While most Americans and others around the world will breathe a sigh of relief when U.S. troops finally pull out of Iraq, there are those who will be sorry to see them go.  A perfect example is the Sultan Al-Essa family of Kuwait.  The Sultans control a company now known as Agility (formerly known as Public Warehousing) that has specialized in servicing the U.S. military in Iraq by collecting and warehousing goods and transporting them to the troops.  In 2006 and 2007 alone, Agility signed contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense worth $3.3 billion.  In the first half of 2008, Agility earned another billion dollars supplying Americans with milk, eggs, baked goods, meat and other food products.  Through its subsidiary, Taos Industries, the Sultans have also profited from the sale of guns, rifles, machine guns and shoulder-fired rocket propelled grenades.  In May, Agility, despite being under investigation in the U.S. for fraud and overcharging, earned another contract from the Defense Logistics Agency for up to $2.8 billion.  However, the Sultans are preparing for the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq by diversifying and by developing their contracts with the Pentagon in other regions.  For example, in August the Defense Logistics Agency awarded Taos Industries a contract to store, distribute and maintain equipment at 15 Marine Corps bases inside the United States.

                                                                                                                                      -David Wallechinsky