A group of contractors left the island nation under fire after having been accused of illegally propping up embattled strongman Jovenel Moïse. Details are murky, but the men arrived in a charter plane and proceeded to the country’s central bank. There, they planned to electronically transfer $80 million from a public oil fund to a private Moïse account. Before they …

After a $3 million government grant, more Post Traumatic Stress Disorder victims may soon receive therapy that involves virtual reality programming and other unorthodox methods. In 2010, Dr. Deborah Beidel and her team started using virtual reality goggles to decouple anxiety from traumatic combat memories. Therapists carefully caution patients that they will probably get worse before they get better if …

Contractors serve all over the world. They take the same risks that regular service members take. In fact, if you see a mixed group on a helicopter, it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between contractors and servicemembers. Upon closer examination, there are some important differences. Front-line troops and “door kickers” are almost always servicemembers. Support personnel, like mechanics, …

Former Army Specialist Winston Hencely says that the private military contractor firm is responsible for the injuries he sustained prior to a Veterans’ Day 5k run at Afghanistan’s Bagram Airfield. According to court documents, Specl. Hencely confronted Fluor employee and former Taliban member Ahmad Nayeb about his presence on the base. It turns out that Nayeb was wearing a suicide …

The shadowy Wagner Group continues to pop up in places where the Russian Bear has national interests, but the Kremlin fears to tread. Meanwhile, American private military contractors continue to serve a more limited, and much more well-regulated, international role in places like Iraq. Wagner mercenaries recently surfaced in Venezuela, where embattled strongman Nicolas Maduro is trying to remain in …

After almost two decades of conflict, peace may finally be coming to the war-torn country. Even if that happens, contractors in Afghanistan will probably not be packing their bags and heading home anytime soon. After almost a week of talks in Qatar, chief American negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad announced that both sides had agreed for Afghanistan to be a terrorist-free zone …

Varuzhan Karapetian, whom many consider to be one of the last major state-sponsored terrorists, passed away of an apparent heart attack in his native Armenia. Today’s terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere are a much different breed, and their methods demand a much different approach. Karapetian, who was a Syrian of Armenian descent, was the former head of the Armenian Secret …

Researchers at Harvard Medical School believe that Tardigrades — tiny, hardy creatures — may secrete protein which can reverse the brain damage that so many Iraq and Syria veterans sustained while they were in-county. Doctors theorize that these creatures release proteins that slow tissue damage and even prevent cell death altogether. The team believes that the experiment could have a …

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the final appeal in a veteran’s lawsuit against KBR, putting an end to a court fight that had lasted the better part of a decade. But former Iraq War contractors still have legal options available when it comes to compensation for their injuries. Under direction from military commanders, KBR contractors constructed a number …

If American forces withdraw from the war-torn country as planned, many observers believe that private military contractors should remain behind to uphold American interests and protect the civilian population. On December 14, 2018, a combined U.S./Syrian Democratic Forces army cleared one of the last ISIS strongholds in the country. That victory prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to announce that their …

As recently as August 2018, outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis dismissed the idea of a privatized war in Afghanistan. Now that he is gone, could Blackwater founder Erik Prince’s vision become a reality? In the wake of his departure and President Donald Trump’s plan to pull out some 7,000 troops from the war-torn country, Blackwater USA took out a full …

Key lawmakers joined with a nationwide advocacy group to rally support for the Burn Pits Accountability Act, which already enjoys broad bipartisan support. IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) joined with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), urging lawmakers to fast-track the Burn Pits Accountability Act. This proposal, which has 147 co-sponsors, would provide medical evaluations …