Many Americans probably think it's the government's job to train foreign security forces, eradicate drug crops or maintain Air Force One. But these and other sensitive Pentagon and State Department tasks are in the hands of a private company with such a secretive history that even members of Congress say they have a hard time getting information about it.
Those lawmakers, along with some military leaders, academics and human rights groups, are pressing to lift the cloak of confidentiality over DynCorp and other military contractors while asking whether their performance justifies the billions of dollars being spent for their services.
"Members of Congress have a hell of a time" getting information about DynCorp and other contractors, said Rep. Janice Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat who has monitored DynCorp's activities for several years. "It's one of the biggest scandals – and least known – that we have."
Ms. Schakowsky complained that she has been repeatedly thwarted in efforts to review U.S. government audit reports of DynCorp's contracts because, according to the State Department, the need to protect DynCorp's commercial secrets supersedes the public's right to know...
The company does argue against releasing government audit reports, Mr. Lagana added, because they can show cost-per-employee figures that, if obtained by DynCorp's competitors, could help them undercut the company in future contract bids.
The little information that has come to light about the company's performance appears to raise questions about DynCorp's effectiveness.
Last month, a joint Pentagon and State Department review found that after three years of training at a price of more than $1 billion, the Dyncorp-trained police force in Afghanistan is rife with corruption and largely incapable of assuming basic security duties. The report praised the dedication of DynCorp's staff but suggested the training program had fallen short of its goals.
In October, a U.S. government review of Iraqi police training concluded that there were no accurate means to verify the operational capabilities of more than 120,000 officers reported to have passed through DynCorp and U.S. Army classes...
With more than 5,000 employees in and around Iraq and Afghanistan, DynCorp's paramilitary workforce deploys alongside the U.S. military, putting the company at the center of a global debate on the "outsourcing" of war zone jobs that once were the Pentagon's exclusive domain.
DynCorp is one of the dominant private military companies operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its active and pending federal contracts, if brought to fruition, have a current value of $5.7 billion. Taxpayers provide 97 percent of DynCorp's revenue...
Since they operate beyond U.S. borders and frequently are employed by offshore subsidiaries, private military contractors are not necessarily bound by U.S. law. Although the company requires them to abide by domestic laws, the lawless nature of some countries where they operate typically means the chances of local enforcement are minimal.
Peter W. Singer, a Brookings Institution scholar and author of a 2003 book, Corporate Warriors, said the insertion of civilian paramilitary operators into combat zones has significantly muddled international conventions on the conduct of war...
Short of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, few directing bodies can boast a more star-studded and influential leadership group than does the DynCorp International board of directors. Drawing from the Pentagon's top echelon, the board has expertise in virtually every modern theater of war in the world, with a broad list of contacts that include presidents, prime ministers, kings and military commanders. Now they face the challenge of boosting DynCorp's stock, which opened in May at $15 a share and quickly slumped to $8.87 and only recently recovered. They also have had to guide the company through a major shake-up this summer and fall, which led to the ouster of DynCorp's chief executive officer and numerous other top executives amid concerns over management irregularities. The board includes Gen. Richard E. Hawley, retired head of the U.S. Air Combat Command and Adm. Leighton W. Smith, former chief of U.S. Naval Forces Europe. Also:
GEN. BARRY McCAFFREY (retired 1996)
Background: Gen. McCaffrey retired as the U.S. Army's most highly decorated four-star general. As head of the U.S. Southern Command, he ordered U.S. forces to conduct military operations against Colombian guerrillas and drug lords. In 1996, he became White House drug czar, where he devised Plan Colombia, a multibillion-dollar counter-narcotics operation. It provided DynCorp with a major drug-crop eradication contract. DynCorp director since February 2005.
ADM. JOSEPH W. PRUEHER (retired 1999)
Background: Before retiring, Adm. Prueher was chief commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. He previously commanded Carrier Battle Group One, based in San Diego, and the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. After retiring, he became U.S. ambassador to China. Adm. Prueher serves on the boards of directors of Fluor Corp., Merrill Lynch, New York Life Insurance and Emerson Electric. DynCorp director since February 2005.
GEN. ANTHONY ZINNI (retired 2000)
Background: In the U.S. Marine Corps, Gen. Zinni served as chief commander of the U.S. Central Command from 1997 to 2000. Before that, he was commanding general of the First Marine Expeditionary Force. In 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell appointed him as senior adviser and U.S. envoy to the Middle East. DynCorp director since February 2005.
MARC GROSSMAN
Background: The former U.S. ambassador served as undersecretary of state for political affairs in the Clinton administration, where he supervised administration of Plan Colombia and the herbicide-spraying effort conducted by DynCorp International. He also is vice chairman of the Cohen Group, a Washington research firm headed by William Cohen, the former secretary of defense. DynCorp director since March 2006...
Yes, you read that list right. Both Bu$hCo and Clintonista personnel make up DynCorp. An ex-In-Q-Tel, the CIA's proxy hardwardware company, ex-Computer Sciences Corporation (the company that now owns DynCorp) ex-CEO is now head of NASA. These guys are hard core Corps, and they run the Company.
Merry Christmas, ye Faithful. The privatization of war keeps incidents like this from breaking out all over. Endless profit for these ronin requires endless war, Christmas be damned.
Just to keep that Christmas spirit alive, check out Lambert's Kleptocrat Fatigue, v.1, 2, and 3.
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