Private contractors replacing troops in Iraq, Afghanistan

Private contractors replacing troops in Iraq, Afghanistan

www.examiner.com

President Obama has been replacing soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan with private contractors—some 250,000 are currently deployed overseas—including Black Water (operating under another alias.)

Contractors are not subject to the same guidelines as our soldiers, and thus, have not been held accountable for the misdeeds they have afflicted upon civilian populations in the past.

This story has largely flown under the radar of the mainstream media, but will surely induce outrage at some uncertain point in the future.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 15-7-2009 by TheAssociate]

Looks like we're not really pulling out of the Middle East after all. Something seemed suspicious about this situation from the beginning and there you have it. No telling how long we're actually going to be there, and how much this is going to cost in money and blood before it's all over with.


TA

www.examiner.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 15-7-2009 by TheAssociate]

[edit on 15-7-2009 by TheAssociate]

News report on the situation.

This is the first i have heard of it, nice find. I also think the responses to this across the country could be brutal. I have always wondered how these "private contractors" operate and what there like, thats just me lol.

reply to post by ConspiracySquid7

Good question. The article says they're not subject to the same guidelines as regular troops. I'm not sure what that means exactly. Does the Geneva Convention regulations not apply to them, or what? Anyone out there know?


TA



[edit on 15-7-2009 by TheAssociate]

Well after reading the article again it makes it seem like the Geneva Convention regulations have no say in what these guys do. Wonder how you get to join these guys

Its not as much in combat type jobs that these contracters are performing, but more like technical type jobs such as building and communications and the likes. They do not fall under ALL the same guidelines, but still must adhere to most. For example, they are not prohibited from sexual intercourse, whereas most troops are. Sexual intercourse with local nationals is still off limits though, im pretty sure. The thing is...they are getting paid above 6 figures for being here for doing pretty much the same jobs that the troops could do. So they are doing the same job but for about a good 3 times the pay. I see them all the time and think it must be nice to run around here in shorts and a tee shirt haha!!

reply to post by BrainPower

Great info, BrainPower, star for that.

I agree that if anyone has to be over there doing things like that, it should be the troops. I don't really think we should be over there at all, but that's what the military is for, especially when they can do it cheaper (and most likely better) than the private contractors.


TA

good friend of mine had a call from her son who is preparing to head for afganistan towards the new year... He is Military.

Oh, this is nothing new. they were doing the same back in 2004 in Iraq. Hell, they were starting to replace the rear-eschelon jobs in the military with civillian contractors when I was in in the mid-90s. the privatization of the military is nothing new, and they have been doing it for a long time. Anyone who thinks NEO-CONs are pro-military-pro defense are smoking crack. NEO-CON's are pro anything that will give their corporate buddies fat, easy contracts.

Despite the "new president", i never expected this trend would stop. Obama simply has a different set of buddies who want thier fingers in the pie.

[edit on 15-7-2009 by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf]

reply to post by antar

So, we're sending both troops and private contractors over there now?

Great...

Thanks for the update, thoughts and prayers are with your friend and her son.


TA



[edit on 15-7-2009 by TheAssociate]

reply to post by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf


Yeah, I know it's nothing new to replace the troops with private contractors, but I thought that with all the recent big talk about pulling out, this needed to be brought to light. Thanks for the replies, stars and flags, everyone.


TA



[edit on 15-7-2009 by TheAssociate]

Your welcome TheAssociate , im the one who started off the talk so im the best juat messing

Cant wait to hear this asked about at the next WH presser..

reply to post by TheAssociate


I agree. We should be the ones doing these jobs. It angers me when i hear about another unit not being able to solve a problem and immediately calling the civilian contractor before putting in any effort. In my unit, if there is a problem that needs solved, the soldiers are told figure it out and are empowered to find the solution. If the joes don't figure it out, chances are that one of the NCO's will. And trust, NOT ever calling the civilian contractors is something we value highly.

Did part of my thesis on private military contractors - the book Corporate Warriors by Peter Singer (Brookings Institute - also wrote Wired for War - two awesome works) deals with this well.

The entire US military is being outsourced - 70% of all intelligence is outsourced - as in ALL the alphabet secret services (Tim Shorrock - Spies For Hire).

The US military in Iraq at the peak was 170,000 private contractors to 130,000 troops.

The outsourcing has innumerable advantages - no least diminished responsibility / accountability and of course greater flexibility in response, theater specific deployment, expanded scope for methods of engagement through non - governmental agents.

Really significant change in the monopoly of violence - very serious implications for the role of national and state sovereignty - we are seeing a clear and very deliberate shift to corporate power and rule in the world - corporate armies are without doubt the very lynch pin of the NWO - as I have said in previous threads fascism is government by corporatocracy - there are plenty of multinational corporations - but no multinational states - further there is a supposition that no corporation will go to war with each other - how we forget our history - one need only look at the war between the Dutch East Indies and the East Indies trading company - or the Virginia Company, or Openhiemer, Rhodes etc,etc,etc

We are seeing the end of nation states and a return to corporate rule - this is the final stage - acquisition of the army....

Can offer another two dozen books on essential reading on this subject including reports by Amnesty, UN and Global Research etc,etc..... terrifying stuff, the very basis of the conspiratorial nature of this site and something which should be everyones primary concern.

To begin with I don't think this war on terror has done any good for anybody. That wasn't it's intention, it's intention was to hunt and kill the alleged perpetrators of 911, or so we were told. Using this patriotic war cry, the opportunity for connected Republicans and private companies with sometimes no-bid contracts, hit war gold.
The Kuwaiti's, business in Kuwait, Foreign governments, KBR, Haliburton all needed ground support to fulfill their contracts and responsibilities and get paid. Everybody saw gold and massive amounts of money for the rebuilding effort. Either the U.S. military wouldn't or couldn't do this job so the contractors were called in. It just so happens one of the most aggressive companies to rise out of the war ashes was Blackwater. Now called XE, and they are huge. Imagine the best professional soldiers recruited after their enlistment time is up and going to work for one company. Not just U.S. soldiers either. It's international in scale. Operators from South America in particular. I'm reading "Blackwater" by Jeremy Scahill right now and it definitely lifts the veil on this bunch. Our media won't touch it with a 10ft. pole right now, because it's that big. And Bad I might add.

Expect XE on your doorstep if the SHTF in this country.

reply to post by audas

Exactly.

Mind boggling the size of these international giants of war.