New Light on Private Security Contractors in Iraq
September 24th, 2008 by Steven AftergoodThe use of thousands of private security contractors in Iraq represents a quantitatively new feature of U.S. military operations, but relatively little has been publicly disclosed about the contractual arrangements involved.
The war in Iraq “is apparently the first time that the United States has depended so extensively on contractors to provide security in a hostile environment,” according to a recently updated Congressional Research Service report (pdf).
But “the use of armed contractors raises several concerns, including transparency and accountability,” the CRS report said.
“The lack of public information on the terms of the contracts, including their costs and the standards governing hiring and performance, make evaluating their efficiency difficult. The apparent lack of a practical means to hold contractors accountable under U.S. law for abuses and other transgressions, and the possibility that they could be prosecuted by foreign courts, is also a source of concern,” the CRS report said.
Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by David Isenberg of United Press International, new information is now available on the U.S. State Department’s Worldwide Personal Protective Services (WPPS) contract, which provides security services throughout Iraq (as well as Afghanistan, Bosnia and Israel).
UPI obtained the WPPS contract specifications from the State Department and reported on the material in “Dogs of War: WPPS World” by David Isenberg, September 19. The newly disclosed contract material itself was posted by UPI here (pdf).
Extensive background information on the issue is available from the Congressional Research Service in “Private Security Contractors in Iraq: Background, Legal Status, and Other Issues,” updated August 25, 2008.
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 am
In Iraq, much of our budget/expense is spent on paying US contractors to rebuild their public utilities and oil infrastructure. US contractors rebuilding their country, while we neglect ours. Our economy and debt is alarming, yet in Iraq they have a large surplus and are more than able to fund this in house. I understand it’s our duty to help them with our military prowess, however Iraq should pay and use their own non-military related contractors. They need to be more engage in the rebuilding of our country, I don’t feel it’s our duty to pay millions to rebuild their country, and think they should step up and rebuild their own.