(Forge Books) is about the turf wars between the Pentagon and the CIA and the privatization of national security.
The New York Times is reporting today that all State Department security convoys will now be subject to Department of Defense coordination. Department of Defense security contractors are already coordinated through a single, DoD entity, the Regional Operations Centers which track movement of security convoys to make sure they and the military don't trip over one another. Most likely this existing mechanism will be expanded to monitor Blackwater, Triple Canopy and DynCorp convoys for the Department of State and this would raise some interesting questions since its known that BW and TC also provide security services to the CIA under this contract.
The US Regional Cooperation Offices are outsourced through a recently renewed $475 million contract to the British firm Aegis. Aegis is run by the infamous old-school mercenary, Tim Spicer.
In order to make this work, the Agency will obviously require some form of firewall between Spicer and Agency operations, perhaps best achieved through special space set aside at the Regional Cooperation Offices to which cleared Americans, including CIA liaison elements have access.
It is, however, quite ironic that Department of State and Defense's idea of bringing greater accountability and oversight to Blackwater could end up being in the hands of a man who is arguably the world's most famous living mercenary.
Heckuva job, Condi!
Update: Both reader Tom Griffin and Noah Schachtman from Wired's blog The Danger Room remind me that Aegis was the company whose workers filmed the infamous trophy video of themselves shooting civilian vehicles to the tune of Elvis' "Runaway Train."
The investigation into the trophy video would suggest that if anything, Aegis is less accountable than Blackwater:
http://www.serve.com/pfc/pmcbride/060614ie.html
Posted by: Tom Griffin | October 31, 2007 at 16:12
Who cares what the truth is? The point here is for congressional Democrats to score political points against the Bush administration. If this means putting Spicer's boys in charge, they could care less. In fact, if Spicer modifies the "rules of engagement" of all of the State contractors so that they match those of the trophy video, so much the better to embarass their political opponents and seize the White House in 2008. In the cold calculus of politics.
Posted by: Retired | October 31, 2007 at 17:54
A lot senior Democrats are on the record about the Aegis contract:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2gsg92
Posted by: Tom Griffin | October 31, 2007 at 19:25
Retired has a good point. Perhaps Spicer will use the Aegis trophy video as a training video for BW.
Posted by: R J Hillhouse | October 31, 2007 at 19:42
Absolutely love the irony. I for one happen to be a fan of Spicer and of Blackwater as well.
Damn the Democrats, Full speed ahead!!!!!
Posted by: Jerry Spencer | November 02, 2007 at 11:10
Not an Elvis fan eh?
It's "Mystery Train" not "Runaway Train." One is a classic rock tune, the other a middling folk rock ditty from Minneapolis.
V
Posted by: vincente | November 05, 2007 at 10:34