Last month, at least $414,076 were awarded to West Michigan companies by the military. The three contracts were documented as part of Media Mouse's ongoing work monitoring local military contractors. The contracts:
- L-3 Communications received a $239,647 contract from the Air Force for components used in the C-130 airplane.
- Smiths Industries Aerospace received a $144,429 contract from the Navy for the repair and/or modification of memory units.
- Dover Resources received a $30,000 contract from the Navy for a rotary pump.
Additionally, it is worth noting that the Grand Rapids Press ran two lengthy stories on the private mercenary company Blackwater USA, which was founded by Erik Prince. The stories covered Prince's upbringing and some aspects of Blackwater's work in Iraq. However, rather than provide a detailed examination of Blackwater's role in Iraq or the question of whether or not private security contractors are needed, the articles gloss over these issues and offer limited a limited analysis of Blackwater. Most of the comments are favorable towards Blackwater, and while Jeremy Scahill's recent book Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army is mentioned in the article, none of the criticisms present in the book are raised. Similarly, the article on Prince's upbringing fails to examine the role that his family's connections have played in the rise of Blackwater.
