RebelReports - Did Obama's Chosen Mercenary Firm Fire a Manager for Speaking to Congressional Investigators?

The Obama administration continues to pay billions of dollars to mercenary firms to operate in Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Israel/Palestine and elsewhere. While Blackwater’s mega-contract in Baghdad was not renewed this year, the Obama administration’s new mercenary firm of choice, Triple Canopy, is hiring “former” Blackwater guards whose contract officially ends May 7. Triple Canopy has a pretty notorious reputation as well, particularly for its hiring of soldiers from Latin America and elsewhere. (See my report on Triple Canopy here).

As Triple Canopy prepares to take the helm of US mercenary operations in Iraq on a five year contract worth almost $1 billion, some information is emerging as part of a Congressional investigation that should raise eyebrows within the US military. Many in the US may be surprised to learn that one of the jobs “private security contractors” do in Iraq is to guard US bases. That’s right, the most powerful military on earth relies on contractors to guard it. For followers of the contracting system in Iraq, this fact is nothing new, but it bears repeating. In any case, it looks like these companies are not exactly doing a very good job of guarding US military bases.

The Wartime Contracting Commission, established largely due to the efforts of Senators Jim Webb and Claire McCaskill, “has found serious deficiencies in training and equipment for hundreds of Ugandan guards hired to protect U.S. military bases in Iraq,” according to the Associated Press. The problems include “a lack of vehicles used to properly protect [US bases], a shortage of weapons and night vision gear, and poorly trained guards.”

The controversy involves two US bases in Iraq: Forward Operating Bases Delta and Hammer. Triple Canopy has the $35 million security contract for Base Delta, while Sabre International Security is paid $42 million to provide security at Base Hammer. Each base houses thousands of military personnel. According to the AP, “A majority of the guards are from Uganda and other East African countries. Guard salaries are about $700 a month on average:”

Concerned the shortages leave the bases vulnerable, the Commission on Wartime Contracting alerted military officials in Iraq and at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla.

“Incidents such as this are a concern in their own right, but they are a particular concern to the commission if they prove to be indicators of broader, systemic problems that impede the delivery of critical services to American military forces in a war zone,” said Bob Dickson, the commission’s executive director.U.S. officers at Base Hammer said they did not feel secure due to the inadequate qualifications and training of the guards, according to information the commission has sent to military authorities, members of Congress and the State Department.

[…]

At Base Delta, Triple Canopy has not provided guards with enough vehicles to cover the facility’s perimeter, the commission found. As a result, the guards frequently rely on the military for transportation. Basic personal gear, such as gloves, is often scarce.

Houston-based KBR Inc., which has a separate contract to provide food, transportation and housing for U.S. forces, has had to assist both Sabre and Triple Canopy, the commission said.

The Congressional commission is also investigating whether Triple Canopy fired a company official who cooperated in the Congressional investigation. The company’s on-site manager at Base Delta, John Wayne Nash, was interviewed on an April 5 by staffers from the Congressional commission during a fact-finding trip and reportedly “confirmed the problems existed.” According to the AP, “A day later, [the commission] learned from an officer at Base Delta that Nash had been told by his superiors to leave the country. Commission staff said it appeared that Nash had been fired for talking to the commission.”

Nash, who is a retired Marine Corps master gunnery sergeant has retained a lawyer in Washington Thomas Fay who said he is working for Nash “in connection with the circumstances surrounding his departure from Iraq as an employee of Triple Canopy.” The company insists Nash is still an employee and is in the US as part of a regular rotation.

Webb said it is “unacceptable” for a contractor to be fired in retaliation for speaking to Congressional investigators, saying, “An employee of a government-contracted firm does not contract away his or her obligation—not right—to talk forthrightly with properly constructed government inquiries.”

Comments (View)