Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

by Jeremy Scahill

155 R. Jeffrey Smith, “Tanker Inquiry Finds Rumsfeld’s Attention Was Elsewhere,” Washington Post, June 20, 2006.

  156 Ibid.

  157 Mike Allen, “Details on Boeing Deal Sought; Senators Raise Questions About White House Involvement,” Washington Post, June 8, 2005.

  158 “Holes in the Tanker Story,” Washington Post, June 20, 2005.

  159 Transcript, “Hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee,” June 7, 2005.

  160 U.S. Senate lobbying registration records.

  161 Ibid.

  162 Author copy of Senator Grassley letter to Schmitz, dated August 8, 2005.

  163 Alicia Mundy, “Material Withheld from Tanker Report Angers Senate Panel; Many Names, Data Blacked Out—Key Pentagon Official Refused to Aid Probe,” Seattle Times, June 8, 2005.

  164 Joe Milicia, “Inspector General Says Prisoner Abuse Result of ‘Bad Eggs,’” Associated Press, June 25, 2004.

  165 “DoD Inspector General Lauds Bremer,” American Forces Information Service, November 15, 2004.

  166 Ibid.

  167 Ibid.

  168 Remarks as delivered by Department of Defense Inspector General Joseph E. Schmitz to Order of Malta, Federal Association, USA, at the Church of the Little Flower, Bethesda, Maryland, February 5, 2005.

  169 Blackwater USA press release, “Red Cross-Blackwater Fundraiser and Silent Auction a Huge Success!” November 23, 2005.

  170 George Cahlink, “Defense IG Schmitz Leaves for Senior Post With Blackwater,” Defense Daily, September 1, 2005.

  CHAPTER 19 1 Blackwater USA press release, “Blackwater USA Continues to Support Katrina Devastated Areas; Aid Focuses on Humanitarian, Security and Clean Up Needs,” September 13, 2005.

  2 Unless otherwise noted, descriptions of Blackwater’s operations and quotes from its personnel in New Orleans are from the author’s time there in September 2005.

  3 Alex Berenson and John M. Broder, “Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civilians,” New York Times, September 9, 2005.

  4 Joanne Kimberlin and Bill Sizemore, “Blackwater: On American Soil,” Virginian-Pilot, July 27, 2006.

  5 Ibid.

  6 Ted Roelofs, “Iraq or New Orleans, It’s All Part of the Job; Former Kentwood Cop Describes War-like Horrors from Security Assignment,” Grand Rapids Press, September 13, 2005.

  7 Ibid.

  8 Frank Borelli, “Blackwater in Louisiana,” SwatDigest.com, September 8, 2005.

  9 Griff Witte, “Private Security Contractors Head to Gulf,” Washington Post, September 8, 2005.

  10 Bill Sizemore, “Blackwater Employees Create a Stir in New Orleans,” Virginian-Pilot, September 15, 2005.

  11 Blackwater USA press release, “Blackwater Joins Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort!” September 1, 2005.

  12 Blackwater USA press release, “Blackwater USA Continues to Support Katrina Devastated Areas; Aid Focuses on Humanitarian, Security and Clean Up Needs,” September 13, 2005.

  13 Interview, May 2006.

  14 Lolly Bowean and Deborah Horan, “Outsiders Come Looking for Work,” Chicago Tribune, September 18, 2005.

  15 August Cole, “From Green Zone to French Quarter,” MarketWatch, September 18, 2005.

  16 Blackwater Tactical Weekly, September 19, 2005.

  17 August Cole, “From Green Zone to French Quarter,” MarketWatch, September 18, 2005.

  18 Author copy of Erik Prince’s speech at West 2006 conference in San Diego, January 11, 2006.

  19 Joanne Kimberlin and Bill Sizemore, “Blackwater: On American Soil,” Virginian-Pilot, July 27, 2006.

  20 Ibid.

  21 Author copy of contract.

  22 Interviews, September 2005.

  23 Author copy of government contract records.

  24 Interview, June 2006.

  25 Joanne Kimberlin and Bill Sizemore, “Blackwater: On American Soil,” Virginian-Pilot, July 27, 2006.

  26 Bruce Alpert, “Democrats Fight Repeal of Prevailing Wage Law; Recovery Contractors Can Reduce Salaries,” Times-Picayune (New Orleans), September 27, 2005.

  27 Pratap Chatterjee, “Big, Easy Iraqi-Style Contracts Flood New Orleans,” CorpWatch, September 20, 2005.

  28 Rita J. King, “A High-Stakes Game With Almost No Rules,” CorpWatch, August 16, 2006.

  29 Ibid.

  30 Spencer S. Hsu, “$400 Million FEMA Contracts Now Total $3.4 Billion,” Washington Post, August 9, 2006.

  31 “Fluor’s Slowed Iraq Work Frees It for Gulf Coast,” Reuters, September 9, 2005.

  32 Christian Parenti, “New Orleans: Raze or Rebuild?” The Nation online, September 12, 2005.

  33 Interviews, September 2005.

  34 Christopher Cooper, “Old-Line Families Escape Worst of Flood and Plot the Future,” Wall Street Journal, September 8, 2005.

  35 Interview, September 2006.

  36 ISI Web site, www.isiusa.us/html/about.swf, captured December 7, 2006.

  37 Transcript, “U.S. Senators Tom Coburn (R-Ok) and Barack Obama (D-Il) Hold a News Conference on Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts,” September 14, 2005.

  38 Author copy of letter.

  39 Author copy of letter.

  40 Interview, 2006.

  41 Author copy of memo.

  42 Joanne Kimberlin and Bill Sizemore, “Blackwater: On American Soil,” Virginian-Pilot, July 27, 2006.

  43 Renae Merle, “Storm-Wracked Parish Considers Hired Guns: Contractors in Louisiana Would Make Arrests, Carry Weapons,” Washington Post, March 14, 2006.

  44 LeRoy v. Blackwater USA, filed August 25, 2005, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.

  45 Joanne Kimberlin, “Fort Swaggart: Bible Campus Becomes Blackwater Base,” Virginian-Pilot, July 27, 2006.

  46 Joanne Kimberlin and Bill Sizemore, “Blackwater: On American Soil,” Virginian-Pilot, July 27, 2006.

  47 Author copy of Erik Prince’s speech at West 2006 conference in San Diego, January 11, 2006.

  48 Joanne Kimberlin and Bill Sizemore, “Blackwater: On American Soil,” Virginian-Pilot, July 27, 2006.

  49 Terry Rodgers, “Finish the Fence, Congressmen Say; Republican Leaders Gather at Border to Promote ‘Real ID Act,’” San Diego Union-Tribune, March 30, 2005.

  50 Press Release, “Rep. Rohrabacher Commends Minuteman Project,” April 19, 2005.

  51 Dan Robinson, “US Citizen Volunteers on Border Security: We Won’t Stop,” Voice of America, May 12, 2005.

  52 Transcript, “Hearing of the Management, Integration, and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee. Subject: Training More Border Agents: How the Department of Homeland Security Can Increase Training Capacity More Effectively,” May 24, 2005.

  53 Ibid.

  54 Ibid.

  55 Blackwater Tactical Weekly, June 13, 2005.

  56 Stephen Losey, “Border Patrol Should Consider Outsourcing its Training, Lawmaker Says,” Federal Times, May 27, 2005.

  57 Blackwater USA press release, “Red Cross-Blackwater Fundraiser and Silent Auction a Huge Success!” November 23, 2005.

  58 Ibid.

  59 Blackwater Tactical Weekly, August 28, 2006.

  60 Author copy of memo dated September 16, 2005.

  61 Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and James V. Grimaldi, “Lobby Firm Is Scandal Casualty; Abramoff, DeLay Publicity Blamed for Shutdown,” Washington Post, January 10, 2006.

  62 Government lobbying records.

  63 Judy Sarasohn, “Security Contractors Try Friendly Persuasion,” Washington Post, December 22, 2005; government lobbying records.

  64 Government lobbying records.

  65 Erik Prince bio from Prince Manufacturing.

  66 Paul Kane and John Bresnahan, “Letters Depict a Softer Abramoff,” Roll Call, March 29, 2006.

  67 Author copy of Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation records.

  68 Toward Tradition Web site, www.towardtradition.org.

  69 “The Rabbi Responds,” Seattle Weekly, January 18, 2006.

  70 Jack Abramoff plea agreement, January 3, 2006. />
  71 David Postman and Hal Bernton, “Abramoff Used Area Foundation as Conduit for Money,” Seattle Times, January 9, 2006.

  72 Ibid.

  73 Ibid.

  74 Kate Ackley and Tory Newmyer, “Key Clients Quit Alexander Strategy Group; Others Weigh Options,” Roll Call, January 11, 2006.

  75 Anna Palmer, “Pickups,” Legal Times, March 27, 2006.

  76 Ibid.

  CHAPTER 20 1 Transcript, President Bush speaking in the Oval Office, November 8, 2006.

  2 Renae Merle, “Census Counts 100,000 Contractors in Iraq,” Washington Post, December 5, 2006.

  3 Transcript, “Remarks By Vice President Dick Cheney at an Armed Forces Full Honor Review in Honor of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,” December 15, 2006.

  4 Transcript, Face the Nation, CBS, December 17, 2006.

  5 Peter Baker, “Bush to Expand Size of Military,” Washington Post, December 19, 2006.

  6 President George W. Bush, “State of the Union,” January 23, 2007.

  7 Nathan Hodge, “Washington Urged to Save Money By Raising Private Military ‘Contractor Brigade,’” Financial Times, February 10, 2005.

  8 Mark Hemingway, “Warriors for Hire: Blackwater USA and the Rise of Private Military Contractors,” The Weekly Standard, December 18, 2006.

  9 Mark Hemingway, “Warriors for Hire: Blackwater USA and the Rise of Private Military Contractors,” The Weekly Standard, December 18, 2006.

  10 Author copy of fact sheet from “6th International Special Operations Exhibition and Conference (SOFEX 2006),” held March 27-30, 2006, King Abdullah Air Base, Amman, Jordan.

  11 Ibid.

  12 “Record Number of Participants to Visit SOFEX 2006,” DefenseWorld.net, captured November 2, 2006.

  13 BlackwaterUSA.com.

  14 Official biography, “His Majesty King Abdullah II,” Jordanian Embassy to the United States, www.jordanembassyus.org/new/jib/monarchy/hmka.shtml, captured December 2, 2006.

  15 Riad Kahwaji, “Jordan Forming Spec Ops Air Unit; Contracted U.S. Aviators Will Conduct Training,” Armed Forces Journal, February 1, 2005.

  16 Ibid

  17 Ibid.

  18 Author copy of Erik Prince’s speech at West 2006.

  19 Riad Kahwaji, “Jordan Leads Region in Spec Ops Capabilities,” Defense News, March 20, 2006.

  20 “Exclusive Interview: Partner for Peace. His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” www.special-operations-technology.com/print_article.cfm?DocID=1361, undated.

  21 Jonathan Franklin, “The SWAT Olympics: North America’s Toughest, Most Heavily Armed Cops Go Head-to-Head in Live Ammo Games to See Who’s the Ultimate Badass. What’s Not to Love?” Maxim, September 2004.

  22 Blackwater USA press release, “Blackwater USA Parachute Team Launched,” March 21, 2006.

  23 Kelly Kennedy, “Private Firm Pitches Army-for-Hire Plan,” Air Force Times, April 10, 2006.

  24 Ibid.

  25 Ibid.

  26 Transcript, “Private Military Firm Pitches Its Services in Darfur,” National Public Radio, All Things Considered, May 26, 2006.

  27 Ibid.

  28 E-mail to author, December 2006.

  29 Transcript, Chris Taylor, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Blackwater USA, speaking at George Washington University Law School, January 28, 2005.

  30 E-mail to author, December 2006.

  31 Peter S. Goodman, “China Invests Heavily in Sudan’s Oil Industry; Beijing Supplies Arms Used on Villagers,” Washington Post, December 23, 2004.

  32 Ibid.

  33 C.I.A. World Factbook, https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2178rank.html, captured December 6, 2006.

  34 Peter S. Goodman, “China Invests Heavily In Sudan’s Oil Industry; Beijing Supplies Arms Used on Villagers,” Washington Post, December 23, 2004.

  35 Sara Flounders, “The U.S. Role in Darfur, Sudan: Oil Reserves Rivaling Those of Saudi Arabia?” The Centre for Research on Globalization, June 6, 2006.

  36 Mark Hemingway, “Warriors for Hire: Blackwater USA and the Rise of Private Military Contractors,” The Weekly Standard, December 18, 2006.

  37 Nathan Hodge, “Blackwater CEO Touts Private Peacekeeping Model,” Defense Daily, February 23, 2005.

  38 Ibid.

  39 Christian Freedom International “About Us,” www.christianfreedom.org/about_cfi/Statement%20of%20Faith.html, accessed on November 26, 2006.

  40 Jim Jacobson, “Slave Redemption Money Rewards the Slaver,” Washington Times, May 30, 1999.

  41 Ibid.

  42 “The Danger Zone” radio program, produced by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, October 8, 2006.

  43 Transcript, “Private Military Firm Pitches Its Services in Darfur,” National Public Radio, All Things Considered, May 26, 2006.

  44 Willis Witter, “Private Firms Eye Darfur,” Washington Times, October 2, 2006.

  45 Author copy of Erik Prince’s speech at West 2006.

  46 E-mail to author, December 2006.

  47 Mark Hemingway, “Warriors for Hire: Blackwater USA and the Rise of Private Military Contractors,” The Weekly Standard, December 18, 2006.

  48 Ibid.

  49 Max Boot, “Darfur Solution: Send in the Mercenaries,” Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2006.

  50 Ibid.

  51 Max Boot, “A Mercenary Force for Darfur,” Wall Street Journal, October 25, 2006.

  52 Ted Koppel, “These Guns for Hire,” New York Times, May 22, 2006.

  53 See: Democracy Now! “Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria’s Oil Dictatorship,” September 30, 1998.

  54 Unless otherwise noted, comments from Representative Schakowsky are drawn from an interview in June 2006.

  55 Kelly Kennedy, “Private Firm Pitches Army-for-Hire Plan,” Air Force Times, April 10, 2006.

  56 Joanne Kimberlin, “Blackwater Eyes Creation of Private ‘Brigade Force,’” Virginian-Pilot, July 28, 2006.

  57 Transcript, “Hearing of the National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations Subcommittee of the House Government Reform Committee,” June 13, 2006.

  58 IPOA Member List, http://ipoaonline.org/php/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=30, accessed December 7, 2006.

  59 J. J. Messner, letter to the editor, “Don’t Call Us Mercenaries!,” The Nation, July 10, 2006.

  60 James Rosen, “Contractors Operate in a Legal Gray Area; The Roles of an Interrogator and an Interpreter in the Abuse Scandal Are Murky. Even Less Clear Is Whom They Answer to,” Star Tribune, May 23, 2004.

  61 Rebecca Ulam Weiner, “Peace Corp.; As the International Community Dithers Over Darfur, Private Military Companies Say They’ve Got What It Takes to Stop the Carnage; If Only Someone Would Hire Them,” Boston Globe, April 23, 2006.

  62 IPOA History, http://ipoaonline.org/php/index.php?option=com_content& task=view&id =13&Itemid=30, captured December 7, 2006.

  63 Transcript, “Hearing of the National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations Subcommittee of the House Government Reform Committee,” June 13, 2006.

  64 Transcript, Chris Taylor, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Blackwater USA, speaking at George Washington University Law School, January 28, 2005.

  65 IPOA Code of Conduct, Version 10, http://ipoaonline.org/php/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=62, accessed December 7, 2006.

  66 Ibid.

  67 Transcript, “Hearing of the National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations Subcommittee of the House Government Reform Committee,” June 13, 2006.

  68 IPOA Mission Statement, http://ipoaonline.org/php/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=31, accessed December 7, 2006.

  69 Transcript, “Hearing of the National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations Subcommittee of the House Government Reform Committee,” June 13, 2006.

  70 P. W. Singer, Corporate Warriors, p. 114.

  71 Ibid
., pp. 116-117.