3 October 2010 more than one way to trim the DOD budget

8 private security firms banned in Afghanistan

By the CNN Wire Staff

October 3, 2010 10:24 a.m. EDT

“Afghanistan has banned eight private security firms, including the company formerly known as Blackwater, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai told reporters Sunday.

Among the companies whose operations are being dissolved are Xe (formerly known as Blackwater), NCL, FHI, White Eagles and other small companies, spokesman Waheed Omer said. Both international and domestic companies were affected.

Weapons and ammunition belonging to these companies has been seized, he said.

Xe has several operations in Afghanistan, some of which will not be immediately affected by the decision. While Xe's transportation and highway security operations have stopped, it will continue to offer security for embassies.”

http://us.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/03/afghanistan.banned.firms/index.html?hpt=T2



This is a step in the right direction for the U.S. military. We should not be using mercenaries to do the tasks formerly performed by soldiers and Marines. If there are too few troops available to carry out all the roles needed to maintain and re-supply our troops, too few for the military to be able to carry out its missions at home and abroad; we need to re-asses our military’s role in today’s world and how to meet its manpower needs.

The combat roles we must fill today require the best equipment and the best training we can provide our troops. But there are many roles that have been shifted from soldiers to “private contractors.” In particular, we are now paying companies like Xe to provide truck drivers and guards for both military and civilian facilities. Even worse, we are paying these private contractors at rates far above what we pay soldiers to perform the same tasks in more hostile conditions. Once again, we are allowing a network of mercenary contractors to raid the armed forces, thus reducing the available manpower, thus requiring “private contractors.”

The Marines used to provide actual as well as ceremonial security duties for our embassies. Soldiers used to drive their own resupply convoys. Now we’ve removed those duties from our armed forces and are paying private armies to act as if they were honestly soldiers.

If we can’t fill our manpower needs, increase recruitment and increase the size of our armed forces until we can. If we lose trained soldiers to corporations and to mercenaries, increase the pay scale for our armed forces. Whether we increase the size, the pay, or both, it will be cheaper than paying millions to mercenaries. If those options don’t provide sufficient manpower, bring back the draft. If we are in a justifiable war, then it is justifiable to involve the entire nation as in WWII. If it is not justifiable to draft citizens, then perhaps we should not be fighting that war. We should not be using mercenaries/private contractors for any of this nation’s military tasks. Even if it were cost-justifiable, they cannot be trusted. Armies that fight for hire can always be hired by someone willing to pay more.

The question remains, “Is this a good move for Afghanistan?” Honestly, I don’t know. It will reduce the number of armed men running around pretending to be soldiers but loyal to no government. It may allow Afghanistan to build up its police and military forces to the level needed to protect the population from guerrillas, insurgents, religious fanatics, and other forces that currently prevent it becoming a stable nation. More than likely, it will not lead to a more secure, less corrupt government, an educated population, what Afghanistan truly needs to become part of the 21st century. This may well be, in concert with our phased withdrawal from the theater, the equivalent of “Vietnamization.” We all know how well that worked. The South Vietnamese dropped all their U.S. paid for weaponry and high-tailed it out of their own nation. Care to bet how fast the Afghani government can pack up their lists of Swiss bank accounts and beg asylum in Europe?