Scandal-Ridden Blackwater Changes Name to Xe
ABC News: The scandal-ridden security firm Blackwater USA is officially changing its name effective immediately as the company moves to rebrand itself after being fired last month by the State Department from its job protecting diplomats in Iraq.
The company will now be known as Xe and hopes to be a “one-stop shopping source for world class services in the fields of security, stability, aviation, training and logistics”, according to a memo sent by company president Gary Jackson to employees today.
The division that handles the diplomatic protection services will now be known as U.S. Training Center, Inc., but now its primary focus will be operating training facilities, including the flagship campus in North Carolina, according to Jackson. It was that very division that handled Blackwater’s overseas operations, which also faced the most criticism.
“Blackwater’s latest attempt at re-branding itself would be hilarious if the company’s record wasn’t so deadly,” said Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
