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==Background==
The company's founders are [[Scott Custer]], a former US Army Ranger officer and defense consultant, and former [[CIA]] officer [[Michael Battles]], who ran for Congress in Rhode Island in 2002 and was defeated in the Republican primary. Battles is a [[Fox News]] Channel commentator. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002058470_contract09.html]Both Custer and Battles are often described in the media as "former US Army Rangers." In fact, they are both graduates of the US Army Ranger course[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_School], a nine week US Army leadership school, and not former members of the US Army Ranger Regiment[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Army_Rangers].
Custer Battles was a newly formed company with no experience in the security industry when it landed one of the first contracts issued in [[Iraq]] in the spring of 2003 to secure the airport. The no-bid contract was worth $16 million when it was awarded in the chaos after the fall of [[Saddam Hussein]]. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002058470_contract09.html]
