[186], CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (. In 2003, Blackwater attained its first high-profile contract when it received a $21 million no-bid contract for guarding the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer. [95], 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 August 2010, the company agreed to pay a $42 million fine to settle allegations that it unlawfully provided armaments and military equipment overseas. [31][32][33][34] The opening had faced heavy opposition from local residents, residents of nearby San Diego, local Congressmember Bob Filner, and environmentalist and anti-war organizations. [24], On September 1, 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, Blackwater dispatched a rescue team and helicopter to support relief operations. "[146], A staff report compiled by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on behalf of Representative Henry Waxman questioned the cost-effectiveness of using Blackwater forces instead of U.S. troops.

[147][148], In the wake of Prince's testimony before Congress, the US House passed the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act in October 2007 that subsequently led to the prosecution by U.S. courts of some US military contractors, but only for incidents involving attacks on US nationals.

[46], In May 2011, Academi named Ted Wright as CEO. "[142] 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. [18] Jamie Smith and his deputy David Phillips recruited, vetted and hired a 21-man team. [63][64], Academi provides and maintains a "shoot house" system and patented the BEAR multi-target training system that was designed and developed by the company. Claim: A military uniformed presence in July 2020 was made up partly or entirely of private contractors. [13] The training facility comprises several ranges: indoor, outdoor, urban reproductions; an artificial lake; and a driving track in Camden and Currituck counties.

"[143] Later he stated that the company could provide it at a future date if questions were submitted in writing. 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. [18], Before 2001, tier-one contractors, or former members of elite, special forces units, were hired from a small pool of applicants. Three insurgents claimed to be responsible for shooting down the helicopter, although this has not been confirmed by the United States. In the fall of 2007, a congressional report by the House Oversight Committee found that Blackwater intentionally "delayed and impeded" investigations into the contractors' deaths.

[138] 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. There is nothing to indicate that the federal agents in Portland are from Blackwater, either. "[40], 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. ", "Ex-Blackwater contractor gets murder conviction tossed by federal appeals court", 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=Academi&oldid=984674802, George W. Bush administration controversies, Articles with dead external links from January 2017, CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown, Articles with dead external links from February 2017, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from April 2014, Articles with dead external links from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2014, Articles with disputed statements from January 2017, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from January 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from April 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2018, Articles with dead external links from April 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Law enforcement training, logistics, close quarter training, and security services.

[82][dead link], Erik Prince intended Greystone to be used for peacekeeping missions in areas like Darfur where military operations would need to take place to establish peace.

Another was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison; however, this verdict was overturned in August 2017. [177] Two affidavits filed as part of the suit by former employees accuse Blackwater of encouraging the murder of Iraqi civilians, and of murdering or having murdered employees who intended to testify against the company. "That sergeant doesn't show up naked and untrained," Prince stated. 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. "We interdict. 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. [160] 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. Danielle Esposito was named the new chief operating officer and executive vice president.

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