¶ Blackwater
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Blackwater, also known as Blackwater USA, Blackwater Worldwide and Xe Services, was an American private military firm. It was initially based in Moyock, North Carolina, moving to Arlington, Virginia in 2011.[1] It was co-founded by Erik Prince and Al Clark.[2][3]
¶ History
Former Navy SEAL Al Clark initially conceived of the idea for Blackwater, bringing it to Erik Prince who offered to fund the startup through The Prince Group.[4]
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Blackwater Lodge and Training Center Inc. was incorporated on December 26, 1996 in Delaware.[5] The facility officially opened on May 15, 1998.[6] Clark left the company in 2000, citing "philosophical differences."[4:1]
In January 2002, Erik Prince and Jamie Smith co-founded Blackwater Security Consulting (BSC). BSC was described as Smith's "brainchild."[7][8] In the fall of 2003, Blackwater was awarded a $27.7 million contract from the United States Department of Defense to create "a Frankenstein brigade of highly visible hired guns," and provide a security detail to the Iraq Survey Group.[6:1]
In the fall of 2006, Blackwater acquired a second training facility in Mount Carroll, Illinois called Impact Training Center.[9]
On April 1, 2009, United States Department of State acting deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid announced that it had reassigned Blackwater's contracts for security services in Iraq to Triple Canopy.[10]
¶ Xe Services
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The company changed its name to Xe Services in 2009.[11] In late 2010, Prince sold his stake in the company to USTC Holdings. He maintained ownership of the "Blackwater" name.[1:1]
Ted Wright became president and CEO of the rebranded company in June 2011, moving its headquarters to Arlington, Virginia.[1:2]
In the summer of 2011, the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan recommended curtailing the government's use of private-security contractors, with Bernie Sanders and Jan Schakowsky introducing legislation to phase out private-security contractors in conflict zones.[1:3]
¶ Academi
In December 2011, the company announced it would be renamed once again to Academi.[12] In early June 2014, Academi merged with Triple Canopy to form Constellis Holdings,[13] which subsequently acquired Constellis Group on June 6, 2014.[14]
¶ COVID-19
On December 22, 2020, President Donald Trump pardoned former Blackwater contractors Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard of their convictions of murder and manslaughter.[9:1]
¶ Organization
Blackwater operated a number of subdivisions, including:
- Blackwater Aviation[15]
- Blackwater Security Consulting[16]
- Blackwater Target Systems[17]
- Blackwater Vehicles
- Impact Training Center
¶ Partners
¶ Personnel
| Name | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Erik Prince | Co-founder[2:1] | United States Navy, Frontier Services Group (FSG), Christian Freedom International, Prince Foundation, Freiheit Foundation |
| Al Clark | Co-founder[3:1] | United States Navy, Naval Special Warfare Development Group (SEAL Team Six), Strategic Tactical Services, Clark Consulting, Colonial Shooting Academy |
| Gary Jackson | President (2007-2009)[6:2][19] | United States Navy[4:2] |
| Ted Wright | President and CEO[1:4] | - |
| Cofer Black | Vice-Chairman (2005-2008)[20] | United States Department of State, Counterterrorism Mission Center |
| Joseph Schmitz | Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel[4:3] | United States Department of Defense |
| Bill Mathews | Executive Vice President[4:4] | - |
| Robert Richer | Vice President of Intelligence[21] | Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Directorate of Operations, United States Marine Corps, Total Intelligence Solutions, International Advisory Partners (IAP) |
| Jamie Smith | Vice President[8:1] | Blackwater Security Consulting, SCG International, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)[22] |
| Chris Taylor | Vice President[4:5] | - |
| John Ashcroft | Independent Director[23] | Ashcroft Group, United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Federalist Society |
| Bobby Ray Inman | Independent Director | United States Navy, Office of Naval Intelligence, National Security Agency (NSA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, SAIC, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), International Signal and Control |
| Jack Quinn | Board member | Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Arnold & Porter, Office of the Vice President, Quinn Gillespie & Associates, Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Fannie Mae, Alternative Packaging Systems, The Water Company, Constellis, CNN, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips |
| Red McCombs | Board member[13:1] | Clear Channel Communications, Constellis Group |
| Danielle Morrison | Director of Operations/Sales [19:1] | - |
| Jim Dehart | Director of Facilities[19:2] | Blackwater Target Systems, United States Navy |
| Thomas Williams | Director of Special Programs[24] | Protection from Abuse, Lincoln Group, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, United States Marine Corps, Amyntor Group, Cold Harbour |
| Carol Confer | Comptroller[19:3] | - |
| David Lopez | Special Projects Manager[25] | The Wellness Company, Mission Six Zero, Mission Safe Harbour, Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), Integro Capital, WatersMark, International Health Brands, Liberty Blockchain |
| Joe Dickinson | Program director | - |
| Gloria Shytles | Lead detailer[4:6] | - |
| Frank Gallagher | Contractor[26] | United States Marine Corps, Henry Kissinger, Gallagher Security Advisors, Amyntor Group |
| A. B. Krongard | Advisory Board member (former)[27] | Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Apollo Global Management, Alex. Brown & Sons |
| Matthew Marshall | Contractor[28] | Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Force Reconnaissance, Amyntor Group |
| Craig Stephens | Senior driving instructor | - |
| John Worthington | Part-time instructor[4:7] | Camden County Sheriff’s Office |
¶ External links
Hodge, N. (2011, September 28). Contractor Tries to Shed Blackwater Past. Wall Street Journal. http://archive.today/2019.12.14-042510/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203405504576599123967308168 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Flintoff, C. (2007, September 25). Blackwater’s Prince Has GOP, Christian Group Ties. NPR. http://archive.today/2012.06.29-164147/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14659780 ↩︎ ↩︎
Obituary information for Alfred (Al) Ray Clark. (2015). H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments. http://archive.today/2023.11.13-075221/https://www.hdoliver.com/obituaries/Alfred-Al-Ray-Clark?obId=2019859 ↩︎ ↩︎
Sizemore, B., & Kimberlin, J. (2006, July 24). Blackwater | Part 2: Profitable Patriotism. The Virginian-Pilot. http://archive.today/2023.11.17-164655/https://www.pilotonline.com/2006/07/24/blackwater-part-2-profitable-patriotism/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Falconer, B. (2007, October 9). Making a Killing: A Blackwater Timeline. Mother Jones. https://web.archive.org/web/20231113073145/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/10/making-killing-blackwater-timeline/ ↩︎
Pelton, R. Y. (2010, November 30). An American Commando in Exile. Men’s Journal. http://archive.today/2011.06.14-181306/http://www.mensjournal.com/an-american-commando-in-exile/3 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Scahill, J. (2009, August 21). Making Sense Of The Blackwater Connection. CBS News. http://archive.today/2021.08.07-054423/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/making-sense-of-the-blackwater-connection/ ↩︎
Smith, J. (2015). Gray Work: Confessions of an American Paramilitary Spy (p. 19). Harper Collins. https://www.amazon.ca/Gray-Work-Confessions-American-Paramilitary/dp/0062271695?asin=0062271695&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1 ↩︎ ↩︎
Private Military Companies: Blackwater. (2019, March 21). Silent Professionals. http://archive.today/2023.02.05-144942/https://silentprofessionals.org/blackwater/ ↩︎ ↩︎
Radia, K. (2009, April 1). Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq. ABC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20090403132327/http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2009/04/blackwater-gets.html ↩︎
Ukman, J. (2011, December 12). Ex-Blackwater firm gets a name change, again. Washington Post. https://web.archive.org/web/20171002022850/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/ex-blackwater-firm-gets-a-name-change-again/2011/12/12/gIQAXf4YpO_blog.html?utm_term=.2af0e5b3b79f ↩︎
Former Blackwater firm renamed again. (2011, December 12). BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20231115065523/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-16149971 ↩︎
Brannen, K. (2014, July 1). Blackwater’s Descendants Are Doing Just Fine. Foreign Policy. http://archive.today/2020.07.03-143441/https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/07/01/blackwaters-descendants-are-doing-just-fine/ ↩︎ ↩︎
Constellis Holdings, Inc. Acquires Constellis Group, Inc. (2014, June 6). PR Newswire. https://web.archive.org/web/20140707032259/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/constellis-holdings-inc-acquires-constellis-group-inc-262388561.html ↩︎
Blackwater Aviation. Blackwater USA. Retrieved February 4, 2005, from https://web.archive.org/web/20050204010920/http://www.blackwaterusa.com/aviation/index.html ↩︎
BSC Home. Blackwater Security Consulting. Retrieved September 24, 2002, from https://web.archive.org/web/20020924094525/http://blackwatersecurity.com/ ↩︎
Home. Blackwater Target Systems. Retrieved August 5, 2004, from https://web.archive.org/web/20040805060942/http://blackwatertargets.com/ ↩︎
Strategic Partners. Total Intelligence Solutions. Retrieved April 1, 2007, from https://web.archive.org/web/20070401070643/http://www.totalintel.com/dsp_aboutus_partners.php ↩︎
Admin Staff. Blackwater USA. Retrieved October 20, 2002, from https://web.archive.org/web/20021020051502/http://blackwaterusa.com/adminstaff.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Ambassador Cofer Black Becomes Vice-Chairman at Blackwater USA. (2005, February 4). Blackwater USA. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195739/http://www.blackwaterusa.com/press/cofer.asp ↩︎
Mr. Robert Richer. (2014). United States Naval Academy. https://web.archive.org/web/20231117170027/https://www.usna.edu/LeadershipConference/Archive/2014/Panelist - Richer.php ↩︎
Black, B. (2010, July 29). Learn how to Gather Intel with SCG International: The Graduate School of Tactical Training. ITS Tactical. https://web.archive.org/web/20230206023953/https://www.itstactical.com/intellicom/tradecraft/learn-how-to-gather-intel-with-scg-international-the-graduate-school-of-tactical-training/ ↩︎
Ackerman, S. (2011, May 4). Blackwater’s New Ethics Chief: John Ashcroft. Wired. http://archive.today/2020.03.11-060247/https://www.wired.com/2011/05/blackwaters-new-ethics-chief-john-ashcroft/ ↩︎
Dana, S. (2017, March 2). Thomas Williams Joins Protection From Abuse. Protection from Abuse. http://archive.today/2023.06.13-085018/https://protectionfromabuse.org/thomas-williams-joins-protection-abuse/ ↩︎
David Lopez. Mission Six Zero. Retrieved August 30, 2023, from http://archive.today/2023.08.30-035148/https://missionsixzero.com/our-team/david-lopez/ ↩︎
Moon, M. E., Gallagher, F., & Del Vecchio, J. M. (2015). Review of The Bremer Detail: Protecting The Most Threatened Man In The World. Journal of Strategic Security, 8(1-2), 86–89. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26465208 ↩︎
Alvin B. Krongard. Icahn Enterprises. Retrieved August 7, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20240807172719/https://www.ielp.com/board-directors/alvin-b-krongard ↩︎
Kirsch, N. (2021, December 22). Lewd Texts & Secret Missions: Inside Billionaire Michael Goguen’s Wild Life. The Daily Beast. http://archive.today/2021.12.24-114716/https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-billionaire-michael-goguens-wild-life-in-whitefish-montana ↩︎