blackwater security deutschland
[111], Regardless of these developments, Xe defended its work in Iraq. They started out as a private security firm providing training support to law enforcement, the justice department, and military organizations and received their first contract from the United States government in 2000 after the bombing of the USS Cole. [107][108] 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. [161] A number of Iraqi families took Blackwater to court over alleged "random killings committed by private Blackwater guards". The concept was not a financial success and was kept financially solvent by sales from sister company Blackwater Target Systems. The death threat incident was confirmed by a second investigator, a Mr. Thomas, who was also present at the meeting. Copyright 2021 © Silent Professionals. Bekannt wurde die US-Sicherheitsfirma unter dem Namen Blackwater - wegen der Tötung von Zivilisten im Irak und anderer illegaler Machenschaften. This is Sammy Waleed I would like to get a Guard job in Iraq. In fact, they sent in a rescue team and a helicopter free of charge to help with relief efforts. [96][97] Manzetti notes that it was unknown "whether the C.I.A. Protect Your Home with a Monitored ADT Security Alarm System. Force Protection Inc in early 2005 provided the first Cougar Security Vehicle (SV) to Blackwater USA for use as a transport vehicle for U.S. On Sept. 16, 2007, a convoy of Blackwater contractors guarding State Department employees entered a crowded square near the Mansour district in Baghdad, Iraq. "[98], Blackwater Worldwide played a substantial role during the Iraq War as a contractor for the United States government. Erik Prince was brought back into the limelight in 2017 when he wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal and suggested that the Trump administration privatize the war in Afghanistan. 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. Blackwater Asset Management was incepted by an executive team coming from the following sectors, Police Force, Legal Profession, Defence Forces, Financial Services & Private Security sectors which gives the Blackwater Asset Management team a leading edge in the recovery process. [137] BKSH, a self-described "bipartisan" firm (Hillary 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. If true, he would have served as a security contractor in Iraq between 2005 and 2008. [157] The settlement and fine conclude a U.S. State Department investigation that began in 2007. The company trains canines to work in patrol capacities as war dogs, explosives and drug detection, and various other roles for military and law enforcement duties. "[184], After the Nisour Square killings of 17 Iraqi civilians and the injury of 20 more by Blackwater convoy guards in a Baghdad traffic circle in September 2007, charges were brought against five guards. The killings outraged Iraqis and strained relations between Iraq and the United States. Some 260 staff are affected with about 50 losing their jobs, beginning at the end of February. In 2008, Blackwater announced that it would start to focus its services away from security contracting because of the risks involved. 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. [34][35] In response, Brian Bonfiglio, project manager for Blackwater West, said: "There will be no explosives training and no tracer ammunition. Blackwater’s legal and ethical issues are widely known, but how did they get to where they were in the first place? If Blackwater returns, it would be the return of a private security contractor that was banned from Iraq, but re-branded and never really went away. [92], 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 (3,000–5,000) for humanitarian efforts and low-intensity conflicts. However, in the aftermath of 9/11, civilian security teams were needed by the United States Military. As of January 2008, STI Aviation appears to have been folded into AWS, along with Air Quest. [24] Blackwater moved about 200 personnel into the area impacted by Hurricane Katrina, most of whom (164 employees) were working under a contract with the Federal Protective Service to protect government facilities,[19] but the company held contracts with private clients as well. [79], Aviation Worldwide Services was purchased for $200 million in 2010 by AAR Corp., an Illinois company. They still do business as Academi. Mary McMahon Date: February 23, 2021 Blackwater USA is a private security firm with ties to the Iraq War.. Blackwater USA is a private military contractor based in the United States. repel on top of building to fight insurgents (Part-1). It owned and operated three subsidiaries: STI Aviation, Inc. Air Quest, Inc. and Presidential Airways, Inc. [67], Presidential Airways (PAW) is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Regulations Part 135 charter cargo and passenger airline based at Orlando Melbourne International Airport. Thank you for selecting Blackwater Security, Partners with the Community. Provisional Coalition Authority officials in Baghdad. The officials said that the Justice Department's 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. Jeremy Ridgeway, a former Blackwater guard, pleaded guilty to the massacre in 2007 in Nissor Square in Baghdad. ", "Constellis Holdings, Inc. Acquires Constellis Group, Inc", "HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION", Role of security companies likely to become more visible, "Private Security Company Creates Stir in New Orleans", "Private Security Contractors in Iraq: Background, Legal Status, and Other Issues", "MEMORANDUM Re: Additional Information about Blackwater USA", "blackwaterusa.com - blackwaterusa Resources and Information", "Inter Press Service – News and Views from the Global South", "BLACKWATER MERCS IN IRAQ – Video Dailymotion", "Locals Against Training Camp In East County", "Exclusive Interview: Blackwater USA's President Gary Jackson", "Tiny Potrero Battles County and Blackwater USA", "Blackwater Plans for New Military Facility Near San Diego Draws Fire From Residents, Peace Activists and Local Congressmember", "Blackwater's San Diego-Area Plan Spurs Protest", "Blackwater delivers supplies to wildfire victims in California", "Blackwater withdraws plans for camp in Potrero", "Blackwater Softens Its Logo From Macho to Corporate", "Blackwater brand shift: Security to take back seat", "Prince Quits as CEO of Blackwater-Turned-Xe", "Blackwater Founder Resigns As Chief Executive", Former Blackwater Security Firm Gets New Leaders in Image Makeover, "Contractor Tries to Shed Blackwater Past", "Jack Quinn to Become Independent Director of Xe Services", "Company Once Known as Blackwater Names New CEO", "Xe Services names its first compliance chief", Corporate Compliance Category Winner: ACADEMI LLC, "Australian mercenary reportedly killed in Yemen clashes", "Blackwater's US Colonel Killed, Saudi Apache Helicopters Destroyed in Yemen's Tochka Missile Attacks in Lahij", "Academi – About Us – Board of Directors", "Xe Hired to do Afghanistan Drug War Intel Work", Blackwater showing off new training ship at Nauticus | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com, Private Security Contractors in Iraq: Background, Legal Status, and Other Issues, Blackwater USA Completes Acquisition of Aviation Worldwide Services, "Blackwater Reveals Underpinnings of 'Private Security' Industry", http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2005-10-27/news/err-america/, Think Progress » Pentagon Issues Blackwater New $92 million Contract, "Blackwater Bulks Up Air Power Using Little-Known Company", "ERROR 404: Sorry the page you are looking for no longer exists", Sun.Star Manila – Senator to look into mercenary list-up, exercises in Subic, ARTICLE: Blackwater employees create a stir in New Orleans (The Virginian-Pilot – HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com), Blackwater Blues for Dead Contractors' Families, Five to vie for counter-narcoterrorism work, "The Terrifying Background of the Man Who Ran a CIA Assassination Unit", "Blackwater: Japan's Missile Defense Force", "Blackwater USA says it can supply forces for conflicts", "Inside America's private army" (continued), "C.I.A. [166] In 2012 the Department of Justice closed the investigation without filing any charges. [64][65] 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.[14]. [44] Quinn and Ashcroft were independent directors, without other affiliations to Academi. Another was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison; however, this verdict was overturned in August 2017. 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. [143][144] When the term "mercenaries" was used to describe Blackwater employees, Prince objected, characterizing them as "loyal Americans. Academi (Ex-Blackwater), die mächtigste Armee der Welt, meldet verkauft worden zu sein, ohne weder den Namen des Käufers noch den Verkaufsbetrag anzugeben. [169][170][171], 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. The ship is home-ported in Norfolk, Virginia.[59]. The United States State Department and Blackwater USA had attempted to keep his identity secret for security reasons. He was formerly the head of the CIA's Near East Division. Another training facility was acquired in fall of 2006 in Mount Carroll, Illinois, just west of Chicago. Xe was bought by a group of investors who built a new company, Academi, and then in 2014 merged with another firm to form Constellis Holdings. Kidnap and Ransom Insurance: What Is It and Who Needs It? "[104] Between 2005 and September 2007, Blackwater security staff were involved in 195 shooting incidents; in 163 of those cases, Blackwater personnel fired first. [101] 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. FSG Ltd purchased stakes in two Kenyan aviation companies, Kijipwa Aviation and Phoenix Aviation, to provide logistics services for the country’s oil and gas industry, but later that year in October 2014, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority denied Kijipwa Aviation an aviation license renewal. [26] At the time it was a privately held company and published limited information about internal affairs. A company spokeswoman stated: "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. He was the United States Department of State coordinator for counterterrorism with the rank of Ambassador-at-Large from December 2002 to November 2004. ", "Ex-Blackwater contractor gets murder conviction tossed by federal appeals court", "Trump pardons ex-campaign aide, Blackwater contractors and disgraced lawmakers", Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, "Report Says Firm Sought To Cover Iraq Shootings,", "Chief Of Blackwater Defends His Employees,", "Ex-Paratrooper Is Suspect In Killing Of Iraqi,", "Additional Information about Blackwater USA,", "Other Killings by Blackwater Staff Detailed,", "From Errand to Fatal Shot to Hail of Fire to 17 Deaths,", "Erik Prince, an American Commando in Exile,", "Trouble For Hire: The Mercenaries Who Murder In Your Name,", "Tracing The Paths Of 5 Who Died In A Storm Of Gunfire,", "Before Shooting in Iraq, a Warning on Blackwater,", "Report Details Shooting By Drunken Blackwater Worker,", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blackwater_(company)&oldid=1012994248, George W. 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[132] No charges were filed. 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. [150][151] 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. [94], 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. In 2007, a census found that there were as many private contractors in Iraq as there were members of the military and that figure is believed to be an underestimate. The most trusted source for vetted private security and military contractor professionals. 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. "[87] 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. umbrella. In 2007, the U.S. government investigated whether Blackwater employees smuggled weapons into Iraq. 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. "We interdict. [23] Blackwater's responsibilities included the United States embassy in Iraq. It authorized 482 personnel, and Blackwater received $488m for its work. Constellis was created to bring the best parts of the most elite companies in the industry together as one to make the world a safer place. In all, 20 Iraqi civilians were reported killed. blackwater jobs. This program was funded by several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates and was backed by the United States. Blackwater Security offers a variety of security and investigative services for both business and residential needs. Sniper taking shots at insurgents. [55], Academi offers tactical training for maritime force protection units. "[39], In February 2009, Blackwater announced that it would be once again renamed, this time to "Xe Services LLC", as part of a company-wide restructuring plan. USTC also offers several open-enrollment courses periodically throughout the year, from hand to hand combat (executive course) to precision rifle marksmanship. In 2004, they were one of three private military companies brought in for protective services in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Israel. In 1998, the private security firm bought a training facility on a dark swamp in North Carolina and officially adopted their name, which was inspired by the murky water surrounding the training facility. The Nisour Square massacre occurred on September 16, 2007, when employees of Blackwater Security Consulting (now Academi), a private military company contracted by the US government to provide security services in Iraq, shot at Iraqi civilians, killing 17 and injuring 20 in Nisour Square, Baghdad, while escorting a U.S. embassy convoy. Londono, Ernesto and Qais Mizher, "Iraq To Deny New License To Blackwater Security Firm". California Private Patrol Operator 17627. Reviews from Blackwater Protection employees about Blackwater Protection culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. 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. Executive Office. and Albazzaz, et al. They refused any interviews and took their website offline. He founded a new company called Reflex Responses (or R2) that entailed a roughly 800-man unit of foreign fighters for the UAE, where Prince retained a majority 51% ownership. [160] 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. They continued to do work for the government back home in the US, too, specifically during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. [137][138][139] Burson-Marsteller was brought aboard by McDermott Will & Emery and Crowell & Moring, the Washington law firms representing Blackwater. In 2013, Academi subsidiary International Development Solutions received an approximately $92 million contract for State Department security guards. Private security is tasked with guarding people or places, not following the government’s plan to win a war. The 6,000-acre training facility contained indoor, outdoor, and urban reproduction shooting ranges, an artificial lake, and a driving track. He was hired by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and moved to Abu Dhabi in 2010. As supplies and ammunition ran low, a team of Blackwater contractors 70 miles (113 km) away flew to the compound to resupply and bring an injured U.S. Marine back to safety outside of the city. "The colonel ... said the Blackwater guards disarmed the soldiers and forced them to lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle their vehicles. Incidents like this are not rare and, because they’re not military, they don’t face the same consequences, if any at all. [105] Erik Prince points out that the company followed the orders of United States government officials, who frequently put his men in harm's way. Who Rescues Tourists Held Hostage in a Foreign Country. Erik Prince currently heads a private equity firm called Frontier Resource Group (FRG) and is chairman of Frontier Services Group Ltd (FSG Ltd), a Bermuda-incorporated logistics and transport company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. "[141] 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. One of the modified crop-dusters was delivered to Salva Kiir Mayardit’s forces in South Sudan shortly before a contract with Frontier Services Group was cancelled. [28][29], Robert Richer was vice president of intelligence until January 2007, when he formed Total Intelligence Solutions. It was reported that the company also acted as law enforcement in the disaster-stricken areas, for example securing neighborhoods and confronting criminals. He remained as chairman of the board but was no longer involved in day-to-day operations. They also offer courses in tactical and off-road driving.[53]. [28][29], In November 2006, Blackwater USA announced that it had acquired an 80-acre (32 ha) facility 120 miles (190 km) west of Chicago in Mount Carroll, Illinois, called Impact Training Center. Academi has a variety of services and product offerings. 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. [93] The company denies making this claim. [30][31][32][33] The opening had faced heavy opposition from local residents, residents of nearby San Diego, local Congressmember Bob Filner, and environmentalist and anti-war organizations. In 2014, four Blackwater employees were tried and convicted in U.S. federal court; one of murder… [174] The suit, Abtan v. Blackwater, alleged that Blackwater had engaged in war crimes, created a "culture of lawlessness", and routinely deployed employees who used steroids and other psychoactive drugs. [17] Jamie Smith and his deputy David Phillips recruited, vetted and hired a 21-man team. This contract brought in $488 million. At this time, because it was a privately owned company, little was known about the internal affairs of the business. 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.