Private Military Contractors

Honestly, I think they are necessary. As restrictive and "vanilla" as our ROE's tend to be, we need someone who can get the job done while allowing the U.S. to shrug our collective shoulders and say "hey, wasn't me".

I have actually just completed a thesis on how specific incidents in which Blackwater was involved in led to Congress, the Pentagon, Defense Department, and State Department's adoption of policies and regulations that increased the US accountability and oversight of private military contracts. One of the main issues relating to the employment of PMCs that was revealed in Iraq was the fact that there was not a proficient means of department supervision or an efficient way to ensure PMCs employees were held accountable for crimes, like how Blackwater argued that they shouldn't be prosecuted under MEJA since they were contracted by the DoS. Other issues were revealed as well and discussed by various scholars which some of you have already addressed. However, I believe because of these new regulations, private military contracting is now a more reliable means of military assistance, and that the elusive capabilities they provide is not something the US government is going to turn down when protecting its own interests.

Dear Cpl Kunza,

Most of the US based PMCs employ former US Army, Marine, Spec Ops, etc personnel who within my limited experience remain highly committed to preservation of US / allied / coalition lives / property / economic / national security interests.

The scary scenario you propose where our enemies may try to buy out their ideological loyalty to prompt action against our interests is inconceivable.

Warmest Regards, Sandy

I'm s Spook and very familiar with the concept that money corrupts and Lord knows working with the counter-intel folks I learned that People turn on their country for Money, Sex and Poltics. Usually they sell information but I guess they could sell services. Anything is possible but I haven't seen an proof positive yet.

I wont argue with you on that one.  But, there had been some PMC's I have met who wanted to do their part to help us out.  Some went above and beyond to ensure that we had all the stuff we needed.

Let's be honest here. PMC is just a fancy name for a very old concept; the mercenary soldier. Granted, I'm also a mercenary soldier, after a fashion, as I doubt that I would do much of what I do for the Army Reserve willingly, like deploy to Iraq, without them paying me to do so. But my loyalty is to the US Constitution.
I'm not sure where PMC mercenaries' loyalties lay, and that is a problem. So is the lack of oversight; witness Blackwater. It might be better if we just made hired PMC mercs as CIA paramilitaries. Then, at least, there would be some US government accountability; some, anyway.

PMC's are a very interesting topic. I don't know if I am for or against them because of my lack of personal experience. But what I will say is that they have the edge of being a selective as they want and don't have to rely on unproven recruits. We do serve support our capitalist ideas which includes the thought that if you have the motivation and ability to do it better then everyone else, the opportunity is there no matter what area.