Bush administration downsized the military by turning jobs over to private companies like KBR, which was then part of Halliburton, with which Dick Cheney retained ties. These contractors charged large sums for services once performed by U.S. troops.  In Afghanistan and Iraq KBR was awarded lucrative, no-bid contracts replete with performance bonuses. Despite cost overruns and shoddy work, KBR has continued to collect these bonuses, including a recent $83 million payment, even after investigators found that faulty KBR wiring was responsible for the electrocution of four American soldiers.  Under an Obama administration that promised true change, the Defense Department would do the nation a great service by abandoning this model of war profiteering.