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Octafish

(55,745 posts)
38. Money to be made, peacebird.
Sat Nov 14, 2015, 11:24 AM
Nov 2015


KA-CHING: The Company Getting Rich Off the ISIS War

For the Middle East, the growth of the self-proclaimed Islamic State has been a catastrophe.
For one American firm, it’s been a gold mine.


by Kate Brannen
08.02.15

The war against ISIS isn’t going so great, with the self-appointed terror group standing up to a year of U.S. airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.

But that hasn’t kept defense contractors from doing rather well amidst the fighting. Lockheed Martin has received orders for thousands of more Hellfire missiles. AM General is busy supplying Iraq with 160 American-built Humvee vehicles, while General Dynamics is selling the country millions of dollars worth of tank ammunition.

SOS International, a family-owned business whose corporate headquarters are in New York City, is one of the biggest players on the ground in Iraq, employing the most Americans in the country after the U.S. Embassy. On the company’s board of advisors: former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz—considered to be one of the architects of the invasion of Iraq—and Paul Butler, a former special assistant to Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld.

The company, which goes by “SOSi,” says on its website that the contracts it’s been awarded for work in Iraq in 2015 have a total value of more than $400 million. They include a $40 million contract to provide everything from meals to perimeter security to emergency fire and medical services at Iraq’s Besmaya Compound, one of the sites where U.S. troops are training Iraqi soldiers. The Army awarded SOSi a separate $100 million contract in late June for similar services at Camp Taji. The Pentagon expects that contract to last through June 2018.

A year after U.S. airstrikes began targeting the so-called Islamic State in Iraq, there are 3,500 U.S. troops deployed there, training and advising Iraqi troops. But a number that is not discussed is the growing number of contractors required to support these operations. According to the U.S. military, there are 6,300 contractors working in Iraq today, supporting U.S. operations. Separately, the State Department is seeking janitorial services, drivers, linguists, and security contractors to work at its Iraqi facilities.

While these numbers pale in comparison to the more than 163,000 working in Iraq at the peak of the Iraq War, they are steadily growing. And with the fight against ISIS expected to take several years, it also represents a growing opportunity for defense, security, and logistics contractors, especially as work in Afghanistan begins to dry up.

“It allows us to maintain the façade of no boots on the ground while at the same time growing our footprint,” said Laura Dickinson, a law professor at George Washington University whose recent work has focused on regulating private military contractors.

CONTINUED...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/02/the-company-getting-rich-off-of-the-isis-war.html

Has Corporate Owned News broadcast this story: REGULATING Defense Contractors?

Holding these traitors and warmongers who lied America into war on innocent nations would go a long way to restoring Justice and World Peace.

Recommendations

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That sounds about right Turbineguy Nov 2015 #1
I agree with you gwheezie Nov 2015 #2
I agree the Hatfield & McCoy tactics aren't working, however napi21 Nov 2015 #3
new ones will just step in: we only have delusions of omnipotence, not actual power MisterP Nov 2015 #4
"new ones will just step in" tecelote Nov 2015 #14
That is exactly what we have been doing. -none Nov 2015 #35
The first impulse is to hit back Warpy Nov 2015 #5
True - but as we are finding out more and more BlueMTexpat Nov 2015 #6
I agree. passiveporcupine Nov 2015 #7
+1 tecelote Nov 2015 #16
Agree. Osama Bin Laden tried and convicted, sentenced to life in prison would have been better peacebird Nov 2015 #27
OBL would have talked and implicated some very important people PeoViejo Nov 2015 #30
Yes. That is why he had to be assasinated instead of tried. peacebird Nov 2015 #32
If you follow the rat down the hole PeoViejo Nov 2015 #33
The best response is an investigative response.... Spitfire of ATJ Nov 2015 #8
There is no mystery to solve here. geek tragedy Nov 2015 #11
How much more spying can we have? CJCRANE Nov 2015 #13
Domestic spying obviously is not working very well. -none Nov 2015 #37
yeah, there's nothing wrong with ISIS that a few hugs and gift baskets won't fix nt geek tragedy Nov 2015 #40
This country helped create them. -none Nov 2015 #57
But not HERE.... Spitfire of ATJ Nov 2015 #46
Only because Pakistani intelligence was sheltering bin Laden. geek tragedy Nov 2015 #49
I keep thinking about an enforcement arm for International Law. Spitfire of ATJ Nov 2015 #53
That's a very good point about international law. geek tragedy Nov 2015 #54
I picture an elite force with full access to local records. They would NOT be a hit team.... Spitfire of ATJ Nov 2015 #59
Yep. That's what intelligence agencies are for. backscatter712 Nov 2015 #45
We need to expand INTERPOL beyond it's role as a mere database. Spitfire of ATJ Nov 2015 #47
The best response is to arrest the war criminals in the West malaise Nov 2015 #9
This is so true Abouttime Nov 2015 #21
I agree. Send Bush, Cheney, Blair, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, et al to the Hague for war crimes tribunal. peacebird Nov 2015 #28
Yes, this is what needs to occur. onecaliberal Nov 2015 #52
"Where was this response when Bush was killing thousands of Iraqi innocents?" oberliner Nov 2015 #26
We were called traitors and worse for marching against the war. We knew what was coming w IWR peacebird Nov 2015 #29
Money to be made, peacebird. Octafish Nov 2015 #38
Sadly you are correct. peacebird Nov 2015 #39
very good start SoLeftIAmRight Nov 2015 #55
Too many people fall back to the idea of collective punishment. Spitfire of ATJ Nov 2015 #60
the civil liberties debate there ought to be interesting nt geek tragedy Nov 2015 #10
I agree. polly7 Nov 2015 #12
No, you're not the only one jberryhill Nov 2015 #15
Intelligence without the ability to destroy the fountainhead is useless. Yo_Mama Nov 2015 #17
Absolutely PeoViejo Nov 2015 #31
I have never understood the reluctance to assassinate enemy leadership. razorman Nov 2015 #18
We have been picking off their leaders for hundreds of years malaise Nov 2015 #24
The CIA is too busy spying on the likes of us nt LiberalEsto Nov 2015 #19
No, but it will be a military response. bigwillq Nov 2015 #20
"no wonder the US leads the world in gun violence" EX500rider Nov 2015 #62
Ok. bigwillq Nov 2015 #63
We'll be doing good if we just get an INTELLIGENT response. Maeve Nov 2015 #22
I firmly believe that you are right. n/t Mister Ed Nov 2015 #23
Think in terms of rewards and punishments. Igel Nov 2015 #25
No you are not the only one LostOne4Ever Nov 2015 #34
Kudos to All on This Thread gordyfl Nov 2015 #36
No, it's not just you. winter is coming Nov 2015 #41
Stop calling them ISIS or ISIL, call them DAESH instead Electric Monk Nov 2015 #42
Works for me. backscatter712 Nov 2015 #44
All I can hope for is sadoldgirl Nov 2015 #43
Well, unlike trolls on the WWW you cannot just ignore ISIS. Seems to make the problem worse. Rex Nov 2015 #48
No, you are not. Better and more intense intelligence-gathering will help... Eleanors38 Nov 2015 #50
Well, that's a given. Anytime any member of Daesh is identified, kill him. backscatter712 Nov 2015 #51
We need to step up the game on renewable energy and domestic oil supplies daleo Nov 2015 #56
sigh. If only we could claim to be intelligent. librechik Nov 2015 #58
This is exactly the response that was called for after 9-11. Stevepol Nov 2015 #61
There are at least two of us. immoderate Nov 2015 #64
I suspect that is exactly how French authorities hifiguy Nov 2015 #65
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