Blackwater quietly changes name to Xe

US Security Firm Mired in Iraq Controversy Changes Its Name

Friday, February 13, 2009 by The Associated Press

Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning its tarnished brand name as it tries to shake a reputation battered by oft-criticised work in Iraq, renaming its family of two dozen businesses under the name Xe. The parent company's new name is pronounced like the letter z.

[Blackwater Worldwide's headquarters is seen in Moyock, N.C., in this July 21, 2008 file photo. Blackwater is abandoning its tarnished brand name as it tries to shake a reputation battered by oft-criticized work in Iraq, renaming its family of two dozen businesses under the name Xe. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)]Blackwater Worldwide's headquarters is seen in Moyock, N.C., in this July 21, 2008 file photo. Blackwater is abandoning its tarnished brand name as it tries to shake a reputation battered by oft-criticized work in Iraq, renaming its family of two dozen businesses under the name Xe. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Blackwater Lodge & Training Centre - the subsidiary that conducts much of the company's overseas operations and domestic training - has been renamed US Training Centre Inc., the company said today.

The decision comes as part of an ongoing rebranding effort that grew more urgent following a September 2007 shooting in Iraq that left at least a dozen civilians dead. Blackwater president Gary Jackson said in a m