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Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey's Solutions for Defense Solutions
Looks like our old friends at Defense Solutions are back in the news.
You remember them. They're the Pennsylvania-based defense company that retained former GOP congressman Curt Weldon -- who's currently under investigation for corruption in regard to his ties to his daughter's lobbying firm -- as a strategic advisor.
Weldon recently pushed deals on behalf of Defense Solutions between Russian and Ukrainian weapons suppliers and the Iraqi and Libyan governments. Brokering such deals is legally murky, according to Wired magazine, because Libya and the Russian arms export agency are on U.S. blacklists.
And Defense Solutions' CEO, Tim Ringgold was accused by a Ukrainian government official of forging his name on a signed letter officiating that deal.
So we were interested to see the company make a special appearance this weekend in the long New York Times story on Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey's myriad conflicts of interest.
McCaffrey, the Times reports, was hired by Defense Solutions on June 15, 2007 to advocate for a similar arms deal. But he didn't mention that affiliation, says the Times, when he wrote a letter to General David Petraeus "strongly recommending Defense Solutions and its offer to supply Iraq with 5,000 armored vehicles from Eastern Europe. 'No other proposal is quicker, less costly, or more certain to succeed,' he said."
The paper continues:
Nor did he disclose it when he went on CNBC that same week and praised the commander Defense Solutions was now counting on for help -- "He's got the heart of a lion" -- or when he told Congress the next month that it should immediately supply Iraq with large numbers of armored vehicles and other equipment.
McCaffrey has had no luck so far getting the deal through for Defense Solutions, but they haven't given up hope yet - the Times reports that he is currently back advocating in Iraq on a trip sponsored by the Pentagon.
Josh
Zachary
I've been amazed how Barry McCaffrey has been able to wage his uber-sleazy war profiteer/NBC commentator/Iaq War policy maker scam since 9/11 with so little notice. (Not for my lack of trying). Be advised that Defense Solutions is but a tiny piece of the puzzle.
The General's defense industry business interests are legion. There's no defense contractor large or small who wouldn't want a retired 4-star wired to Commanding General, Multi-National Force - Iraq (or Congress or NBC or the President) on their payroll. McCaffrey's position is unique and he's exploited it brilliantly.
McCaffrey is on the boards of: Dyncorp International (supplier of security personnel and police trainers in Iraq and Afghanistan), HNTB Federal Services (a military engineering contractor), Wornick Company (supplier of MRE's to the military), McNeil Technologies (supplier of Intelligence, Security, Language "services" to the Federal Government) and Veritas Capital.
Veritas Capital -- a $1 billion+ private equity firm -- wholly owns Dyncorp, McNeil & Wornick. Veritas also owns just a few other military & Federal contractors you may or may not have heard of: Trawick & Assoc., Aeroflex, Vangent, Athena Innovative Solutions and Continental Electronics.
And yet NBC, which as a GE subsidiary is the charter member of the military-industrial-media complex, feels McCaffrey's commentary needs no disclaimer. NBC has only put him on the air like 1,000 times.
Staggering.
-AF
Andrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
December 3, 2008 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
and you thought all the research on random arms suppliers would never come in handy. nice one matt.
December 3, 2008 6:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
As much a people like to look up to Soldiers
Most of them have no problem killing scores of people.
Do you really believe they are going to have any
qualms about ripping off their "own" people.
It's in the name of God don't you know.
Freedom
God
For my buddies
America
Protect my family
Their not American
All of the above have been used unfortunately
by me and many of my friend until we started questioning instead of just believing.
So whats a little kickback
Congress 2006 Didn't stop the war
Everyone kept paying taxes
Congress=Money from War profiteer
Are we stupid
Looks like it
Bail out to the guys(Banks)that took the profit US citizens don't like it
But they still got the money from the little guy.
Like my papa would say
STOP IT
Lets here it for Impunity for the guys with the money and guns.
What happened to liberty and justice for all.
I think the media stole it.
December 3, 2008 8:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
"You masters of wars you build the big bombs , you build the death trains , I see through your mind & hearts -like I see through the water that flows down my drain .." to loosely paraphrase Mr Zimmerman ..
This is very sad , very scary , & very taxing on scarce little resources that are left to the serving military -Iraq was about nothing but the oil & war profiteering ..
Gen Esienhower warned about the military industrial complex back in the day -guess we better add the msm to that complex now too
I wonder if Gen Jones -newly nominated for National Security Advisor is also part of this war profitteering cabal - ?
December 3, 2008 8:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Per Wikipedia, since his retirement last year, General Jones has been on the board of Boeing for a year-and-a-half and joined Chevron's board last May.
About what you'd expect for a retired general. It does not even come close to what McCaffrey's been up to.
-AF
December 4, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink