Pentagon reveals no-bid $10 million contract for mercenaries and spies to fight ISIS in Syria | 10 Aug 2016 | A no-bid $10 million contract announced in late July is possibly the first instance in which the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged using private military contractors alongside American special operations forces 'fighting' Islamic State in Syria. In a public announcement on July 27, the Department of Defense said it awarded an intelligence analysis contract to private contractor Six3 Intelligence Solutions, a cyber and signals intelligence and surveillance firm that is a subsidiary of CACI International Inc. The contract will require Six3 to assist US forces working against Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS or ISIL [or I-CIA-SIS]) within Syria.