Pentagon’s ultra-secretive fuel contractor linked to revolutions in Kyrgyzstan

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Pentagon’s ultra-secretive fuel contractor linked to revolutions in Kyrgyzstan
By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010 -- 2:41 pm

The Department of Defense paid billions of dollars to an ultra-secretive fuel contractor linked to two revolutions in Kyrgyzstan and turned a blind eye to corruption that threatened diplomatic relations, a congressional report published Monday found.

The 75 page report was prepared by the House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs after an eight-month investigation into the Department of Defense's fuel contracts.

The Department of Defense failed to properly consider the geopolitical and diplomatic consequences of its contracting arrangements with companies in Central Asia, according to the report.

"At multiple critical junctures over the past eight years, both the Pentagon and State Department turned a blind eye to glaring red flags in the fuel contracts," the report said. "Real and perceived corruption in the fuel contracts has now been linked to two revolutions and seriously strained US-Kyrgyz relations."

Mina Corporation and its associated firm, Red Star Enterprises, have been awarded over $3 billion dollars in contracts to supply Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan and Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan since 2003.