Best news of the day! NYT says Blackwater to end “security contracting” “business.” Steroid sales in Iraq and North Carolina to plummet 40%…
Blackwater is giving up on the business that put them in the crosshairs of an astonishing array of parties, from the insurgents it expected to face in Iraq to the Iraqi government itself, along with the American public, Democratic members of Congress and investigators from several agencies in Washington.
Gary Jackson, Blackwater’s president, described plans for a withdrawal from security contracting in an interview published last night by The Associated Press:
In 2005 and 2006, security jobs represented more than 50 percent of the company’s business. The security business is down to about 30 percent of Blackwater revenue now and Jackson said it will go much lower.
“If I could get it down to 2 percent or 1 percent, I would go there,” he said, adding that the media have falsely portrayed much about that aspect of the company. “If you could get it right, we might stay in the business.”
This comes a day after SecDef Gates wondered, “Why have we come to rely on private contractors to provide combat or combat-related security training for our forces? Further, are we comfortable with this practice, and do we fully understand the implications in terms of quality, responsiveness and sustainability?”
TAGS: Congress, insurgents, Iraq, Practice
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July 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 am
[...] Among the headlines of the past 24 hours: “Blackwater plans exit from guard work“, “Blackwater getting out of security business“, “Blackwater sounds retreat from private security business“, and “Blackwater to leave security business“. One blogger slapped this headline on his post: “Blackwater, worst organisation since SS, to end mercenary work.” [...]
July 25th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
[...] “Blackwater to leave security business”. One blogger slapped this headline on his post: “Blackwater, worst organization since SS, to end mercenary work.” [The last one was my [...]
April 17th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Solve the international problem of the Somalie pirates, by financing combat cruises of 100 paying customers per voyage. Each customer will supply his own weapon, or rent from the host.
I have been boarded in those waters and fought them off with no weapons, If you can float a project of this nature, then contact me. I want to be the master on such a cruise.
May 16th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
How could you know what Mercenary work is like if you have never done it. Your grounds for saying it is worse than the SS is false. Because the SS was an Nazi organized regiment for such purposes as creating Death Camps and eliminating jews. Black Water hasn’t targetted Specific Races of people NOR have they created hostage camps. So your bases for this story is one sided and until you can see both sides of the picture (I.E. Getting out from behind your little box and experiencing the real world and developing your opinions on a first name bases rather than going by what you see and read in/on the news. Get out of your ivory tower and do something for your country rather than complaining. Complaining doesn’t create solutions. Only more problems.) Stop posting.