Wall Street = War Street

Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes – FY2013 (Released in Feb 2012)

Once again “mission accomplished” was announced, and the Iraq War was declared over in 2011. U.S. troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan in 2013, yet Pentagon spending continues virtually unabated. More than 200,000 private contractors, hired by corporations with Pentagon money, carry on what is now called “overseas contingency operations.” The system is rife with abuse and fraud – including contract payments diverted to fighters of all persuasions. It’s not about  “national security.” It’s enormously profitable to thousands of corporations.

“War! What is it good for?

It’s good for business.”

– Billy Bragg, “North Sea Bubble”

TOP “WAR SUPPORT” CONTRACTORS IN IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN 2002 – 2011

VENDOR                                            CONTRACT

KBR (spun off Halliburton in 2007)           $41 billion

“misc. foreign contractors”                     $39 billion*

Agility                                                 $9 billion

DynCorp                                              $7 billion

Kuwait Petroleum Corp.                          $5 billion

Fluor Intercontinental                             $5 billion

Workers hired for driving, construction, food, etc.; 80% are not from U.S.; few worker-safety rules apply

SOURCE:  Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, August 2011, wartimecontracting.gov

*billions of dollars with no accounting detail uncovered in the study

“At least $31 billion, and possibly as much as $60 billion, has been lost to contract waste and fraud in America’s contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, August 2011, wartimecontracting.gov

TOP MILITARY CONTRACTORS – FY 2010

1  Lockheed Martin          $11 billion

2  Northrop Grumman    $8 billion

3  Boeing Company        $5 billion

Combined lobbying expenditures 2010: $44 million

SOURCE: washingtontechnology.com; opensecrets.org

“Pentagon contracts awarded without competition topped $140 billion in 2010, up from $50 billion in 2001.”

Center for Public Integrity, iWatchNews.org

GETTING IN ON THE PENTAGON MONEY STREAM

(a sampling)

COMPANY           2001 CONTRACT        2010 CONTRACT

BP                         $360 million                    $1,000 million

FedEx                   $210 million                    $1,400 million

Dell                       $65 million                      $4,300 million

Kraft                      $150 million                    $370 million

Pepsi                   $60 million                       $220 million

Combined lobbying expenditures 2010: $45 million

SOURCE: Nick Turse, “Fedex and Pepsi Are Top Defense Contractors”, alternet.org; lobbying: opensecrets.org