Pentagon’s War on Drugs Goes Mercenary

[n2doc]

An obscure Pentagon office designed to curb the flow of illegal drugs has quietly evolved into a one-stop shop for private security contractors around the world, soliciting deals worth over $3 billion.

The sprawling contract, ostensibly designed to stop drug-funded terrorism, seeks security firms for missions like “train Azerbaijan Naval Commandos.” Other tasks include providing Black Hawk and Kiowa helicopter training “for crew members of the Mexican Secretariat of Public Security.” Still others involve building “anti-terrorism/force protection enhancements” for the Pakistani border force in the tribal areas abutting Afghanistan.

The Defense Department’s Counter Narco-Terrorism Program Office has packed all these tasks and more inside a mega-contract for security firms. The office, known as CNTPO, is all but unknown, even to professional Pentagon watchers. It interprets its counternarcotics mandate very, very broadly, leaning heavily on its implied counterterrorism portfolio. And it’s responsible for one of the largest chunks of money provided to mercenaries in the entire federal government.

CNTPO quietly solicited an umbrella contract for all the security services listed above — and many, many more — on Nov. 9. It will begin handing out the contract’s cash by August. And there is a lot of cash to disburse.

more

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/11/drug-war-mercenary/

[msongs]

1. America's real enemies are found in our government selling out to corporations nt

[MagickMuffin]

2. This really isn't new, they have been doing this for decades

The WOD provides other countries the opportunity to use the finest US military equipment, all in the name of "fighting" a drug war. Yet, there probably isn't much effort on the part of the countries using the equipment.


It's a scam!