Blackwater building an airforce?

reply to post by razor1000


OMG! I laughed so hard, you are so right! thats my favorite cartoon hero!

What if Blackwater starts getting very very large and the CEO decides to take over the place? Why reenlist in the armed services if the pay is higher at Blackwater?

Imo, the Blackwater dog will be kept on a short leash, and the Feds will hold back their best stuff, as well as all the truly heavy weapons and equipment. As long as Blackwater gets paid, I'm sure they will continue to serve their masters.

Mercenaries are just as political as anyone else. They'll do whatever is in their best interests. We should expect them to be a numerically smaller force, but they'll use a different play book. We do run the risk of having them used agaisnt us if there is a revolt of any size, but that will not be the worst of our problems.

I agree that mercenaries (sorry, I mean "private security") corporations are, to some degree politically motivated, but the overriding motivation is to make money. The idea that these groups are there to help bring peace and stability to any region is surely counter to their own interests.
Conflict is BIG business for both the arms manufacturers and those who use the arms to fight. Therefore, where peace reigns, conflict must be sought in order for those corporations to exist and make money.

It's also worth remembering that these big mercenary corporations owe no loyalty to any one country or any particular ideology. Once again, the issue of accountability comes to the fore as these groups report directly to a political entity (or perhaps a small cabal within the government) rather than having their activities overseen by any sort of judicial review board or neutral oversight entity. In fact, they are similar in some ways to Mafia enforcers, there to do the bidding of the Don, who must also keep a close eye on them lest they get a better offer from someone else to turn against him.
It seems the current administration is expanding the use of outsourcing in this area and also now the intel sector, with the DIA seeking to award big contracts to outside agencies for work traditionally carried out by, and to some extent controlled by, government oversight committees. Again this is a dangerous path to be going down, where an outside agency will produce whatever intel is required by the paymasters, and will answer directly to that paymaster without oversight.
I guess the bottom line really is who's interests do these corporations have in mind, the country or the paymaster?

Mercenaries are only loyal so long as the check doesn't bounce and they don't get in to trouble on the battlefield. It's interesting to note that (historically), politicians betray mercs more often than mercs betray politicians. that's because politicos like to use mercs to do the dirty stuff, which they can later deny.

Yes but sometimes the leaders of the mercenaries wants more power. Like the SS in Germany. They want total control over a country, why? Because they love power, torture, rape... I'm not saying blackwater is that kind of thing, but humans are able of sick things, history prove this, look at Japan during WW2.

It depends if the mercenaries think of people as cattle or subhumans. I know there's a lot of people in the army who thinks arabs (brown people as they call them) or ``liberals`` are subhumans and traitors.

Also, there's an increasing percentage of the army that comes from foreign countries... which is bad for plenty of reasons.

[edit on 30-8-2007 by Vitchilo]

IMO assuming that the US withdraws from Iraq over the 2008 - 2012 time period the US government will make use of so called private security contractors to do there bidding under the guise of humanity assistance. The kinds of aircraft Blackwater is obtaining could also used to patrol the US - Mexico border that way both US corporate interests and the American public demands are meet.

I've had that thought myself. After the war, mercs could be used to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.

I have no doubt that some mercs will be inclined to use their media image to get in to politics.

Suppose, for example, that a defense contractor were to do a really good job in a disaster zone. Suppose they bring the media with them as they get in to the effected area, and they get lots of good coverage as they deploy hundreds of work groups and security teams. You KNOW the press will have a field day making Katrina comparisons.

The leader/CEO of such a company would benefit greatly from all that fawning coverage. If he/she wanted to get in to politics....

reply to post by Justin Oldham


very interting post mr. griffin very interesting. perhaps this "deployment" of large numbers of blackwater "troops" (employees) to the washington dc area might just be an open invitation for such a person to step forward.

Are you suggesting a coupe? I would think that a very successful mercenary leader could win high office. Imagine that? Being a Senator and having control over a large merc force...Wow.

I wonder if any of the board members, non-exec directors etc of any of these big private security corporations are current sitting politicians or ex-high level staffers? No doubt they do have friends in high places which could be viewed as a conflict of interest.
I think Malcolm Rifkind in the UK is a board member of some big Private Security company, I'll have to check it out. Although not a current serving politician, he did hold high office at one time and probably still has some influence amongst the old boy network.

Originally posted by Justin Oldham
It's worth noting that current law prohibits Federal troops from acting against U.S. citizens on domestic soil. No such provision exists in regards to mercenaries.

[edit on 28-8-2007 by Justin Oldham]

So are you hinting that the US government will be using mercenaries to police our country? I could definitley see that happening.

reply to post by Justin Oldham

another thing to remember is that Blackwater also hires employees worldwide. Hondurans, Guatemala, in fact there is a bit of a crisis right now with the south american employees because they found out they are only making $1,400 a month where the Americans are making $10k plus! for doing basically the same job. so they are trying to work through that.

anyways my point is that Blackwater can summon probably thousands of employees from every corner of the world, (estimated 15,000 worldwide)Oh another thing on the South American employees, they are supposedly the best at what they do (supposedly, according to them) because their country has been in live action situations since they were kids so they have seen more action than the Americans. This might have been true prior to the present war. anyways i dont thin they can come incountry to "work" unless there is a major "emergency"





[edit on 2-9-2007 by infiltr8u]

The hard part is getting mercs to stop fighting.

For $10,000 a month, it`s not in your best interests to see the whole thing end, is it? That`s a nice little paycheque.

I`ve often looked at individual events, like the odd police station going up in a car bomb - and wondered if perhaps these guys who provide "security" aren`t doing a bit of job promotion... making their services that much more necessary.

Originally posted by infiltr8u
anyways i dont thin they can come incountry to "work" unless there is a major "emergency"

That's the problem right there. Blackwater employees can be deputised to work in mainland USA by federal authorities, as happened after Katrina.
If the WH gives approval (no reason why they wouldn't) then any emergency situation whether natural or man made could see Blackwater or others deploy mercs as security. Not forgetting that these people are mostly foreign and will perhaps not be so hesitant to use available firepower against US citizens.

reply to post by Britguy

i meant the south americans, i know the americans work here, all over the place here, places that would make you say "what da?"

I expect non US employees of the security corporations would also be deputised. After all, they are employees like any other, hired to do a job by their employer who is contracting to the US government.
It's no different than me, working for a US corporation in the UK and travelling to the US to help out with projects in North America.

The argument would be that any corporation's employees which were compliant with U.S. law would be able to operate as deputized. If I was fully checked out as per U.S. law, and employed by Blackwater, it wouldn't mater where I came from. If they nerfed it, Uncle Sam would hold them liable, but no big deal would be made about my country of origin.

Originally posted by infiltr8u
another thing to remember is that Blackwater also hires employees worldwide.

Yes you are right this mercenaries AKA private security forces have people from around the globe.

They are mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan now.

But if needed they will be in our soil and foreign mercenaries AKA private security forces may not hold our constitution or our nations law as priority, but rather like somebody already mention a pay check is the boss.

Lets also no forget that this people are being used by corporate America and is corporate America the ones that do not want borders in this nation and are pushing for the North American Union.

Is also corporate the profiteers of American wars.