Congressman Defends War Profits

Staff / Truthdig May 16, 2007 Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., objects to the notion that it is improper to pay a private contractor four times as much as a U.S. soldier doing the same job: "It's actually somewhat of an insult, if I go down to Fort Stewart and tell 'em they're underpaid, because they're really not motivated by pay as much as they are by patriotism." If only Halliburton felt the same way. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Legal Stealing’

Staff / Truthdig May 10, 2007 This is the four-minute highlight reel from "Iraq for Sale" that documentarian Robert Greenwald wanted to screen for Congress as part of his testimony. Republicans blocked him from doing so. If you haven't been following the outrageous war profiteering going on in Iraq -- like many of our elected officials -- this is a must-see clip. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Iraq’s ‘Hidden War’

Staff / Truthdig Apr 15, 2007 Private U.S. contractors roam the battle zones of Iraq with impunity, and the Bush administration doesn't even know if the actions of these hired guns are governed by any code of law. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jeremy Scahill on Soldiers of Fortune

Staff / Truthdig Mar 30, 2007 The writer speaks with Truthdig about his new book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," privatization in America and abroad, and our dysfunctional democracy. Dig deeper ( 17 Min. Read )

Powell: How America Supports the Troops

Dwayne Powell / Truthdig Feb 10, 2007 Dig deeper

Oversight Hearing Reveals Contractor Abuses

Staff / Truthdig Feb 8, 2007 Last year, the Army vehemently denied allegations that Halliburton had hired Blackwater, another private contractor, to provide security in Iraq, but in a hearing before the House Government Oversight Committee on Wednesday, the military reversed itself. The committee also made public an e-mail from a Blackwater employee who frantically demanded that the firm properly equip its guards, four of whom were killed hours after the message was written. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Military Fed Up With Civilian Agencies

Staff / Truthdig Feb 7, 2007 The Pentagon has had it with picking up the slack from civilian agencies in Iraq, grumbling its concerns to the president and even Congress. The military has been forced to fill jobs that otherwise would be performed by civilians, mainly from the State Department, which, unlike the Army, can't force people to work under the nightmarish conditions it helped to create. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Satellite Spy Agency Gets Bilked

Staff / Truthdig Feb 7, 2007 Spy satellites provide much of the intelligence community's raw data, whether snapshots of Iran's nuclear facilities or al-Qaida training camps. David Kaplan has the story on how the National Reconnaissance Office, the $7.5-billion-a-year agency that builds and operates the satellites, has had to contend with potentially massive fraud among its many contractors. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Tens of Millions Wasted in Iraq

Staff / Truthdig Jan 31, 2007 The latest report from the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction says tens of millions of dollars have been wasted because of failure and fraud. Among other abuses, the report cites a never-used $48.3-million housing facility, complete with an Olympic-size swimming pool. If Willie Sutton were alive today, he'd head straight to Baghdad. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Canadian Coins Signal Mysterious Espionage Plot

Staff / Truthdig Jan 12, 2007 The Defense Department says it has learned of a plot to spy on US contractors with classified security clearances traveling through Canada Though it released few other details, the U Defense Security Service says it found tiny transmitters hidden in Canadian coins. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Robert Scheer: Ike Was Right

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Dec 27, 2006 Many critics of the war suggest that the U.S. remains in Iraq because it wants that nation's petroleum. But oil is not the primary reason. Instead, look to the military-industrial complex, a threat that President Eisenhower warned of in the 1960s. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Shadow Army

Staff / Truthdig Dec 22, 2006 When debating troop levels in Iraq, one ought not to forget the countless bodyguards, interpreters, truck drivers and mercenaries scattered around the country. Apparently not even Central Command has a firm grasp of just how many civilian contractors are employed in Iraq -- a number that could be as high as 100,000. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )