The military relies on hired guards at bases in Iraq so troops are available for combat duties. Overall, there are five companies providing security at bases in Iraq under contracts with an estimated value of $250 million.
A majority of the guards are from Uganda and other East African countries. Guard salaries are about $700 a month on average.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A commission investigating waste and fraud in wartime spending has found serious deficiencies in training and equipment for hundreds of Ugandan guards hired to protect U.S. military bases in Iraq, The Associated Press has learned.
The problems at Forward Operating Bases Delta and Hammer include a lack of vehicles used to properly protect the two posts, a shortage of weapons and night vision gear, and poorly trained guards. Both bases house several thousand U.S. military personnel.
Concerned the shortages leave the bases vulnerable, the Commission on Wartime Contracting alerted military officials in Iraq and at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida.
"Incidents such as this are a concern in their own right, but they are a particular concern to the commission if they prove to be indicators of broader, systemic problems that impede the delivery of critical services to American military forces in a war zone," said Bob Dickson, the commission's executive director.
Triple Canopy of Herndon, Virginia, holds the $35 million security contract at Base Delta. Sabre International Security, based in Baghdad, has a $42 million contract to provide security at Base Hammer.
What are you griping about? Being Ugandan, they are liberals' favorite color. If the mercs were highly-paid European-American guys who'd actually gotten competent and were ex-special-ops Americans - as were most all Blackwater mercs - you'd be griping.
On Apr 26, 11:32 am, "edi...@netpath.net" <edi...@netpath.net> wrote:
> What are you griping about? Being Ugandan, they are liberals' > favorite color. If the mercs were highly-paid European-American guys > who'd actually gotten competent and were ex-special-ops Americans - as > were most all Blackwater mercs - you'd be griping.
You hired the guards, you set up the system that made some one wealthy and some people dead. But that's OK, you love the fact that these Ugandan's are paid only $700 a month. What a capitalist moment!
Of course there is no discussion of security among repugs, just how much does it cost.
On Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:47:41 -0700 (PDT), Kevin Cunningham
<sms...@mindspring.com> wrote: >On Apr 26, 11:32 am, "edi...@netpath.net" <edi...@netpath.net> wrote: >> What are you griping about? Being Ugandan, they are liberals' >> favorite color. If the mercs were highly-paid European-American guys >> who'd actually gotten competent and were ex-special-ops Americans - as >> were most all Blackwater mercs - you'd be griping.
>You hired the guards, you set up the system that made some one wealthy >and some people dead. But that's OK, you love the fact that these >Ugandan's are paid only $700 a month. What a capitalist moment!
>Of course there is no discussion of security among repugs, just how >much does it cost.
With improved security in Iraq come some interesting quandaries.
According to Ugandan contractors and media reports, the monthly salaries for Ugandan security guards on U.S. bases in Iraq are being cut by more than half — a result of the strengthened security situation.
It’s a simple matter of economics, officials said: As more people are willing to take security positions, competition increases and people are willing to take lower salaries.
Ugandan guards’ salaries are now going from $1,300 to $600 per month, officials said. There are currently almost 10,000 Ugandans in Iraq, with another 1,500 being trained and ready to arrive in around two weeks.
Zain-Ul-Afrin Ahmed, a manager for the contractor Dreshak International Limited in Kampala, was quoted in Ugandan media as saying, "This is a free market. The guards are free to get in and out if they feel cheated, but I can assure you, more countries are getting involved in this business."
He described the market as "flooded" and said employment contracts are awarded to the lowest bidders — resulting in lowered salaries.
The Ugandans guard various base facilities, including dining halls and road checkpoints.
