If true, he would have served as a security contractor in Iraq between 2005 and 2008. This contract brought in $488 million. It operates aircraft owned by AWS. [14], Jeremy Scahill has claimed that 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. [47] The Academi Regulatory and Compliance team won National Law Journal's 2012 Corporate Compliance Office of the Year Award. They also attempted to build a facility near San Diego but were met with a lot of resistance from local citizens and government. Blackwater USA began in 1997 by Al Clark and Erik Prince. It authorized 482 personnel, and Blackwater received $488m for its work. In the past, it has trained Greek security forces for the 2004 Olympics, Azerbaijan Naval Sea Commandos, and Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior. umbrella. [71][72], 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. Homeland Security & Smart/Safe City Investment Trends for tomorrow. External Investigations Division. 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. A sheriff investigating shootings at Atlanta-area massage parlors has been linked to Blackwater, the infamous security firm whose contractors … [135][136] Blackwater hired the public relations firm BKSH & Associates Worldwide, a subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller, to help Prince prepare for his testimony at the hearing. [28][29], Robert Richer was vice president of intelligence until January 2007, when he formed Total Intelligence Solutions. Three were eventually convicted in October 2014 of 14 manslaughter charges and in April 2015 sentenced to thirty years plus one day in prison. [175], 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. [74], In late September 2007, Presidential Airways received a $92m contract from the Department of Defense for air transportation in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. The guards stated that they felt threatened when the driver ignored orders to stop as he approached the convoy. Six of my Blackwater brethren contractors are on the helicopter going to Tikrit. He commissioned the company to modify Thrush 510G crop-dusters with surveillance equipment, machine guns, armor, and other weapons, including custom pylons that were capable of mounting either NATO or Russian ballistics. Blackwater USA began in 1997 by Al Clark and Erik Prince. [57] Exclusive: Is Erik Prince a war profiteer or the ultimate patriot burned by his own government? Office of Personnel Management. For the literary agency, see, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (. 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. [109] 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. On August 21, 2007, Blackwater Manager Daniel Carroll threatened to kill Jean Richter, a U.S. State Department Investigator, in Iraq. [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. Im Jahr 2014 wurde Academi mit Triple Canopy und sechs weiteren Militärdienstleistern aufgekauft und unter Constellis Holdings, Inc. This team was then trained and deployed on a Top Secret project to provide protection for CIA personnel and facilities in Afghanistan. "[89] "[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. [48], In 2012, retired Brigadier General Craig Nixon was named the new CEO of Academi. [18], The company was started to help train SEALS for combat. In explaining Blackwater's purpose, Prince stated: "We are trying to do for the national security apparatus what FedEx did for the Postal Service". The news shows the helicopter falling to the ground as it burns. 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. He was hired by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and moved to Abu Dhabi in 2010. 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. [159] 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. [163] On January 31, 2009, the U.S. State Department notified Blackwater that the agency would not renew its security contract with the company. [143][144] When the term "mercenaries" was used to describe Blackwater employees, Prince objected, characterizing them as "loyal Americans. Danielle Esposito was named the new chief operating officer and executive vice president. Londono, Ernesto and Qais Mizher, "Iraq To Deny New License To Blackwater Security Firm". "That sergeant doesn't show up naked and untrained," Prince stated. [citation needed], In 2010, a group of private investors purchased Xe's North Carolina training facility and built Academi, a new company, around it. Additionally, Smith has been accused of further embellishing his military and contracting record to defraud investors at SCG International Risk.[16]. Under the new guidelines, State Department security agents will accompany all Blackwater units operating in and around Baghdad. The Iraqi government has accused Andrew J. Moonen, a Blackwater employee at the time, of killing him while drunk. McElhatton, Jim, "New Deal For Blackwater Bucks Baghdad Decision", group of its employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians and injured 20 in Nisour Square, Baghdad, United States Department of Homeland Security, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Agency for International Development, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, International Stability Operations Association, "Blackwater's Prince Has GOP, Christian Group Ties", "Ex-Blackwater firm gets a name change, again", "U.S. Jury convicts Blackwater guards in 2007 killings of Iraqi civilians", "Ex-Blackwater Guards Sentenced to Prison in 2007 Killings of Iraqi Civilians", "Blackwater's Descendants Are Doing Just Fine", "Industry Talk: ACADEMI And Triple Canopy Merge Under Constellis Holdings! 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. ][19] Overall, the company received over US$1 billion in U.S. government contracts. ", "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. Prince purchased approximately 7,000 acres (28 km2) of the Great Dismal Swamp, a vast swamp on the North Carolina–Virginia border that is now mostly a national wildlife refuge, from Dow Jones executive Sean Trotter. [12] There, he created his private training facility and his contracting company, Blackwater, which he named for the peat-colored water of the swamp. Copyright 2021 © Silent Professionals. [23], On September 1, 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, Blackwater dispatched a rescue team and helicopter to support relief operations. Blackwater Security offers Armed and Unarmed Security Officers to cater to your needs. v. Prince, et al", "Lawsuit now accuses Xe contractors of murder, kidnapping", "Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder", "January 2010: Adam Ciralsky on Blackwater", "Iraqis say they were forced to take Blackwater settlement", "Most Charges Dismissed Against Ex-Blackwater Execs", "Case Ends Against Ex-Blackwater Officials", "Former Blackwater company settles arms case", "Blackwater Successor to Pay Fine to Settle Arms Charges", "Did Blackwater Graymail Lead to a Whitewash? A company is the sum of its parts. [87] Blackwater is also involved in mentoring Afghan officials in drug interdiction and counter narcotics. Blackwater - security & protection, Hägendorf (Hägendorf, Switzerland). I have to say that Blackwater has done a very good job. [20] The company consisted of nine divisions and a subsidiary, Blackwater Vehicles. The families of the four men, led by Scott Helvenston's mother Katy Helvenston-Wettengel and Donna Zovko, Jerry Zovko's mother, filed suit against Blackwater with … [76], Many of Blackwater's tactical and training aircraft are registered to Blackwater affiliate EP Aviation LLC, named for Blackwater's owner, Erik Prince. Today, the North Carolina training center operates as United States Training Center, or USTC, and carries out tactics and weapons training for military, government, and law enforcement. 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. [100] Blackwater then countersued the lawyer representing the empty estates of the deceased for $10 million on the grounds the lawsuit was contractually prohibited from ever being filed. BLACKWATER divisions have their own form of authority and structure of wherre they stand. 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. [citation needed], A private security service, Greystone is registered in Barbados, and employs soldiers for off-shore security work through its affiliate Satelles Solutions, Inc.[81] Their web site advertises their ability to provide "personnel from the best militaries throughout the world" for worldwide deployment. Was lesen und sehen wir uns an. The federal government turned to Blackwater for assistance. Blackwater’s legal and ethical issues are widely known, but how did they get to where they were in the first place? He was formerly the head of the CIA's Near East Division. [50], In 2016, Ali al-Houthi, former President of the Revolutionary Committee, a body formed by Houthi militants, reported that a Tochka missile hit on a Saudi-led command center in Ma'rib resulting in the death of over 120 mercenaries, including 55 Saudi (9 officers), 11 UAE and 11 foreign commanders of Blackwater on January 17 as well as other material losses. Sheriff Reynolds himself was reported as having served a three-year stint with the notorious private military company Blackwater USA, based on his service record and open source evidence. "[17], 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. It owned and operated three subsidiaries: STI Aviation, Inc. Air Quest, Inc. and Presidential Airways, Inc. Several relatives of the victims filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Presidential in October 2005. Their first contact in Iraq was in summer of 2003 when they secured a $21 million contract for Personal Security Detachment and two helicopters for the head of US occupation in Iraq, Paul Bremer. [60] 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. Plans Tighter Control of Security Firm", U.S. will not renew Blackwater contract in Iraq, "Blackwater Reaches Deal on U.S.

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