McCaskill wants State Department to explain use of contractors for diplomatic security in Iraq
By APWednesday, June 16, 2010
Senator presses State for details on Iraq security
WASHINGTON — A U.S. senator is demanding that the State Department tell Congress what role contractors will play in a combat-ready force planned to protect diplomats in Iraq after American military forces leave.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the department has asked the Pentagon for Black Hawk helicopters, bomb-resistant vehicles and other heavy gear to outfit its own protection force in Iraq. Contractors will be required to help maintain the gear, according to the department’s plans.
But Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., wants to know if the private contractors will be doing more than upkeep. In a letter sent Wednesday to Patrick Kennedy, the State Department’s undersecretary for management, McCaskill asks if contractors will be at the controls of the aircraft and vehicles.
