The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "private armies" ...
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Burn Pits
"Open air" burn pits are used by private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan to destroy military waste. U.S. soldiers living near the pits reported that they were constantly inhaling the smoke, were smothered in ash and suffocating from the smells. The story finds a link between the burn pits and the health problems that soldiers reported when they returned home.
Tags: open air burn pits; military; army; soldier; Afghanistan; Iraq; soldier health
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Disposable Army
In today's American war zones, there are more civilian contractors on the ground than combat troops. However, when a contractor is injured or killed, they must face an insurance system that delivers sub-standard care. Failure to enforce companies to purchase mandated worker's compensation insurance for employees and a lack of awareness among hires has resulted in severs gaps of coverage for individuals working in overseas war zones.
Tags: insurance; workers; war zones; overseas; contractors; civilian; private; profits; employees; troops; care; health; coverage;
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The Private Armies of Iraq
Fainaru investigated the actions of the private security guards used in Iraq and how they operated outside the U.S. military,
Tags: military; Iraq; Blackwater; war; insugents; civilians; United States; private armies; guards
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The Mother of all Heists
"At a time when the fledgling Iraqi army was in desperate need of arms and ammunition, at least half a billion dollars was stolen by the very people the U.S. had entrusted to run the Iraqi Ministry of Defense in 2004 and 2005. Under the noses of American and British advisers, hundreds of millions of dollars flowed from the Iraqi treasury into the private accounts of mysterious middlemen. Most of the suspects, including the interim Minister of Defense, managed to flee the country before Iraqi investigators could arrest them."
Tags: Iraq; army; money; Minister of Defense; middlemen; theft; arms
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Blackwater: Inside America's Private Army
This series focuses on Blackwater USA, one of the most visible players in the private military industry. Tens of thousands of private military soldiers are on the ground in Iraq, armed and engaging in combat, but they are not subject to military justice or chain of command. This situation raises questions about oversight, standards, coordination and accountability. Blackwater's presence in Iraq escalated the war in 2004, when four of its contractors were killed and strung up from a bridge in Fallujah. Now, Blackwater is seeking out new markets, offering itself as an army for hire to police the world's trouble spots.
Tags: war; military; military-industrial complex; army; soldiers; Iraq; contractors; government contracts; diplomacy; federal government; defense; government documents; special forces
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The Lynndie England Interview.
Lynndie England, an army private whose photograph symbolized the Abu Ghraib prison scandal interviewed with this CBS affiliated TV station for the first time. Excerpts from this interview made headlines and was aired in many other TV stations across the world. As England says in the interview, she was merely following orders by posing with and smiling at the prisoners.
Tags: Lynndie England; Abu Ghraib prison inmates; Aby Ghraib; interview with Lyndie England; Iraq
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"Private Stites Should Have Been Saved"
Potter examines how well the Army prepares its soldiers to handle combat, and the psychological results of poor training. Potter finds that Army suicides are growing, and that the Army is at least partly to blame for these tragic deaths. Potter discovers that while young soldiers requested psychological counseling, their pleas were ignored. They instead withstood abuse by fellow soldiers and drill instructors. Potter uncovers a shocking Army policy that asks superiors to implement a series of orders "intended to humiliate and ostracize the soldier until he or she stops 'faking' [his or her psychological trauma] and 'gets on with training.' "
Tags: post-traumatic stress; war; U.S. Army; suicide; Ft. Leonard Wood Army base; psychological abuse; physical abuse
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Protecting Wetlands but at a Price
This is a report about federal efforts to stop the destruction of wetlands in southeastern Virginia. The government policies, like the "no - net loss" policy, will affect developers, builders, farmers and, most importantly, taxpayers. One problem occurs when privately owned land is determined to be wetland, and developing the land is prohibited.
Tags: Army Corp of Engineers; Clean Water Act; EPA; pollution; real estate
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Big Bounty for Big Charities
The annual ranking of the organizations that receive the most money each year in private donations. Accompanying the list is an overview of the state of charities in America.
Tags: Fundraising; Red Cross; Cancer Society; salvation army
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The Pentagon's Private Army
Fortune examines private military companies and role they play in the U.S. military.
Tags: private military companies; Pentagon; Halliburton; contractors