Former Advance Mixer Chief At Center Of Iraq Contractor Probe

The head of an investor group that owned Ft. Wayne, Ind.-based Advance Mixer from 1999-2001 has surfaced as a contractor on a grand stage far from concrete

Sources: U.S. House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform; Blackwater USA, Moyock, N.C.; CP staff
The head of an investor group that owned Ft. Wayne, Ind.-based Advance Mixer from 1999-2001 has surfaced as a contractor on a grand stage far from concrete. Erik Prince, who attempted to apply best auto parts production practices to front-discharge mixer truck manufacturing, recently testified at a House Government Oversight and Reform Committee hearing to examine the mission and performance of his firm, Blackwater USA, as a private military contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Blackwater shares the Committee’s interest in ensuring the accountability and oversight of contractor personnel supporting U.S. operations,” affirmed Prince, who cited his Navy Seal officer service leading up to 1997, when he founded Blackwater as a training company for specialized public and private security professionals. The firm is engaged in defensive security functions, he added, and has approximately 1,000 employees currently in Iraq. Regarding questions on the actions of his staff in a mid-September Baghdad incident that led to civilian fatalities, he told the committee that based on “everything we currently know, the Blackwater team acted appropriately while operating in a very complex war zone.” (The State Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are probing the incident.)