WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The Halliburton Co. edged United Technologies to become the sixth largest defense contractor in 2004, according to the Defense Department.
Halliburton moved from No. 7 to No. 6 in 2004, more than doubling its defense contracts from $3.9 billion in 2003 to $8 billion in 2004. It only broke into the top 100 defense contractors when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, according to analysis by the Center for Public Integrity.
Vice President Dick Cheney headed Halliburton for five years until 2000, when he resigned the position to join George W. Bush's presidential ticket.
Until 2003, Halliburton and its subsidiaries Brown & Root Services and Kellogg Brown & Root never won contracts totaling more than $658 million a year. In the five years leading up to 2003, the company's total contracts amounted to only $2.45 billion.
Lockheed Martin and the Boeing Co. topped list of defense contractors in 2004, the Defense Department announced Thursday.
The Pentagon spent $21.7 billion more in 2004 on prime contracts than 2003, for a total of $230.7 billion -- more than half its annual budget.
