As troops leave, U.S. to double contractors in Iraq

[JonLP24]

Source: Reuters India

(Reuters) - With the United States drawing down troops in Iraq, the State Department plans to double the number of private security contractors it uses to ensure the safety of the huge civilian development effort, officials said on Thursday.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the plan would bring to some 7,000 the total security contractors employed by the government in Iraq, where since the 2003 U.S. invasion private security firms have often been accused of acting above the law.

Crowley said the U.S. military's plan to cut troop numbers to 50,000 by the end of August -- down from 176,000 at the peak of the deployment -- left a security gap contractors would have to fill.

"We will still have our own security needs to make sure that our diplomats and development experts are well protected," Crowley told a news briefing.



Read more: http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-50953120100819

[FiveGoodMen]

1. Which we'll pay for by giving up Social Security.

[Ignis]

15. We'll cut SS, but we'll give every senior a sword and pistol...

And a one-way ticket to Afghanistan.

[ixion]

2. Uh-huh... somebody tell me again how we're leaving Iraq

'cause I don't think we are at all.

[Javaman]

29. Never was part of the plan...

The Eastern American Empire.

[Dulcinea]

48. The combat troops are leaving Iraq.

America will NEVER leave Iraq. It's too strategically important for us.

[avaistheone1]

49. Combat troops are being replaced with combat contractors.

And the war rolls on.

[frebrd]

3. Well, if there are going to be "contractors" there.......

making lots of money, they'll be finding excuses to stay (or manufacturing them) for the next twenty years.

:banghead:

[RKP5637]

6. Yep, as usual, follow the money trail, and they will not give up that cash flow.

[RKP5637]

4. I'll be amazed if it all doesn't fall apart eventually and in the big picture will be

seen as a huge waste of money and lives by all parties, even more than now. In the meantime, citizens here should be expected to give up more and more as the MIC continues and continues... as we let our own infrastructure decay. Sorry, I just have a hard time being optimistic about a lot of the stuff we do anymore, and I'm talking about over years...

[Plucketeer]

19. Do NOT hold your breath

A big, BIG part of the American populace is hypnotized by Fox and their cadre of clowns. Cours'n, they believes it caus'n it's ON TV! And the gubamint don't let nuthin' what ain't true be on TV!

[montanacowboy]

5. Bwhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

right leaving.....
leaving behind 50,000 troops
bringing on the mercenaries
100 years of occupation

what a crock of shit - and KO and Rachel all goosepimply over it
How easily some are fooled

[Chicago dyke]

39. not "fooled"

but instead Loyal Partisans and Courtiers of the (currently controlled by a "democratic" leadership) Village.

that is their true loyalty, and they take their orders from the "left" of the corporate master class, just like their counterparts on the right. just turn it off.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Help me out here.

I seem to remember that the Iraqis kicked out the contractors or said they could not be there anymore or ...????
How and when did that get switched around? I blinked and missed it.

(Yeah, I know Karsai just said same re: Afghanistan, I am not confusing the 2 countries.)

Lovely...we need 7,000 contractors to "make sure that our diplomats and development experts are well protected"."

[dipsydoodle]

10. 7000 ?

In March of this year there were 95461 in Iraq. I'd doubt the number has dimnished since then and it now going to increase.

Department of Defense Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan ...confirms the March figure.
www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R40764.pdf

Be warned - its an enormous file.

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. I was using the number quoted in the OP story.

***State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the plan would bring to some 7,000 the total security contractors employed by the government in Iraq***

Seems a low number compared to previous stores, but I also remember reading that a whole slew ( pun intended)
of contractors had left Iraq for Afghanistan.

[boppers]

38. Apples and Oranges.

The comparison between private contractors and security contractors has only one thing in common: contractors.

Thus, contractor translators, dishwashers, cooks, drivers (etc.) isn't in the 7,000 figure.

[EFerrari]

13. And that is probably 7K contractors employed by the State Department.

I don't think it's the total because that has been roughly equal or slightly more than the number of troops we have there. So, the total number of contractors has to be much higher than that.

[Javaman]

30. Frankly, what I think we are witness to is...

the first corporately controlled country.

It's the first round of several experimental tests before full on corporate ownership of a nation takes place.

We will see more of this in the near future as this type of "government building" is launched onto other third world nations.

Iraq is the lynch pin for all future corporate conquests. 50K in a compound the size of vatican city? If we were really leaving, we would have a office building sized embassy like we have in most other nations.

The rise of the American Praetorian Guard.

[RKP5637]

31. Good points!!! Sure looks like it. n/t

[EFerrari]

33. Well, they've been practicing on Haiti and South America for decades.

It is, as Greg Grendan pointed out, the migration of the Salvador Option.

[Javaman]

36. yes, they have been...

historically speaking, I believe this was first tried in Viet Nam.

One can point to Guatemala, but the difference there was a matter of getting a democratically elected leader out and replaced by a puppet for the sake of a single product corporation - United Fruit.

There was support by the US but only in a very tepid sort of way. Eisenhower knew it was going to be messy if US troops got directly involved in a major way.

Then along comes Viet Nam. Which was orchestrated in the most ham handed ego driven self righteous way possible (until Iraq of course) under the guise of "defeating communism".

Once Viet Nam collapsed, the various corporate entities realized a few things:
1) they need to control more senators
2) they themselves needed to grow much much larger and to destroy any and all workers rights
3) expand world enterprises exponentially to the point were controlling senators is small potatoes
4) become as big or bigger than their weapon industry competitors.

The waited, expanded, destroyed rights, propagandized the worker against their own best interests, bought up and controlled American elections by the train load, expanded into foreign territories which lead to control and manipulation of foreign entities/leaders.

In the 90's the last push came with the election and control of the senate by the repukes, who, at this point, were nothing more than human ad campaigns for their corporate masters.

The last piece of the puzzle came with the appointment of george w. moron*. An empty shirted buffoon who loved to play dress up and talk tough. Chaney took the reigns. As former major player in Halliburton, he called the shots and gave out contracts to the biggest contributors and sycophants.

The Iraqi nation will soon be Americas cheap labor market. Aka one gigantic sweatshop for Americans greed for stupidity.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

43. Disagree.

I see a dictator back in power within a decade.

Not to say your scenario is beyond the scope of possibility, however.

[Hawkowl]

44. Not the first time

India was controlled by the British East India Company back in the 18th century. I'm sure there have been other examples. Nothing is new with neo-cons, it's just all a rehash of old fashioned robber-baron colonialism.

[ManiacJoe]

23. They kicked out only the security contractors from Blackwater.

All other types of contractors stayed; all other security contractors stayed.

If I remember correctly, the Blackwater guys got to stay, too, eventually.

[democrank]

8. Gee whiz.....

What a complication to "the war is over" and "Obama keeps all his promises" declaration.

I assume these guys will have tons of U.S. cash, plenty of big guns, a few cases of black hoods and...the assurance they can operate outside of any and all laws. Maybe Eric Prince can fly in from his new home in the Middle East and show `em how it`s done.

[Blue_Tires]

9. the mercs wanted the playground all to themselves from the start..

[pdefalla]

11. When is a promise kept a promise broken?

So we're going to replace soldiers making a G.I. wage with mercenaries making 4 times their salary to do the same thing, except they will no longer be governed by the uniform code of military conduct?

We will lose tons of money

We will lose even more respect

We already lost the war. Time to really get out, not this bullshit kabuki game Obama is playing.

[frylock]

12. oh well. obama DID keep his promise..

and that's what's most important after all. insuring that our president looks good. carry on.

[RKP5637]

24. And with the midterms coming up... yep, all smoke and mirrors... n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

46. What he looks like is a corporate tool, pulling a slick con on the American people.

[jwirr]

14. I was thinking about this last night and I hate the idea of contractors

who are not exactly honorable. At first I wanted to end any government contact with them because anything they can do will be blamed on us. But then I decided that if they are going to be it is better for our government to have some control over them. If we fired all of them the corporations would all pay them to stay and we would have no control. They are nothing more than mercenaries.

[2Design]

17. they can't pay UE but they can pay $100,000 + to mercenary killers n/t

[sandnsea]

18. 90,000 out = 3500 in. New Math? n/t

[bloomington-lib]

20. It says they'll be employed by the government of Iraq

If that truly is the case, then I really don't give a shit, but if their government is paying for the mercenaries with money we gave them...well then WTF.

[fogonthelake]

26. No, it seems the US taxpayer is footing the bill........

Isn't it? Correct me if I am wrong.



......"We have very specific plans to increase our security ... as the military is leaving. This will be expensive. this is not a cheap proposition," he said, although he added the costs to the U.S. taxpayer would still be far less than those incurred by the military deployment.

[Metal Goddess]

42. No

we will foot the bill. Besides I can't imagine the Iraqis paying for killers for hire to kill them. That's what these people do. And apparently they don't have to abide by any laws period.

[Earth_First]

21. Cha-ching!

I watched a documentary on Netflix last night, Bulletproof Salesman. A self-professed German war profiteer named Fidelis Cloer has been selling armored vehicles and protection to whomever is willing to pay, and pay big for it. Cloer has been operating in Iraq and Afghanistan for several years now and making beaucoup bucks.

I can only imagine that this is happening many times over...

[RKP5637]

25. Thanks for the info on the documentary. Sounds interesting to see. n/t

[KakistocracyHater]

22. someone slip something in a bill to stop private mercs from getting our tax

dollars

[florida08]

27. Rebel Reports

author Jeremy Scahill noted that in 2009 there has been a 23% increase in the number of “Private Security Contractors” working for the Department of Defense in Iraq in the second quarter of 2009 and a 29% increase in Afghanistan,...

Overall, contractors (armed and unarmed) now make up approximately 50% of the “total force in Centcom AOR .” This means there are a whopping 242,657 contractors working on these two US wars.

http://rebelreports.com/post/116277092/obama-has-250-000-contractors-in-iraq-and-afghan


in another report http://www.alternet.org/story/140558/report:_billions_of_dollars_lost_to_contractor_fraud,_waste_and_abuse/

More than 240,000 contractor employees, about 80 percent of them foreign nationals

Outsourcing occupational war is quite expensive

[ManiacJoe]

32. You seem to be mixing two different topics.

The numbers of private security contractors has increased, yes.

The 240000 number is not the number of private security contractors. The security guys number around 11K according to a link from a different thread.

[florida08]

28. Erik Prince and Blackwater still working

http://www.thenation.com/blog/secret-erik-prince-tape-exposed

In a speech delivery:
Jeremy Scahill
May 3, 2010

Prince proposed that the US government deploy armed private contractors to fight "terrorists" in Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia and Saudi Arabia, specifically to target Iranian influence. He expressed disdain for the Geneva Convention and described Blackwater's secretive operations at four Forward Operating Bases he controls in Afghanistan...

He characterized the work of some NATO countries' forces in Afghanistan as ineffectual, suggesting that some coalition nations "should just pack it in and go home." Prince spoke of Blackwater working in Pakistan, which appears to contradict the official, public Blackwater and US government line that Blackwater is not in Pakistan...

At the same time, he bragged that US generals told him the Afghans Blackwater trains "are the most effective fighting force in Afghanistan." Prince also revealed that he is writing a book, scheduled to be released this fall...

Prince proposed that armed private soldiers from companies like Blackwater be deployed in countries throughout the region to target Iranian influence, specifically in Yemen, Somalia and Saudi Arabia. "The Iranians have a very sinister hand in these places," Prince said. "You're not going to solve it by putting a lot of uniformed soldiers in all these countries.

[Rod85]

34. But what is their purpose?

Why is President Obama even keeping anyone in Iraq? What would be the purpose? Other countries got the contracts to run the oil fields. The Iraqi's could protect their own government. I still see no purpose on staying in that country.

It's a money pit with no end in sight. Just like the Korean War that's still going on and we have been funding a presence in that country for +50 years. That's accomplished nothing but wasted money.

Please President Obama, end the Korean War...sign a peace Treaty with North Korea if they get rid of their nuclear weapons. And get all Americans out of Iraq. We can't afford these senseless money pits.

[superconnected]

35. I have a cool idea - lets send the H1B's there!

[classysassy]

37. Will Bush and Chaney

receive a percentage of the loot,after all they made it possible for the profiteers to ravage the country?

[JJ Walker]

40. That's reality

All talk about US leaving Iraq is silly political kabuki theater.

[BeHereNow]

41. Welcome to DU JJ Walker- you are correct.

Bread and Circuses for the masses.
Kabuki media.

BHN

[newspeak]

45. I saw Rachel Maddow the other day and I thought they said there were

approximately fifty thousand troops left and seventy thousand contractors. You remember the joke about paying 1,000 dollars for a hammer? Our money-this is our money they've been giving to these corporations--sweet deals-with very little oversite. How much of our money could have been used to help our own people, our own communities, instead of beefing up war profiteers, some who do shitty work with slave labor, and propping up wall street.

When you're first priority is securing the oil ministry during an illegal invasion, you know that our money and citizens have been used to further corporate (mostly global) agendas. When an administration threatens the Iraqi parliament to pass some shite bill to allow oil companies carte blanche to the fields, you know we've all been used.

What disturbs me the most, is how they can hire a PR firm to sell the American public shite. And, they'll keep doing it until the majority catch on.

[Quantess]

47. Uh oh!

Kick.