Pentagon’s War on Drugs Goes Mercenary- $3.1 billion

[Ichingcarpenter]

An obscure Pentagon office designed to curb the flow of illegal drugs has quietly evolved into a one-stop shop for private security contractors around the world, soliciting deals worth over $3 billion.

The sprawling contract, ostensibly designed to stop drug-funded terrorism, seeks security firms for missions like “train Azerbaijan Naval Commandos.” Other tasks include providing Black Hawk and Kiowa helicopter training “for crew members of the Mexican Secretariat of Public Security.” Still others involve building “anti-terrorism/force protection enhancements” for the Pakistani border force in the tribal areas abutting Afghanistan.

The Defense Department’s Counter Narco-Terrorism Program Office has packed all these tasks and more inside a mega-contract for security firms. The office, known as CNTPO, is all but unknown, even to professional Pentagon watchers. It interprets its counternarcotics mandate very, very broadly, leaning heavily on its implied counterterrorism portfolio. And it’s responsible for one of the largest chunks of money provided to mercenaries in the entire federal government.

CNTPO quietly solicited an umbrella contract for all the security services listed above — and many, many more — on Nov. 9. It will begin handing out the contract’s cash by August. And there is a lot of cash to disburse.


SNIP.........


http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/11/drug-war-mercenary/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

[court jester]

1. everywhere is war..."When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"

War in the east,
War in the west,
War up north,
War down south -
War - war -
Rumours of war

Everywhere is war

Such is the state of 21st century "American (Wo)Man"

Thanks Robert Nesta Marley O.M.- he tried to tell us



DU should have an ongoing contest to see who can most accurately guess the location of the next drone strike. Fun and Prizes for Everyone! And think of the bonding...

USA USA USA War War War

War is Peas!

Eat Your Peas Now!

[Tsiyu]

2. Pretty sick expenditure

when Americans are dying because they have no health insurance and/or they're addicted to Pharmco Drugs.

But as others have said, there is obviously a lot of money in "drug interdiction."

And a lot of greed, too.

[SixthSense]

3. I'm starting a private security contracting company

we might be terribly ineffective at teaching people to kill people but that's OK, our real expertise is contract procurement anyway