What's MPRI?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

[Julien Sorel]

1. The latest vector for conspiracy theories to be introduced here.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. I Saw Something About It In Another Post....

Wes Clark is part of some neo-fascist group that wants to prop up Latin dictators....


To people who post this garbage I ask in my best Joseph Welch voice "Sir, have you no decency".....

[rman]

7. why is it garbage?

-

[DemocratSinceBirth]

15. The inference

that General Clark wants to prop up Latin dictators is garbage IMHO....

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

11. Part of Bill Clinton's "Plan Colombia" I assume?

Some people here seem to have a short memory. Just a bit before he left office, Clinton started up "Plan Colombia" a joint effort with the US and the Colombian government to "fight drugs" and "fighting terrorists" and of course to protect the oil pipelines.

Hello? We are the Democratic party remember? We have been the traditional party of military and economic imperialism for at least 150 years. The Bush people have always been the amateurs :)

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. I Really Don't Have A Problem With Fighting The Flood Of Cocaine Into

America and terrorsim......

As long as it's transparent...

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

13. yeah, the CIA is trying to stop the cocaine from coming into the US

The CIA has always been concerned about the number of African-American men convinced of drug crimes, unable to vote, and providing cheap labor in our nations prisons, so they are trying very hard to stop the cocaine from coming in.

The CIA is at the forefront of our fight against illegal drugs, and their mission has always been to...


bwa ha ha ha sorry :)

[DemocratSinceBirth]

14. Most Studies Show

that whites are much more likely to abuse drugs, both in relative and absolute numbers.....

[meegbear]

2. Since the poster won't tell us ..

I'll assume it's the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute.

www.mpri.org

[meegbear]

5. or L-3 Communications ...

Serving the needs of the US government, foreign governments, and the private sector, with the highest standards and cost effective solutions.

Our focus areas are defense, law enforcement, and leadership development.

www.mpri.com

I think it's the other one.

[rman]

9. oh sure. why not "Mining Policy Research Inititive"

http://www.idrc.ca/mpri/

Must be that one, since someone like Clark could not ever have anything to do with "Military Professional Resources Inc."
http://www.mpri.com/channels/home.html

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

10. OK, soooo...

I don't see Clark's name on the website, after a cursory examination.

[seventhson]

22. defense, law enforcement, and leadership development = Clark

That's what it looks like to ME.

Prove me wrong.

Or am I just too afraid of the corrupt and greedy spooks to see the perfumed prince as a true patriotic democrat who just converted?

[tabasco]

3. A civilian contractor to the DOD

Provides ROTC instructors to augment active duty instructors. Also provides manpower/equipment for anti-drug operations in South America. That's what I know. They have a website. Google MPRI.

[LittleApple81]

4. Googled and found something that related to its presence in Colombia

http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/mpri.htm

Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI) in Colombia

Military Professional Resources, Inc. (MPRI), is a "professional services company engaged in defense related contracting in the U.S. and international markets," according to its website. Since its creation in 1988, MPRI has been run and staffed mainly by former military personnel. In February 2001, the Defense Department decided not to renew a one-year, $4.3 million contract with MPRI to perform a bottom-up review of Colombia's military.

The Defense Department Contract:
In cooperation with the government of Colombia and the United States government, MPRI provided advice and assistance in developing specific plans and programs to assist the Ministry of Defense and the armed forces of Colombia in institution building, long range planning, and interagency cooperation to enhance their counter drug capabilities.

MPRI, hired by the U.S. Defense Department, has a team of about 10 retired U.S. military officers in Bogotá to advise the military on strategic and logistical issues. The company has steadfastly declined to comment on their exact number or work.

snip...

Administration officials say MPRI personnel are doing precisely what uniformed American soldiers have traditionally done. They say MPRI was hired not because it has any special expertise, but because U.S. Southern Command in Miami, which oversees American military operations in Latin America, cannot spare 14 men to send to Colombia...Nevertheless, U.S.-Colombia policy experts say the use of firms like MPRI is intended primarily to limit the risk of American military casualties there.

Among the most provocative parts of the MPRI mission are plans for MPRI to recommend legislation, statutes and decrees to Colombia regarding a military draft, a professional soldier statute, officer entitlements and health law reforms. "They are using us to carry out American foreign policy," Soyster, the MPRI spokesman, said. "We certainly don't determine foreign policy, but we can be part of the U.S. government executing its foreign policy."

It sounds ominous to me...

[DuctapeFatwa]

8. So where's the conspiracy theory?

There is nothing secret about US operations in Latin America, hasn't ever been, that I am aware of.

[seventhson]

16. One perspective

From a blog:

http://ericksonhistory.blogspot.com/2002_04_14_ericksonhistory_archive.html



After the Cold War the U.S. began to reduce the size of its armed forces. A large number of military personnel-- from enlisted men to top brass--found themselves back in civilian life. Concurrently, small regional conflicts began to multiply at a rapid pace. With the end of superpower rivalries and little U.S. domestic support for involvement in these conflicts, a new market was created for private military consulting. Former generals, admirals and special forces personnel banded together to form private consulting firms, offering their expertise to foreign governments--for a price.


GUNS FOR HIRE
The largest of these firms is Military Professional Resources, Inc. (MPRI), a Virginia based corporation that was founded in 1987 by retired Army General Vernon Lewis. MPRI earns about $12 million a year and maintains a data base with the names of 2,000 retired military personnel. Their brochure boasts that they provide "The World's Greatest Corporate Military Expertise." Some of the company's officers and their credentials are as follows:


Lewis, President, was an artilleryman with three combat tours in two wars.
Stiner, a member of the board of directors, used to lead the Joint Special Operations command and personally helped capture the Achille Lauro hijackers in 1985.
Thurman, also a board member, headed the U.S. Southern Command during the Panama invasion and helped develop the modern warfare doctrine.
Kroesen, board chairman, used to command all U.S. forces in Europe.
Vuono, vice-president and general manager, oversaw both the Gulf War and the Panama invasion as army chief of staff.
Hardisty, another board member, served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and headed the U.S. Pacific Command. He also serves on the CIA's military advisory panel.
Trefry, executive vice-president, served as a military assistant to the White House under President Bush.
Soyster, operations chief, is former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
It would not be stretching the truth to say that MPRI houses a collection of some of the most brilliant military tacticians in the world today. This collective brainpower, along with its inherent connections with U.S. and foreign governments, is not a collection of retirees looking for something to do but, rather, represents a major change in the way the Insiders direct the outcome of conflicts around the globe.


U.S. MERCENARY CONNECTION
Military Professional Resources, Inc., as well as other firms, must first get a license from the U.S. State Department before they can be contracted by a foreign government for military consultation. Sometimes they respond at the behest of the State Department as they did in April of 1995 when fighting in the Balkans was at one of its most intense periods

[seventhson]

17. More on MPRI and Clark here

http://www.counterpunch.org/madsen09182003.html


MPRI had contracts in Latin America during Clark's tenure as head of the Southern Command in 1996-7. Google Richard Holbrook, MPRI and Columbia for more

[DemocratSinceBirth]

19. You're Doing Great Work

you might even convince some folks to vote for *

[seventhson]

21. Nahh, the MPRI work FOR Bush

I want someone with NO TIES to Bush as my president.

Dean/Edwards/Kucinich/Gore/Braun/Clinton


we can make a GREAT presidency if we keep this military industrial team OUT of the white house.

ANYBODY but Bush/Clark/Kerry!!!!

[LoneStarLiberal]

18. MPRI, Virginia Electronics, Dyncorp

All private firms that do some of the government's work on contract in places like Colombia. Many people involved in the front-line stuff are ex-military, but their contracts literally range from janitorial work all the way through training Colombian paramilitary forces.

If you don't alreay know about these guys, then don't bother getting your dander up over them now. They've been at this for a while.

DynCorp-<http://www.dyncorp.com/>

Virginia Electronics-no links, but try Googling "Virginia Electronics Colombia" and enjoy!

Military Professional Resources, Inc.-<http://www.mpri.com/>

[seventhson]

20. How could this possibly NOT get one's dander up if Clark and MPRI are...

in bed together????

These guys are extremly fascist and dangerous and Clark as General worked with them. He was in charge of the Southern Command (Latin America) when contracts for their services were in place in Columbia.

All you dems can admire the hell out of Clinton -- but Columbia has been a hell hole and the "war on drugs" was murderously brutal. Clark was in charge for part of this period when MPRI was operative there.

You, Lone Star Liberal, make the following statement:

"...their contracts literally range from janitorial work all the way through training Colombian paramilitary forces.

If you don't alreay know about these guys, then don't bother getting your dander up over them now. They've been at this for a while."


You, appropriately, mention and link dyncorp.

But the point Madsen makes as I am trying to get some clarity on is to what extent is Clark in bed with these people?

They trained the Saudi Family's private army. They may even have permitted arms to get to Osama if Madsen is accurate.

This is serious business and needs attention and "Danders Up!!!" from ALL of us!!!!


Until I am sure that Clark RENOUNCES these covert operators - who function a lot like Halliburton and probably in conjunction WITH Halliburton - then Clark is deadly POISON to ME.

Y'all dismiss this at your own risk.