Tars
12-16-2009, 02:48 PM
I am increasingly finding it very difficult to support the Democratic party in general, and President Obama in particular. I applaud his international proclamation that the U.S. will no longer support torture. I believe his is sincere about that. But the U.S. should also proclaim that it will no longer use paid mercenaries. If the facts in this article are accurate, the administration is being deceitful in spirit and in word about its plans for a "surge" to resolve our participation in Afghanistan. It appears that the U.S. is sending closer to 100k personnel to Afghanistan.
The only non-U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan should be tnose hired without U.S. gov't funding. Ex: Private citizens (acting as private citizens') personal bodyguards
I was really pissed off after reading this new article from TPM:
DOD: Obama's Afghan Surge Will Rely Heavily On Private Contractors (https://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/afghanistan_contractors_new_congressional_study.php)
Excerpt:
"Private contractors will make up at least half of the total military workforce in Afghanistan going forward, according to Defense Department officials cited in a new congressional study.
As President Obama's escalation of the war in Afghanistan unfolds, the number of contractors will likely jump by between 16,000 and 56,000, adding up to a total of 120,000-160,000, according to an updated study from the Congressional Research Service.
DOD officials who spoke with the study's author said contractors would make up 50-55 percent of the total workforce -- troops plus contractors -- in the future. This would actually be a significant reduction from the last two years, when contractors have averaged 62 percent of the total.
As we've reported (https://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/military_contractors/), many questions about the army of contractors, which outnumbers the size of the U.S. troop force, remain unanswered and underexamined. We don't have up to date numbers on how much the United States spends on private contracts, and the DOD does not break down the services done by contractors in Afghanistan (it does for Iraq).
As of September 2009, contractors providing security, transportation, and logistical services numbered 104,100 in Afghanistan and 113,700 in Iraq, according to the military. Most of the contractors in Afghanistan are local nationals, according to the military. Here's a table looking at how much the numbers in Afghanistan will increase with Obama's surge:"
The only non-U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan should be tnose hired without U.S. gov't funding. Ex: Private citizens (acting as private citizens') personal bodyguards
I was really pissed off after reading this new article from TPM:
DOD: Obama's Afghan Surge Will Rely Heavily On Private Contractors (https://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/afghanistan_contractors_new_congressional_study.php)
Excerpt:
"Private contractors will make up at least half of the total military workforce in Afghanistan going forward, according to Defense Department officials cited in a new congressional study.
As President Obama's escalation of the war in Afghanistan unfolds, the number of contractors will likely jump by between 16,000 and 56,000, adding up to a total of 120,000-160,000, according to an updated study from the Congressional Research Service.
DOD officials who spoke with the study's author said contractors would make up 50-55 percent of the total workforce -- troops plus contractors -- in the future. This would actually be a significant reduction from the last two years, when contractors have averaged 62 percent of the total.
As we've reported (https://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/military_contractors/), many questions about the army of contractors, which outnumbers the size of the U.S. troop force, remain unanswered and underexamined. We don't have up to date numbers on how much the United States spends on private contracts, and the DOD does not break down the services done by contractors in Afghanistan (it does for Iraq).
As of September 2009, contractors providing security, transportation, and logistical services numbered 104,100 in Afghanistan and 113,700 in Iraq, according to the military. Most of the contractors in Afghanistan are local nationals, according to the military. Here's a table looking at how much the numbers in Afghanistan will increase with Obama's surge:"