Pentagon contracts reveal US prep for multinational force in Haiti, down to toothbrushes and WiFi

As preparations accelerate for a multinational security force to deploy to Haiti, federal contract opportunities from the US Department of Defense detail reveal the minutiae of US involvement in planning for the mission.

As preparations accelerate for a multinational security force to deploy to Haiti, federal contract opportunities from the US Department of Defense detail reveal the minutiae of US involvement in planning for the mission. The Multinational Security Support mission, widely referred to as the MSS, aims to bolster local police in combatting the gangs currently overrunning Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. After several delays, the Kenya-led mission is expected to arrive in the Caribbean nation in the coming weeks. The US  has championed the mission, offering to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and resources, though drawing a line at boots on the ground. Recent contract opportunities posted to a US General Services Administration website by the Defense Department (DOD) illustrate how closely the US is involved in kitting out the multinational security force — from security for their still-under-construction base to toothbrushes and internet. On Tuesday May 21, the Defense Department published a contract opportunity for commercial internet service providers capable of supporting about 1,400 users in Haiti, according to the website. Contract opportunities published the same day also advertise opportunities for vendors to provide “sundry items”—shampoo, toothbrushes, lotions, and other items—and bedding for 1,300 people in Haiti. As conditions for the mission come together, US security contractors are already on the ground in Haiti, about 150 people as of now, a source familiar with the operation told CNN.