The mid-September killing of several Iraqis attributed to private "security" firm Blackwater USA has resulted in greater scrutiny of that organization and another lesser known company, DynCorp International.

Auditors examining the government’s relationships with these companies have discovered vast overruns, poor contract performance, and violence that remains unpunished. One report made public on October 22 said that the conduct of the contractors had undermined the broader mission of ending the insurgency and building a democratic government in Iraq.

While Blackwater has received the most media attention, Dallas-based DynCorp was paid $2.2 billion for police training and narcotics eradication in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Latin America. This firm has provided personnel to guard Afghan president Hamid Karzai.

DynCorp was a relatively small aviation company in 1994 when it received a contract to fly counternarcotics missions in Latin America. Soon, the State Department awarded further contracts assigning the company to assist in guarding American diplomats in Haiti. Having performed satisfactorily, DynCorp’s work for various divisions of the State Department ballooned and its personnel were soon sent to Bosnia and Kosovo.

Blackwater’s initial State Department relationship began when the company won a contract to guard L. Paul Bremer, the administration’s top civilian official during the early part of the Iraq War. The North Carolina-based firm now posts 845 of the 1,100 civilian security guards in Iraq. Company officials emphatically deny any wrongdoing and point to having successfully guarded diplomats, visiting U.S. congressmen, and other Americans during thousands of missions since 2005. They also want it known that 27 Blackwater employees have died in Iraq.

According to the New York Times, "The State Department has said it will continue to rely on contractors because, for now at least, it has no choice. It cannot quickly hire bodyguards and trainers it would need to replace the contractors, and the military does not have the trained personnel to take over the job."

So, the State Department continues to send Blackwater and DynCorp lucrative contracts.