Blackwater about to be awarded a new ($1 Billion) contract in Afghanistan

[tekisui]

Source:Fire Dog Lake

It seems Blackwater is on the verge of winning a huge new contract to provide "police training and logistics" in Afghanistan:

Controversial defense contractor Blackwater, now known as Xe, is being told that it is likely to win a major contract to do police training and logistics in Afghanistan, a source tells POLITICO.

According to the well-informed source, U.S. authorities in Iraq including Gen. Stan McChrystal and US Ambasador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry had urged the Defense Department to issue the police training contract through DoD as opposed to through State/International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. DoD decided to use existing contract vehicles, where there are only five primes to use: Lockheed, Raytheon, Northrup, Arinc (owned by the Carlyle Group), and Blackwater.

Of those five, two decided not to bid, including Raytheon. Arinc’s parent company, Carlyle, got cold feet, was fearful that the contract could hurt the company’s reputation if people got killed. Lockheed was close to making a deal with DynCorp to do the police training, but decided against it. Instead it bid on the logistics part of the contract. (The contract has two parts– police training (TORP 150), and logistics (TORP 166). Northrup decided to bid on the police training contract with MPRI.

The only company to bid on both parts of the contract — police training and logistics — was Blackwater, the source said.

The contract is valued at $1 billion.

Meanwhile, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing yesterday, Senators critisized Blackwater’s conduct in Afghanistan...

more: http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/31602


more:

[jody]

1. Obama has authority to refuse to contract with Xe and should do so unless he is ordered otherwise.

That's how presidents use executive orders or refuse to use them.

[tekisui]

4. War contractors *heart* Obama.

:loveya:

[SammyWinstonJack]

6. No reason they shouldn't, unfortunately.

x(

[change_notfinetuning]

2. Yeah, this is change I can believe in. Isn't this the job of the military? n/t

[Romulox]

3. Plus ça change... k/r. nt

[QC]

10. Plus ca la meme damn chose. n/t

[lpbk2713]

5. The sewage contaminated drinking water will cost extra.

For a nominal fee. :eyes:

[Tailormyst]

7. Sigh

the hits just keep coming.

[Robb]

8. Politico via FDL

...You'll understand if I don't run out and buy Xe stock right away.

[tekisui]

13. Xe is trying for the contract, the only question is whether they

will get it.

[QC]

9. Hopetastic! n/t

[Echo In Light]

11. puke

[flyarm]

12. Gosh I am so glad we got a democrat in the White House...and a majority in our congress...just think

..if we had gotten a republican President or a republican majority..these wars would have been accelerated..or Blackwater would have continued to be a mercenary military in our occupation states committing more and more crimes ...Oh wait.......never mind..

[Wilms]

14. K$R n/t