A COR! A COR! My Afghan Kingdom for a COR!
On March 29 the Government Accountability Office released a report on the state of military contracting oversight in Afghanistan.
On March 29 the Government Accountability Office released a report on the state of military contracting oversight in Afghanistan.
David Isenberg | Posted 04.07.2012
The latest Quarterly and Semiannual Report of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction was released January 30. What follows are relevant excerpts of some of the more noteworthy contractor related activities.
David Isenberg | Posted 02.24.2012
Anyone who has ever used a contractor for anything knows they all have one thing in common, aside from actually doing the job. And that is to do more jobs for you in the future. In short they want your continued business.
David Isenberg | Posted 02.17.2012
As what was Blackwater, then Xe, sails off into the sunset and Academi unfurls its sails, I wish it well. As they say, third time's the charm.
David Isenberg | Posted 02.08.2012
For those who follow private military contracting issues, it sometimes seems that all the focus is on the United States. That is understandable given the sheer number and value of contracts performed by the private sector in the US but it is hardly the only country doing this.
David Isenberg | Posted 01.28.2012
While the quantity and quality of literature on the subject has both increased in volume and improved in quality, it is still rare to find publications which focus on the strategic impact of private military and security contractors.
David Isenberg | Posted 12.20.2011
Who says the U.S. government doesn't have a sense of humor, not to mention irony? Proof that it does can be seen in a recent, if little noted contrac...
AP | DERRIK J. LANG | Posted 12.04.2011
LOS ANGELES — In the world of video games, realism reigns supreme, but the makers of a game based on the infamous private security firm Blackwat...
David Isenberg | Posted 11.29.2011
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that using PMSC isn't cost effective, at least some of the time. I am saying that the work substantiating the blanket claim made for them has not been done.
David Isenberg | Posted 11.13.2011
Empire through an internationally sourced feminized labor force. Isn't globalization wonderful?
David Isenberg | Posted 11.02.2011
Anybody who was dreaming that that the military was going to divest itself of contractors can put that fantasy to rest. Now that the CWC has said the government is over-reliant on contractors, you can see that we have a bit of a contradiction.
David Isenberg | Posted 10.25.2011
Private military and security contracting folks like to point out that despite past mistakes and problems in oversight and accountability of such contracts, overall things are getting better. But are they really?
David Isenberg | Posted 08.14.2011
Although it may come as a shock to both the Republican and Tea parties, apparently providing religious services to troops is not an 'inherently governmental' function.
David Isenberg | Posted 07.23.2011
How fast has spending on private military contracting grown? A new report states that in FY 1990 spending was $49 billion. In FY 2010 it was $161 billion, or just over 40 percent of all contract spending.
David Isenberg | Posted 07.15.2011
Private military and security contractors are the military's equivalent of the American Express card: it cannot go to war without them. Of course, as anyone who has ever used one knows, every credit card is a problem if you use it too much.
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now I feel good, I knew that I would, now So good, so good, I got you - I Feel Good, James Brown Mov...
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
It is not a secret that as Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George W. Bush Donald Rumsfeld was sympathetic to using private military cont...
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
This past Monday the always useful Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan held a hearing. The topic was "Recurring problems in Afghan construction."
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
This is the fourth of five excerpts from law professor Laura Dickinson's book, Outsourcing War and Peace: Preserving Public Values in a World of Priva...
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
This is the third of five excerpts from law professor Laura Dickinson's book, Outsourcing War and Peace: Preserving Public Values in a World of Privat...
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
Here is the second of five excerpts from law professor Laura Dickinson's book, Outsourcing War and Peace: Preserving Public Values in a World of Priva...
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
It's a new year so it's time for a new book on private military contractors. Out later this month is Outsourcing War and Peace: Preserving Public Valu...
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
The perennial issue regarding private military security contractors is the degree to which they are subject to effective oversight. In that regard there is only one item in today's news worth looking at.
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
It appears that the old Hillary Clinton, the one who ran for president of the United States has managed to travel forward in time and merge with the c...
David Isenberg | Posted 05.25.2011
It's time for another check on private military contractor accountability. And I'm not talking about a critique from some liberal watchdog group or th...
David Isenberg | Posted 04.04.2012