‘Hidden Hand’ Mr. Cheney? KBR, the Unit of Halliburton in Which Mr. Cheney Ran as CEO Won Government Contracts

A subsidiary of Halliburton which the US vice president Dick Cheney ran as CEO obtained the exclusive logistics supply for army providing services like cooking, construction, power generation and fuel transportation after 9.11 terror. Hence, it was doubted that Mr. Cheney played role in helping Halliburton.

According to the New York Times on July 13, a unit of Halliburton which Mr. Cheney ran as CEO from 1995 to 2000, called KBR, referred to as Kellogg Brown & Root won ‘enormous amounts contract’ from the government.

KBR supplied foods to American troops in Uzbekistan and built the building cells to pick up Afghan prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

KBR has been building projects for federal government for decades. Especially, the attacks of Sept. 11 have led to significant additional business making the various supply contract. KBR is the exclusive logistics supplier for both the Navy and the Army. The contract recently won from the Army is for 10 years and has no lid on costs, the only logistical arrangement by the Army without an estimated cost.

KBR said “Mr. Cheney played no role in helping Halliburton win, either while he led the company or after he left”. However, the New York Times reported “The contract amount of KBR military supplies increased suddenly in 1992 when Mr. Cheney was in the last year as the Secretary of Defense.”

According to the New York Times, KBR got the Army to agree to pay about $750,000 for electrical advanced equipment that cost only about $125,000 to the Pentagon. A retired four-star admiral, Joe Lopez, who was Mr. Cheney`s military aide at the Pentagon ran in KBR.

konihong@donga.com