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==Controversy==
==Controversy==


DynCorp has had its share of controversy, as private military contractors such as [[Halliburton]] have had increasing roles in U.S. military operations overseas. This has led to the question of whether PMCs can be held to the same standards of accountability as members of the U.S. military.
DynCorp has had its share of controversy, as private military contractors such as [[Halliburton]] have had increasing roles in U.S. military operations overseas. This has led to the question of whether PMCs can be held to the same standards of accountability as members of the U.S. military. Of the March


===Sex slavery===
===Sex slavery===

Revision as of 19:49, 12 February 2007

DynCorp International Inc
Company typePublic (NYSE: DCP)
Industryprivate military contractor, aircraft maintenance
Founded1946
Defunct23 November 2020 Edit this on Wikidata
HeadquartersFalls Church, Virginia, United States
Key people
Robert B. McKeon, Chairman
Herbert J. (Herb) Lanese, President, CEO and Director
Jay K. Gorman, EVP and COO
Robert B. Rosenkranz, President, International Technical Services
Natale S. DiGesualdo, President, Field Technical Services
ProductsDrug eradication, law enforcement training, logistics, security services; maintenance for aircraft, support equipment, and weapons systems
RevenueIncrease$1,967.0 Million USD (2006)
Increase$7.2 Million USD (2006)
Number of employees
14,400 (2006)
Websitewww.dyn-intl.com

DynCorp International (IPA: ˈdaɪnkɔɹ)[1] is a United States-based private military contractor (PMC). The company, based in Falls Church, Virginia, has provided mercenary teams for the U.S. military in major theaters, such as Bosnia, Somalia, Angola, Haiti, Colombia, Kosovo and Kuwait.[2] It is also active in the Chapare province of Bolivia conducting coca eradication.[3] DynCorp International also provided much of the security for Afghan interim president Hamid Karzai's presidential guard and trains much of Afghanistan's and Iraq's fledgling police force.[4] DynCorp was also hired to assist recovery in Lousiana and neighbouring areas after Hurricane Katrina had devastated the local community.[5][6]

History

DynCorp traces its origins from two companies formed in 1946: California Eastern Airways, an air freight business and Land-Air Inc, an aircraft maintenance company. Two years after being organized, California Eastern Airways—- despite emerging as the second largest independent air carrier—- filed for bankruptcy in May 1948.[7]

DynCorp has been one of the United States federal government's top 25 contractors. In March 2003, DynCorp was acquired by an even larger government contractor, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) for approximately US$914 million. Less than two years later, CSC announced the sale of three units of the business to a private equity firm, Veritas Capital, for US$850 million. The units sold were DynCorp International, DynMarine and certain DynCorp Technical Services contracts.[8]

Controversy

DynCorp has had its share of controversy, as private military contractors such as Halliburton have had increasing roles in U.S. military operations overseas. This has led to the question of whether PMCs can be held to the same standards of accountability as members of the U.S. military. Of the March

Sex slavery

Employees of the company were involved in the trading of sex slaves while working in Bosnia. A DynCorp employee, Kathryn Bolkovac, was fired after revealing that Dyncorp employees had frequented brothels where women had been imprisoned. Another Dyncorp employee, Ben Johnson, was also fired after revealing the involvement of some of his fellow co-workers in forced-prostitution rings in Bosnia.[9] At least 13 DynCorp employees have been sent home from Bosnia—- and at least seven of them fired—- for purchasing women or trafficking of women and children, though none have ever faced criminal sanctions.[9] Despite these actions, Dyncorp continues to receive more than $2 billion in Department of Defense contracts to provide "post-conflict police training" around the world.[10]

Gaza strip

On October 15, 2003, three DynCorp employees were killed in a bombing in the Gaza Strip. They were serving as security guards for American diplomats, supplementing the Diplomatic Security Service.[11]

Criticism in Iraq

In September 2005, Brigadier General Karl Horst, deputy commander of the Third Infantry Division in charge of security in Baghdad after the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, had this to say regarding some members of the private security firms operating in Iraq: "These guys run loose in this country and do stupid stuff. There's no authority over them, so you can't come down on them hard when they escalate force... They shoot people, and someone else has to deal with the aftermath. It happens all over the place."[12]

Aggressive behaviour in Afghanistan

DynCorp has come under heavy criticism in Afghanistan for aggressive behaviour, with one security guard allegedly slapping the Afghan Transport Minister.[13] They were replaced as Karzai's Presidential Guard in November 2005, apparently in a bid by Karzai to demonstrate his independence and because of DynCorp's aggressive approach.[14] DynCorp continues with both the Afghanistan Police Programme and the Poppy Elimination Programme in Afghanistan. They have been observed by the office of the Inspector General to be providing sub-par performance in both programmes.[citation needed] The qualification of personnel in the police programme have been called into question by the previous minister of Interior Jalili, as many of the police advisors have little experience.[citation needed]

Law enforcement in the USA

DynCorp, along with partners Dewberry of Fairfax, Va., and Parsons Corporation of Pasadena, California, were awarded a contract to provide temporary housing to hurricane victims by FEMA.[15] It is not known how many security contractors DynCorp may have sent with regards to that contract. However 13 officers were dispatched to assess possible damage to five hospitals in New Orleans, including the Memorial Medical Center and one in Biloxi, Mississippi at the request of Ross Perot and Tenet Healthcare.[16]

Writing mainly about the involvement competitor Blackwater USA, columnist Jeremy Scahill of The Nation, stated that "mercenaries from companies like DynCorp, Intercon, American Security Group, Blackhawk, Wackenhut and an Israeli company called Instinctive Shooting International (ISI) are fanning out to guard private businesses and homes, as well as government projects and institutions."[17] This passage seems to have angered, then president and CEO, Stephen J. Cannon enough to respond. In his letter Cannon protests Scahills use of words such as "mercenaries" and "fan out" and feels that DynCorp is the victim of bias.[18]

References

  1. ^ The pronunciation of the company has been confused in the past, with mispronunciations such as "Dine-Corp" and "Dine-uh-Core" commonplace; the proper pronunciation is "Dine-Core". The correct pronunciation is "Dine-Corp," which includes the "p" sound, as stated by Herb Lanese, the new CEO, at an employee town hall meeting, January 2007 in Fort Worth.
  2. ^ "Outsourcing Post-Conflict Operations" (PDF). Princeton University. 2004. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
  3. ^ "CSC/ DynCorp". CorpWatch. 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
  4. ^ "IRAQ: Misjudgments Marred U.S. Plans for Iraqi Police". New York Times Company. 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
  5. ^ Merle, Renae (2006-03-14). "Storm-Wracked Parish Considers Hired Guns". Washington Post: A01. Retrieved 2006-05-21.
  6. ^ Jonsson, Patrik (2006-03-28). "Katrina survivors play defense against looting". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  7. ^ "California Eastern Files Under Bankruptcy Act". Wall Street Journal. 1948-05-14. p. 9. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "CSC Sells DynCorp Units for $850m". Datamonitor Computerwire. 2004-12-14. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
  9. ^ a b Capps, Robert (2002-08-06). "Sex-slave whistle-blowers vindicated". Salon.com. Retrieved 2006-05-21.
  10. ^ Guma, Greg (2004-07-07). "Privatizing War". United Press International. Retrieved 2006-05-21.
  11. ^ Clabaugh, Jeff (2003-10-15). "American victims in Gaza bombing worked for DynCorp". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 2006-05-21.
  12. ^ Finer, Jonathan (2005-09-10). "Security Contractors in Iraq Under Scrutiny After Shootings". Washington Post: A01. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  13. ^ "US chides 'hostile' Karzai guards". BBC News. 2004-10-14. Retrieved 2006-09-16.
  14. ^ Baseer Saeed, Abdul (2005-11-13). "Karzai's Afghan Protectors". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Retrieved 2006-09-16.
  15. ^ "DynCorp International and its Partners in Partnership for Temporary Housing (PaTH) Awarded a Contract by FEMA". Dyncorp International. 2006-08-16. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  16. ^ Hamm, Crystal. "DynCorp International Provides Security and Relief in Louisiana After Katrina". Dyncorp International. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  17. ^ Scahill, Jeremy (2005-09-21). "Blackwater Down". The Nation. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  18. ^ Scahill, Jeremy (2005-11-01). "Tender Mercenaries: DynCorp and Me". The Nation. Retrieved 2006-12-15.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=DynCorp&oldid=107631880"