War for Profit (ePub)

"e;WASHINGTON A- The Army official who managed the PentagonA's largest contract in Iraq says he was ousted from his job when he refused to approve paying more than $1 billion in questionable charges to KBR..."e; --- James Risen wrote in the New York Times, June 17, 2008. His article said: Army Overseer Tells of Ouster Over KBR StirEver since KBR emerged as the dominant contractor in Iraq, critics have questioned whether the company has benefited from its political connections to the Bush administration. Until last year, KBR was known as Kellogg, Brown and Root and was a subsidiary of Halliburton, the Texas oil services giant, where Vice President Dick Cheney previously served as chief executive. When told of Mr. SmithA's account, Representative Henry A. Waxman, the California Democrat who is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said it A"e;is startling, and it confirms the committeeA's worst fears. KBR has repeatedly gouged the taxpayer, and the Bush administration has looked the other way every time."e; Mr. Smith, a civilian employee of the Army for 31 years, spent his entire career at the Rock Island Arsenal, the ArmyA's headquarters for much of its contracting work, near Davenport, Iowa. He said he had waited to speak out until after he retired in February. $40 billion is a lot to waste, but with team work, it can be done. The author describes his experience as the Army manager responsible for the LOGCAP program for supply contracts from 2001 to 2004. This included travels to Iraq during the war and his removal from the post when he refused to continue awarding contracts to KBR when other outfits could clearly perform better. The book also analyzes problems with the Army approach to contracts in today's military environment, and with congressional oversight of the program.