"We got 126,000 contractors over there, some of them making more than the secretary of defense. How in the hell do you justify that?" -- House defense appropriations subcommittee Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa)
I believe that a major topic went unaddressed in last night’s Democratic debate, and Jack Murtha’s comments above go straight to the heart of the matter. I’m not surprised the subject wasn’t approached though. After all, Wolf’s not exactly the grand inquisitor, and even if he had raised the question; I doubt if any of the eight candidates on the stage had even given the matter anything more than a fleeting thought. They should have. Or, perhaps they'll grow partial to the idea of having a Praetorian Guard.
What happens to the military contractors once the occupation ends?
A whole new cottage industry was conceived in Texas back in the waning days and weeks of the 90s, and for some odd reason it coincided with the decision to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. It’s really not a new industry per se but the importance level the military-security-complex achieved during the past 6-years has been unprecedented. And, their growing ability to influence operations in the "theater of war" has increased exponentially.
Surprisingly enough, (at least for me) security contractors are not counted as part of coalition forces, and even though the number of actual mercenaries in Iraq is estimated to be 30,000 or above, there are no official numbers, and there could be double that amount. Consequently, it’s possible that many years from now we remember this war not only as a major boondoggle, but also as the golden age of America’s first modern mercenary army.
So, will the tens of thousands of mercenaries become essentially "weekend warriors" like the, estimated 60,000 brave National Guardsmen and women serving in Iraq? I sincerely doubt it. Remember, soldiering is a career choice for these people. They won’t be coming home to jobs as insurance agents, engineers or firemen.
What will the Praetorian Guard do for a living once it's back home?
There are about 90,000 contractors in Iraq employed in support and logistics. If the occupation ended tomorrow, presumably, they’d have some sort of job to come home to, some skills non-military related to which they’ll rely on once they’re back stateside.
Chris Hedges wrote an eye-opening op-ed in Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer:
The privatization of war hands an incentive to American corporations, many with tremendous political clout, to keep us mired down in Iraq. But even more disturbing is the steady rise of this modern Praetorian Guard. The Praetorian Guard in ancient Rome was a paramilitary force that defied legal constraints, made violence part of the political discourse, and eventually plunged the Roman Republic into tyranny and despotism. Despotic movements need paramilitary forces that operate outside the law, forces that sow fear among potential opponents, and are capable of physically silencing those branded by their leaders as traitors. And in the wrong hands, a Blackwater could well become that force.
American taxpayers have so far handed a staggering $4 billion to "armed security" companies in Iraq such as Blackwater, according to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif). Tens of billions more have been paid to companies that provide logistical support. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill) of the House Intelligence Committee estimates that 40 cents of every dollar spent on the occupation has gone to war contractors. It is unlikely that any of these corporations will push for an early withdrawal. The profits are too lucrative.
Mercenary forces like Blackwater operate beyond civilian and military law. They are covered by a 2004 edict passed by American occupation authorities in Iraq that immunizes all civilian contractors in Iraq from prosecution.
And, they’re spreading out. Blackwater USA, at the young age of ten-years, has ascended to the top of the burgeoning security heap, and is already taking billions of dollars in profits from the endless cash cow that is Iraq. They're investing part of their windfall by migrating from Iraq to set up operations in the U.S. and nine other countries. One of those countries is Afghanistan; where it trains afghan troops and has already set up a base just a few miles from the Iranian border.
Back to Hedges’ op-ed:
The huge contracts from the war - including $750 million from the State Department since 2004 - have allowed Blackwater to amass a fleet of more than 20 aircraft, including helicopter gunships. Jeremy Scahill, the author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, points out that Blackwater has also constructed "the world’s largest private military facility - a 7,000-acre compound near the Great Dismal Swamp of North Carolina." Blackwater also recently opened a facility in Illinois ("Blackwater North") and, despite local opposition, is moving ahead with plans to build another huge training base near San Diego. The company recently announced it was creating a private intelligence branch called "Total Intelligence."
Erik Prince, who founded and runs Blackwater, is a man who appears to have little time for the niceties of democracy. He has close ties with the radical Christian Right and the Bush White House. He champions his company as a patriotic extension of the U.S. military. His employees, in an act as cynical as it is dishonest, take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution. But what he and his allies have built is a mercenary army, paid for with government money, which operates outside the law and without constitutional constraint.
Ok, this raises issues on sooo many levels. In fact, it’s downright scary! So basically, there’s a mercenary base coming to town near you. Where are the Democrats on this issue? I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve heard the subject of mercenaries broached in the press.
We’ve got to raise awareness of this issue. We need to blitz Congress with emails and phone calls. Demand answers. Demand accountability. Demand change! I’m emailing KO. I would urge anybody reading this to do the same.
Remember, killin’ folks is their day job.
Peace
Chris Hedges (hedgesscoop@aol.com) is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and won a Pulitzer Prize as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times. He is author, mostly recently, of "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America."