The Wire

Last week a company called Aegis Defense Systems was awarded what is probably the biggest security contract given out in Iraq so far. Aegis has been contracted by the military, for two-hundred and ninety-three million dollars US, to protect coalition reconstruction efforts and co-ordinate the operations of all other security contractors. But, in what smacks of another example of ‘jobs for the boys’ in Iraq, Aegis has no history in the industry and is headed up by the controversial but well connected Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer – former CEO of Sandline. Pratap Catterjee is program director of Corp Watch, and he’s been keeping an eye on Aegis. Nathan Witkop asked him about the nature of this contract which takes on two different functions.