Iraq Inquiry Appoints Director of Private Defence Contractor As Advisor

The Iraq Inquiry has appointed General Sir Roger Wheeler, a former Chief of the General Staff, as its military advisor.

A summary of his career is available on the inquiry website, but something is strangely missing - the fact that Wheeler is also a director of Aegis Defence Services, which was set up in 2004 by Tim Spicer, who previously ran Sandline International (and whose mercenaries infamously destablised Papua New Guinea).

Aegis is a private security company that has $293 million-worth of contracts in Iraq with the US Department of Defense. In 2005, More4 News revealed "trophy" videos showing Aegis contractors in Baghdad firing upon civilian vehicles.

Is someone who is part of a company that has directly profited from the war in Iraq really a suitably 'independent' advisor to the Iraq public inquiry?

For more on Aegis see also:
Nation Builders and Low Bidders in Iraq
Security Firm Falls Short on Safety Audit
Dog of war builds £62m business on Iraq