Blackwater hopes to grow without hired guns

“There’s a real possibility that if Blackwater exits the business, that some U.S. officials will receive inferior protection in war zones — and deaths will result,” Thompson said.

Blackwater officials stress that the company will honor its current security contracts and take on those sought by the U.S. government.

But CEO and founder Erik Prince said his company is focused on building its brand name in other businesses — each with their own challenges.

“The security business is what it is,” Prince said. “I don’t see that growing a lot. Iraq is getting progressively better. So, that total demand from the U.S. government will probably stay the same or decrease slightly. We’re just growing other parts of the business around it.”

Blackwater has designed prototypes for a vehicle for border patrol agents and has been pumping out versions of its Grizzly armored vehicle. A dozen sit next to its production plant, waiting for the first buyer as they compete in a marketplace dominated by established defense contractors.

Prince, an ex-Navy SEAL, launched Blackwater a decade ago in the swamps of North Carolina to provide better and more accessible training for commandos and others warriors. He told The Associated Press this week that Blackwater wants to continue to expand its training offerings.

But that could be a tough road. In a letter obtained Monday by the AP, Defense Secretary Robert Gates questioned why the military is relying on such contractors to provide “combat or combat-related security training.” While 10 percent of Blackwater’s training business comes from international governments, all must be first approved by U.S. officials.

“It’s probably the most effective way of finishing the war on terror,” Mathews said. “It’s not by United States soldiers going out here, there and everywhere — although they’re eminently capable of doing so. A lot more diplomatic way is to provide training and equipment to those foreign units, and letting them help us.”

Blackwater is also building an air force of sorts. The company and its affiliates have more than 50 aircraft at its disposal, many with the flexibility to land in remote airstrips.

The fleet includes a Brazilian fighter plane — the Super Tucano — to be used in demonstration and training. Seamus Flatley, the director for special programs at Blackwater affiliate Presidential Airways, said such an aircraft could one day be deployed in a war zone for pilots to run contract missions at a savings to the government.

“I think it makes perfect sense for counterinsurgency air warfare,” Flatley said. “I think it has validity. But it goes back to the whole issue ... can you have a contractor in an airplane squeezing a trigger? In this day and age right now, I’d say the environment would not allow it.”

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