Court Deals Major Blow to Veterans Suing Over Burn Pits

A federal judge has dismissed a major lawsuit against a defense contractor by veterans and their family members, over burn pit operations in Iraq and Afghanistan that plaintiffs said caused them chronic and sometimes deadly respiratory diseases and cancer.

In the decision, U.S. District Court Judge Roger W. Titus wrote that the company, KBR, could not be held liable for what was essentially a military decision to use burn pits for waste disposal. Titus said holding the Pentagon responsible was outside of his jurisdiction.

If you are a military contractor, you are likely interested in finding out if your expat taxes are categorized as civilian or military. Generally speaking, military contractors working abroad must follow the same rules as civilian US citizens who work abroad. They must report all of their worldwide income on their US expat taxes, they will likely be eligible for an automatic extension of time to file until June 15th, and they may qualify to exclude some of their foreign earned income from US taxation.

However, there are strict distinctions between military contractors and military employees/armed forces personnel. The latter qualify for numerous tax benefits, for which military contractors are ineligible. Below, we’ve outlined the most important considerations for expat military contractors.

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

BACKGROUND: This report provides DoD contractor personnel numbers for 1st quarter FY18 and current status of efforts underway to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. Forces. It includes data on DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS), Iraq, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

KEY POINTS: During 1st quarter FY18, USCENTCOM reported approximately 46,257 contractor personnel supporting DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR, an increase of approximately 2,984 from the previous quarter.

The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) help bolster our national security, secure our borders, and advance our economic interests across the globe. The combined budget request of $37.6 billion for Fiscal Year 2018 reflects the President’s commitment to a leaner, more efficient government, and ensures that every tax dollar spent is aligned with the Administration’s foreign policy objectives.

According to the Department of Defense (DoD), Power Secure Inc., Wake Forest, North Carolina, was awarded an additional $37,275,778 to contract W912EP-18-C-0003 to repair and restore electrical power grid in Puerto Rico.

Work will be performed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 17, 2017.

According to the Department of Defense (DoD) /  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the contractor was awarded an $831,000,000 time-and-materials contract for construction services for all aspects of restoration of electric power to Puerto Rico. Nine bids were solicited with two bids received.

Work will be performed in Puerto Rico, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2018. Fiscal 2018 Department of Homeland Security funds in the amount of $831,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award.

According to the Department of Defense (DoD), the contractor has been awarded an additional $28,778,721 to a previously awarded contract (FA8106-16-C-0004) for the exercise of option year two for contractor logistic support for the Iraqi Air Force's Cessna 208 fleet and the Cessna 208/172 trainer fleet.

Work will be performed in Iraq, with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2018. 

Federal court denies DynCorp protest of $10B State Department contract

By Robert J. Terry  — A federal court has upheld a State Department award of an 11 1/2-year, $10 billion contract to AAR Airlift, dealing a blow to McLean-based DynCorp International’s yearlong fight to wrest the lucrative program away from the Illinois company.

The Court of Federal Claims entered a judgment late Tuesday in favor of the U.S. government, upholding the award of the Worldwide Aviation Support Services (WASS) program to the subsidiary of publicly held AAR (NYSE: AIR).

Loren Thompson— The U.S. government limits access to sensitive information by granting (or denying) security clearances after conducting background investigations. The system is expensive to administer, because five million Americans hold active clearances, and over a hundred federal agencies require clearances to participate in certain aspects of their work. In addition to such well-known designations as Secret and Top Secret, there are numerous specialized types of clearances with names like Majestic, Cosmic and Ultra that require rigorous background checks.

According to the Department of Defense (DoD), the contractor is being awarded a $9,616,598 for USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) aircraft elevator hitch girder removal and installation.

The work will require removal of existing hitch girder end structures and installation of new hitch girder end assemblies (quantity of four hitch girder end assemblies) for aircraft elevator #2 onboard USS Ronald Reagan. The work will require eddy current and ultrasonic testing of the existing structure prior to removal, and testing required for certification of the hitch girder end replacements. Work will be performed in Yokosuka, Japan, and is expected to be completed by April 2018.

William Wassink, chief executive officer of Saya Defense Services, Inc. of Abilene, announced Oct. 3 that the company has been awarded a sub-contract as part of an Africa Peacekeeping Program multiple award for an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with the U.S. Department of State.

The primary contractor is Triple Canopy, Inc., a Constellis company. “We are honored to work with Triple Canopy to support the United States government’s commitment to bringing peace and stability to Africa,” Wassink said.

Although the United States isn’t a signatory to the U.N.’s “International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries,” the employees of private military companies aren’t mercenaries. PMCs supply support services and personnel whose jobs range from aircraft repair to medical and humanitarian aid. They also provide security guards who have parlayed their U.S. Army training into a job paying three to five times their Army pay.

According to the Department of Defense, the contractor was awarded a $38,619,610 to repair and restore the electric power grid in Puerto Rico.

Work will be performed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2017. Fiscal 2018 civil works funds in the amount of $38,619,610 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity.