MilitaryIndustrialComplex (Ireland)

national | anti-war / imperialism | opinion/analysis Thursday August 03, 2006 09:52 by GuantanamoJoe

Irish public services in thrall to war profiteers

Has anyone noticed how an increasing number of national projects are now managed by proxy on behalf of the State?

Increasingly, the service providers are US headquartered multinational "consultancy companies", with interests divergent across a broad spectrum of "engineering services", "environmental consultancy", "construction" etc.

What all appear to have in common is a "defense" division, often as a major breadwinner, and often with lucrative Pentagon contracts.

Two examples involved in provision of services to the State sector that come to mind are:

URS Corporation, which runs a tidy business in weapons testing, including research on new-generation nuclear weapons, and features several examples on its website:

http://www.urscorp.com/EGG_Division/markets/defenseSupp...t.php

Their pressroom,

http://www.urscorp.com/Press_Releases/index.php

features such wonderful technology as the Globalhawk RQ4 unmanned survelliance and targetting UAV, used to great effect in Afghanistan, Iraq and one presumes Lebanon. They may not build it, but certainly appear proud to be associated with it.

URS are no strangers to scandal, owned as they are by Mr. Richard Blum, who has faced various accusations of war profiteering, and whose spouse, Sen. Feinstein (D) sits on the Pentagon procurement committee.

The other major shareholder is of course the shadowy Carlyle Group, an investment vehicle for Messrs Bush (41/43), J. Major PM (Rtrd) and assorted Neocons.

Jacobs similarly has significant defense interests,

http://www.jacobs.com/markets/index.asp?market=Aerospac...fense

and proudly state: "over the past 19 years we've supported the Air Armanent Centre in Florida, on virtually all U.S. Airforce air-launced weapons systems. For the small-diameter bomb program we created innovative strategies"

Jacobs were recently embroiled in scandal regarding inside information on Government tenders in Chicago.

Their infrastructure sector,

http://www.jacobs.com/markets/index.asp?market=Infrastr...cture

contains commendations from no less than our own NRA (not Mr. Hestons organization, the Roads Authority), viz. "Jacobs provided high-quality professional service and a proactive, innovative approach to the development of an operating contract for bthis nationally significant project, which I believe provides incentives for a good level of service from our tunnel operator." - Hugh Cregan, Head of Program Management, National Roads Authority, Dublin, Ireland.

Jacobs have of course gone further in donating a former director, Fred Barry, as CEO of the NRA.

A little judicious googling is recommended to those who wish to delve further...