Mercenaries more expensive than regulars in Iraq

[eridani]

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18193

The practice of using mercenaries to fight wars is hardly new, but it is becoming increasingly popular in recent years. During the first Gulf War, one out of every 50 soldiers on the battlefield was a mercenary. The number had climbed up to one in ten during the Bosnian conflict. Currently there are thousands of Bosnian, Filipino and American soldiers under contract with private companies serving in Iraq. Their duties range from airport security to protecting Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority.

It is also only a matter of time before U.S. soldiers grow unhappy with the presence of mercenaries in their midst. The high salaries and shorter terms of employment offered to mercenaries will inevitably make a serious dent on the military's budget. As Blackwater's Jackson acknowledged in the Guardian, "If they are going to outsource tasks that were once held by active-duty military and are now using private contractors, those guys are looking and asking, 'Where is the money?'"

[adjwilli]

1. For the Pentagon, it's worth the money

Whenever a corporate soldier dies, the media just ignores it. Whenever a US soldier dies, it gets mad press. For the Pentagon, the price of paying these hired killers is worth it. Plus, if they do anything wrong - like have 13 year-old sex slaves in Kosovo - it doesn't get nearly as much press either.

[Aussie_Hillbilly]

2. Disgraceful

Lots of Australian "Special Operations" police have quit to take up jobs as mercs in Iraq. The very people we need if there is a terrorist attack. I read somewhere Britain has the same problem.

Also, men (I'm sure they're all men) fighting for money are likely to be more receptive to bribes or threats than soldiers fighting for a cause or country. Bribe the weak link in the chain and even the best security system in the world won't keep the terrorists out... I'm sure the use of mercenaries is costing lives as we speak.

Conservatives have privatised everything else, why not the military? Sure, its stupid and it costs more, but its ideologically pure!