Academi

1
Academi
For Plato's Akademia, see Platonic Academy. For the Welsh agency formerly named "the Academi", see Literature
Wales.
Academi
Type Private
Industry Private security services contractor
Founded 1997
Founders Erik Prince
Headquarters
McLean, Virginia, U.S.
[1]
Area served Worldwide
Key people Craig Nixon
Products Law enforcement training, logistics, close quarter training, and security services
Services Security management, full-service risk management consulting
Website
www.Academi.com
[2]
Academi is an American private military company, founded in 1997 by Erik Prince. Formerly known as
Blackwater,
[3]
the company was renamed "Xe Services" in 2009, and "Academi" in 2011.
[4]
The company was
purchased in late 2010 by a group of private investors who changed the name to Academi and instituted a board of
directors and new senior management. Prince retained the rights to the name Blackwater and has no affiliation with
Academi. The company received widespread publicity in 2007, when a group of its employees killed 17 Iraqi
civilians and injured 20 in Nisour Square, Baghdad.
Academi continues to provide security services to the United States federal government on a contractual basis. The
Obama administration contracted the group to provide services for the CIA for $250million. In 2013, Academi
subsidiary International Development Solutions received an approximately $92million contract for State
Department security guards.
In 2014, the company became a division of Constellis Holdings along with Triple Canopy and other security
companies that were part of the Constellis Group as the result of an acquisition.
1997 Blackwater USA
Blackwater USA was formed in 1997, by Al Clark and Erik Prince in North Carolina, to provide training support to
military and law enforcement organizations. In explaining Blackwater's purpose, Prince stated: "We are trying to do
for the national security apparatus what FedEx did for the Postal Service". After working with SEAL and SWAT
teams, Blackwater USA received its first government contract after the bombing of the USS Cole off of the coast of
Yemen in October 2000. After winning the bid on the contract, Jamie Smith ran the program at Blackwater that
trained over 100,000 sailors.
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Training center
Prince purchased (from Dow Jones Executive, Sean Trotter) approximately 7,000 acres (28km
2
) of the Great Dismal
Swamp, a vast swamp on the North Carolina/Virginia border, now mostly a national wildlife refuge. "We needed
3,000 acres to make it safe", Prince told reporter Robert Young Pelton. There, he created his private training facility
and his contracting company, Blackwater, which he named for the peat-colored water of the swamp. The Blackwater
Lodge and Training Center officially opened on May 15, 1998 with a 6,000-acre facility and cost $6.5million.
Blackwater's primary training facility, opened by Jonathan Elliott and Nic Norment in 2001, is located on 7,000
acres (28km
2
) in northeastern North Carolina. It comprises several ranges: indoor, outdoor, urban reproductions; an
artificial lake; and a driving track in Camden and Currituck counties. The company says it is the largest training
facility in the country. The concept was not a financial success and was kept financially solvent by sales from sister
company Blackwater Target Systems. In November 2006, Blackwater USA announced it had recently acquired an
80-acre (32ha) facility 150 miles (240km) west of Chicago in Mount Carroll, Illinois, called Impact Training
Center. This facility is also known as "The Site". This facility has been operational since April 2007 and serves law
enforcement agencies throughout the Midwest.Wikipedia:Citation needed
2002: Blackwater Security Company
Jamie Smith, founding Director of Blackwater
Security and former Vice President of Blackwater
USA
Blackwater Security Company (BSC) was the brainchild of Jamie
Smith, a former CIA officer who became Vice President of Blackwater
USA and the Founding Director of Blackwater Security Company,
holding both positions simultaneously. BSC's first assignment was to
provide 20 men with top secret clearance to protect the CIA
headquarters and another base that was responsible for hunting Osama
bin Laden. Blackwater was one of several private security firms
employed following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. BSC was
originally formed as a Delaware LLC and was one of over 60 private
security firms employed during the Iraq War to guard officials and
installations, train Iraq's new army and police, and provide other
support for coalition forces.
[5]
Smith left Blackwater to start his own
firm, SCG International Risk, in 2003. Blackwater was also hired
during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by the United States
Department of Homeland Security, as well as by private clients,
including communications, petrochemical, and insurance
companies.Wikipedia:Please clarify Overall, the company received
over US$1billion in U.S. government contracts. The company
consisted of nine divisions and a subsidiary, Blackwater Vehicles.
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Paul Bremer escorted by Blackwater Security
guards
In August 2003, Blackwater received its first Iraq contract, a $21
million contract for a Personal Security Detachment and two
helicopters for Paul Bremer, head of the U.S. occupation in Iraq.
[6]
In July 2004 Blackwater was hired by the U.S. State Department under
the Bureau of Diplomatic Security's Worldwide Personal Protective
Services (WPPS) umbrella contract, along with DynCorp International
and Triple Canopy, Inc. for protective services in Iraq, Afghanistan,
Bosnia, and Israel.
[7]
The applied for two years and expired on June 6,
2006. It authorized 482 personnel, and Blackwater received $488m for
its work.
On September 1, 2005 following Hurricane Katrina, Blackwater
dispatched a rescue team and helicopter, free of charge, to support relief operations.
[8]
Following that, it was reported
that the company also acted as law enforcement in the disaster stricken areas, such as securing neighborhoods and
"confronting criminals".
[9]
Blackwater moved about 200 personnel into the area hit by Hurricane Katrina, most of
whom (164 employees) were working under a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to protect
government facilities,
[10]
but the company held contracts with private clients as well. Overall, Blackwater had a
"visible, and financially lucrative, presence in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as the use of the
company contractors cost U.S. taxpayers $240,000 a day."
[11]
In May 2006, the U.S. State Department awarded WPPS II, the successor to its previous diplomatic security contract.
Under this contract, the State Department awarded Blackwater, along with Triple Canopy and DynCorp, a contract
for diplomatic security in Iraq. Under this contract, Blackwater is authorized to have 1,020 staff in Iraq. Blackwater's
responsibilities include the United States embassy in Iraq.
[12]
Jamie Smith along Pakistani border in
Afghanistan 2002
At the time it was a privately held company and published limited
information about internal affairs. Its founder and CEO at the time,
Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL, attended the Naval Academy and
graduated from Hillsdale College.
Cofer Black, the company's vice-chairman from 2006 through 2008,
was director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center (CTC) at the time of
the September 11 attacks in 2001. He was the United States
Department of State coordinator for counterterrorism with the rank of
Ambassador-at-Large from December 2002 to November 2004. After
leaving public service, Black became chairman of the privately owned
intelligence-gathering company Total Intelligence Solutions, Inc., as
well as vice-chairman of Blackwater.
Robert Richer was vice president of intelligence until January 2007, when he formed Total Intelligence Solutions.
He was formerly the head of the CIA's Near East Division.
Blackwater tried to open an 824-acre (3.33km
2
) training facility three miles north of Potrero, a small town in rural
east San Diego County, California, located 45 miles (72km) east of San Diego, for military and law enforcement
training. The opening had faced heavy opposition from local residents, residents of nearby San Diego, local
Congressmember Bob Filner, and environmentalist and anti-war organizations. Opposition focused on a potential for
wildfire increases, the proposed facility's proximity to the Cleveland National Forest, noise pollution, and opposition
to the actions of Blackwater in Iraq. In response, Brian Bonfiglio, project manager for Blackwater West, said: "There
will be no explosives training and no tracer ammunition. Lead bullets don't start fires." In October 2007, when
wildfires swept through the area, Blackwater made at least three deliveries of food, water, personal hygiene products
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and generator fuel to 300 residents near the proposed training site, many of whom had been trapped for days without
supplies. They also set up a "tent city" for evacuees. On March 7, 2008, Blackwater withdrew its application to set
up a facility in San Diego County.
2007: Blackwater Worldwide
In October 2007, Blackwater USA began the process of changing its name to Blackwater Worldwide and unveiled a
new logo. The change deemphasized the "cross hair" reticle theme, simplifying it slightly.
On July 21, 2008, Blackwater Worldwide stated that it would shift resources away from security contracting because
of the extensive risks in that sector. "The experience we've had would certainly be a disincentive to any other
companies that want to step in and put their entire business at risk," company founder and CEO Erik Prince told The
Associated Press during a daylong visit to Blackwater's North Carolina compound.
2009: Xe Services LLC
Xe logo
In February 2009, Blackwater announced that it would change its name
again, to "Xe Services LLC", as part of a company-wide restructuring
plan. Subsequently, it reorganized its business units, added a corporate
governance and ethics program, and established an independent
committee of outside experts to supervise compliance structures.
Prince announced his resignation as CEO on March 2, 2009. He
remained as chairman of the board but was no longer involved in
day-to-day operations. Joseph Yorio was named as the new president
and CEO, replacing Gary Jackson as president and Prince as CEO;
Yorio and his team are credited with restructuring the company,
resolving several legal issues, implementing numerous internal
controls and compliance programs, and improving the top and bottom
line all the while positioning it for sale. Danielle Esposito was named
the new chief operating officer and executive vice president.
In 2009, Prince announced that he would relinquish involvement in the company's day-to-day business in December,
along with some of his ownership rights. He also said he considered becoming a teacher. In late 2010, Prince moved
to Abu Dhabi, where he subsequently started another security services company, Reflex Responses.
2010: Academi
In 2010, a group of private investors purchased Xe's training facility in Moyock, NC and built a new company
around it named Academi. The new ownership instituted a board of directors and entirely new management system,
including a full compliance and governance program. The Academi Board of Directors includes former Attorney
General John Ashcroft, former White House Counsel and Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Jack Quinn, retired
Admiral and former Director of the National Security Agency Bobby Ray Inman,
[13]
and Texas businessman Red
McCombs, who serves as Chairman of the Board. Jack Quinn and John Ashcroft both serve as independent directors
of Academi.
In May 2011, Academi named Ted Wright as CEO. Wright hired Suzanne Rich Folsom as Academi's chief
regulatory and compliance officer and deputy general counsel. The Academi Regulatory and Compliance team won
the 2012 National Law Journal's Corporate Compliance Office of the Year Award.
[14]
In 2012, Brigadier General (ret.) Craig Nixon was named the new CEO of Academi.
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2014: Constellis Holdings
A merger between Triple Canopy and Academi, along with other companies that were part of the Constellis Group
package, are now all gathered under the Constellis Holdings, Inc. umbrella. The transaction brings together an array
of security companies including Triple Canopy, Constellis Ltd., Strategic Social, Tidewater Global Services,
National Strategic Protective Services, ACADEMI Training Center and International Development Solutions.
Board of directors
Red McCombs (chairman)
[15]
John Ashcroft
Dean Bosacki
Jason DeYonker
Bobby Ray Inman
Jack Quinn
Russ Robinson
Services and products
Academi has a variety of services and product offerings.
United States Training Center
Shooters take part in firearms training held at the
U.S. Training Center in Moyock, North Carolina.
United States Training Center (USTC, formerly Blackwater Training
Center) offers tactics and weapons training to military, government,
and law enforcement agencies. USTC also offers several
open-enrollment courses periodically throughout the year, from hand to
hand combat (executive course) to precision rifle marksmanship. They
also offer courses in tactical and off-road driving.
USTC's primary training facility, located on 7,000 acres (28km
2
) in
northeastern North Carolina, comprises several ranges, indoor,
outdoor, urban reproductions, a man-made lake, and a driving track in
Camden and Currituck counties. Company literature says that it is the
largest training facility in the country. In November 2006 Blackwater
USA announced it acquired an 80-acre (32ha) facility 150 miles
(240km) west of Chicago, in Mount Carroll, Illinois, to be called Blackwater North. That facility has been
operational since April 2007 and serves law enforcement agencies throughout the Midwest. The training facility has
since been renamed Impact Training Center and once again has been renamed Hollow Training Center.
In 2011, the Pentagon contracted USTC to provide "intelligence analyst support and material procurement" for
NATO in the ongoing Afghan drug war.
Maritime security service
Academi offers tactical training for maritime force protection units. In the past, it has trained Greek security forces
for the 2004 Olympics, Azerbaijan Naval Sea Commandos, and Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior. Academi's
facilities include a man-made lake, with stacked containers simulating the hull and deck of a ship for maritime
assaults. Blackwater received a contract to train United States Navy sailors, which was managed by Jamie Smith,
following the attack on the USSCole. It also purchased a 183-foot (56m) vessel, McArthur, which has been
outfitted for disaster response and training. According to Blackwater USA, it features "state of the art navigation
systems, full GMDSS communications, SEATEL Broadband, dedicated command and control bays, helicopter
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decks, hospital and multiple support vessel capabilities." McArthur was built in 1966 by the Norfolk Shipbuilding
and Drydock Company and served as the survey ship USC&GS McArthur (MSS 22) for the United States Coast and
Geodetic Survey from 1966 to 1970 and as NOAAS McArthur (S 330) for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration from 1970 until her decommissioning in 2003. The ship is home-ported in Norfolk, Virginia.
[16]
K-9 training
Training canines to work in patrol capacities as war dogs, explosives and drug detection, and various other roles for
military and law enforcement duties.
Blackwater MD-530F over Republican Palace,
Baghdad
Security consulting
Blackwater Security Consulting (BSC) was formed as a Delaware LLC
in December 2001 and was the brainchild of Jamie Smith, a former
CIA officer who was the Founding Director as well as acting Vice
President of Blackwater USA. The company, based in Moyock, North
Carolina, is one of the private security firms employed during the Iraq
War to guard officials and installations, train Iraq's new army and
police, and provide other support for coalition forces.
The company was started to help train SEALS for combat. However, in
the aftermath of 9/11, civilian security teams were needed by the
United States Military.
Before 2001, tier-one contractors, or former members of elite, special forces units, were hired from a small pool of
applicants. After the September 11 attacks, Cofer Black, the former head of counter terrorism at the CIA, requested
that the federal government hire more contractors to operate overseas. Eventually, the CIA realized that a large
number of civilian contractors would be needed overseas to accomplish its broad goals. The federal government
turned to Blackwater for assistance. Jamie Smith and his deputy David Phillips recruited, vetted and hired a 21-man
team. This team was then trained and deployed on a Top Secret project to provide protection for CIA personnel and
facilities in Afghanistan. Jamie Smith and Erik Prince deployed with the team to Afghanistan. The two then
deployed to the Pakistani border as a two-man element providing security assistance in one of the most dangerous
places in the country at the time. Prince stayed there for one week and was in Afghanistan for a total of two weeks,
leaving Smith and the remainder of the team to continue to carry out the mission.
By 2003, the ground war in Iraq changed into a diplomatic mission, demanding hundreds of diplomats and State
Department employees. The government traditionally handles its own security, but it lacked the staff for high-risk
protection details. Therefore a different type of protection was needed, and Blackwater would provide the solution.
Blackwater's founder, Erik Prince, says that "not one State Department employee was killed while we were
protecting them."
Academi's primary public contract is from the U.S. State Department under the Bureau of Diplomatic Security's
Worldwide Personal Protective Services (WPPS) and WPPS II umbrella contracts, along with DynCorp International
and Triple Canopy, Inc., for protective services in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Israel.
[17]
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Products
Target systems
Academi provides and maintains a "shoot house" system and patented the BEAR multi-target training system that
was designed and developed by the company. Blackwater Target Systems company was managed by Jim Dehart and
the company was largely responsible for keeping Blackwater Training Center financially solvent until the creation of
Blackwater Security Company by Smith.
Grizzly armored vehicle
Academi operates and markets its own armored personnel carrier, the Grizzly APC.
Former corporate units
Aviation Worldwide Services
Main article: Presidential Airways (charter)
AWS CASA C-212 Aviocar in Afghanistan.
Aviation Worldwide Services (AWS) was founded by Richard Pere
and Tim Childrey, and was based at Melbourne, Florida, USA. It
owned and operated three subsidiaries: STI Aviation, Inc. Air Quest,
Inc. and Presidential Airways, Inc. In April 2003 it was acquired by
Blackwater USA.
[18]
Presidential Airways (PAW) is a Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) Regulations Part 135 charter cargo and passenger airline based
at Melbourne International Airport. It operates aircraft owned by AWS.
Presidential Airways holds a Secret Facility Clearance from the U.S.
Department of Defense. It operates several CASA 212 aircraft in
addition to a Boeing 767. Several of the MD-530 helicopters used by Blackwater Security Consulting in Iraq are also
operated through AWS.
[19]
A CASA 212 aircraft, tail number N960BW, operated by Presidential Airways crashed on November 27, 2004, in
Afghanistan; it had been a contract flight for the United States Air Force en route from Bagram to Farah.
[20]
All
aboard, three soldiers and three civilian crew members, were killed. Several of their surviving kin filed a wrongful
death lawsuit against Presidential in October 2005.
[21]
In late September 2007, Presidential Airways received a $92m contract from the Department of Defense for air
transportation in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
[22][23]
STI Aviation focuses on aircraft maintenance, and is a FAA/Joint Aviation Authorities 145 repair station. They
specialize in Short 360, EMB 120, Saab 340, and CASA 212 maintenance. As of January 2008, STI Aviation
appears to have been folded into AWS, along with Air Quest.
[24]
Many of Blackwater's tactical and training aircraft are registered to Blackwater affiliate EP Aviation LLC, named for
Blackwater's owner, Erik Prince. These aircraft include fourteen Bell 412 helicopters, three Hughes/MD 369 "Little
Bird" helicopters, four Bell 214ST medium-lift helicopters, three Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIC turboprop
airliners, nine Arospatiale Puma utility helicopters, a Maule Air MT-7-235 STOL aircraft, an Embraer EMB 314
Super Tucano counterinsurgency aircraft, and a Mooney M20E fixed wing aircraft.
[25]
Aviation Worldwide Services was purchased for $200million in 2010 by AAR Corp., an Illinois company. In a letter
released on February 8, 2011, the new owners informed state officials that they are shutting down the Moyock, North
Carolina, operation and moving some employees to a new business location in Melbourne, Florida. Some 260 staff
are affected with about 50 losing their jobs, beginning at the end of February. The company views the aviation
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division as a growth opportunity.
Greystone Limited
In 2010, Greystone was acquired by current management. Greystone now operates as a standalone, management
owned provider of protective support services and training.
A private security service, Greystone is registered in Barbados, and employs soldiers for off-shore security work
through its affiliate Satelles Solutions, Inc.
[26]
Their web site advertises their ability to provide "personnel from the
best militaries throughout the world" for worldwide deployment. Tasks can be from very small scale up major
operations to "facilitate large scale stability operations requiring large numbers of people to assist in securing a
region".
Erik Prince intended Greystone to be used for peacekeeping missions in areas like Darfur where military operations
would need to take place to establish peace.
Greystone had planned to open a training facility on the former grounds of the Subic Bay U.S. Naval Base, but those
plans were later abandoned.
Former international services
Blackwater CASA 212 over Afghanistan
dropping supplies to U.S. Army soldiers
According to a company press release, Blackwater provided airlift,
security, logistics, and transportation services, as well as humanitarian
support. It was reported that the company also acted as law
enforcement in the disaster-stricken areas, for example securing
neighborhoods and confronting criminals.
[27]
Blackwater moved about
200 personnel into the area hit by Hurricane Katrina, most of whom
(164 employees) were working under a contract with the Department
of Homeland Security to protect government facilities,
[28]
but the
company held contracts with private clients as well. Overall,
Blackwater had a "visible, and financially lucrative, presence in the
immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as the use of the company
contractors cost U.S. taxpayers $240,000 a day."
Academi (then Blackwater USA) was one of five companies picked in September 2007 by the Department of
Defense Counter-Narcotics Technology Program Office in a five-year contract for equipment, material and services
in support of counter-narcotics activities. The contract is worth up to $15billion. The other companies picked are
Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, OHI, and Arinc Inc.
[29]
Blackwater USA has also been contracted
by various foreign governments. The DEA and DoD counternarcotics program is supported by Blackwater
Worldwide in Afghanistan as well. Blackwater is involved on DoD side of the counter-narcotics program in
Afghanistan says Jeff Gibson, vice president for international training at Blackwater. We interdict. The NIU
surgically goes after shipments going to Iran or Pakistan. We provide training to set up roadblocks, identify where
drug lords are, and act so as not to impact the community. In 2008, about 16 Blackwater personnel were in
Afghanistan at any given time to support DoD and DEA efforts at training facilities around the country. Blackwater
is also involved in mentoring Afghan officials in drug interdiction and counter narcotics. As Richard Douglas, a
deputy assistant secretary of defense, explained, "The fact is, we use Blackwater to do a lot of our training of
counternarcotics police in Afghanistan. I have to say that Blackwater has done a very good job." The Obama
administration awarded Academi a $250million contract to work for the U.S. State Department and the Central
Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan.
In 2005, Blackwater worked to train the Naval Sea Commando regiment of Azerbaijan, enhancing their interdiction
capabilities on the Caspian Sea.
[30]
In Asia, Blackwater had contracts in Japan guarding AN/TPY-2 radar systems.
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In March 2006, Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater USA, allegedly suggested at an international conference
in Amman, Jordan, that the company was ready to move towards providing security professionals up to brigade size
(3,0005,000) for humanitarian efforts and low-intensity conflicts.
[31]
The company denies making this claim.
[32]
Mark Manzetti, writing in the New York Times on August 19, 2009, reported that the CIA had hired Blackwater "as
part of a secret program to locate and assassinate top operatives of Al Qaeda." Newly appointed CIA director Leon
Panetta had recently acknowledged a planned secret targeted killing program, one withheld from Congressional
oversight. Manzetti's sources, which tied the program to Blackwater, declined to have their names made public. The
CIA was acting on a 2001 presidential legal pronouncement, known as a finding, which authorized the CIA to pursue
such efforts.
[33]
Several million dollars were spent on planning and training, but it was never put into operation and
no militants were caught or captured. Manzanettie notes that it was unknown "whether the C.I.A. had planned to use
the contractors to actually capture or kill Al Qaeda operatives, or just to help with training and surveillance in the
program." Jeremy Scahill reported in The Nation in November 2009 that Blackwater operated alongside the CIA in
Pakistan in "snatch and grab" operations targeting senior members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The report cited an
unnamed source who has worked on covert US military programs, who revealed that senior members of the Obama
administration may not be aware that Blackwater is operating under a US contract in Pakistan. A spokesman for
Blackwater denied the claims, stating that they have "only one employee in Pakistan."
Iraq War involvement
Blackwater Worldwide has played a substantial role during the Iraq War as a contractor for the United States
government. In 2003, Blackwater attained its first high-profile contract when it received a $27.7million no-bid
contract for guarding the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer.
[34]
Since June 2004, Blackwater has been paid more than $320million out of a $1billion, five-year State Department
budget for the Worldwide Personal Protective Service, which protects U.S. officials and some foreign officials in
conflict zones.
On April 21, 2005, six Blackwater USA independent contractors were killed in Iraq when their Mil Mi-8 Hip
helicopter was shot down. Also killed were three Bulgarian crewmembers and two Fijian gunners. Initial reports
indicated that the helicopter was shot down by rocket propelled grenades.
In 2006, a car accident occurred in the Baghdad Green Zone when an SUV driven by Blackwater USA contractors
crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee.
In 2006, Blackwater was awarded a contract to protect diplomats for the U.S. embassy in Iraq, the largest American
embassy in the world. It is estimated by the Pentagon and company representatives that there are 20,000 to 30,000
armed security contractors working in Iraq, and some estimates are as high as 100,000, though no official figures
exist. Of the State Department's dependence on private contractors like Blackwater for security purposes, U.S.
ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker told the U.S. Senate: "There is simply no way at all that the State Department's
Bureau of Diplomatic Security could ever have enough full-time personnel to staff the security function in Iraq.
There is no alternative except through contracts."
For work in Iraq, the company has drawn contractors from their international pool of professionals, a database
containing "21,000 former Special Forces operatives, soldiers, and retired law enforcement agents," overall.
[]
For
instance, Gary Jackson, the firm's president, has confirmed that Bosnians, Filipinos, and Chileans "have been hired
for tasks ranging from airport security to protecting Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority."
Between 2005 and September 2007, Blackwater security staff were involved in 195 shooting incidents; in 163 of
those cases, Blackwater personnel fired first. Erik Prince points out that the company followed the orders of United
States government officials, who frequently put his men in harm's way. Many of the shootings occurred after drivers
in vehicles failed to stop when ordered by Blackwater guards.
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In 2007, the U.S. government investigated whether Blackwater employees smuggled weapons into Iraq. No charges
were filed.
Fallujah and An Najaf
Main article: March 31, 2004 Fallujah ambush
A Blackwater Security Company MD-530F
helicopter aids in securing the site of a car bomb
explosion in Baghdad, in December 2004, during
the Iraq War.
On March 31, 2004, Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah ambushed two SUVs,
killing the four armed Blackwater contractors inside. Local residents
hung the charred bodies above a bridge across the Euphrates.
[35]
In
response, U.S. Marines attacked the city in Operation Vigilant Resolve,
which became the first Battle of Fallujah. In the fall of 2007, a
congressional report by the House Oversight Committee found that
Blackwater intentionally "delayed and impeded" investigations into the
contractors' deaths. The report also acknowledges that members of the
now-defunct Iraqi Civil Defense Corps "led the team into the ambush,
facilitated blocking positions to prevent the team's escape, and then
disappeared."
In April 2004, at the U.S. government's headquarters in Najaf,
hundreds of Shiite militia forces barraged Blackwater commandos, four MPs and a Marine gunner with
rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 fire for hours before U.S. Special Forces troops arrived. As supplies and
ammunition ran low, a team of Blackwater contractors 70 miles (113km) away flew to the compound to resupply
and bring an injured U.S. Marine back to safety outside of the city.
Baghdad
On February 16, 2005, four Blackwater guards escorting a U.S. State Department convoy in Iraq fired 70 rounds into
a car. The guards stated that they felt threatened when the driver ignored orders to stop as he approached the convoy.
The fate of the car's driver was unknown because the convoy did not stop after the shooting. An investigation by the
State Department's Diplomatic Security Service concluded that the shooting was not justified and that the Blackwater
employees provided false statements to investigators. The statements claimed that one of the Blackwater vehicles
had been hit by insurgent gunfire, but the investigation concluded that one of the Blackwater guards had actually
fired into his own vehicle by accident. John Frese, the U.S. embassy in Iraq's top security official, declined to punish
Blackwater or the security guards because he believed any disciplinary actions would lower the morale of the
Blackwater contractors.
[36]
On Christmas Eve 2006, a security guard of the Iraqi vice president, Adel Abdul Mahdi, was shot and killed while on
duty outside the Iraqi prime minister's compound. The Iraqi government has accused Andrew J. Moonen, a
Blackwater employee at the time, of killing him while drunk. Moonen was subsequently fired by Blackwater for
"violating alcohol and firearm policy", and travelled from Iraq to the United States days after the incident. United
States Attorneys investigated and announced in 2010 that they were declining to prosecute Moonen, citing a likely
affirmative defense of self-defense and high standards for initiating such a prosecution. The United States State
Department and Blackwater USA had attempted to keep his identity secret for security reasons.
Five Blackwater contractors were killed on January 23, 2007, in Iraq when their Hughes H-6 helicopter was shot
down on Baghdad's Haifa Street. The crash site was secured by a personal security detail, callsign "Jester" from 1/26
Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Three insurgencies claimed to be responsible for shooting down the helicopter,
although such has not been confirmed by the United States. A U.S. defense official has confirmed that four of the
five killed were shot execution style in the back of the head, but did not know whether the four had survived the
crash.
[37]
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In late May 2007, Blackwater contractors opened fire on the streets of Baghdad twice in two days, one of the
incidents provoking a standoff between the security contractors and Iraqi Interior Ministry commandos, according to
U.S. and Iraqi officials. The first incident occurred when a Blackwater-protected convoy was ambushed in
downtown Baghdad. The following incident occurred when an Iraqi vehicle drove too close to a convoy. However,
according to incident testimony, the Blackwater guards tried to wave off the driver, shouted, fired a warning shot
into the car's radiator, finally shooting into the car's windshield. On May 30, 2007, Blackwater employees shot an
Iraqi civilian said to have been "driving too close" to a State Department convoy that was being escorted by
Blackwater contractors. Following the incident, the Iraqi government allowed Blackwater to provide security by
operating within the streets of Iraq.
On August 21, 2007 Blackwater Manager Daniel Carroll threatens to kill Jean Richter
[38]
, a U.S. State Department
Investigator, in Iraq.
A sniper employed by Blackwater Worldwide opened fire from the roof of the Iraqi Justice Ministry, killing three
guards working for the state-funded Iraqi Media Network on February 6, 2006. Many Iraqis at the scene said that the
guards had not fired on the Justice Ministry. The U.S. State Department said, however, that their actions "fell within
approved rules governing the use of force" based on information obtained from Blackwater guards.
[39]
Documents obtained from the Iraq War documents leak of 2010 argue that Blackwater employees committed serious
abuses in Iraq, including killing civilians.
Incidents and repercussions from the Blackwater/ Xe era
The Iraqi Government revoked Blackwater's license to operate in Iraq on September 17, 2007 after shootings in
which Blackwater contractors may have killed seventeen Iraqi civilians.
[40]
The deaths occurred while a Blackwater
Private Security Detail (PSD) was escorting a convoy of U.S. State Department vehicles en route to a meeting in
western Baghdad with United States Agency for International Development officials. The license was reinstated by
the American government in April 2008, but in early 2009 the Iraqis announced that they had refused to extend that
license. In 2009, FBI investigators were unable to match the bullets from the shooting to those guns carried by
Blackwater contractors, leaving open the possibility that insurgents also fired at the victims. In a 2010 interview,
Erik Prince, the company's founder, said the government is looking for dirt to support what he dismissed as
"baseless" accusations that run the gamut from negligence, racial discrimination, prostitution, wrongful death,
murder, and the smuggling of weapons into Iraq in dog-food containers. He pointed out that current and former
executive have been regularly deposed by federal agencies.
Prince argued in September 2007 that there was a rush to judgment about Blackwater, due to "inaccurate
information".
[41]
U.S. Congress
On October 2, 2007, Erik Prince attended a congressional hearing conducted by the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform following the controversy related to Blackwater's conduct in Iraq and Afghanistan.
[42][43]
Blackwater hired the public relations firm BKSH & Associates Worldwide, a subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller, to
help Prince prepare for his testimony at the hearing. Robert Tappan, a former U.S. State Department official who
worked for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, was one of the executives handling the
account.
[44][45][46]
Burson-Marsteller was brought aboard by the Washington law firms representing Blackwater
McDermott Will & Emery and Crowell & Moring. BKSH, a self-described "bipartisan" firm (Hillary Rodham
Clinton, when pursuing the Democratic presidential nomination, was also a client), is headed by Charlie Black, a
prominent Republican political strategist and former chief spokesman for the Republican National Committee, and
Scott Pastrick, former treasurer of the Democratic National Committee.
[47][48]
Academi
12
In his testimony before Congress, Prince said his company has a lack of remedies to deal with employee misdeeds.
When asked why Andrew Moonen had been "whisked out of the country" after the shooting death of the
vice-presidential guard, he replied, "We can't flog him, we can't incarcerate him."
[49]
When asked by a member of
Congress for financial information about his company, Prince declined to provide documentation, saying "we're a
private company, and there's a key word there private."
[50]
Later he stated that the company could provide it at a
future date if questions were submitted in writing.
[51]
When the term "mercenaries" was used to describe Blackwater
employees, Prince objected, characterizing them as "loyal Americans."
[52]
A staff report compiled by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on behalf of Representative
Waxman questioned the cost-effectiveness of using Blackwater forces instead of U.S. troops. Blackwater charges the
government $1,222 per day per guard, "equivalent to $445,000 per year, or six times more than the cost of an
equivalent U.S. soldier," the report alleged.
[53]
During his testimony on Capitol Hill, Erik Prince disputed this figure,
saying that it costs money for the government to train a soldier, to house and feed them, they don't just come
prepared to fight. "That sergeant doesn't show up naked and untrained," Prince stated. Moreover, he pointed out that
Blackwater's employees are trained in special operations and exceed the capabilities of the average soldier.
[54]
In the wake of Prince's testimony before Congress, the US House passed the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act
in October 2007 that subsequently led to the prosecution by U.S. courts of some US military contractors, but only for
incidents involving attacks on US nationals.
[55]
The legal status of Xe and other security firms in Iraq is a subject of
contention.
[56]
Two days before he left Iraq, L. Paul Bremer signed "Order 17" giving all Americans associated with
the CPA and the American government immunity from Iraqi law.
[57]
A July 2007 report from the American
Congressional Research Service indicates that the Iraqi government still has no authority over private security firms
contracted by the U.S. government. On October 5, 2007, the State Department announced new rules for Blackwater's
armed guards operating in Iraq. Under the new guidelines, State Department security agents will accompany all
Blackwater units operating in and around Baghdad. The State Department will also install video surveillance
equipment in all Blackwater armored vehicles, and will keep recordings of all radio communications between
Blackwater convoys in Iraq and the military and civilian agencies that supervise their activities.
In December 2008 a US State Department panel recommended that Xe should be dropped as the main private
security contractor for U.S. diplomats in Iraq.
On January 30, 2009, the State Department told Blackwater Worldwide that it will not renew its contract in Iraq.
[58]
However, in 2010 it was awarded a $100million contract from the CIA.
Regardless of these developments, Xe has defended its work in Iraq. A company spokeswoman has said: "When the
US government initially asked for our help to assist with an immediate need to protect Americans in Iraq, we
answered the call and performed well. We are proud of our success no-one under our protection has been killed or
even seriously wounded."
In August 2010, the company agreed to pay a $42million fine to settle allegations that it unlawfully provided
armaments and military equipment overseas. However, the company is still allowed to accept government contracts.
The settlement and fine conclude a U.S. State Department investigation that began in 2007.
Iraqi courts and legal action
On September 23, 2007, the Iraqi government said that it expects to refer criminal charges to its courts in connection
with a shooting involving Blackwater guards. However, on October 29, 2007, immunity from prosecution was
granted by the U.S. State Department, delaying a criminal inquiry into the September 16 shootings of 17 Iraqi
civilians.
[59]
Immediately afterwards, the Iraqi government approved a draft law to end any and all immunity for
foreign military contractors in Iraq, to overturn Order 17. The U.S. Department of Justice also said any immunity
deals offered to Blackwater employees were invalid, as the department that issued them had no authority to do so. It
is unclear what legal status Blackwater Worldwide operates under in the U.S. and other countries, or what protection
the U.S. extends to Blackwater Worldwide's operations globally.
Academi
13
Legal specialists say that the U.S. government is unlikely to allow a trial in the Iraqi courts, because there is little
confidence that trials would be fair. Contractors accused of crimes abroad could be tried in the United States under
either military or civilian law; however, the applicable military law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, was
changed in 2006, and appears to now exempt State Department contractors that provide security escorts for a civilian
agency. Prosecution under civilian law would be through the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which allows
the extension of federal law to civilians supporting military operations; however, according to the deputy assistant
attorney general in the Justice Department's criminal division, Robert Litt, trying a criminal case in federal court
would require a secure chain of evidence, with police securing the crime scene immediately, while evidence gathered
by Iraqi investigators would be regarded as suspect.
A number of Iraqi families are taking Blackwater to court over alleged "random killings committed by private
Blackwater guards".
On January 31, 2010, three current and former U.S. government officials confirmed the Justice Department is
investigating whether officials of Blackwater Worldwide tried to bribe Iraqi government officials in hopes of
retaining the firms security work in Iraq after the shooting in Nisour Square in Baghdad, which left 17 Iraqis dead
and stoked bitter resentment against the United States. The officials said that the Justice Departments fraud section
opened the inquiry late in 2009 to determine whether Blackwater employees violated a federal law banning
American corporations from paying bribes to foreign officials. In 2012 the Department of Justice closed the
investigation without filing any charges.
[60]
Litigation and legal issues
See also: Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security
Xe was sued by the families of four contractors killed in Fallujah in March 2004. The families said they were suing
not for financial damages, but for the details of their sons' and husbands' deaths, saying Xe had refused to supply
these details, and that in its "zeal to exploit this unexpected market for private security men," the company "showed a
callous disregard for the safety of its employees." On February 7, 2007, four family members testified in front of the
House Government Reform Committee. They asked that Xe be held accountable for future negligence of employees'
lives, and that federal legislation be drawn up to govern contracts between the Department of Defense and defense
contractors. Xe has counter-sued the lawyer representing the empty estates of the deceased for $10million on the
grounds the lawsuit was contractually prohibited from ever being filed. In January 2011, U.S. district judge James C.
Fox dismissed the suit.
[61]
On November 27, 2004 an aircraft operated by Presidential Airways and owned by its sister company, Blackwater
AWS, crashed in Afghanistan; it had been a contract flight for the United States Air Force en route from Bagram to
Farah. All aboard, three soldiers and three civilian crew members, were killed. Several relatives of the victims filed a
wrongful death lawsuit against Presidential in October 2005.
[62]
Two former employees claimed that Xe Services defrauded the federal government on a security contract given after
Hurricane Katrina. However, in May 2011, a judge tossed out that allegation.
In June 2011, a federal judge dismissed Erik Prince from a civil lawsuit alleging that Blackwater defrauded the
federal government of money when billing it for work in Iraq and Afghanistan. In August 2011, a jury ruled in favor
of the security firm, rejecting two former employees' claims that the company overbilled the State Department for its
work in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Academi
14
Litigation over actions in Iraq
See also: Blackwater Baghdad shootings
On October 11, 2007, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed suit against Blackwater under the Alien Tort Claims
Act on behalf of an injured Iraqi and the families of three of the 17 Iraqis killed by Blackwater employees during the
September 16, 2007, Blackwater Baghdad shootings.
[63]
In June 2009, an amended lawsuit was filed in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, alleging that Blackwater
employees shot and killed three members of an Iraqi family, including a nine-year-old boy, who were traveling from
the Baghdad airport to Baghdad on July 1, 2007.
[64]
The Justice Department was originally not expected to bring criminal charges against any employees of the
corporation; however, in December 2008, the Justice Department announced they were charging five Blackwater
employees. On December 31, 2009 Judge Ricardo Urbina threw out the criminal case against the five guards under
indictment. In announcing the dismissal, Urbina said that the prosecutors violated the guards' Fifth Amendment
rights by using the statements they gave to the State Department as evidence. Urbina said that the guards would have
lost their jobs had they not given the statements, thus making the statements inadmissible.
The Iraqi government asked the US Justice Department to appeal the decision, and also plans to sue the five guards
accused of killing civilians.
The Iraqi government announced that Xe must leave Iraq as soon as a joint IraqiUS committee finishes drafting the
new guidelines on private contractors under the current IraqiUS security agreement.
[65]
On January 31, 2009, the
U.S. State Department notified Blackwater that the agency would not renew its security contract with the
company.
[66]
The Washington Times reported on March 17, 2009, that the U.S. State Department had extended its
Iraq security contract with Xe's air operations arm, Presidential Airways, to September 3, 2009, for a cost of
$22.2million.
[67]
Federal prosecution
In August 2012, the company agreed to pay $7.5million in fines, without admitting guilt, to the US government to
settle various charges involving pre-Academi personnel. Afterwards in February 2013, the majority of the remaining
charges were dropped when it was shown that in many cases, the Blackwater employees had been acting under the
orders of the US government.
[68][69]
Once the court decision had been finalized, Academi pointed out that, The
court decision involves former Blackwater executives, none of whom have ever worked for ACADEMI or the
current ownership.
[70]
Death threat to US State Department investigator reported
In June 2014 a New York Times investigation reported that it had secured an internal State Department memo
stating that the manager of the Iraqi Blackwater operations in 2007 met in Iraq with State Department Special Agent
investigator Jean Richter, and threatened to kill Richter. Richter later returned from Iraq to the US and wrote a
scathing review of the lax standards to which Blackwater was held accountable, only two weeks before a serious
Blackwater incident in which 17 Iraqi civilians were shot and killed by Blackwater employees under questionable
circumstances. The death threat incident was confirmed by a second investigator, a Mr. Thomas, who was also
present at the meeting. The shooting incident that followed has been described by some as a "watershed" moment,
and a factor which contributed to Iraq's later decision to refuse to allow US troops to stay beyond 2011.
[71]
Academi
15
Video game
See also: Blackwater (video game)
Blackwater Worldwide is the subject of a videogame released for the Xbox 360 in the last quarter of 2011. The game
uses the Kinect-supported system and is set in a fictional town in North Africa, where players lead a team of
operatives against warlords and other militia forces. The holder of the rights to the Blackwater name, former
company owner Erik Prince, holds the royalty rights to this game.
Academi/Blackwater are also likely the inspiration for the corporation Murkywater in the PAYDAY franchise and
Merryweather Security in Grand Theft Auto V.
References
[1] Academi - About Us - Contact Us (http:/ / academi.com/ pages/ about-us/ contact-us)
[2] http:/ / www. academi.com/
[3] "Blackwater becomes new landlord in Afghanistan for US Special Forces" (http:/ / rt. com/ usa/ blackwater-afghanistan-us-academi-374/ ), 6
December 2012, RT
[4] "Ex-Blackwater firm gets a name change, again" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ blogs/ checkpoint-washington/ post/
ex-blackwater-firm-gets-a-name-change-again/ 2011/ 12/ 12/ gIQAXf4YpO_blog. html). 12 December 2011, The Washington Post
[5] Squitieri, Tom. Role of security companies likely to become more visible (http:/ / www. usatoday. com/ news/ world/ iraq/
2004-04-01-security-usat_x. htm), USA Today, April 1, 2004. Accessed August 20, 2009.
[6] After Fallujah: The Truth About the Blackwater Mercenaries -RW/OR ONLINE (http:/ / revcom. us/ a/ 1236/ blackwater. htm)
[7] Private Security Contractors in Iraq: Background, Legal Status, and Other Issues (http:/ / www. fas. org/ sgp/ crs/ natsec/ RL32419. pdf)
[8] Blackwater Foundation (http:/ / blackwaterusa. com/ foundation/ Katrina_Medevac. html)
[9] Overkill: Feared Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans (http:/ / www. democracynow. org/ static/ Overkill. shtml)
[10] ARTICLE: Blackwater employees create a stir in New Orleans (The Virginian-Pilot - HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com) (http:/ /
content. hamptonroads. com/ story.cfm?story=92177& ran=4586)
[11] US-IRAQ: Blackwater Blues for Dead Contractors' Families (http:/ / www. ipsnews. net/ news. asp?idnews=38379)
[12] Video BLACKWATER MERCS IN IRAQ - BLACKWATER, MERCS, IN, IRAQ, MERCENARIES - Dailymotion Share Your Videos
(http:/ / www. dailymotion. com/ video/ x312i1_blackwater-mercs-in-iraq_politics)
[13] Former Blackwater Security Firm Gets New Leaders in Image Makeover (http:/ / www. foxnews. com/ politics/ 2011/ 03/ 09/
blackwater-security-firm-gets-new-leaders-image-makeover/ #ixzz1Mj7ghgfu) By Justin Fishel, March 9, 2011, foxnews.com
[14] Corporate Compliance Category Winner: ACADEMI LLC | National Law Journal (http:/ / www. law. com/ jsp/ nlj/ PubArticleNLJ.
jsp?germane=1202588469424& id=1202588420863)
[15] Academi Board of Directors (http:/ / academi. com/ pages/ about-us/ board-of-directors)
[16] Blackwater showing off new training ship at Nauticus | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com (http:/ / content. hamptonroads. com/ story.
cfm?story=132742& ran=139475).
[17] Private Security Contractors in Iraq: Background, Legal Status, and Other Issues (http:/ / www. fas. org/ sgp/ crs/ natsec/ RL32419. pdf).
[18] Blackwater USA Completes Acquisition of Aviation Worldwide Services (http:/ / www. prweb. com/ releases/ 2003/ 5/ prweb64820. htm).
[19] Name Results (http:/ / registry. faa. gov/ aircraftinquiry/ nameSQL. asp?nametxt=Aviation+ Worldwide+ Services& cmndfind. x=0&
cmndfind. y=0& sort_option=5).
[20] Broward-Palm Beach News Err America (http:/ / www. browardpalmbeach. com/ 2005-10-27/ news/ err-america/ ).
[21] Wilber, "A Crash's Echoes", Washington Post, October 17, 2007.
[22] Think Progress Pentagon Issues Blackwater New $92million Contract (http:/ / thinkprogress. org/ 2007/ 09/ 30/ blackwater-contract/ ).
[23] Pentagon Gives Blackwater New Contract by Ali Gharib (http:/ / www. antiwar. com/ ips/ gharib. php?articleid=11690).
[24] Blackwater USA (http:/ / blackwaterusa. com/ mobility_logistics/ ML_aviation_Mob2. html).
[25] Name Results (http:/ / registry. faa. gov/ aircraftinquiry/ nameSQL. asp?nametxt=EP+ aviation& sort_option=5).
[26] Sun.Star Manila Senator to look into mercenary list-up, exercises in Subic (http:/ / www. sunstar. com. ph/ static/ man/ 2006/ 06/ 17/
news/ senator.to. look. into. mercenary. list.up. exercises.in. subic. html).
[27] Overkill: Feared Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans (http:/ / www. democracynow. org/ 2005/ 9/ 12/
overkill_feared_blackwater_mercenaries_deploy_in).
[28] ARTICLE: Blackwater employees create a stir in New Orleans (The Virginian-Pilot HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com) (http:/ /
content. hamptonroads. com/ story.cfm?story=92177& ran=4586).
[29] Five to vie for counter-narcoterrorism work (http:/ / www. washingtontechnology. com/ online/ 1_1/ 31393-1. html).
[30] Blackwater Training (http:/ / www. blackwaterusa.com/ training/ inter_default. asp).
[31] "Blackwater USA says it can supply forces for conflicts" (http:/ / hamptonroads. com/ node/ 84251).
[32] "Inside America's private army" (continued) (http:/ / content. hamptonroads. com/ story. cfm?story=107950& ran=140774).
[33] Wall Street Journal Secret Plan Against Al Queda (http:/ / online. wsj. com/ article/ SB124736381913627661. html)
Academi
16
[34] " Blackwater USA: Building the 'Largest Private Army in the World' (http:/ / www. democracynow. org/ article. pl?sid=04/ 04/ 01/
1621244)". Democracy Now!. 2004-04-01. Retrieved on October 8, 2007.
[35] "Residents hang slain Americans' bodies from bridge" (http:/ / www. cnn. com/ 2004/ WORLD/ meast/ 03/ 31/ iraq. main/ ) CNN.com. May
6, 2004. Retrieved on October 8, 2007.
[36] Kelly, Matt, Lies In Iraq Shooting Unpunished (http:/ / www. usatoday. com/ printedition/ news/ 20090402/ 1ablackwater02_st. art. htm),
USA Today, April 2, 2009, p. 1.
[37] [37] Pelton, Robert Young: "Licensed to kill, hired guns in the war on terror," Crown, August 29, 2006.
[38] http:/ / www.nytimes.com/ 2014/ 06/ 30/ us/ before-shooting-in-iraq-warning-on-blackwater. html
[39] Fainaru, Steve. " How Blackwater Sniper Fire Felled 3 Iraqi Guards" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2007/
11/ 07/ AR2007110702751_pf. html). Washington Post (2007-11-08). Retrieved November 13, 2007.
[40] U.S. suspends diplomatic convoys throughout Iraq CNN.com (http:/ / www. cnn. com/ 2007/ WORLD/ meast/ 09/ 18/ blackwater. iraq/
index. html).
[41] Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, "FBI probes Blackwater over shooting" (http:/ / www. ft. com/ cms/ s/ 0/
743a95c6-7119-11dc-98fc-0000779fd2ac.html), Financial Times, October 2, 2007.
[42] BBC News, "Blackwater boss grilled over Iraq" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ middle_east/ 7024370. stm), October 2, 2007.
[43] Testimony of Erik D. Prince, Chairman and CEO, Blackwater For The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, October 2,
2007 (http:/ / oversight. house. gov/ documents/ 20071003153621. pdf).
[44] "Blackwater Hires PR Giant in Image " (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2007/ 10/ 05/ AR2007100500303.
html) by Richard Lardner, the Associated Press, October 5, 2007, 5:17pm, in Washington Post. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
[45] "Blackwater Aided by PR Giant" (http:/ / www.sfgate. com/ cgi-bin/ article. cgi?f=/ n/ a/ 2007/ 10/ 05/ national/ w001254D70. DTL) by
Richard Lardner, the Associated Press, October 5, 2007 7:37 PDT in sfgate. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
[46] "Blackwater aided by PR giant" (http:/ / abcnews. go.com/ Politics/ wireStory?id=3692823) by Richard Lardner, the Associated Press,
October 5, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2008. Link inactive. Two active links added February 16, 2009.
[47] matter/Pages/BKSH.aspx BKSH web site (http:/ / www. burson-marsteller. com/ Integrated_fecal)
[48] National Association of Republican Campaign Professionals (NARCP) Board of Directors: Charlie Black (http:/ / www. narcp. com/ about/
index. php#black).
[49] "Iraq security firm denies trigger-happy charge" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ Iraq/ Story/ 0,,2182296,00. html) by Ewen MacAskill, The
Guardian, October 3, 2007.
[50] "The man From Blackwater, shooting from the lip" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2007/ 10/ 02/
AR2007100202022. html) by Dana Milbank, The Washington Post, October 3, 2007, p. A02.
[51] , Brian Dickerson, Detroit Free Press, October 3, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
[52] Blackwater Unplugged (http:/ / www.slate.com/ id/ 2175210/ nav/ fix/ ) by Bonnie Goldstein, Slate, October 3, 2007.
[53] "Blackwater Chief Defends Firm" (http:/ / www2. nysun. com/ article/ 63821), The Associated Press, October 2, 2007 By: RICHARD
LARDNER and ANNE FLAHERTY.
[54] The Washington Post, October 4, 2007 By: DeYoung, Karen. "Former Seal Calls Allegations Against Employees 'Baseless'" (http:/ / www.
washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2007/ 10/ 02/ AR2007100201037_2. html?sid=ST2007100201081).
[55] House Passes Bill That Would Hike Penalties for U.S. Security Contractors in Iraq (http:/ / www. foxnews. com/ story/ 0,2933,299370,00.
html).
[56] Blackwater Case Highlights Legal Uncertainties (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2007/ 10/ 11/ world/ middleeast/ 11legal. html?_r=1& hp&
oref=slogin) by Alissa J. Rubin and Paul von Zielbauer, The New York Times, October 11, 2007.
[57] COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY ORDER NUMBER 17 (REVISED) (http:/ / www. cpa-iraq. org/ regulations/
20040627_CPAORD_17_Status_of_Coalition__Rev__with_Annex_A. pdf).
[58] U.S. will not renew Blackwater contract in Iraq (http:/ / www. reuters. com/ article/ GCA-GCA-iraq/ idUSTRE50T73520090131), Reuters,
January 30, 2009. Accessed August 20, 2009.
[59] "Immunity Deal Hampers Blackwater Inquiry" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ aponline/ us/ AP-Blackwater-Prosecutions. html?_r=1&
adxnnl=1& oref=slogin& adxnnlx=1193698557-WxIvWeVikzfXmRts13BWgA).
[60] http:/ / blogs. wsj.com/ corruption-currents/ 2012/ 08/ 15/ fcpa-probe-of-company-formerly-known-as-blackwater-ends-without-charges/
Wall Street Journal
[61] Baker, Mike, (Associated Press), " Blackwater Death Suit Tossed After Six Years (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/
article/ 2011/ 01/ 25/ AR2011012507031.html)", Washington Post, January 26, 2011, p. 4.
[62] The Flight and Crash of "Blackwater 61" (http:/ / www. cbsnews. com/ stories/ 2010/ 02/ 19/ 60minutes/ main6223615. shtml) CBS News
60 Minutes
[63] " Family members of slain Iraqis sue Blackwater USA for deadly Baghdad shooting (http:/ / www. democracynow. org/ article. pl?sid=07/
10/ 11/ 1340205)". Democracy Now!. 2007-10-11. Retrieved on October 11, 2007.
[64] Sizemore, Bill, "Lawsuit Now Accuses Xe Contractors Of Murder, Kidnapping", Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, July 2, 2009.
[65] Londono, Ernesto and Qais Mizher, "Iraq To Deny New License To Blackwater Security Firm", Washington Post, January 29, 2009, p. 12.
[66] New York Times, "No Pact for Blackwater", January 31, 2009, p. 12.
[67] McElhatton, Jim, "New Deal For Blackwater Bucks Baghdad Decision", Washington Times, March 17, 2009, p. 1; Lee, Matthew, and Mike
Baker (Associated Press), "Blackwater Guards Still At Work In Iraq Despite Lacking License To Operate", Seattle Times, April 21, 2009.
Academi
17
[68] Associated Press, "Former Blackwater settles federal arms case", Japan Times, August 9, 2012, p. 5
[69] Reuters, "Blackwater Successor To Pay Fine To Settle Arms Charges", New York Times, August 8, 2012
[70] Did Blackwater Graymail Lead to a Whitewash? (http:/ / www. pogo. org/ blog/ 2013/ 02/ did-blackwater-graymail-lead-to-a-whitewash.
html)
[71] Before Shooting in Iraq, a Warning on Blackwater (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2014/ 06/ 30/ us/
before-shooting-in-iraq-warning-on-blackwater.html)
Further reading
Books
Singer, P. W. (2003) Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry Cornell University Press,
Ithaca, New York, ISBN 0-8014-4114-5.
Pelton, Robert Young (2006) Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns in the War on Terror Crown Books, New York, ISBN
1-4000-9781-9; Extensive material on Blackwater in Prologue and Chapter 2, "The New Breed," Chapter 5, "The
Blackwater Bridge," Chapter 6, "Under Siege," which discusses Blackwater at An Najaf, Chapter 7, "The Dog
Track and the Swamp," which chronicles Pelton's visits to Blackwater training facilities, one of which is a dog
track, Chapter 8, running the Gauntlet, and Chapter 11, "The Lord and the Prince," partly about Erik Prince.
Scahill, Jeremy (2007). Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
Simons, Suzanne (2009) Master of war : Blackwater USAs Erik Prince and the business of war New York :
Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-165135-9. http:/ / lccn. loc. gov/ 2008054005
Articles
John M. Broder, "Report Says Firm Sought To Cover Iraq Shootings," (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2007/ 10/ 02/
washington/ 02blackwater. html) New York Times, Oct. 2, 2007.
John M. Broder, "Chief Of Blackwater Defends His Employees," (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2007/ 10/ 03/
washington/ 03blackwater. html) New York Times, Oct. 3, 2007.
John M. Broder, "Ex-Paratrooper Is Suspect In Killing Of Iraqi," (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2007/ 10/ 04/
world/ middleeast/ 04contractor. html) New York Times, Oct. 4, 2007.
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, United States House of Representatives, "Additional
Information about Blackwater USA," (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20071016121353/ http:/ / oversight. house.
gov/ documents/ 20071001121609. pdf) Committee memorandum, Oct. 1, 2007.
Karen DeYoung, "Other Killings by Blackwater Staff Detailed," (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/
content/ article/ 2007/ 10/ 01/ AR2007100100882. html?) Washington Post, Oct. 2, 20007.
James Glanz and Alissa J. Rubin, "From Errand to Fatal Shot to Hail of Fire to 17 Deaths," (http:/ / www.
nytimes. com/ 2007/ 10/ 03/ world/ middleeast/ 03firefight. html?) New York Times, Oct. 3, 2007.
Marybeth Laguna, "My Husband was a Blackwater Hero," (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/
article/ 2008/ 11/ 28/ AR2008112802283. html) Washington Post, Nov. 30, 2008.
Robert Young Pelton, "Erik Prince, an American Commando in Exile," (http:/ / www. mensjournal. com/
magazine/ erik-prince-an-american-commando-in-exile-20121016) Men's Journal, Nov. 1, 2010.
Ralph Peters, "Trouble For Hire: The Mercenaries Who Murder In Your Name," (http:/ / www. nypost. com/
seven/ 09302007/ postopinion/ opedcolumnists/ trouble_for_hire. htm) New York Post, Sept. 30, 2007.
Sudarsan Raghavan, "Tracing The Paths Of 5 Who Died In A Storm Of Gunfire," (http:/ / www. washingtonpost.
com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2007/ 10/ 03/ AR2007100302646. html) Washington Post, Oct. 4, 2007.
James Risen, "Before Shooting in Iraq, a Warning on Blackwater," (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2014/ 06/ 30/ us/
before-shooting-in-iraq-warning-on-blackwater. html?) New York Times, June 29, 2014.
Eric Schmitt, "Report Details Shooting By Drunken Blackwater Worker," (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2007/ 10/
02/ world/ middleeast/ 02shooting. html?) New York Times, Oct. 2, 2007.
Academi
18
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blackwater Worldwide.
Official website (http:/ / academi. com/ )
U.S. Training Center's official website (http:/ / www. ustraining. com/ )
Greystone Limited's website (international division) (http:/ / www. greystone-ltd. com/ )
Media
"Shadow Company" (http:/ / www. shadowcompany. com) Award-winning Documentary Film directed and
written by Nick Bicanic (the only film with footage of Blackwater employees training and operating in Iraq)
praised for balance by both Democrats and Republicans ranging from Amnesty International to Blackwater.
"Private Warriors" (http:/ / www. pbs. org/ wgbh/ pages/ frontline/ shows/ warriors/ view/ ) episode of Frontline
(June 21, 2005), includes piece on Blackwater USA
Article Sources and Contributors
19
Article Sources and Contributors
Academi Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=623889842 Contributors: 293.xx.xxx.xx, 29raider, 2z2z, 33rogers, 4twenty42o, 7130hush, A2-computist, A3r0, ACADEMI2013,
Aaron Schulz, Abe.Froman, Abhijitb, Abunakhli, Abune, Acdx, Acsm, AdamChirnside, Adlerschlo, AdmiralKolchak, Adric, AdultSwim, Ageekgal, AhiTuna, Aille, Aka042, Akaricloud,
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http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Bremer_leaves_after_Iraqi_Sovereignty_Transfer,_2004_June_28.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt.
Ashley Brokop.
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File:Blackwater Little Bird over Republican Palace, Baghdad.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Blackwater_Little_Bird_over_Republican_Palace,_Baghdad.jpg
License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors: F, G.dallorto, Kilom691, MB-one, R-41, Tmaull
File:AWS Casa-212 in afghanistan.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:AWS_Casa-212_in_afghanistan.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors:
soldiersmediacenter
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File:Blackwater Security Company MD-530F helicopter in Baghdad, 2004.JPG Source:
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