Checking in on Balad Air Base

Checking in on Balad Air Base

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 …

DoD Awards $142M Contract in Afghanistan

DoD Awards $142M Contract in Afghanistan

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 …

Navy SEAL Killed in Somalia

Navy SEAL Killed in Somalia

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 …

‘Suspicious’ Gathering of Contractors in Papua New Guinea

‘Suspicious’ Gathering of Contractors in Papua New Guinea

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 …

Legislators Will Not Fix Workers’ Compensation This Year

Legislators Will Not Fix Workers’ Compensation This Year

A $70 difference in an attorney’s maximum hourly rate torpedoed a comprehensive workers’ compensation reform measure making its way through the legislature, as House and Senate lawmakers were unable to compromise further. Both versions extended the benefits period from 104 to 260 weeks, to conform with a Florida Supreme Court decision that declared the current system unconstitutional. In an earlier …