Blackwater Caught in Pentagon-CIA Turf Wars

The New York Times is reporting that Secretary of Defense Bob Gates is now pushing for all armed security contractors in Iraq, including Blackwater, to come under a single authority, the Pentagon.  The Pentagon first telegraphed that they might make a play for contractor control when the Army quickly leaked its initial report on the incident, faulting Blackwater although Army soldiers didn't arrive on the scene of the shooting until over a half hour after the incident.  Ever since this, I've been waiting for the official turf grab and it's here. 

On the surface a single entity overseeing all contractors might seem like a good idea, but, as they say in the spy business, nothing is what it seems.  Department of Defense security contractors are already coordinated through a single, DoD entity, the US Regional Cooperation Offices, which are outsourced through a recently renewed $475 million contract to the British firm Aegis which is run by the infamous mercenary, Tim Spicer.  (It also includes intelligence services and security services for the Army Corps of Engineers.)  So most contractors working for the US government in Iraq fall under DoD purview.  The key here is most contractors.  Contractors working for the State Department do not participate in the program, however it's unlikely that the Pentagon cares about authority over Blackwater's State Department missions which are primarily over the same routes between the International Zone and Iraqi government ministries.  Of much greater interest is the other government agency not under the Regional Cooperation Offices' oversight:  the CIA.

Pentagon officials have long been unhappy about the Agency acting independently, running around war zones without coordinating their actions with local commanders.  This is a longstanding turf issue between the CIA and Pentagon that predates the Iraq war or as one senior member of the Intelligence Community once told me, it's been a problem "since Christ was a corporal."

The Blackwater shooting incident has provided the Pentagon an opening in the turf wars because the CIA's paramilitary arm, the Special Activities Division is heavily outsourced, particularly in Iraq.  If all security contractors fell under the DoD, the Pentagon could not only monitor the Agency, but could control their operations by denying them ground and particularly air assets.  In one simple move, putting all security contracting under the control of the Department of Defense would effectively hand over control of most CIA paramilitary activities to the DoD, ending CIA unilateral offensive paramilitary capabilities in Iraq. 

Comments

[Tom Griffin]

The Pentagon response to the Blackwater episode certainly looks a lot different to its reaction to the Aegis trophy video incident.

[Kathryn Cramer]

Hi Tom. Though Robert Young Pelton disagrees with me an attributes the big Aegis contract to ignorance & stupidity rather than intention, I've always felt that the Pentagon contracted with Spicer because of his reputation, not in spite of it. Spicer was the guy who would break a few eggs to make the omelet they wanted. So a few eggs got broken; they ignored it.

Erik Prince is no Tim Spicer. With Blackwater, there was a smooth sales pitch that I think allowed the US gov to ignore things like the Rambo-style image that dominated the look of their website at the time of Fallujah and the generally aggressive affect of their Iraq operators.

[Tom Griffin]

Hi Kathyrn,

There's a suggestion along those lines in Deborah Avant's book, The Market for Force.
http://tinyurl.com/24qb24

[Mad Dogs]

Gee, a turf war between Secretary of Defense Bob Gates who was formerly the Director of Central Intelligence, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency General Michael V. Hayden who is still an active-duty member of the Department of Defense (Air Force).

You are right RJ, all is not what it seems to be.

And the winner will be? Ladies and Gentlemen, place your bets. *g*

[Pete]

Great blog and an interesting post.

If the Pentagon had control over contractor guards in the CIA Special Activities Division these guards are more likely to advise what sources (agents) CIA officers are meeting. Presuming Case Officer are still guarded when they're on the job.

This may see DIA officers poaching those agents. Hence the turf battle may get even more heated.

Pete

[seviyeli sohbet]

Is there a connection between Cia and Mossad?

[maynet]

You are funny :) there is no of course...