Defense contractors spent big in Afghanistan before the U.S. left and the Taliban took control

[JoanofArgh]

In the months leading up to the U.S. ending its 20-year war in Afghanistan and the Taliban gaining control of the country, major defense companies were awarded contracts in Afghanistan worth hundreds of millions of dollars and spent tens of millions lobbying the federal government on defense issues.

The Department of Defense issued nearly $1 billion dollars in contracts to 17 companies related to work in Afghanistan that was set to continue past the May 1 withdrawal date. It’s unclear what will happen with some of those contracts as the U.S. evacuates operations in Afghanistan.

Texas-based defense contractor and construction firm Fluor received contracts of at least $85 million this year for work in Afghanistan. The company recently said it will “continue to do everything we can to repatriate all employees required to leave Afghanistan.” Fluor spent over $1.4 million on lobbying in the first half of 2021, around $115,000 more than the firm spent in the same period in 2020.

In May, defense contractor Leidos was awarded a $34 million government contract to continue providing logistics support services for the Afghan Air Force and the Special Mission Wing. The U.S. Army Contracting Command awarded Leidos an initial $727.89 million contract on Aug. 17 in 2017. Leidos spent $1.18 million on lobbying in the first half of 2021. On March 11, the Defense Department signed a contract with Salient Federal Services for information technology infrastructure in Afghanistan, a deal worth approximately $24.9 million and set to be completed in March 2022.

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/08/defense-contractors-spent-big-in-afghanistan-before-the-us-left-taliban-took-control/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twitt_afghanistan/8/20/21

[haele]

1. Those contracts were all bid and approved last year with money allocated.

Most mentioned in the article were already budgeted for last Fiscal year under TFG's GAO and DoD.
The fact that the RFP process for them wasn't halted in last Oct through Jan timeframe indicates there was no plan from the DoD to draw down per the treaty they signed earlier that year.

Now taxpayers -and the rank and file employees of those companies -are going to foot the big bill for cancelling those contracts early.

Haele

[roamer65]

2. The minute all Americans are out, bomb all of it.

Planes, helicopters, buildings, the embassy, etc, etc.

Flatten it.