blackwater flying?

[JCJ]

this is rifle ... bullets come out of pointy end...

 

[avbug]

I will never understand how this Nation has fallen so far that we have allowed our military to get so nutless that we have to hire mercenaries to fight a limited war.

Contractors aren't mercinaries any more than a US Marine who gets paid a days wages is a mercinary. The nation hasn't fallen at all. Just wised up and become more efficient.

I hear that Avbug is over there,

Avbug gets to go stateside in two days. And is pretty darn tickled about it, too.

 

[AirBadger]

Why send a soldier to drive supply trucks between Kuwait and Iraq when you can hire a civilian to do it and put that soldier on the front line? Thats generally what the logic is behind contractors.

 

[Cobra]

I guess I'm just too old.

I will never understand how this Nation has fallen so far that we have allowed our military to get so nutless that we have to hire mercenaries to fight a limited war. So much for the "two world war" manning that beat the Soviet Union.

This is not a slam against the guys (and girls, like I said, old) who are doing the job. It just seems to me that we had a better system when the military was self sufficient and supporting. Now there is a train of camp followers reminiscent of the Civil War.

That's an easy one it's called keynesian economic theory. Our present example (OIF/OEF) is more keynesian law than theory/hypothesis or postulation.

 

[Deuce130]

Saw a book today at Barnes and Noble that claims Blackwater is a secret army put together by a radical Christian, funded by the Government, that threatens our very democracy. Of course, that's idiotic, but it does bring up a few interesting points about the "contractors" over there. Not in the sense that Badger was talking about, but in the sense of the ex-CIA, ex-SF, ex-FBI, ex-Whatever guys that Blackwater typically hires. Most of these men are highly trained, highly educated, highly motivated, and trustworthy. They provide security for high level officials and also help train Iraqis and Americans, and also probably do a host of "other" things not so savory. As many recent articles have pointed out, there's a definite grey area for these types of guys in theater - they're not subject to UCMJ, not subject to military authority, and generally not subject to host nation laws either. I think the main problem with BW is the fact that the are indeed "shadowy" and not many people (myself included) know much about what they do or why the US is hiring them. Anytime there's a lack of info out there people will speculate, usually negatively. And I don't think it's a stretch to call them Mercenaries. Contractors is just a nice little word so it doesn't sound so bad.

 

[AirBadger]

Actually, a new law that came with the 2007 spending bill puts contractors under the UCMJ. Contractors were already liable under Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act but the military has never used it to prosecute any contractors which is strange considering there are cases where it would be prudent to exercise it. But its pretty easy for a private corporation in a far away land torn by chaos to hide pretty much anything they want to.

 

[VeeOne]

It's not a big secret or "spook outfit" backed by the CIA like Air America or SAT. It's a group of good stick and rudder pilots that fly security forces and mail in a round robin from Jordan- Iraq-Kuwait in CASA-212/200's. Also, they are heavy into domestic military contracts here in the states regarding transport and skydive training. It's a good outfit with great people- if your interested I sincerely wish you the best of luck and will tell you you'll enjoy it.