Blackwater building an airforce?

Mercs have been used for a long long time. They can be hired to do what the people wouldn't want the country's military to do, or they can be hired to make a fighting force seem more powerful than it really is.

Think about it, if Bush wanted to tell the people he has X number of American Soldiers in Iraq, while claiming that only Y amount have died in combat, he can use the additional mercenary numbers to screw with the data, make it seem like the death ratio isn't so high.

If the situation gets hot, and the commanders want to simply lay waste to a small block to get at a single stronghold... hire someone to do it. I'm not claiming thats exactly whats happened, but thats certainly one of the advantages a mercenary force gives you.

Only the corrupt need to use mercenaries for an offensive role.