Berry Aviation evacuated U.S. military casualties after ISIS-affiliated militants apparently ambushed a military convoy in Niger in October of 2017. Pursuant to its contract with the U.S. Transportation Command, the Texas-based contractor maintains one helicopter and one propellor-driven plane in Niamey, Niger’s capitol, for “casualty evacuation” and “other things,” according to a U.S. Africa Command spokesperson. Details about the incident …

One combat veteran says that although marijuana is not a cure and not 100% effective, it does alleviate traumatic brain injury symptoms more effectively than the pills that the Veterans Administration prescribes. Sergeant Thomas Brennan sustained a TBI in Afghanistan. Two years later, he received a medical discharge due to severe depression, persistent migraines, vertigo, and other symptoms. He began …

In an August 2017 speech that has major implications for injured contractors, President Donald Trump shared some of his vision for the ongoing Afghanistan War. The strategy is part of a broader approach that the president has used in dealing with other international trouble spots, such as the Islamic State, North Korea, Syria, and Iran. Beginning as a candidate and …

Since 9/11, demand for Military War Dogs (MWDs) has skyrocketed, and these animals now number more than 1,600. They serve in Afghanistan, Iraq, and many other theaters. These animals are highly trained and usually cost in excess of $25,000 each. They are so costly that the Army is buying animatronic MWDs from TraumaFX, an Atlanta-based division of military contractor KForce, …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to partner with local service providers wherever possible may be a “golden goose” for Mumbai-based Larsen & Toubro, according to the firm’s defense business chief Jayant Patil. Emboldened by a $700 million contract award in May of 2017, the firm says it will bid on over $28 billion in contracts over the next several years. …

A federal appeals court ordered the resentencing of three former Blackwater contractors who received long prison sentences on manslaughter charges, and threw out a fourth contractor’s murder conviction altogether. The case goes back to 2007, when a group of Blackwater guards protecting a convoy opened fire in a crowded city square in Iraq. They insisted that they were fighting off …

In the decade that ended in 2016, the Department of Defense spent over $249 billion on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom were injured. While contractor numbers peaked in 2009 (Iraq) and 2012 (Afghanistan), numbers remain high. At the end of 2016, the United States Central Command employed nearly 43,000 private military contractors, and well over half were …

The large contingent of military contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq led many pundits in Congress and the media to briefly call for “insourcing,” or giving these jobs to regular service members, especially after a few high-profile incidents. But such calls overlook the long history of military contractors. According to many, that history really goes back to the 18th century, when …

The sprawling DoD installation in Iraq, which is home to an F-16 squadron and infamous among many contractors, is getting a $134 million facelift and expansion. Reston, Virginia-based Sallyport Global Holdings will do all the work in the next six months. According to a news release, the job entails upgrades and expansions to “base operations support, life support and security …

The Department of Defense hired Arlington-based PAE Government Services to perform “training and mentoring, and contractor logistics support for the Afghanistan National Defense Security Forces,” according to a news release. With Obama-era troop withdrawals still the order of the day, at least for the most part, and the nation facing increasing pressure from both Taliban and Daesh (ISIS) forces, the …

38-year-old senior chief petty officer Kyle Milliken is believed to be the first KIA in Somalia since the infamous “Black Hawk Down” battle in 1993. SCPO Milliken was part of an assist-and-advise mission, supporting a Somali National Army operation against al-Shabaab about 40 miles outside Mogadishu; al-Shabaab is an al-Qaeda affiliated group that is waging a civil war against Somalia’s …

Military contractors once again descended upon Papua New Guinea, a sight which, for many people, stirred unpleasant memories of a 1997 incident. Ostensibly, the LAS contractors were on hand to help the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary prepare for next year’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Connections run deep, as up to 10,000 visitors are expected at the November 2018 …