Saturday, May 08, 2010

Cyberdefense Hawks Try To Scare Up Some Profits

The path to extraordinary profits for defense contractors follows some tried and true methods.  This template has been refined through decades of Cold War contracts, not to mention supplemental appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan.  First, scare people into fearing something:

The US must prepare itself for a full-scale cyber attack which could cause death and destruction across the country in less than 15 minutes, the former anti-terrorism Tsar to Bill Clinton and George W Bush has warned.

Richard Clarke claims that America's lack of preparation for the annexing of its computer system by terrorists could lead to an "electronic Pearl Harbor".



Next, position yourself as the single most qualified provider of a solution:

Good Harbor is led by Richard A. Clarke, a contributor to ABC News (including World News Tonight and Good Morning America) who teaches at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and is a #1 best-selling author and frequent writer on terrorism and security issues. He leads consulting projects for Good Harbor in the areas of security risk management, cyber security, and counterterrorism.

Finally, establish a history of making consistent campaign contributions to federal elected officials.  Presto!  You're all set to win massive contracts from DOD and DHS.  While you're waiting for Uncle Sam to pay up, you can chase contracts from allied governments:

Abu Dhabi has also signed contracts with several U.S. firms, including Good Harbor Consulting. Good Harbor has been operated by former White House counter-insurgency adviser Richard Clarke.
 

Happy profiteering!  I'm getting in line myself. 

Full disclosure:  Alfidi Capital LLC is registered in the U.S. government's contractor database.  It has not performed any contract work for the U.S. government up to the time this post was published.  Alfidi Capital and its CEO have no business relationship with any firm mentioned in this post.