Blackwater Vies for Jobs Beyond Guard Duty

[sabra]

Source: WSJ

MOYOCK, N.C. -- Even as Blackwater USA seeks to extricate itself from a firestorm over the conduct of its private-security forces in Iraq, company founder Erik Prince is laying plans for an expansion that would put his for-hire forces in hot spots around the world doing far more than guard duty.

Blackwater faces criticism in the wake of a Sept. 16 shooting by the company's guards that the Iraqi government says killed 17 civilians, a crisis that appears to threaten the company's livelihood. Yet at Blackwater's headquarters here, where the sound of gunfire and explosions is testament to the daily training of hundreds of law-enforcement and military personnel, Mr. Prince's ambition is on display.

Mr. Prince wants to vault Blackwater into the major leagues of U.S. military contracting, taking advantage of the movement to privatize all kinds of government security. The company wants to be a one-stop shop for the U.S. government on missions to which it won't commit American forces. This is a niche with few established competitors, but it is drawing more and more interest from big military firms.

Already, the 10-year-old company -- which went from renting out shooting ranges for thousands of dollars in its early years to revenue of almost a half-billion dollars last year -- is bidding on military work against industry giants such as Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. Mr. Prince says he is planning to build Blackwater's expertise in training, transportation and military support while expanding into making everything from remotely piloted blimps to an armored truck called the Grizzly that is tough enough to compete for the Army's latest armored-vehicle contract.

"We see the security market diminishing," Mr. Prince said. He added that the company's focus "is going to be more of a full spectrum," ranging from delivering humanitarian aid to responding to natural disasters to handling the behind-the-lines logistics of moving heavy equipment and supplies.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119240518691958669.html?mod=hps_us_whats_news

[Kagemusha]

1. So in sum, he used Iraq for seed money to become a little Carlyle Group.

The humanitarian aid thing sounds too strange to be true though.

[ixion]

3. yeah, or responding to natural disasters, just like the did in NOLA

and, gee, that worked out so well. :eyes:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. 'Free Market' Death Squads.

oh goody.

[soothsayer]

4. Bilgewater must go.

[0007]

5. Perhaps they can help relieve Halliburton with all that work that

goes unappreciated.

'Quality and Worth' are Erik Prince's battle-cry

[Doctor Cynic]

6. Why don't

they vie for a big chunk of the license plate making industry instead?

[Heywood J]

7. So, it's official now that he wants to become

a worldwide private army. Aren't those legally forbidden?

How much do you think he would charge to prop up a banana-republic dictator or another Pol Pot?

[Judi Lynn]

8. Banana republic Colombia gets recruited by Blackwater continuously, for former members

of its military and paramilitaries (death squads).

One story got out concerning Blackwater recruiters promising Colombian military people $4,000 monthly, then, after getting them to Iraq, divulged it would be $1,000.

Blackwater is saving a hellacious amount of money by outsourcing, apparently:
http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/blog/archives/000299.htm

[robinlynne]

9. He said to congress that he would NEVER CONSIDER it. but he has a huge website selling his services

to foreign countries and companies.