I am sure Blackwater has been seeing the writing on the wall with this one. I would like to get a copy of this report as soon as it gets out, and do a further review. This could go one of two ways. Either the WPPS program gets abolished, and DoS makes a big push to fill the ranks with DSS folk. Think Border Patrol style recruitment, because there are a lot of diplomats out there that need protection.
The other way this goes, is Blackwater loses all of it’s privileges to submit bids on the WPPS, and the other big companies will take over. Triple Canopy and Dyncorp come to mind as a few of the other WPPS contenders.
The big one here, is capability. Blackwater has all the toys to play, to include helicopters. These other companies could get to that level of support, but it will take some time. It is also a risk for these companies, because they see how the DoS has treated Blackwater in this deal, and they probably can’t help but to think it could happen to them.
Finally, my view on this business side of this is that all the companies take turns at the top. If the WPPS program survives, a new service provider will rise to the top of the heap, and Blackwater will just stick with training or enter into new emerging markets like today’s piracy in the Gulf of Aden. In essence, the private industry will evolve and adapt, and Blackwater is a brand that won’t be going away anytime soon. –Matt
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Panel calls for dropping Blackwater guards in Iraq
12/17/2008
By MATTHEW LEE
WASHINGTON (AP) — A State Department advisory panel is recommending that Blackwater Worldwide be dropped as the main private security contractor for American diplomats in Iraq, The Associated Press has learned.
A senior official familiar with a report commissioned by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the AP on Wednesday that the panel has called for Blackwater’s contract not to be renewed when it expires next year. A decision on the recommendation will be left to the Obama administration, which will be in place when the contract comes up for renewal in the spring.