Three U.S. citizens who disappeared in Baghdad, kidnapped and are being held by an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, two Iraqi intelligence and two U.S. government sources said last month.
Unknown gunmen seized the three from a brothel in the southeastern Dora district of Baghdad, Iraqi officials say. They are the first Americans to be abducted in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011.
The U.S. sources said Washington had no reason to believe Tehran was involved in the kidnapping and did not believe the trio were being held in Iran, which borders Iraq.
"They were abducted because they are Americans, not for personal or financial reasons," one of the Iraqi sources in Baghdad said.
The three men are employed by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp (GD.N), under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The Iraqi government has struggled to rein in the Shi'ite militias, many of which fought the U.S. military following the 2003 invasion and have previously been accused of killing and abducting American nationals.
Baghdad-based analyst Hisham al-Hashemi, who advises the government, said the kidnappings were meant to embarrass and weaken Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is trying to balance his country's relations with rival powers Iran and the United States.
"The militias are resentful of the success of the army in Ramadi which was achieved with the support of the U.S.-led coalition and without their involvement," he said.
Shi'ite militias were kept out of the battle against Islamic State in Ramadi for fear of aggravating sectarian tensions among the Sunni population in the western city.
Baghdad touted the military's advance there last month, with backing from coalition airstrikes, as evidence of a resurgent army after it collapsed in 2014.
The State Department said it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate Americans reported missing, without confirming they had been kidnapped.
Asked about the kidnapping at the daily U.S. State Department news briefing on Tuesday, spokesman John Kirby said: "The picture is becoming a little bit more clear in terms of what might have happened." He provided no details...
CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY
BACKGROUND: This report updates DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces. It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Freedom’s Sentinel), Iraq (Operation Inherent Resolve), and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).
KEY POINTS: In 1st quarter FY 2016, USCENTCOM reported approximately 43,781 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 1K from the previous quarter. A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below
:
Afghanistan Summary
Total: 30,455
*Includes Defense Logistics Agency, Army Materiel Command, Air Force External and Systems Support contracts, Special Operations Command and INSCOM.
**1,083 Armed Private Security Contractors
Operation Freedom’s Sentinel Contractor Posture:
o In 1st quarter FY16 there were approximately 30.4K DoD contractors in Afghanistan. The overall contractor footprint in Afghanistan increased by .8% from 4th quarter FY15.
o Local nationals comprise 45.1% of total contractor force; 16,737 US/TCN remain toredeploy.
o Contractor footprint is expected to remain constant until future base closures are finalized.
Iraq Summary
The distribution of contractors in Iraq by mission category are:
Total: 2,028
Operation Inherent Resolve Contractor Posture.
o As of 1st quarter 2016, there are approximately 7,838 contractors supporting US government operations in Iraq. About 2,028 of those contractors are supporting DoD funded contracts.
General Data on DoD Private Security Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan
Improvements to Management and Oversight of DoD Contractors
o OCS overview training (July 2105),
o Consulted with III Corps to define OCSIC mission, size and scope,
o Five student seats in Joint OCS Planning and Execution Course (JOPEC) for just in time OCSIC training (August 2015)
o Sustained daily/weekly reach-back training and support (August- October 2015)
In September 2015, JCASO performed an OCSIC initial operating capability (IOC) assessment and reported ‘best JTF OCSIC yet’. Given a view of a possible long-term sustainment mission,
CJTF OIR will assess contractor management policies in the JOA.
Defense Standards for Security Services.
o Pursuant to Section 833 of the FY2011 NDAA, compliance with American National Standard ANSI PSC.1-2012, “Quality Management Standard for Private Security Company Operations” is required in all DoD contracts for private security services. The requirements and guidance of this standard implement all PSC relevant provisions of US law, Defense Directives and instructions, and promoted consistency with international agreements. Demonstrated compliance with this standard will facilitate identifying technically acceptable contractors and best value. This will enable expedited contract award; mitigate risk of delay of services due to contract award protests; and mitigate risk of contractor non-performance or misconduct in critical early phases of contingency operations. The United Kingdom also requires compliance with this ANSI PSC standard.
o An international (ISO) version of this standard was published by ISO in September 2015. This standard enables international acceptance of the standards in use by the United States and the United Kingdom, increasing consistency and legal compliance in the provision of all PSC services everywhere. ISO recognition will improve competition and manage risk in operational environments which will include PSCs not under the direct control of US or coalition forces. A revision of the PSC DFARS allowing PSCs to demonstrate compliance with either the ANSI or the ISO standard is out for public comment. The final rule is expected to be published in 2QFY16.
o OCS Summit 2015 Results and Review
o OCS DOTMLPF Change Recommendation Proposal – Decision Brief
o DoD Contractor Vetting Assessment Update
o USAF OCS Capability Status Update
o DoD Expeditionary Civilian Policy Update
o DCMA Combat Support Agency Review Team (CSART) Update
The Second Quarter FY16 OCS FCIB Principals meeting will be held on February 23, 2016.
Deployments:
o Deployed 2-member team to support Operation INHERENT RESOLVE-Kuwait, provided guidance and assistance to C-JTF-OIR OCSIC
o Preparing team to support the stand up of the USCENTCOM-Forward OCS Integration Cell in Qatar, providing guidance, assistance, and training.
o Provides OCS support as requested or directed to CCMDs, Service components, and others, including HA/DR such as Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE
o Participates in joint exercises (e.g., OCS Joint Exercise, KEEN EDGE, and JUDICIOUS RESPONSE) to integrate OCS in training and assess the effectiveness of OCS plans.
Joint Training and Education
According to the The U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (USAID/ASHA) — announced $23 million in funding to U.S. organizations and their overseas partners to support construction projects and to purchase equipment for 15 hospitals and clinics, 6 secondary schools, 16 universities, and 1 library.
"We received a record number of outstanding applications this year as we continue to grow and strengthen public-private partnerships around the world," said Director Katherine Crawford. "It is a remarkable honor to play a role in overseas institutions which advance education and health in their countries and around the world."
This year's projects, spanning 25 countries, are funded through a competitive annual award and directly support schools, libraries and medical centers outside the United States that advance innovation and best practices and build bridges between citizens of the United States and other countries.
Some examples of new projects include the University of Alaska Fairbanks which will support the American University of Mongolia in establishing its engineering and mining school. USAID/ASHA continues growing its relatively new partnership with the Horn of Africa Education Development Fund which will construct a science building, expand its auditorium, and make other campus improvements at the Abaarso School of Science and Technology in Somaliland. ASHA is working in Slovakia again for the first time since 1993 by partnering with the City University of Seattle to renovate the campus of Vysoka Skola Manazmentu to make it fully green and sustainable. ASHA is continuing its historical support to Haiti by funding the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation to construct and equip a residence facility with a training room and medical library at the St. Boniface Hospital and Catholic Relief Services to procure and install an oxygen concentrator, elevator, and telemedicine equipment to improve medical care at Hospital St. Francois de Sales. Other grants will expand our partnerships in India with awards to Rambo Committee for construction of a neonatal intensive care unit at the Christian Hospital Mungeli, to the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia for construction of a solar power facility at the Madras Christian College, and to Baylor University for the establishment of a patient simulation lab at the Bangalore Baptist Hospital.
For the past 58 years USAID/ASHA has been providing support to outstanding overseas institutions which form regional and international leaders, provide education and care to disadvantaged communities, and advance science and technology globally. A complete list of award recipients is available here
