|
Use of Contractors for Military
Purposes Under Scrutiny
By William Neikirk - Chicago Tribune
May 9, 2004
WASHINGTON -- Long before the world learned of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in
Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was preaching the virtues of using
contractors to do a significant amount of the military's work.
His prime example of where outsourcing should be expanded: prisons.
The secretary said at a town hall meeting in August that the Army pays $20,000
to $40,000 to hold a prisoner each year, while it costs Kansas only $14,000 per
year.
"I don't think of running a prison as a core competency of the United States
military," he said.
Now, the scandal at Abu Ghraib, where contractors were used as interrogators and
interpreters, has prompted members of Congress and private military analysts to
question the Pentagon's growing reliance on contractors to handle many of the
military's support jobs, especially in a hot spot such as Iraq.
Also adding to the scrutiny on the role of security contractors were the deaths
and mutilations of four contract workers for Blackwater Security Consulting of
Moyock, N.C. The men, ambushed in Fallujah on March 31, were providing security
for a U.S. military food convoy.
Critics say private contractors should not be placed in "mission-critical"
assignments, such as combat or interrogation, and should not have any influence
in the chain of command. They say the Pentagon should more vigorously check
backgrounds of contractors and adopt procedures to establish greater
accountability and oversight over contract abuses.
And they wonder whether the movement toward privatization of many military
functions should be revisited.
"Is it more cost effective to bring in folks and pay them really big bucks for
these security concerns, or is it more effective to use troop strength?" said
Scott Silliman, a law professor and military expert at Duke University. "Are
they getting the best return on the dollar? I am not sure."
Rumsfeld and other top military officials assured the Senate Armed Services
Committee on Friday that in the Abu Ghraib case, 27 contractors employed as
interrogators and interpreters served under military officers, who were in
charge.
"These people have no supervisory capabilities at all," said acting Army
Secretary Les Brownlee.
The workers have been identified as employees of CACI International of
Arlington, Va., and Titan Corp. of San Diego, two prominent military
contractors.
In a telephone call to investors last week, CACI Chief Executive J. P. "Jack"
London deplored the abuses at Abu Ghraib but said the company had no information
on possible involvement by its workers.
A Pentagon spokesman said the use of contractors in the Abu Ghraib case is being
investigated, but he said there is no general re-examination of outsourcing
procedures.
Praise for contractors
"The vast majority of our contractors are doing incredible work for the U.S.
government," he said.
In a letter last week to Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the ranking Democrat on the
House Armed Services Committee, Rumsfeld said the Defense Department is drafting
"uniform guidance" covering security companies working under contract in Iraq.
He did not elaborate.
Rumsfeld's outsourcing policy has blossomed in Iraq, which has turned into a
contractor's heaven. About 20,000 people are working for private security
contractors, said Brookings Institution analyst Peter Singer, and tens of
thousands more are working on reconstruction of the country.
But increasingly, companies doing reconstruction say they must hire
contractors--many of them former military personnel--to handle security. An
inspector general's report for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq said
security costs are eating up at least 10 percent to 15 percent of the budget for
reconstruction.
Contractors are collecting billions of dollars in Iraq for military functions
that include feeding the troops, providing housing, fixing computers and setting
up communications systems.
Halliburton subsidiary KBR has 24,000 personnel in Iraq and Kuwait, handling
contracts to repair oil wells and provide logistics, including feeding troops,
handling mail, building bases and providing Internet connections.
Cheney's ex-company accused
Halliburton, once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, has been accused of
overcharging for fuel trucked from Kuwait. A Justice Department investigation is
under way on the overcharging, but the company said it saved taxpayers $100
million.
The Brookings Institution's Singer, author of a book titled "Corporate
Warriors," finds fault with the trend toward contracting out many military
functions. If a contractor makes mistakes in logistics or if some of its
personnel find situations too risky, he said, military operations can be
jeopardized.
"Even when it comes to the issue of maintenance, these individuals don't have to
be there when the going gets tough," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a
longtime critic of private military contractors.
The military security business has grown to a giant industry in a little over a
decade, Singer said, now topping $100 billion in revenue worldwide and with many
of the major players based in the United States.
Alan Schvotkin, senior vice president and chief counsel for Professional
Services Council, a trade group representing military contractors, said most
security companies in Iraq are "doing what they have been asked to do."
|
|