To make it easier for Iraqi companies to score U.S. military contracts over in the war zone, the Pentagon created a database that lists in Arabic all available contract opportunities. Since the “joint contingency contracting system” went online a year ago, 5,000 Iraqi firms have earned $400 million worth of business, says Paul A. Brinkley, deputy undersecretary of defense for business transformation. Considering that Iraq’s gross domestic product is $40 billion, he notes, these sales provide a “significant economic stimulus.”