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US Eyes Private Guards for Bases in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - U.S. military authorities in Afghanistan may hire a private contractor to provide around-the-clock security at dozens of bases and protect vehicle convoys moving throughout the country.
US Marines of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade relax at a forward operating base in Garmsir district in Helmand Province. (AFP/Manpreet Romana) The possibility of awarding a security contract comes as the Obama administration is sending thousands of more troops into Afghanistan to quell rising violence fueled by a resurgent Taliban. As the number of American forces grow over the next several months, so too does the demand to guard their outposts.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he wants to cut back on the use of contractors that now provide a wide range services to American troops in war zones, including transportation, communications, food service, construction, and maintenance. As recently as February, however, Gates called the use of private security contractors in certain parts of Afghanistan "vital" to supporting U.S. bases. A contract for the work also creates job opportunities for Afghans, he said.
But the use of private contractors in Iraq has been highly contentious. Since a September 2007 shooting of Iraqi civilians in Baghdad by guards employed by Blackwater (now Xe Services), critics have urged U.S. officials to maintain much tighter controls over hired guards.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that the Army published a notice July 10 informing interested contractors it was contemplating a contract for "theater-wide" armed security.
"The contract would provide for a variety of security services, to include the static security of compounds on which U.S. and coalition forces reside, and for the protection of mission essential convoys in and around forward operating bases located throughout Afghanistan," the notice states.
No formal request for proposals has been issued. If the military decides to move ahead, a contract could be awarded by Dec. 1.
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24 Comments so far
Show AllSo, let me get this straight, we are going to hire mercenaries to protect our own soldiers who are engaging in an illegal war/invasion of a sovereign nation under the false premise of searching for a "terrorist" (trained by our own CIA) named OBL who likely died in December of 2001. OK! Just wanted to get that clear in my mind.
Sheesh! The U.S. military needs private guards to protect its own bases and convoys?!
I do understand that they can no longer manage such complicated chores as preparing their own food or doing their own laundry, but if they're unable to protect themselves, exactly what is the value of that multi-billion dollar "defense" budget anyhow?
Maybe the real purpose isn't keeping the enemy out at all. Is it possible that things have reached the point where private guards are needed to keep potential "strays" like Private Bergdahl from wandering away.
Jobs anybody? Anybody out there looking for work?
Pay is really good if you have experience, a lot more than the military.
Of course hiring Afghans to guard troops means taxpayers here save a lot of money. They work for less. It's their country after all, they are PROTECTING their own country. Yes, together with the HELP of coalition troops, we are all working for the same cause. I THINK!!! ARE WE?
BOY! This war is expensive! But we are going to win it. Can't see the end yet, just another 100 yards.
Sure hope those foreign contractors are loyal and don't spill the beans about what we are going to do. Maybe we should pay them more so they don't take bribes?
Boy this war business sure is tough! Any body out there need a job?
We should get some Hessians to help out. They were ok for the British to use over hear in the late 1700's.
It's a private contract to be awarded to some rich guys. The bidding and terms will be secret, for security purposes, of course. The accountability will be nil. "Where did the money go? We cannot tell you because we don't know, and besides, telling you would comprimise our Afghan allies." We will not be able to question anything about it, or else we will be jeopardizing our troops as well.
And so it goes. Our tax dollars whooshing out the window into the wind. On into bankruptcy, both moral and financial. The ordinary people and poor will become even more exhausted, jobless and strapped. Therefore some will support this in order to get a paycheck.
Joe
Yes we can.
Change you can believe in.
Audacity of hope.
Thank you, Obama voters.
Geez maybe the Taliban can apply.
Only if they never let on that they ARE Taliban, or take an oath and convert (that's a bad but true joke).
Any body hanging around can figure out what's going to come down, and get their warning out.
No, I don't want to see U.S. soldiers killed! I don't want to see Afghan's become the enemy because WE kill their relatives! I don't want to make war on anybody!
Violence begets Violence! This escalation needs to STOP!
I'm all for the military being the Department of Peace that nobody messes with because they are bad-ass "good guys" that can take pride in what they do and are welcome where ever they go. We got to do a 180!
Deleted Repeated Post
Mercenaries. Mmmmmm, not a bad idea. Could be a good move-up for the millions of Wal Mart associates we have in this country. With the added income they will receive, we might just get enough tax revenue to pay for our sorely needed health care system. Christ, I think we've finally found a useful purpose for our pentagon think tank.
Hiring Blackwater again? Oh, that will be cheap! Who's money will Obama borrow to pay for them?
Perhaps the Beltway Bandits will just take everyones life savings and their first born.
Wow! I don't even need to leave a comment, since everyone here did such a good job already.
But yea, more Blackwater Xe type mercenaries to "protect" our multi-billion dollar war Machine. More Private contracts means a LOT More money to be made for these people, might even be some people that are on a Rotating Door System - Mercenary Contractors tied to CEO's tied to Government Officials who are tied to the Military Industrial Complex.
Lots of Money to be made if you can get yourself inside their circle of friends.
And who is going to be charged the Interest and the TAX on all that money?
Why, you and I will be folks!
And, where are they going to get that money in the first place, before they charge US for it?
Why, that wonderful institution known as the "federal" reserve is going to just PRINT more of it out of, you guessed it, Thin Air - then they are going to charge US the interest for its use.
I only wish some of our Officials read these posts, or just listened to the general consensus
of the people from time from time so they would see A. we are NOT cool with this and B. that we pretty much agree that the WARS should come to an END, NOT be expanded.
But they in the White House seem Not to care what we think, the American Citizens no longer have any say in the matter, If Obama wants to act like or worse than George W. Bush and extend the Wars, Send over More Mercenaries, than so be it, for our New DICTATOR has spoken!
One
Big
Ass
Mistake
America!
Ron Paul for President 2012!
Support the TROOPS - Bring'em home, NOW!
...because it worked so well in Iraq...
Be careful! Remember, with the new laws coming down the pike, protesting our spending billions more to hire the mercenaries that were banned from Iraq (sort of) to cause incidents in Afghanistan and Pakistan, may be construed as interfering with government policy and cause you to be branded a "Domestic Terrorist!" You can then be put in a cage for life with no trial, and no information to your relatives as to what happened to you.
Remember, this is America, the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave."
Pardon me, the Vomitorium calls.
I don't need to comment on the absurdity of this proposal as so many here have already done so quite eloquently.
I would like to say, if Obama permits this it will confirm where he is and what he is.
Why do we even have a military when it can all be outsourced?
When you quote Nero Caesar you should use the "...." marks.... ;-}
I would like to offer this without comment. There was an article some months back that some of these private security companies hire non-USA (third world) soldiers at greatly reduced rates - - as I remember it there were some Peruvians hired at about $35/day but there was some dispute about their injury/death coverage. The article went on to state that the UN was considering banning such practices.
We should bring all the soldiers back home. But no need to worry about the mercenaries finding work -- they can be hired to protect the police when they are out on patrol. (But who can we hire to protect the mercenaries?)
Bring 'em back home so they can kill us? see http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/07/27-8
I suppose the us navy will now want to hire contractors to paint their ships. Taking this security privitization to the extreme, would I eventually be able to get a job guarding a us nuke silo? I promise I won't try to launch the thing, really and truly I do.
This really isn't too funny.... The department of defense ALREADY hires private security to guard the gates of naval ship yards where nuclear subs are overhauled. And YES, there are already private painters and private electical firms and private air conditioning firms working aboard nuclear ships during overhaul.... of course the government workers usually have to go back and correct a lot of deficiencies after the private contractors have gone...
Not meant to be funny at all. I'm ex-navy, I don't mind the idea of hiring ex-soldiers/sailors to guard bases in times of peace, but to guard your bases when you're claiming that your nation is at war with civvies is the utmost in arsebackwards behaviour. The sailor has to be the one who maintains his/her ship, they're the ones who are relying on it to get them home safely, not the civvie who works onboard for 8 hours and goes home.
It's been my experienced that the navy knows how to operate the equipment well, but fixing is best left to the 'civvies' who know the systems and equipment. We refer to it as "sailorized" when we get it.... yeah, it works, but it's not per print and not dependable for long term. Most government workers are true professionals, at least the older ones, and care about the boat and crew. The 'contractors' are cutting corners and only care about the bottom line. Under Bush the number of contractors increased expedientially, as did the bottom line cost.... It was not the "lazy government worker" causing all this delay and cost increases, it was having to retest and rework systems that contractors has 'fudged' up. (When I'm not farming I'm working for DoD).