| Page 3 of 4 < > |
Coming Under Fire
In Fredericksburg, Va., contractors undergo DynCorp's firearms training in preparation to train police in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(Photos By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
The agency has since established a contracting office that could employ 47 people by the end of the year.
The State Department has begun an extensive review of all DynCorp contracts. "We are making every effort to recover any overpayments or any payments that are inconsistent with contract terms and conditions," said spokeswoman Susan Pittman.
DynCorp has had to pay the U.S. government $600,000 after a subcontractor in 2003 siphoned fuel from a DynCorp police training academy in Jordan.
Meanwhile, the House Armed Services oversight and investigations subcommittee is investigating DynCorp's performance as part of its examination of the state of the Iraqi security forces. "Private contractors playing a role in reconstruction and in training needs to be evaluated. We need data on what works and what doesn't," said Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Mass.), chairman of the subcommittee.
DynCorp said that it is eager to answer all the questions raised by the inspector general and that it has acted responsibly in carrying out the contract.
The company also says it has improved its training and recruitment process, and that it is continuing to do so.
For instance, after the trainer was called back from Iraq last year, DynCorp began requiring applicants to release their personnel files. "We had to ask ourselves, 'How did we miss this?' " Lagana said.
The process of training the trainers begins at a facility in wooded areas of Fredericksburg, where lessons in self-defense and combat maneuvers are accompanied by the almost-constant background noise of gunfire. On one classroom wall are plaques dedicated to those who have died while serving in the program.
For two weeks the trainers-to-be live together, getting Subway sandwiches for lunch and taking a series of classes and tests. Dressed in tan uniforms, they practice the "combat shuffle," arms braced to maneuver though hostile crowds.
They learn how to fire an M4 carbine and how not to lose the weapon in a fight. They get convoy training, studying how to drive aggressively through traffic to avoid being a target for roadside attacks. "Weakness is perceived," said Reggie Ray, a 42-year-old former North Carolina sheriff. "We have to look like we're prepared over there."
They also have to find their way out of the woods -- literally.
On a recent afternoon, Keith Carson, 46, from Haslett, Tex., looked quizzically at the hand-held global positioning unit he had been issued.
