Defense Contractors: Naughty, Naughty boys!

We’ve all heard the stories of contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq. Menacing, evil organizations comprised of godless, powerful men in black, moisture wicking tee shirts and cargo pants. If any of you have travelled to a warzone you may have even met one or two. They’re the right arm of American privatization, a thorough representation of how evil corporations are out to get us. Of course you may have also met tons of NGO employees who, on a personal note, I must say are the most annoying human beings on the planet.

However, the true potential “evil” of these contractors isn’t actually their stormtrooper-type appearance and attitude when deployed; it’s the shifty behavior of the companies they work for. Not their security work, but pretty much everything else. Recently, these unethical business practices have started to become public. Issues range from the now popular “no-bid” contracts all the way to primes refusing to pay their local contractor. The latter example is one I have particular experience with, having just left a company dealing with a prime holding millions in federal government money for a fuel transportation contract. This along with the DoD slowing down payments on many contracts has led to the contractor bubble letting out some air.

The most significant problem is these contractors not paying subcontractors in Afghanistan. Currently, even the famously corrupt Afghan government, and specifically its Attorney General, have attempted to bring them in for failing to pay subcontractors, Liberty Logistics being one of these allegedly crooked billion dollar contractors. How can they get away with this? Subcontracts with Afghan licensed companies aren’t enforceable here in the States, and operate with a sense of impunity overseas. How bad are these Afghan workers treated? According to a recent Huffington Post article hundreds of thousands of truckers are currently seeking payment through Afghan courts. I knew of a certain small subcontractor that had to pay truck drivers out of pocket, handing out all of its profits and still waiting on a court decision to make up the difference.

This is not unheard of as having bad relations with these truck driver’s “guilds” will start a grudge that can screw a local contractor over for good. Seriously, they act a lot like teamsters. Any truck driver familiar with the area and willing to drive the treacherous route from Karachi, Pakistan all the way across the border into Afghanistan is worth his weight in gold. Why should a giant US firm have to worry about that? They can just find another local contractor for the next job. Not to mention pissing off these organizations can also mean potential violent repercussion if the subcontractor himself or his family lives in Afghanistan, we’ve all heard of Afghans and their legendary grudges.

From personal experience the higher-ups of these firms can go two ways: one, they are honorable ex military officers with gumption and a strong sense of loyalty and respect. Upon executing these contracts they actually regard what is supposed to be their most important goals: providing for troops, improving Afghanistan and employing its citizens. The other type you come across are also ex military but ones that operate with a dishonest, pompous sense of entitlement and a downright 1950’s sense of personal conduct. Don’t believe me? Sit in on an entry level analyst/finance group training session for one of the larger firms and notice the disproportionate amount of attractive, young female employees. Is this a baseless low blow on my part? No, seriously, walk into their offices and see for yourself.

The point is simple; more overseas oversight is needed in the industry. With Afghanistan being a country where word of mouth reputation means everything, the people there aren’t going to give you their hearts and minds when they see our country as one even more corrupt than theirs. The last thing American PR needs in Afghanistan is fat old white guys refusing the pay a man who lives in a thatch roofed mud hut. Seriously, as if poorly orchestrated drone attacks and Marines urinating on bodies weren’t bad enough, the Defense Logistics Agency and DoD’s TransCom are only concerned making sure the troops get what they need, how they get it is up to the contractor and no one else. Sure, war is war and we must leave battlefield decisions to the military. However, the conduct of a US firm is something we should all be considerate of, as it is another part of foreign policy that is in dire need of overhaul.