Why did Blackwater set up a new corporate identity when it inked a subcontract with Raytheon to train Afghan troops?
Masking its scandal-tainted brand was the brainchild of its defense contractor client, according to a top executive for Xe Services (as Blackwater is now known).
Raytheon wanted to do business with Blackwater—so long as it didn't appear that it was actually doing business with the controversial security firm. Roitz said it was his "understanding... that the request for a company other than Blackwater came from Raytheon."
So Paravant was born.
In May two of the firm's trainers opened fire on an oncoming car, killing two Afghan civilians and wounding a third.
The mercenaries are currently being prosecuted by the Justice Department on second-degree murder and weapons charges.
A months-long investigation by the armed services committee followed, unearthing evidence [PDF] that Paravant personnel had acted recklessly, disregarded military regulations, and improperly acquired hundreds of AK-47s and other firearms that were intended for use by the Afghan National Police.
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