Poorly trained and ill-equiped Ugandans guard U.S. bases in Iraq - WTF???
Johnny Asia
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.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-04-26-american-bases_N.htm?csp=34
Security issues discovered at U.S. bases in Iraq
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.
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Pucker your lips for the Apocalypse!
Johnny Asia, Guitarist from the Future
-
edi...@netpath.net
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.
http://www.Internet-Gun-Show.com - your source for hard-to-find stuff!
Kevin Cunningham
> 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.
Comrade Hephaistos
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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.