A US-based military and government contractor that has provided maintenance and logistical services to Custom and Border Protection’s fleet of aircraft used for surveilling the US–Mexico border. It was acquired by private company Amentum in 2022, bringing it into the private sector.
PAE Inc. is a military and government services contractor that provides a range of services, including maintenance of military and civilian vehicle fleets, counter-threat solutions, training management, and immigration processing services. Formerly a publicly traded company, PAE was brought into the private sector when it was acquired by Amentum, a private U.S. government and commercial services contractor based in Chantilly, Va., in February 2022.
As of 2020, PAE was a top contractor of U.S. government agencies, namely the Departments of Defense (DOD) and the State Department. In 2020, the DOD and State Department accounted for 36% and 19%, respectively, of PAE’s total revenues.
PAE was one of the largest recipients of contracts from U.S. immigration authority Customs and Border Protection (CBP), mainly for the maintenance and refurbishment of CBP’s aircraft fleet. In May 2020, the company announced its largest single contract with CBP, worth more than $1.26 billion and accounting for 9% of the company’s annual revenue that year. Under the contract, PAE maintained CBP’s fleet of over 200 aircraft, used to monitor and patrol borders.
From 2004 to 2019, PAE held 21 contracts with CBP worth $1.2 billion. In 2012, for example, the company contracted with CBP to refurbish eight UH-1N helicopters, which were delivered to the agency in 2015.
Between 2004 and 2015, PAE also provided U.S. immigration authority Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with investigation and other services. The company’s most recent contract with ICE, a $42.2 million contract for investigation services in the agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations department, ended in 2015.
In addition, the company provided the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with biometric data collection, identity verification, and criminal background check services. In 2018, PAE received a contract worth a potential $562.1 million for providing application support center (ASC) operations and facilities services for screening immigrants. PAE held similar contracts with USCIS in the past. According to a 2019 Transnational Institute report, PAE supported all 137 of the USCIS application support centers.