A Tough Job, and Halliburton Does It
Halliburton has become a political issue in this presidential election year. You're hearing a lot about us. But what you're not hearing are the facts.
I know because I've just returned from Baghdad, where once again I watched our employees at work and once again I found myself in awe of their determination and tenacity. These men and women -- more than 30,000 of them working for our subsidiary, KBR -- are risking their lives each day to provide high-quality support to U.S. troops. Tragically, 48 employees and subcontractors of KBR have been killed while working to support the troops.
To me, that makes them heroes. But instead of their praises being sung, their work is under attack, and the company's contract with the government has become a target in this presidential campaign.
Let me try to clear up some of the misinformation. First of all, the talented people of KBR have been supporting the military for 60 years.
We began providing support to the U.S. military during World War II -- building warships -- and continued that support in the Korean and Vietnam wars, when we built port facilities and airports. We helped provide humanitarian assistance in famine-stricken Somalia and logistical support in the Balkans. We also provide military support in Uzbekistan, Georgia, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kuwait, Jordan and Turkey.
As the rhetoric heats up further in the few weeks before the election, we hope you will ask yourself: Do I have all the facts?
For instance, there are frequent references to our "no-bid" contract to support the U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The fact is that after a fully competitive and open bid process we were awarded a contract in 2001, well before the war in Iraq, to provide logistical support for U.S. soldiers wherever they might be deployed.
KBR did receive, at the outbreak of the war, a sole-source contract issued under urgent conditions to quickly restore the flow of Iraqi oil. But what you will not often read is that the independent General Accounting Office has since reviewed the contract and reported that it was "properly awarded
Mischaracterizations and incomplete facts do a grave disservice to the employees and subcontractors who are working in Iraq. Never before has any contractor worked in as dangerous a situation as they are. Halliburton is providing jobs for Americans, and we are supporting the troops with the largest civilian workforce ever assembled in support of a military operation.
