Constellis Group

Constellis Group, is a private security company that provides integrated security, mission support and risk management services to corporate, government and non-profit clients. The firm was founded in May 2003 by U.S. Army Special Forces veterans, including former Delta Force personnel. It is staffed by, among others, a number of former Army Special Operations personnel, SEALs, Rangers, MARSOC (Marine Corps Special Operations), MSG (Marine Security Guards), and a small select few law enforcement officers. Currently over 5,000 employees work for Triple Canopy and it has also acquired Academi (formerly Blackwater) in 2014 which was vilified and criticized for the involvement of its employees who killed 17 Iraqi civilians and injured 20 in Nisour Square, Baghdad for which four guards were convicted in a U.S. court.^[1]

Company overview

Triple Canopy was incorporated in Chicago^[2] but now maintains its headquarters in Reston, Virginia.^[3] The firm's website states that it provides security services to "government agencies, corporations and non-governmental organizations across the globe". A review of Triple Canopy operations in Iraq conducted by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) stated that the firm’s personnel were a "well-trained, professional work force with significant prior experience" in military and law enforcement.^[4]

The name "Triple Canopy" was initially chosen to refer to the layered canopies in the jungles where some of the key founding members received training.^[5] Also, the name refers to the distinction among U.S. Army personnel wearing the Airborne, Ranger, and Special Forces tabs, if authorized, when assigned to Special Forces units.

Key personnel

Triple Canopy’s leadership includes former Delta Force officers, industry analysts and asset management experts, and consultants. They include:^[6]

• Tom Katis, Co-Chairman
• Matt Mann, Co-Chairman
• Ignacio "Iggy" Balderas, Director and Chief Executive Officer
• Matt Luckett, Director
• Jay Christy, Chief Operating Officer
• Rosalind Kadasi, Chief Financial Officer ^[7]
• Juliet Protas, Senior Vice President and General Counsel

History

According to their website, the firm was established in 2003, founded by U.S. Army Special Forces veterans Matt Mann and Tom Katis. The two sought to create a business to address the threat of international terrorism, and decided to apply their knowledge of military activities to “train government agencies in anti-terrorism techniques.”^[8] The firm received its first contracts in 2004, following the invasion of Iraq, to help guard and equip allied forces in the war zone, especially for the Coalition Provisional Authority.

In the years following, Triple Canopy has won additional State Department contracts, among others, to provide security services at some of the highest-risk U.S. embassies around the world. This work is performed under the Worldwide Personal Protective Services contract issued by the State Department, valued at up to $1 billion for the handful of companies assigned a share of the work.^[9]

Triple Canopy has also assisted in humanitarian operations, including rushing aid and supplies to Haiti in 2010 following a catastrophic earthquake.^[10][11]

In November 2010, around 60 private security firms that were set up in war zones guaranteed to cut back their use of force, vetting and training of personnel as well as reporting and infringements of the law. Triple Canopy was included in this agreement as well as leading British company G4S.^[12]

Iraq

Triple Canopy is known principally for providing security in Iraq, particularly for guarding Coalition Provisional Authority headquarters throughout the country.^[5] In April 2009, contracts in Iraq handled by Blackwater USA, then under investigation for rule-breaking and violence, were assigned by the State Department to Triple Canopy. Previously, Triple Canopy had been responsible for contracts outside of Baghdad, whereas those contracts the firm took over were mainly based in Baghdad.^[13]

In addition to security roles, Triple Canopy is involved in Iraq in other ways, sponsoring the Iraq Energy Expo and Conference to assist in rebuilding the nation.^[14]

Casualties

Routinely operating in war zones and other dangerous locations, Triple Canopy occasionally suffers personnel losses. In September 2005, four Triple Canopy team members were killed, along with 13 others, when a bomb exploded on a street in Basra, Iraq.^[15] A rocket attack in July 2010 on Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone killed three Triple Canopy personnel and wounded 15 more.^[16]

Adam Hermanson, an employee of Triple Canopy and a US Air Force veteran, died September 1, 2009, after apparently being accidentally electrocuted while showering in his quarters at a company installation inside Baghdad’s protected Green Zone. Hermanson’s family has alleged that faulty wiring was to blame and have claimed the company has not been fully forthcoming about details of the incident.^[17][18]

Wrongful termination suit

Triple Canopy fired two contractors working in Iraq in 2006 for their failure to properly report, in a timely manner, that their supervisor fired on a civilian vehicle in Iraq. The supervisor, also terminated, denied the allegations. The two subsequently filed a lawsuit against the company alleging wrongful termination. On August 1, 2007, a jury in Fairfax County Circuit Court ruled in favor of Triple Canopy.^[19][20] On appeal, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned that ruling and ordered a new trial, saying that the judge had given the wrong instructions to the jury in the original trial. The parties reached a settlement out of court. The terms were not disclosed.^[21]

Code of ethics

The company has championed a code of ethics for security contractors and its leadership has testified on Capitol Hill about proper oversight and accountability.^[22] In June 2010 testimony before the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, CEO Ignacio "Iggy" Balderas expressed the firm’s support for a “system of private security contractor certification by third parties.”^[23] According to Triple Canopy, the firm "participated in the effort to establish an international code of conduct since the development of the Montreaux Document in 2006, and even provided the company's Code of Conduct to the Swiss government as a source document."

The result of these efforts was the development and adoption of a Code of Conduct for Private Security Contractors, and Balderas spoke at the signing ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland in November 2010.^[24][25] Balderas: "Our next steps are to ensure that the Code gains worldwide acceptance and becomes an integral part of how the industry operates and how governments and clients select security providers. We must also work to ensure that transparency, oversight and accountability accompany the Code so that the full extent of its intent is shown."^[22]

Clayton Consultants

In 2007, Triple Canopy acquired Clayton Consultants, Inc., a crisis management security consultancy offering incident response, security consulting and training services. According to the firm's website, it "specializes in the prevention and resolution of kidnaps for ransom, extortion, malicious product tampering, wrongful detention, maritime security, workplace violence and client risk" and is especially active on the U.S.-Mexico border.^[26] Clayton Consultants has also been hired to help handle problems of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.^[27]

References

External links

• Constellis Group corporate website