Investigation and remediation records concerning incidents of weapons discharges by private security contractors can be improved

Description

The Department of Defense (DoD) has relied extensively on companies that provide physical security services, commonly known as private security contractors (PSCs), to perform a number of functions for the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) including transporting and protecting personnel by convoy or aircraft and protecting supply convoys and facilities such as military bases or work sites. Over the years, several issues have surfaced concerning the oversight, control, costs, and legal status of DoD's PSCs. Concerns have been raised about the involvement of PSCs in incidents in which their weapons have been fired and Iraqi citizens have been wounded or killed. Such incidents, if unwarranted, can adversely impact the U.S. military mission and U.S.-Iraqi relations. From May 2008 through February 2009, 109 incidents of weapons discharges were reported by 13 of DoD's private security contractors and recorded in MNF-I's Contractor Operations Cells (CONOC) database. ACOB's lack of documentation for many of the weapons discharge incidents made it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to determine the total number of actions taken to investigate and remediate the incidents, including the actions that may have been taken by MNF-I against the PSCs in this timeframe. ACOB is responsible for ensuring that the commanders of the units that the PSCs support promptly and thoroughly review, and when necessary, investigate and remediate all serious incidents. Our analysis further supports the need for the ACOB and CONOC to establish a joint database for serious incidents that ACOB can use to capture the information it needs to fulfill its responsibilities to manage serious incidents involving PSCs.

Subjects

Series Statement

• SIGIR -- 09-023
• Audit report (United States. Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction) -- 09-023.