NP DynCorp & echoes of Vietnam

[Doug Millison]

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=vest20010703
"[...]The embassy did confirm that the vials of oil are "routinely shipped
to DynCorp facilities at Patrick AFB for analysis related to proper
maintenance" of aircraft, and confirmed that "several aircraft motor oil
samples" were confiscated by Colombian police who used "NARCOTEX equipment
[and] detected the presence of heroin in unspecified amounts." Unlike
Dyncorp, the embassy did not blame the test results on a false positive
caused by faulty equipment; what's odd is that the embassy has no idea what
ultimately became of the seized oil. "The samples seized at the airport were
sent to the CNP's Forensic Institute for further analysis, but the CNP did
not subsequently pursue the matter with the U.S. Embassy or DynCorp
personnel in Colombia," the embassy said, adding that the embassy has "asked
the CNP to clarify the status of any investigation of this matter.
[...]Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky, meanwhile, is championing a
bill that would impose a ban on the use of private military contractors like
DynCorp, citing everything from State's intransigence in answering
Congressional queries to the possibility of the US's getting more involved
in a foreign war that is conducted largely out of the public eye. 
"All these concerns reinforce my views that the US should immediately
terminate its contract with DynCorp and all other private companies
conducting sensitive, military-like operations in the Andean Region,"says
Schakowsky."Reports that DynCorp employees have been implicated in drug
trafficking, the very thing they are paid to help prevent, only strengthens
my conviction that outsourcing is the wrong policy. It's frustrating for
reporters, but outrageous for members of Congress not to have access to
information about US involvement in the Andean region and how taxpayer
dollars are being spent--most of the information we have is from
investigative news reports that raise more questions than answers." " 


[CNP = Colombian National Police]