TITLE: Inquiry Into Private Military Companies in Colombia

AUTHOR: Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney

ORG:

DATE: March 15, 2001

The Honorable Colin Powell, Secretary Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520   Dear Mr. Secretary, We are deeply concerned about the role of private US military contractors in Colombia. Last month, US citizens working for the private military contractor Dyncorp were fired upon by FARC guerillas during a rescue operation. The Associated Press reported that two other helicopters that fired on rebel positions as the rescue took place were also piloted by American contract workers. The US has the most powerful military in the world, and our own servicemen and women are fully capable of carrying out the objectives of our military engagement in Colombia. We question the rationale of the US government to use private military contractors in Colombia instead of US military personnel. Private military companies operate at a higher cost than our own military, and we lack direct control, oversight, and accountability for their operations. We would like to know why the US has chosen to use private contractors to carry out US military objectives in Colombia. In addition, we are concerned that the US State Department has instructed the contract employees of these private military companies to keep their activities secret; at the same time, we understand that journalists can't get information from the State Department about these contractors because they're told these are private companies and their "commercial trade secrets" are privileged. It troubles us that information regarding contractors paid for with US taxpayer funds is intentionally being kept secret from the public, both by the State Department and the contractors themselves. If these private military corporations are being used to avoid public scrutiny and the bad publicity that might ensue from body bags coming home due to an unpopular and poorly explained foreign adventure, then use of PMC's and quite possibly the entire Colombia policy are not sustainable and therefore, will not be successful. Although it has been requested in the past, we have never received a full accounting of the State Department's use of private military corporations. We are renewing the request for information regarding the specifics of all contracts between the State Department and private military companies, as well as the procedures put in place by the State Department in regard to monitoring, accountability, and oversight of private military companies. Additionally, we respectfully request a briefing for Members of Congress on the role and use of private military corporations. Thank you for your attention to this matter, we look forward to your prompt reply. Sincerely, Cynthia McKinney, Jan Schakowsky, Barbara Lee, and Pete Stark Members of Congress END top