Blackwater

Blackwater USA is a private military contractor co-founded by former Navy Seal Erik Prince.

Blackwater USA offers "tactical training," firing range and target systems, and security consulting under the company's subdivisions: Blackwater Training Center, Blackwater Target Systems, Blackwater Security Consulting and Blackwater Canine. According to its website, Blackwater provides "a spectrum of support to military, government agencies, law enforcement and civilian entities in training, targets and range operations as a solution provider." Their slogan is: "Providing a new generation of capability, skills, and people to solve the spectrum of needs in the world of security."[1]

Blackwater USA received no-bid contracts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and post-Katrina New Orleans from the current Bush administration

sourcewatch.org

rawstory.com

"combined arms operation"

"Blackwater Security Consulting"

Blackwater advertising for personnel to respond to Gustav

Intelligence blogger R.J. Hillhouse reported last week that Blackwater Worldwide has been advertising for “qualified security personnel for possible deployment into areas affected by Hurricane Gustav.”

Blackwater was seeking law enforcement officers with arrest powers, in addition to armed security officers. Among other qualifications, the officers were required to have “Armed status (must indicate Armed and/or Semi Auto. Revolver only not accepted)” and “Departmental credentials (not just a badge)

rawstory.com

Blackwater sends warship to Gulf of Aden (Blackwater has a warship?)

BLACKWATER Worldwide — the US private military contractor embroiled in controversy over its actions in Iraq — has sent a private sector warship equipped with helicopters to the Gulf of Aden, and is offering its services to shipowners concerned with Somali piracy.

http://lloydslist.com/ll/news/blackwate ... 581692.htm

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Blackwater Worldwide, formerly Blackwater USA, is a private military company founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark.[2] It has alternatively been referred to as a security contractor or a mercenary organization by numerous reports by the U.S. and international media.[3][4][5][6][7] Interestingly, in October 2007, Blackwater USA renamed itself Blackwater Worldwide, basing themselves in the U.S. state of North Carolina, where it operates a tactical training facility (36°27′19″N 76°12′09″W / 36.455359, -76.202545) claiming to be the world's largest. The company undertakes training of more than 40,000 people a year, mostly from U.S. or foreign military and police services. The training consists of military offensive and defensive operations, as well as smaller scale personnel security. However, technologies used and techniques trained are not limited by U.S. domestic law, although 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 operations globally.

wiki

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The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army is a book written by independent journalist Jeremy Scahill, published by Nation Books in 2007, as a history and analysis of Blackwater USA, whence the book gains its title.

wiki

Blackwater Worldwide

Blackwater Worldwide (ehemals Blackwater USA) ist die größte amerikanische private Sicherheits- und Militärfirma. Sie wurde 1997 von Erik Prince, einem ehemaligen Angehörigen der United States Navy Seals und Al Clark gegründet. Laut Eigendarstellung ist Blackwater Worldwide militärischer Dienstleister für Regierungsbehörden, Justiz und Bürger. Das Unternehmen bietet ferner Training sowie die Durchführung von strategischen und punktuellen Operationen an.

wiki

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Blackwater
Der Aufstieg der mächtigsten Privatarmee der Welt

Das Söldnerwesen ist ein in Deutschland kaum bekanntes Phänomen. Eigentlich verwunderlich, denn auch hierzulande findet eine stetige Privatisierung des Militär- und Sicherheitsbereiches statt. Nicht der Rede wert? Nun, vielleicht nicht, aber wie Jeremy Scahill in seinem erstklassigen Buch "Blackwater. Der Aufstieg der mächtigsten Privatarmee der Welt" anschaulich und faktenreich deutlich macht, kann dies der Anfang einer Entwicklung sein, an deren Ende gierig entfesselte Privatarmeen stehen, die sich ungestraft schwerer Verbrechen schuldig machen. Der amerikanische Journalist zeigt eindrucksvoll, welche weit reichende Folgen die Öffnung des staatlichen Militär- und Verteidigungsbereichs für die moderne Kriegführung im Allgemeinen und den Irakkrieg im Besonderen hat. Dabei stellt er mit dem privaten Militärunternehmen (PMU) "Blackwater" die weltweit größte private Söldnerfirma in das Zentrum seiner Analyse. Scahill präsentiert in seinem wichtigen und hochpolitischen Buch brisante und aufschlussreiche Fakten zu einer der momentan einflussreichsten Söldnerfirmen der Welt. Zugleich macht er aber auch deutlich, wie sich die amerikanische Sicherheitsstrategie durch die privatwirtschaftliche Kriegsführung geändert.

rezensionen.ch

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Blackwater - eine Folge des Outsourcing

Im vergangenen September rückte die US Firma Blackwater, ein so genanntes "privates Militärunternehmen", das auch im Irak tätig ist, ins Zentrum der Medienberichterstattung. Mitarbeitern der Firma wurde u. a. vorgeworfen, am 16. September 2007 bis zu 17 irakische Zivilpersonen willkürlich erschossen und zahlreiche andere verletzt zu haben. Vermutet wird, dass die Opfer unschuldige Passanten waren; so äußern sich zumindest offizielle irakische Vertreter.

bmlv.gv.at

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Die globale Konjunktur der Söldnertruppen

Die US-Firma Blackwater kauft Söldner und Hilfskräfte weltweit auch zum Einsatz im Irak ein, wo kürzlich vier der Söldner in Falludscha getötet wurden
Die wieder einmal besonders medienwirksamen Bilder lösten weltweit Entsetzen aus: In Falludscha im Irak wurden vier zivile Amerikaner in zwei Geländewagen beschossen, angezündet und bis zur Unkenntlichkeit verbrannt. Danach zerstückelte die Menge unter Gejohle von Kindern und Jugendlichen die verkohlten Leichen, hing Teile an Stromleitungen und Brücken auf und schleifte andere an einem Eselskarren in die Stadt ([local] Triumph der Grausamkeit). Die Ermordeten waren Angestellte der US-Firma Blackwater Security Consulting. Was machten sie im Irak?

heise.de

Security Firms Join the Pirate Fight

Blackwater Worldwide and other private security firms — some with a reputation for being quick on the trigger in Iraq — are joining the battle against pirates plaguing one of the world's most important shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia.

The growing interest among merchant fleets to hire their own firepower is encouraged by the U.S. Navy and represents a new and potential lucrative market for security firms scaling back operations in Iraq.

time.com

Piratenüberfälle am Horn von Afrika

Plünderungen, Schusswechsel und Geiselnahmen - der Golf von Aden zwischen Somalia und Jemen ist eines der gefährlichsten Gewässer der Welt. Jährlich fahren etwa 16.000 Schiffe ums Horn von Afrika. Eine Chronologie der spektakulärsten Piratenangriffe der letzten Jahre.

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0 ... 40,00.html

Blackwater May Face Criminal Charges, Hefty Fines Over Arms Shipments

Officials in the Commerce Department, which has jurisdiction over some military exports, are conducting a related regulatory review of Blackwater shipments,” the magazine reported, citing unnamed sources. “And federal officials in North Carolina have convened a grand jury to consider criminal charges related to the arms shipments.

http://www.pubrecord.org/nationworld/47 ... ments.html

Contractors Nervous About Losing Immunity in Iraq

The UN mandate governing the US military's deployment in Iraq will expire next month. To negotiate the way forward, Baghdad and Washington have been in feverish talks about an official Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which will set parameters for the US presence in Iraq, as well as set a date certain for withdrawal. US officials have now presented their Iraqi counterparts with that they call a "final text," committing US troops to be withdrawn to their bases by next June and withdrawn from Iraq entirely no later than 2011.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/arc ... _sofa.html

Contractors and Obama

In the wake of Barack Obama's election victory many American private military and security contractors are wondering what their future will be under President Obama. It is probably better than they imagine.

http://www.metimes.com/Security/2008/11 ... bama/6392/

video: 66 companies want Blackwater protection from pirates

In the last twelve days, nine ships have been been hijacked by pirates. The U.S. State Department says that shipping companies need to do more to protect their vessels.

http://rawstory.com/rawreplay/?p=2473

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/66_compan ... _1120.html

Zuletzt geändert von anselm am 22.11.2008, 13:50, insgesamt 1-mal geändert.

Wenn ich da an die Aktuelle Tanker Entführung denke wird mir ganz Übel.....

Security firms told they lose immunity in Iraq: official

US officials on Thursday told scores of firms offering security in Iraq that their personnel will lose immunity from prosecution under a new US-Iraq security pact due to take effect in January.

The officials told reporters that they briefed delegates from 172 security contractors employing nearly 175,000 Americans, Iraqis and others in Iraq about the new rules under a pact set to replace a UN mandate expiring December 31.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... CCAVM_yACg

http://www.onelocalnews.com/prescotther ... s&id=48670

http://www.alternet.org/rights/108067/u ... y_in_iraq/

Zuletzt geändert von anselm am 23.11.2008, 13:22, insgesamt 1-mal geändert.

Google Maps Used To Mark Pirate Attacks

Google's been known to track all sorts of stuff, including search trends, wildfires, and the flu. Now Google Maps and Google Earth are being used to record the locations of what might qualify as an even more interesting thing: pirate attacks.

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/ ... te-attacks

Hillary's Blackwater Connection

Hillary Clinton found herself defending her chief strategist Friday after The Associated Press reported that the public relations company Mark Penn runs had helped prepare the chief of the controversial military contractor Blackwater USA for his congressional testimony.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6219.html

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Clinton reportedly owes Penn 5.4 million dollars for campaign work, while Burson client Blackwater still has a multi-million dollar contract to protect US State Department officials. Does this look like a manifest conflict-of-interest for a potential Secretary of State?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... gD94J2MA00