BLACKWATER Founder, Erik Prince, CEO Resigns

peaceandlove · 03-07-2009, 06:41 AM

Blackwater Founder, CEO Resigns

Updated 2:56 p.m. EST, Mon March 2, 2009

Last year, the State Department renewed Blackwater's contract over strong objections from the Iraqi government. Starting January 1, the Iraqi government has mandated that all contractors obtain Iraqi licenses to operate.

(CNN) -- Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater Worldwide security firm, announced Monday he has resigned as head of the company, recently renamed Xe.

Prince, in an e-mail to employees and independent contractors, said Danielle Esposito will become chief operating officer and executive vice president. Esposito has worked for the firm and its partners for nearly 10 years.

Blackwater/Xe's president, Gary Jackson, is also retiring, Prince said.

The position of CEO will remain open, the company said.

Prince did not elaborate on what he planned to do next, saying only that "I will be taking on new challenges that I have not yet had the chance to tackle."

The State Department has decided not to renew Blackwater/Xe's contract in Iraq when it expires in May, a State Department official told CNN in late January.

That followed a refusal by the Iraqi government to renew the firm's operating license because of a 2007 incident in which the Iraqi government says security guards -- then employed by Blackwater -- fired upon and killed 17 Iraqi civilians.

Article continues: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/02/bla...nce/index.html

Humble Janitor · 03-07-2009, 08:45 AM

Good.

Blackwater should not even exist.

alyscat · 03-07-2009, 09:59 AM

I would have thought they had a contract in their back pocket for the upcoming summer ... or maybe they do and his new job is to work for the gummint overseeing the use of this kind of non-governmental force to support our locals (like they did in NOLA).

Just my "fantasy" - don't have any information here.
alys

03-07-2009, 06:41 AM	#1
peaceandlove Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Turtle Island Posts: 2,776	BLACKWATER Founder, Erik Prince, CEO Resigns Blackwater Founder, CEO Resigns Updated 2:56 p.m. EST, Mon March 2, 2009 Last year, the State Department renewed Blackwater's contract over strong objections from the Iraqi government. Starting January 1, the Iraqi government has mandated that all contractors obtain Iraqi licenses to operate. (CNN) -- Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater Worldwide security firm, announced Monday he has resigned as head of the company, recently renamed Xe. Prince, in an e-mail to employees and independent contractors, said Danielle Esposito will become chief operating officer and executive vice president. Esposito has worked for the firm and its partners for nearly 10 years. Blackwater/Xe's president, Gary Jackson, is also retiring, Prince said. The position of CEO will remain open, the company said. Prince did not elaborate on what he planned to do next, saying only that "I will be taking on new challenges that I have not yet had the chance to tackle." The State Department has decided not to renew Blackwater/Xe's contract in Iraq when it expires in May, a State Department official told CNN in late January. That followed a refusal by the Iraqi government to renew the firm's operating license because of a 2007 incident in which the Iraqi government says security guards -- then employed by Blackwater -- fired upon and killed 17 Iraqi civilians. Article continues: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/02/bla...nce/index.html

03-07-2009, 08:45 AM	#2
Humble Janitor Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,201	Re: BLACKWATER Founder, Erik Prince, CEO Resigns Good. Blackwater should not even exist.

03-07-2009, 09:59 AM	#3
alyscat Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Washington state Posts: 743	Re: BLACKWATER Founder, Erik Prince, CEO Resigns I would have thought they had a contract in their back pocket for the upcoming summer ... or maybe they do and his new job is to work for the gummint overseeing the use of this kind of non-governmental force to support our locals (like they did in NOLA). Just my "fantasy" - don't have any information here. alys