User:Lawrence Cohen/work/Blackwater USA
Blackwater USA is a private military company[1] founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. It has alternatively been referred to as a security contractor or a mercenary organization by numerous reports in the international media.[2][3][4][5][6] Blackwater is based in the U.S. state of North Carolina, where it operates a tactical training facility that it claims is the world's largest. The company trains more than 40,000 people a year, from all the military services and a variety of other agencies. The company markets itself as being "the most responsive, cost-effective means of affecting the strategic balance in support of security and peace, and freedom and democracy everywhere."[7]
Blackwater is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors, providing a total of 987 contractors. Of the 987 provided, 744 are American citizens.[8][9] At least 90 percent of its revenue comes from government contracts, two-thirds of which are no-bid contracts.[10] Missions conducted by Blackwater Security Consulting have raised significant controversy both through casualties suffered[11] and inflicted by their employees.[12] Blackwater USA is currently contracted by the United States government to provide security services in the Iraq War.[13] The cost for each Blackwater guard in Iraq, $445,000 per year, has also come under fire.[14]
Corporate history (4-6 paragraphs)
[edit]Existing corporate history section is decent, needs work.
Blackwater roles in the Iraq War (6 paragraphs)
[edit]- Overview of BWUSA roles in the present Iraq War. Incidents not covered in sub-articles in lead. Wide-scope paragraph. Then, we cover (no sub-sections, all prose):
- Fallujah mission, 2004 (paragraph).
- Murder of vice-presidential guard (paragraph).
- Baghdad shooting controversy (paragraph).
- Evacuation of Polish diplomat (paragraph).
- Legal status of Blackwater USA staff (paragraph).
Other known work performed by Blackwater (3-5 paragraphs)
[edit]Section on and and all non-Iraq War operations that have been disclosed. Current post-Katrina section goes here. First half domestic, second half international?
- Overview/section lead.
- Katrina involvement.
- Domestic operations--anti-terror, War on Drugs.
- Foreign operations, non-Iraq. Japanese security.
Litigation (at least 3 paragraphs)
[edit]Non-list, prose breakdown of all current and former notable litigation involving BWUSA. Current live section isn't horrible. Clean up.
- Overview/section lead.
- Scott Helvenston.
- General other litigation (one liners, basically)
Controversy and criticism
[edit]Obvious. Prosify.
"Contractors" or "mercenaries"?
[edit]The crash of Blackwater 61 in Afghanistan
[edit]Arms smuggling
[edit]Congressional investigation
[edit]New rules from State Department
[edit]See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]External links and references
[edit]Lots of good stuff that Cla68 gathered up; once the restructure is done we need to parse them all. Lots of possible content in there--on the scale of multiple paragraphs probably or whole sections.
- ^ Gielink, Dirk (2007). "No Contractors on the Battlefield: The Dutch Military's Reluctance to Outsource". In Thomas Jäger, Gerhard Kümmel (ed.). Private Military and Security Companies: Chances, Problems, Pitfalls and Prospects. VS Verlag. p. 149. ISBN 978-3531149011.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Sunday Herald, Scotland, "BACK IN IRAQ: THE 'WHORES OF WAR'", October 2, 2007.
- ^ Jeremey Scahill, The Nation, "Will Blackwater Be Kicked Out of Iraq After Recent Bloodbath?", September 28, 2007.
- ^ David Swanson, Scoop New Zealand, "Observing Our Government Through Blackwater", September 29, 2007.
- ^ Ian Bruce, The Herald, London, "Blackwater uses armed force ‘twice as often as other Iraq firms’", September 28, 2007.
- ^ Tehran Times, "Blackwater admits employees illegally sold weapons", September 23, 2007.
- ^ About Us Blackwater USA
- ^ Matthew Lee, "Feds Target Blackwater in Weapons Probe", Associated Press, September 22, 2007.
- ^ Jennifer Elsea, Nina Serafino, "[1]", CRS report for congress, Private security contractors in Iraq: Background, legal status and other issues
- ^ hamptonroads Blackwater: On the Front Lines by Bill Sizemore and Joanne Kimberline, The Virginian-Pilot, July 25, 2006
- ^ 'Residents hang slain Americans' bodies from bridge' — CNN.com
- ^ Pentagon Dispatches Investigators to Iraq to Probe Private Security Contractors foxnews.com (AP) September 26, 2007.
- ^ Blackwater USA Oversight records.
- ^ Stout, David (October 1, 2007). "Report Depicts Recklessness at Blackwater". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-04.