The privatisation of intelligence in Iraq

Steve Fainaru and Alec Klein continue their series on private military companies in Iraq today with a  report on Aegis’ intelligence gathering operations:

The contract is the largest for private security work in Iraq.
Tucked into the 774-page description is a little-known provision to
outsource intelligence operations that, in an earlier time, might have
been tightly controlled by the military or government agencies such as
the CIA. The government continues to gather its own intelligence, but
it also increasingly relies on private companies to collect sensitive
information.

The deepening and largely hidden involvement of
security companies in the war has drawn the attention of Congress,
which is seeking to regulate the industry. (Washington Post)

One thing the Post doesn’t mention is that some of Aegis’ intelligence reports were available on the web via Google, until I drew attention to the fact in an antiwar.com piece in May. The material that was released is archived here.