Blackwater Security Consulting

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Blackwater Security Consulting
Type	Private military security firm
Founded	1997
Founder	Erik Prince
Headquarters	850 Puddin Ridge Road Moyock, North Carolina, U.S.[1]
Key people	J.Cofer Black Joseph E. Schmitz Gary Jackson Bill Mathews
Industry	Government contracting
Parent	Blackwater Worldwide
Website	BlackWaterUSA.com

Blackwater Security Consulting (BSC) was formed in 2001, as a subsidiary of Blackwater USA, now Blackwater Worldwide. It is based at Blackwater's corporate headquarters in Moyock, North Carolina. According to its website, its mission is to "provide a wide range of very specialized international services including risk management, intelligence gathering, vulnerability assessments and high-risk security related solutions."^[2] It has had a highly visible presence in the Iraq War, following a 2004 ambush in Fallujah which left several of its employees dead.^[3] It has also been the subject of several controversies, most notably the September 16, 2007 Baghdad shootings. Its employees, which Blackwater refers to as Independent Contractors, have occasionally been labeled as mercenaries by some in the media.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

Contents 1 Contracts 1.1 Other missions 2 Equipment 3 Notable events & controversies 4 Reputation 5 References

[edit] Contracts

In August 2003, Blackwater received its first Iraq contract, a $21 million contract for a Personal Security Detachment and two helicopters for Paul Bremer, head of the U.S. occupation in Iraq.^[9][1]

In July 2004 Blackwater was hired by the U.S. State Department under the Bureau of Diplomatic Security's Worldwide Personal Protective Services (WPPS) umbrella contract, along with DynCorp International and Triple Canopy, Inc. for protective services in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Israel.^[10] The applied for two years and expired on June 6, 2006. It authorized 482 personnel, and Blackwater received $488m for its work.^[11]

On September 1st, 2005 following Hurricane Katrina, Blackwater dispatched a rescue team and helicopter, free of charge, to support relief operations.^[12] Following that, it was reported that the company also acted as law enforcement in the disaster stricken areas, such as securing neighborhoods and "confronting criminals".^[13] Blackwater moved about 200 personnel into the area hit by Hurricane Katrina, most of whom (164 employees) were working under a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to protect government facilities,^[14] but the company held contracts with private clients as well. Overall, Blackwater had a "visible, and financially lucrative, presence in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as the use of the company contractors cost U.S. taxpayers $240,000 a day."^[15] There has been much dispute surrounding governmental contracts in post-Katrina New Orleans, especially no-bid contracts such as the one Blackwater was awarded. Blackwater's heavily-armed presence in the city was also the subject of much confusion and criticism.^[16] Their contracts totaled over $30m.^[17]

In May 2006, the U.S. State Department awarded WPPS II, the successor to its previous diplomatic security contract.^[11] Under this contract, the State Department awarded Blackwater, along with Triple Canopy and DynCorp, a contract for diplomatic security in Iraq. Under this contract, Blackwater is authorized to have 1,020 staff in Iraq.^[11] Blackwater's responsibilities include the United States embassy in Iraq.^[18]

In Asia, Blackwater has contracts in Japan guarding AN/TPY-2 radar systems.^[19]

Blackwater has also assisted in several natural disasters, including the November 2007 California wildfire and rescuing a U.S. Army soldier in Mali following a severe tropical storm.^[20] Blackwater Security is also now pursuing domestic work as disaster relief workers, following their Katrina response. Blackwater officials have met with Arnold Schwarzenegger to discuss earthquake response services.^[21]

[edit] Other missions

In early January 2008, Blackwater evacuated three American missionaries in Kenya using a 10 passenger single engine aircraft, picking them up at an airstrip near the village of Kimilili.^[22]

[edit] Equipment

Blackwater Security Consulting is well equipped and known to use a variety of equipment, including helicopters and heavily armored vehicles. Many of the helicopters are registered to EP Aviation LLC.^[23] Their most commonly used helicopter is the MD-530F "Little Bird" helicopter, which assists Blackwater's Quick Response Force (QRF) teams. AB 412 utility helicopters are in use in Iraq. At least one SA-330 Puma helicopter is owned by Blackwater.^[24]

Blackwater uses a variety of armored vehicles. They include the BAE RG-31 Mambas, purchased from the British Army are known to be used to transport personnel along Route Irish^[25] as well as the Force Protection Industries Cougar H^[26]. Bearcat armored vehicles are also used for convoy escort roles in Iraq.^[27]

[edit] Notable events & controversies

On March 31, 2004, Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah attacked a convoy containing four American private military contractors from Blackwater USA who were conducting delivery for food caterers ESS.^[28] The four armed contractors Scott Helvenston, Jerko Zovko, Wesley Batalona and Michael Teague, were attacked and killed with grenades and small arms fire. Their bodies were hung from a bridge crossing the Euphrates.^[3] This event was one of the causes of the US military attack on the city in the First Battle of Fallujah.^[29] In the fall of 2007, a congressional report by the House Oversight Committee found that Blackwater intentionally "delayed and impeded" investigations into the contractors' deaths.^[30]

In April 2004, a few days after the Fallujah bridge hanging, a small team of Blackwater employees, along with a fire team of U.S. Marines, held off over 400 insurgents outside the Coalition Provisional Authority headquarters in Al Najaf, Iraq, waiting for U.S. troops to arrive. The headquarters was surrounded and it was the last area in the city that remained in coalition control. During the siege, as supplies and ammunition ran low, a team of Blackwater contractors 70 miles (113 km) away flew to the compound to resupply and bring an injured U.S. Marine back to safety outside of the city.^{[31] [32]} In April 2005 six Blackwater independent contractors were killed in Iraq when their Mi-8 helicopter was shot down. Also killed were three Bulgarian crewmembers and two Fijian gunners. Initial reports indicate the helicopter was shot down by rocket propelled grenades. In 2006 a car accident occurred in the Baghdad Green Zone when an SUV driven by Blackwater operatives crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee. Blackwater guards disarmed the Army soldiers and forced them to lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle their SUV from the wreck.^[33]

Five Blackwater contractors were killed on January 23, 2007 in Iraq when their Hughes H-6 helicopter was shot down. The incident happened on Baghdad's Haifa Street. The crash site was secured by a personal security detail, callsign "Jester" from 1/26 Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. A U.S. defense official has confirmed that four of the five killed were shot execution style in the back of the head, but did not know whether the four had survived the crash.^[34][35] In late May 2007, Blackwater contractors opened fire on the streets of Baghdad twice in two days, one of the incidents provoking a standoff between the security contractors and Iraqi Interior Ministry commandos, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.^[36] On May 30, 2007, Blackwater employees shot an Iraqi civilian deemed to have been "driving too close" to a State Department convoy being escorted by Blackwater contractors.^[37][36][38] Other private security contractors, such as Aegis Defence Services have also been accused of similar actions.^[37][39][40]

On September 16, 2007, Blackwater guards opened fire in Nisour Square, Baghdad, killing 17 civilians in the Blackwater Baghdad shootings incident. Witnesses claimed that the attack was unprovoked and that the soldiers, in the employ of the U.S., continued firing while the Iraqi civilians were fleeing. Two Blackwater helicopters were also spotted at the time, who witnesses say aided in the attack. However, Blackwater maintained that its guards were under attack and responded accordingly. The FBI found that at least 14 of the shootings were unjustified and found no evidence to support assertions by Blackwater employees that they were fired upon by Iraqi civilians.^[41]

CEO Erik Prince testified before the United States Congress on October 2, 2007 that no one guarded by Blackwater in Iraq has ever suffered a fatality or serious injury.

On October 3rd, 2007 Blackwater contractors rescued the Polish Ambassador to Iraq, Gen. Edward Pietrzyk, after an assassination attempt, using a Little Bird helicopter.^[42][43]

[edit] Reputation

According to a New York Times report on Blackwater Security in Iraq, "among the rank and file of security contractors, Blackwater guards are regularly ridiculed as cowboys who are relentlessly and pointlessly aggressive, carry excessive weaponry and do not appear to have top-of-the-line training."^[44] One hundred twenty two of its armed personnel in Iraq have been dismissed from their positions by Blackwater since its contract to protect U.S. diplomats began nearly three years ago. These firings were most frequently for incidents related to weapons use.^[45] On October 3rd, 2007, the New York Times reported that the government was charged $1,222 for each day of work by a Blackwater security guard in Iraq.^[46]

[edit] References

v • d • e Articles about or related to Blackwater Worldwide Main: Blackwater Worldwide • Blackwater Worldwide businesses • Blackwater Security Consulting • Greystone Limited Executives: Erik Prince (Owner, founder) • Cofer Black • Joseph E. Schmitz Controversies: Blackwater Baghdad shootings • Blackwater Worldwide arms smuggling allegations • Andrew J. Moonen Legal Issues: Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security • Scott Helvenston • Ayham al-Samarie Related media: Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army • Shadow Company