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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1931; 94 years ago (1931) inAlhambra, California |
| Founder | Allan S. Vinnell |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Parent |
|
TheVinnell Corporation is an internationalprivate military company based inHerndon, Virginia,[1]United States, specializing in military training, logistics, and support in the form of weapon systems maintenance and management consultancy. Vinnell Corporation is a subsidiary ofNorthrop Grumman Corporation. They are also party to other joint-venture companies, e.g. Vinnell-Brown & Root (VBR). The Vinnell Corporation was mentioned inFahrenheit 9/11 for its connections to theCarlyle Group,George W. Bush, and the Saudi Royal family.
They conducted training of portions of theSaudi Arabian National Guard as a joint Saudi/American owned company called Vinnell Arabia since the 1970s.[2] Vinnell Arabiawas bombed on May 12, 2003 by Saudi terrorists. Eight Americans and two Filipinos were killed. Another employee was stalked from the military hospital to his home in Riyadh and assassinated on the street.
Vinnell Corporation was given the initial contract to recreate theNew Iraqi Army in 2003 by theU.S. Department of Defense.[3] The contract was for nine battalions, with an option to extend the training to 27 battalions. Much of the actual training, however, was subcontracted toMilitary Professional Resources Inc.,Science Applications International Corporation (recruiting stations, with a poster campaign), and smaller firms including Eagle Group International (which appears to have provided medical training), Omega Training Group, and Worldwide Language Resources.[4] There were early indications that the training was not going well; "too much emphasis on classroom studies of strategy and tactics and not enough on basic combat skills.."[5] and later trainees broke when committed to action inFallujah. As a result, the second phase was taken over by theUnited States Army.
Vinnell Corporation was founded in 1931 inAlhambra, California, by Allan S. Vinnell, as a hauling and excavating contractor.[6] The company grew into construction of roads and buildings and constructed portions of thePan-American Highway, as well asDodger Stadium[7] and portions of theGrand Coulee Dam. It had also diversified into production of steel and into mining operations. Vinnell also performed construction for the U.S.Military Assistance Command Vietnam and/or similar Federal Government organizations such as the Navy'sOfficer in Charge of Construction RVN in Vietnam in the 1960s.
The company moved into operations, maintenance, and training largely in the 1970s. In 1975, the company undertook theSaudi Arabian National Guard Modernization Program. In 1979, it moved into the Job Corps arena with the operation of the Shreveport (LA) center and later operated the Hubert H. Humphrey center inSt. Paul, MN; the Roswell (NM) center; theLaredo (TX) center; theJoliet (IL) center; theGainesville (FL) center; the North Texas (formerly McKinney) center; and the Whitney Young center inShelbyville, KY.
In 1992, the company was acquired byBDM International,[8] which was in turn acquired byTRW Inc. in 1997.[9] TRW was acquired byNorthrop Grumman in 2002.[10]