L-3 Military Professional Resources Inc (MPRI) was a private military contractor providing services on a global level and with a wide range of offerings. The company was founded in Alexandria, Virginia in 1987 by eight former senior military leaders as MRPI. In June 2000, MRPI was founded by L-3 Communications Corporation and the name changed to L-3 MRPI. This was an excellent acquisition for the company as L-3 specialized in Command, Control and Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, government services, training and simulation, aircraft modernization and maintenance and other services which complemented MRPI nicely. At it’s peak the company was headed by retired US Army General Bantz J. Craddock who had an extensive military career with his last assignment being Commander of US European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
But back to the start, the company focused heavily at the start on hiring only retired US military personnel. It then used this personnel to run the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at more than 200 universities furthering their talent pool. With military and government connections, and well trained personnel, the company quickly gained government contracts. It started training foreign armies such as Bosnia, Croatia, Iraq, Kuwait, and South Africa. It also expanded into consulting, assisting governments and military leaders, law enforcement, and disaster management experts on how to handle situations.
Possibly the highlight of L-3 MRPI work was in 1995 during Operation Storm in Croatia where they prepared and trained the Croatian Army for it’s offensive to push back in the Krajina region. The Croatian Army had outstanding success in this operation and it’s training definitely played a part. The company gained hundred million dollar contracts after that including training and equipping contracts with the Bosnian government. The US State Department also handed out contracts to L-3 MPRI for delivering medical supplies and food to former Soviet state governments which really boosted their coffers. The company has since largely been absorbed into L-3 and continued under their name.
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