Northrop
Grumman in Colombia
Northrop Grumman
Corporation is a "$15 billion, global aerospace and defense company
providing ... services for its U.S. and international military, government
and commercial customers," according to its website.
The company has 80,000 employees and projected revenues of $18 billion
in 2003.
In September 1998
Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Northrup Grumman
Corporation, was awarded a contract with the U.S. Air Force Air Combat
Command for "operations and maintenance support" for its "Counter
Narcotics Surveillance and Control System," according to a Northrup
Grumman press
release from September 4 of that year. According to a 1999 press
release, the contract is for five years and is valued at $60 million.
The contract includes "performing maintenance, system operations,
and logistic support of seven radar sites and 10 associated ground satellite
stations in Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Panama."
The Miami Herald
reported in February 2001 that Northrop Grumman "provides
an unknown number of U.S. citizens that operate and maintain five radar
stations in eastern and southern Colombia that track suspected drug smuggling
flights."
[Miami
Herald,
Feb. 26, 2001 - link to article text at corpwatch.org]