Well, well. It looks as though the mercenary outfits are
actually hurting military readiness.
In the post-9/11 world, demand for the commandos is not only soaring within the military. Private firms and government organizations - including the CIA - are luring away troops with bigger salaries.
"It is a very lucrative opportunity right now for special operations folks to get out and take very high-paying jobs" with private security firms, says General Brown. A 20-year veteran leaving Special Operations receives about $23,000 in retirement pay, but can earn $100,000 to $200,000 in private industry, military officials say.
With no end to the demand in sight, the military must carefully allocate SOF while increasing their ranks. To fill the current gap, it is accepting added risks with less experienced forces.
Gen. Bryan Brown, head of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM), must hate America. And if those mercs hurt military readiness? Doesn't matter. Waging war for profit is patriotic.
Or something like that.