and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Department of State, among others. As of 2015, PAE was 57th in a list of the top 100 contractors of the United States government based on total value of contracts signed, receiving $1.04 billion in contract awards that year. The same year it, along with two sub-contractors, agreed to a $1.45 million out-of-court settlement with the United States over claims it had engaged in bid-rigging of a U.S. Army contract for support in Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, "former managers of PAE and RM Asia funneled subcontracts paid for by the government to companies owned by the former managers and their relatives by using confidential bid information to ensure that their companies would beat out other, honest competitors". A PAE program manager, his spouse, and two employees of a sub-contractor also pleaded guilty to criminal charges of procurement fraud over the matter. In 2017 it paid a $5 million fine to the U.S. government after it "failed to follow vetting requirements for personnel working in Afghanistan under a State Department contract for labor services"; $875,000 of the fine was awarded to a PAE whistleblower who first reported the issue. Central Intelligence Agency During the Vietnam War, PAE provided cover for the Central Intelligence Agency's Phoenix Program; Colston Westbrook was among Phoenix Program operators formally employed by PAE. PAE was also awarded the contracts for the construction of 44 Province Interrogation Centers (PICs) in South Vietnam. National Aeronautics and Space Administration According to PAE, since 2016 it has operated NASA's Stennis Space Center and Michoud Assembly Facility as part of a joint contract with BWX Technologies. As part of the joint contract, the two companies "do everything from cutting the grass to supporting advanced manufacturing and rocket engine testing" at the two facilities. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration As of 2017, PAE was supplying approximately 130 technical support personnel to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Data Buoy Center. National Science Foundation In 2012, PAE was awarded a $100 million contract to support the United States Antarctic Program for the National Science Foundation. Under the terms of the contract, PAE was tasked with providing medical support, facility construction and management, and equipment and personnel transportation to sites in Antarctica. New Zealand Defence Force In 2014, PAE was awarded a NZ$72 million contract by the New