Various U.S. government agencies continue to award huge development and security contracts to protect and expand American interests in the Middle East and North Africa regions. These projects create economic opportunities for thousands of individuals, but also carry substantial risk of injury. The U.S. Agency for International Development announced that it will provide $68 million in emergency assistance to Sudan …

Before they arrive in-country, either in a relatively quiet place like Diego Garcia or an extremely hazardous war zone like Afghanistan, what processes apply to military contractors, and what exactly do they do during their deployments? Once upon a time, most military contractors were Special Operations veterans that some people aptly described as “door-kickers.” But shortly thereafter, given the increased …

Before private military contractors and other overseas workers confront the Iraq War, they must first emerge victorious in the Paperwork War. After they receive provisional employment offers, which probably means they have already provided a considerable amount of background materials to their prospective employers, candidates must normally complete the Office of Personnel Management’s Standard Form 86 Questionnaire for National Security …

Combat-related Traumatic Brain Injuries, which are particularly widespread in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, may soon be easier to diagnose and treat, thanks to an advanced imaging system currently under development. Doctors can use Diffusion Tensor Imaging, which is similar to an MRI, to diagnose and treat returning combat veterans who suffer concussions, or Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries. With over …

A former military contractor who was seriously hurt near Tel Aviv is now fighting to obtain needed cash benefits from his insurance company, while he struggles to recover from his injuries. The now 50-year-old Willie Myers spent years in Afghanistan and Iraq; many of his assignments involved protection details for visiting dignitaries like Condoleezza Rice, John Kerry, Barack Obama, and …

A new accord between the United States and its erstwhile colonial possession may place American forces less than 190 miles from the hotly-disputed, and perhaps aptly named, Mischief Islands in the South China Sea, raising the issue of compensation for injured contractors in this area. In the 1990s, China and the Philippines almost came to blows over this island group, …

Most homicide detectives would agree that the first 48 hours are critical to the investigation. Even though the trial may not take place for months or even years after the fact, many murder cases are won or lost during this initial time window. A Defense Base Act claim is very much the same. Many injured Afghanistan and Iraq contractors have …

Researchers hope that, in addition to making video games more realistic, virtual reality (VR) technology may soon be able to help doctors diagnose brain injuries that contractors suffer in Iraq. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a head-mounted eye tracking device from SyncThink, a Boston-headquartered engineering firm. The EYE-SYNC uses virtual reality technology to measure and record impaired eye …

Whether you are attracted to populated areas like Japan and Italy, isolated places like Diego Garcia and Kwajalein, or hot spots like Iraq or Afghanistan, there are a number of things to consider before you pack your bags. First and foremost, there is the matter of actually finding a job. Start by asking your current employer if there are any …

Should organizations whose missions are exclusively peaceful and nonaggressive, like the United Nations, use private military contractors in the same way that the United States and other nations-states use these entities in places like Iraq and Afghanistan? Two Polish scholars addressed this question, and other ones like it, in a recent International Community Law Review article. The use of Private …

Based on the “uneven” performance of its security forces, Army General John Campbell believes that Afghanistan will require extensive support until “at least” 2024 because that is the earliest time that the Afghan government could cover the estimated $4.1 billion annual price tag for security services. The outgoing commander of all U.S. forces in that theater of operations made the …

A recent U.S. Marine KIA in Makhmur revealed to the world what many people already knew: There are combat troops in the war-torn country far above the ceiling imposed by the Obama Administration. Staff Sergeant Louis F. Cardin, of Temecula, California, was killed in an ISIS rocket attack at a remote firebase that had been fully operational for less than …