Foreign workers without proper clearances or identification are being smuggled onto U.S. and NATO bases in Afghanistan, a breach in security that presents a serious threat to troops and civilian employees, according to documents and interviews with U.S. officials. International Security Assistance Force police documents obtained by The Washington Examiner charged employees for two contracting companies, Stallion Construction and Engineering and DynCorp International with skirting security procedures at Kandahar Airfield, and escorting undocumented foreign laborers onto the base without appropriate clearances or jobs.
Lured by recruiters in their home countries with promises of decent jobs, foreign workers from the Philippines flew on commercial flights into Kandahar Airfield where they were met by unscrupulous subcontractors who helped them bypass security measures to enter the base, according to the documents.
“This report is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg,” said a U.S. official in Afghanistan with direct knowledge of the violations. “The military police report is only one example of what has been going on for some time at the major bases across the country. This is a serious security issue and human rights issue as well.”
Michael J. Thibault, co-chairman for the Commission on Wartime Contracting — an independent, bipartisan legislative commission established to investigate contracting fraud in Afghanistan and Iraq — told The Examiner that the commission is aware of the “very serious nature of the violations” and is investigating. “While it’s tragic what has happened to these workers, the number one issue has to remain safety both of American troops, Americans working on the base and others authorized to be there,” he said. “If they can bring people in, imagine how easy it must be to bring materials onto the base that can directly threaten troops. If you don’t know who is inside the wire how can you protect those who are inside.”
The eight-page military police report classified “For Official Use Only” was just one of several probes into security lapses involving foreign workers, an official said.
“Thirteen Filipinos without legitimate credentials were found on KAF [Kandahar Airfield] between 29 March and 31 March,” the April 2010 report written by Military Police commander Lt. Col. Brent French said. “Contractors at U.S. and U.N. bases and facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan have hired thousands of workers from the Philippines, Bangladesh and other impoverished nations, offering wages that are low by Western standards.”
The military police caught only a small number of what they believe are hundreds of undocumented employees during an initial investigation at Kandahar Airfield, where more than 20,000 U.S. and NATO troops and workers live. The report recommended Stallion construction be suspended from contracts at the base. No punishment was recommended for DynCorp, but it was suggested in the report that government agencies “immediately publish firm guidance regarding hiring practices in order to quickly identify uncredentialed job seekers and report them to ISAF military police.”
Stallion officials could not be reached for comment.
Ashley Burke, spokeswoman for DynCorp International said that the company follows all security protocols and “that includes strict adherence to the security policies and procedures set forth by coalition and U.S. military forces.” If a breach is discovered it is reported to base security, she said.
The detailed interviews with undocumented workers revealed contract scams, in which prospective employees paid recruiters in their home country roughly $2,500 to ensure a job overseas, only to be left abandoned on the base, according to the police report.
Military police discovered that even some employees on the base had no contracts or appropriate security clearances. During an interview with Maria Gracia Montemayor, an employee for Stallion who was escorting personnel onto the base against security protocol, police discovered that she also didn’t have a contract “despite being on the Stallion payroll for five months and she reports virtually no Stallion employees have been given contracts,” according to the document. “Stallion business practices are not conducive to security on KAF.”
Juan, a Filipino worker in southern Afghanistan who spoke to an Examiner reporter in Afghanistan last year, said many workers have been lured with promises of jobs to the war zone and “many times they don’t even know they are coming to Afghanistan until they’ve landed.” Some of the female workers “rely on prostitution on the base to get money to live,” Juan added.
“We know that there are serious security issues on base,” said a contractor at Kandahar who requested anonimity. “We have people on the base who we can’t identify and it is a serious security problem but we haven’t done much to prevent it.”
Sara A. Carter is The Washington Examiner’s national security correspondent. She can be reached at [email protected].
