companies without a “ DUNS ” number , or they are undisclosed with national security or protection as a claimed rationale for secrecy . Whatever the reason , this creates an opacity that makes it impossible to know who exactly received U . S . taxpayer funds , what work was performed , how much profit was earned , and whether the intended purposes of the contracts were served .
Inadequate oversight , coupled with the issue of subcontracting , results in a system in which the U . S . government pays contractors who then leave a trail of spending that is nearly impossible to follow .
“ A number of companies performed services in Afghanistan under multiple different business names ,” the analysis notes . “ A generous interpretation of this is that the businesses pursuing such practices were in fact performing different services . A less generous interpretation is that businesses can obscure how many contracts they are receiving as well as circumvent issues of ineligibility by operating under different names .”
The report emphasizes that the almost $ 108 billion that Peltier focused on is “ in addition to the trillions of dollars spent on DOD contracts performed in the
U . S . over that period .”
The contractors examined by Peltier were paid for construction , lodging , office supplies , refrigeration equipment , transportation , waste disposal , and weapons maintenance in the war-torn country . They operated various facilities — such as dining and troop housing — and were contracted for accounting , fuel , food , guard , and surveillance services .
During the nearly two-decade U . S . occupation , the analysis states , “ contractors provided all types of goods and services that were essential to the U . S . military presence in Afghanistan , including services ( such as weapons maintenance and fuel supply ) that made the U . S . military dependent on and arguably vulnerable to the performance of contractors .”
“ Most contracts for work in Afghanistan ended or were rescinded by August 31 , 2021 , when U . S . troops fully withdrew ,” the report says . “ Some contractor presence may remain , though it is difficult to know which companies and how many employees could still be working in service of the U . S . government in that country .”
Transparency is a major focus of the document , which highlights that “ lack of oversight by the Department of Defense , combined with waste , fraud , and abuse on the part of both contractors and government employees ,
66 x The Trial Lawyer