Pubdate: Sat, 05 Jul 2008
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Page: A5
Copyright: 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.wsj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487
Author: August Cole
Cited: Counter Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office http://www.cntpo.com/

U.S. RELIES MORE ON CONTRACTORS TO FIGHT DRUG TRADE

During the more than five years that three Northrop Grumman Corp. 
employees were held hostage in Colombia, captured while on a Defense 
Department job, the U.S. steadily increased its use of contractors to 
help fight the drug trade in dangerous parts of the world.

Although the biggest defense contractors have shown no interest in 
providing teams of armed security guards similar to those in Iraq 
from Blackwater Worldwide or DynCorp International, they are 
increasingly willing to operate close to danger.

The U.S. spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year hiring pilots, 
mechanics, and military and police trainers to combat the drug trade 
in South American countries, as well as Afghanistan and other Central 
Asian states. Lockheed Martin Corp. also supports peacekeeping forces 
in Darfur. Last year, the Defense Department tapped Northrop as one 
of five to lead a five-year contract focused on fighting terrorism 
and the drug trade. The contract could be worth as much as $15 
billion if fully funded, but the work, under the Counter 
Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office, will be assigned through 
small contracts depending on the government's needs. Others given a 
shot at competing for the work include Blackwater, Raytheon Co., 
Lockheed and Arinc Inc.

"The military is not enamored of these other missions," said Brian 
Jenkins, a senior adviser at Rand Corp. and former Army Special 
Forces officer. The Pentagon has awarded Northrop seven smaller 
contracts as part of the larger counterdrug contract, but details are 
classified. Northrop spokesman Randy Belote said the company is 
making greater inroads into that line of business as such efforts 
become more high-tech. "It's moving more into the electronic 
surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance realm, so it's 
perfectly aligned with our business," he said.

Aiming to stay ahead of tapering budgets and shifting Pentagon 
priorities, mainstream defense contractors seek to strike a balance 
between pursuing contracts that may be worth only a few million 
dollars while exposing them and their employees to political and 
physical risks. The Northrop subsidiary, California Microwave, that 
employed the hostages -- Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith 
Stansell -- ceased work on its Defense Department antidrug contract 
after their plane crashed in 2003. A fourth Northrop contractor, 
Thomas Janis, was shot to death after the crash. All three of the 
hostages were kept on Northrop's payroll during their ordeal, and the 
company said it "has been engaged with the three families" since the 
hostage crisis began.

DynCorp, one of the most prominent players in counterdrug missions, 
has been working on counterdrug efforts in Colombia since 1991 and 
holds a large State Department contract to help with drug-eradication 
efforts in Afghanistan.

DynCorp spokesman Greg Lagana acknowledged that such work carries a 
certain amount of risk, but such contracts also "use a lot of the 
strengths that we have as a company." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake