Whenever Obama announces further involvement in
Iraq, he always at the same time notes that there are no plans for boots
on the ground. He continues to claim this even as there are now over a
thousand US troops in Iraq and as evidence mounts that at least some of
them are involved in battle as shown in the appended video.
As in the earlier US participation in warfare in Iraq the US will
depend on a large number of private contractors to carry out many tasks
that in earlier times would have been largely performed by members of
the armed forces.
This type of arrangement is lucrative for defense contractors, who in turn may reward the government who gave them contracts with donations to their campaigns but no doubt they will also hedge their bets by donating to the opposition as well. During the last Iraq war the US had at times as many as 100,000 military contractors hard at work. The Pentagon has already posted a notice indicating that they are seeking contractors willing to work over the long term in Iraq. There would be a minimum initial contract of one year which could be extended.
As of now there are still more than 100,000 private contractors in Afghanistan and many of these could remain even after the military leave. In March there were many more private contractors in Afghanistan than troops:
Even as this new war in Iraq begins some estimates are that there are more than 10,000 contractors already at work. The new posting by the US Army Contracting Command sought contractors who should be "cognizant of the goals of reducing tensions between Arabs and Kurds, Sunni and Shias". The notice contains a long list of tasks to be carried out by the contractors:
The deployment of private contractors instead of troops is a political plus in that they are not counted as "boots on the ground" and may be cheaper than troops. In an email Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institute wrote:
With increased US involvement many new contractors will be paid by the US. The US is also considering training elite Iraqi military forces in Jordan. Baghdad is buying $6 billion in US military equipment including many Apache attack helicopters and 500 Hellfire missiles. War is a form of that creative destruction that is often said to be a characteristic of capitalism. It destroys property and people but creates profits for corporations that are part of the military-industrial complex.
This type of arrangement is lucrative for defense contractors, who in turn may reward the government who gave them contracts with donations to their campaigns but no doubt they will also hedge their bets by donating to the opposition as well. During the last Iraq war the US had at times as many as 100,000 military contractors hard at work. The Pentagon has already posted a notice indicating that they are seeking contractors willing to work over the long term in Iraq. There would be a minimum initial contract of one year which could be extended.
As of now there are still more than 100,000 private contractors in Afghanistan and many of these could remain even after the military leave. In March there were many more private contractors in Afghanistan than troops:
"..according to a Congressional Research Service report, the number of contractors in Afghanistan ballooned to 108,000 last March at a time when 65,700 U.S. troops were there."All of this represents a huge burden on the US taxpayer at a time when US cities are going bankrupt for lack of funds and US infrastructure such as roads and bridges requires billions just for repair.
Even as this new war in Iraq begins some estimates are that there are more than 10,000 contractors already at work. The new posting by the US Army Contracting Command sought contractors who should be "cognizant of the goals of reducing tensions between Arabs and Kurds, Sunni and Shias". The notice contains a long list of tasks to be carried out by the contractors:
"They would focus on administration, force development, procurement and acquisition, contracting, training management, public affairs, logistics, personnel management, professional development, communications, planning and operations, infrastructure management, intelligence and executive development.."
The deployment of private contractors instead of troops is a political plus in that they are not counted as "boots on the ground" and may be cheaper than troops. In an email Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institute wrote:
“As the political premium seems always to be placed on how many troops we have abroad, the pressure to have contractors do as much as possible only grows."The Iraqi government already has not only been buying US weapons, but has now hired its own "army" of private contractors who had previously been on the payroll of the US Defense Department:
According to the Wall Street Journal, more than 5,000 specialists have been contracted by the Iraqi government. They are currently working in the country as analysts, military trainers, security guards, translators and even cooks. Some 2,000 of them are Americans.Rather than being paid by Washington, contractors in Iraq are paid by the Iraqi government. Private companies such as Triple Canopy and Dyncorp International have multibillion-dollar contracts with Iraq lasting for many years.
With increased US involvement many new contractors will be paid by the US. The US is also considering training elite Iraqi military forces in Jordan. Baghdad is buying $6 billion in US military equipment including many Apache attack helicopters and 500 Hellfire missiles. War is a form of that creative destruction that is often said to be a characteristic of capitalism. It destroys property and people but creates profits for corporations that are part of the military-industrial complex.
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