reported yesterday on a conference at New York University School of Law titled "Privatizing Defense: Blackwater, Contractors and American Security." Comparing the comments of various participants with the actual course of events is striking.

With regards to the deaths of 17 Iraqis in a shootout with Blackwater last September, Reuters cited the New York Times as reporting that "an FBI investigation... found at least 14 of the shootings were unjustified." Reuters cites Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, as going even further, claiming that a military investigation concluded all the deaths were the result of "unjustified and unprovoked fire."

In fact, the FBI's investigation, which began quite late, is still underway. Likewise, no military investigation has been concluded. So in spite of all their alleged journalistic training, Reuters jumps to conclusions, engaging in little more than rumor-mongering.

Who's account most closely matches the actual state of the investigation? Blackwater Vice President Marty Strong's. "Irrespective of The New York Times or any other newspaper saying they think they know what's going on, the FBI is going to complete an official investigation, not one done by the seat of the pants.... At that time we're going to find out exactly what they found out."

On nothing more than their own authority, Reuters reports that Blackwater has "operated with impunity." This runs contrary to the government's own affirmation only a few days ago that Blackwater and other private security contractors are accountable to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and has been unmistakably since 2006.

The suggestion from Scahill and others was that Blackwater's behavior has been irresponsible and unjustified. Though the quotation comes from elsewhere, these experts could easily have been the ones to ask Who drives against traffic in a traffic circle? The answer, quite simply, is the State Department and its contract, which stipulates the aggressive tactics that have made Blackwater famous. (Then again, who ever wrote a news article about all the quite missions going according to plan?)

In light of these trying circumstances, Marty Strong's explanation to the conference was as good as any: "I spent nine months in Iraq, it's a very difficult place."

PSCs Praised for Dangerous Work

The Buffalo News recently ran an editorial explaining the particular dangers encountered by private security contractors. Here are some of the highlights from the piece:

These security guards by no means operate as the men in uniform do. Soldiers work under the protection of tanks, helicopters and their fellow soldiers, and soldiers can aggressively attack someone who is a potential threat to their safety, [Douglas] Brooks, [president of the International Peace Operations Association] said.

“The private security contractors work under regulations that prevent them from being the aggressor. They can only take aggressive action to protect themselves or the people they’re guarding,” Brooks said. “If they come under attack, they can call for help from the military, but that help doesn’t always arrive right away.”

According to Michael Skora, an Army veteran who worked closely with [abducted contractor Jonathon] Cote in both the Army and Crescent Security, he and Cote faced sniper attacks and “dozens” of encounters with improvised explosive devices that blew up near convoys that the two former soldiers were escorting, Skora said. “It was as bad or worse than anything we saw in the Army.”

In Brooks’ view, the private contractors don’t get nearly enough credit for the jobs they do and the extreme dangers they face while working in Iraq. Peter W. Singer, a national security expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington, agreed. Singer has done extensive research on the subject…. “There has been much discussion of how the US recently passed the 4,000 death mark,” Singer told The Buffalo News. “The fact is, we already passed that long ago, if you count contractors…. And yet, they aren’t counted in official tolls, and largely not known by the media and the public.”

Atrocity bridge rededicated in Fallujah

"Four years ago today," the New York Daily News writes, "four American security men from Blackwater were ambushed in Fallujah. They were shot in their vehicles, doused in gasoline and set afire, mutilated and strung up on a bridge over the Euphrates River. The grisly images of their blackened corpses dangling from the steel bridge fueled the drive for a ... Marine offensive into the city days later."

The four men were led into ambush by their Iraqi security detail. The attackers planned the ambush for its international propaganda value; some of the attackers had video cameras to record the murders and mutilations, and relied on the international news media to spread the images around the world. A trial lawyer is trying to profiteer from the tragedy by holding Blackwater - not the terrorists - responsible for the killings. He is suing the company on behalf of some of the family members of the deceased.

Four years after the horrible incident, the city of Fallujah is much quieter. In fact, the Public Affairs Office of the Multi-National Corps at has announced that the bridge, reportedly nicknamed "Blackwater Bridge," has been refurbished and will be rededicated on 5 April. The bridge was first dedicated by King Feisel in 1927 and will henceforth bear his name.