The destruction (and subsequent reconstruction) of the Iraqi Army has been a boon to arms dealers. Similarly, the War on Terror has generated any number of new channels for arms sales, often from one shady country to another, all in the name of fighting terrorism. The shifting political climate has produced an uncertain legal environment, in which various companies have been able to find loopholes large enough to drive a column of T-72s through. Many of these companies facilitate the transfer of weapons from Russia, the former Soviet republics, and Eastern Europe to buyers around the world.
Former Rep. Curt Weldon, it appears, has found a new career in this sector of the arms business.
Eagerly stepping into that virgin territory is Defense Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based company that is carving out a small but lucrative niche in a new international arms bazaar. The firm boasts as its advisors a number of influential Washington insiders, such as retired General Barry McCaffrey, the former White House drug czar.
Helping the firm make key connections is Curt Weldon, a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania at the center of an FBI investigation into alleged conflicts of interest during his time in office. Weldon, now a key executive at Defense Solutions, is working with the company to set up these weapons deals. Defense Solutions has also proposed refurbishing Libya's BTR-60 armored personnel carriers, according to a sales proposal seen by Wired.com. Defense Solutions denies drafting a sales proposal to Libya.
It's an unusual, if not an entirely unexpected chapter for Weldon, whose time in office included frequent trips to Russia.
One of the more notable client targets for Defense Solutions (and Weldon personally) has been Libya, which has enjoyed a incomplete relaxation of arms sanctions since 2006. Weldon spent a week in Libya at the pleasure of Muammar Gaddafi's son, apparently for the purpose of concluding a deal to refurbish and modernize Libya's fleet of armored vehicles.
--Robert Farley
