DIY WIB • Investigations for Everyone

War Is Business has set out to build something unique—a free, comprehensive public directory of military contractors, arms dealers and their political allies.

It’s like Facebook for the military-industrial complex. Except the defense contractors don’t design their own profiles—we do.

Much of the information we need is already public, scattered across online sources, waiting to be pieced together.

That’s where you come in.

We’ve simplified the essential background work of this investigation. By filling in just one piece of the puzzle, you’ll be able to register for free and gain access to the rest of the research and articles on the site.

Start by choosing a company to research from the list to the right. Alternately, you can start by editing any one of the 3,100-plus dossiers on the site. Want to narrow down your choices? Then start by looking for a military contractor near you: This map shows the location of 50 of the largest Pentagon contractors. You can also limit your search to US Defense Department contractors active in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen or Israel.

Give info to get info: It’s easy to contribute.

Click any one of the EDIT buttons to fill in a missing piece of information (or update an incorrect entry). Your contributions will be posted to the site after vetting.

After submitting information, you’ll be able to register by providing an email address.

OK, what else?

Click here to read about how W.I.B. compiled the initial database of more than 3,100 Pentagon contractors involved in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The database is updated constantly. Major changes and additions will be logged here.

Alternate datasets using an earlier version of W.I.B.’s DIY investigations form are below. If you’re on a slow connection or have trouble with the EDIT buttons, try starting your research here:

• An interactive map showing thousands of Defense Department contractors;

• A list of security companies hired by the US military in Iraq; or,

• A list of the largest Pentagon contractors.

Updated March 11, 2011.