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Although not new by any means, the privatization of the military was foreseen as early as 1993 by futurists Alvin and Heide Toffler in their book War & Anti-War:
The idea is nothing new – no army in history has ever marched one step without private enterprise providing everything from boots and uniforms to meals, weaponry, tires, spare parts and maintenance – in an earlier era horseshoes – and of course the horses themselves and the feed they ate.
Berlin, 1961, height of the Cold War
The Tofflers’ book was timely because it coincided with the immediate end of the post-Cold War Era; hallmarked by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the Soviet Union two years later. The First Gulf War against Saddam Hussein – a long-time client of the Soviet Union – was viewed by many historians as an epilogue of the Cold War.
At that point in history it was immediately evident that there was no longer a requirement for a huge standing military; the Communist Block had imploded and the commonly-held belief was that a kind of World Peace would ensue.
The need for a standing military along the lines of World War II armies was over; the United States had long since dispensed with the draft and had gone with a conscription-free, all-volunteer professional army. To streamline operations, to enhance the flexibility this new army requires, many functions have been contracted out. While the Army still has cooks and mechanics, most overseas mess halls are staffed by locally hired civilians, and military motor pools include qualified technicians representing commercial suppliers such as Land Rover.
I joined the U.S. Army in 1983. Infantry, Airborne, 11 Charlie. Our squad leaders and platoon sergeants were professionals, and they told us horror stories of serving amongst draftees of the Vietnam era; drugs, rampant crime within the ranks, disciplinary problems in garrison AND in combat.
We listened and learned; whatever the Army threw at us, we were willing to deal with, because we wanted to be there. What we DIDN’T want; was to be with people who didn’t want to be there. We were professionals.
Everywhere I served overseas, our operations were enhanced by civilian contractors. They ran the mess halls, fixed our radios, issued boots and uniforms, and in very extraordinary circumstances served in a paramilitary role, providing us with security details, training resources and even sources of intelligence. Of these activities there is nothing unethical, illegal, unorthodox or new in any way.
It is my professional opinion that it is better – and CHEAPER – to hire civilian contractors to perform service functions – to include personal security details – than to add these “garrison” duties to troops who should be out on patrol, taking the fight to the enemy.
Byron Cousin, an instructor of battlefield forensics, briefs students of his class. Cousin spent 18 years with the 82d Airborne Division, where he retired in 2006 as a first sergeant. On this day, his students were 82d Paratroopers.
Consider: a uniformed soldier has to be recruited, armed & equipped, fed, paid, kept healthy, trained, paid, housed, educated (and his FAMILY has to be housed, fed, medically taken care of and educated) and then paid retirement for X # of years. A contractor just has to be paid, point blank and simple.
Since I retired from active duty I have provided goods and consulting services to the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and to various state and local law enforcement agencies. At this time, I am a professional security consultant. There is nothing unethical, irregular, or illegal in any of these activities. I provide a service, and a perspective, that an active duty soldier simply could not perform. I am paid well for what I do, and this is exactly what I am worth – less than, if anything.
To anyone out there who suggests the United States should revert to involuntary conscription, populate the Army with unwilling draftees who don’t want to be there, and tie up the military performing chores outside of the military role or mission, I ask: what are the details of your honorable military service?
Originally posted at STORMBRINGER.
balconesfault // Jan 5, 2010 at 2:18 pm
A contractor just has to be paid, point blank and simple.
But everyone should note that a $100K/year contractor is actually going to usually be billed to the government as a $300K/year line item on an invoice. And the moment that contractor is deemed more valuable, and say gets a bump to $150K/year, our Federal Government is now paying $450K/year on that invoice. And the moment that contractor decides it’s time for him to go home, or take a job doing security for someone else, depending on the term of his contract, all his experience and expertise disappear unless the Federal Government is ready to get into a bidding war for his services.
And how many of the men working for those security contractors are not from the US, but are foreign nationals? Whose next gig, using the training and experience and knowledge of US operations, may well be for some state or corporation with interests wholly antithetical to those of the US. Many truly are mercenaries, whose current stop with Xe et al has to do more with competitive wages than with ideology.
And by the way, those armed security personnel ALSO need to be armed & equipped, fed, paid, kept healthy, and trained. And if the Federal Government isn’t also getting invoices from those large contractors that include supply staff, weapons costs, truck drivers, mess hall staff, medics and doctors, and management personnel that pyramid out the cost of each weapon carrier’s salary plus multiplier, I’d be very very surprised.
JeninCT // Jan 5, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Thank you for your service. I am always baffled by those who think defense spending goes down some black hole. It creates jobs, and feeds American families and provides security so we can live freely.
Balconesfault: “And how many of the men working for those security contractors are not from the US, but are foreign nationals? Whose next gig, using the training and experience and knowledge of US operations, may well be for some state or corporation with interests wholly antithetical to those of the US.”
You could ask the same question of businessmen and women from many different sectors.
balconesfault // Jan 5, 2010 at 5:29 pm
You could ask the same question of businessmen and women from many different sectors.
Yes, I could. And do. I think that the outsourcing of a lot of our government functions has been detrimental to our country. That’s not to say that privatization doesn’t have its place – but it shouldn’t be reflexive.
I didn’t say defense spending went down a black hole. But as a means of jobs creation, unless the defense spending is really making America more secure, I’d much prefer upgrades to our national rail system, continued maintenance of our National Parks, better highways and bridges, better electrical transmission grids, stronger regulatory oversight over high risk businesses. IMO, we’ve way overspent on building infrastructure in other countries and way underspent on infrastructure in our country in the recent past.
JeninCT // Jan 5, 2010 at 8:42 pm
“I didn’t say defense spending went down a black hole. ”
I didn’t imply that you said that. It was a general comment. I agree with you that upgrades to rails, highways, bridges and grids are money well spent, but defense spending does support certain industries, like manufacturing. I agree that outsourcing entire industries, like manufacturing, put us at great risk.
Sean Linnane // Jan 5, 2010 at 9:31 pm
To “balconesfault” – you obviously missed my parting line – I ask: what are the details of your honorable military service?
FYI: the profit margin on your average contractor is 100% – NOT 300%. I know – I’m in the trade.
Transportation, equipment, chow & quarters (hotels) and arms (weapons) for those contracted security personnel comes out of that 100%, so that further cuts into the profit margin. Boots and uniforms you supply your own. As far as training goes; if you’re not already trained, you don’t get hired – we don’t just take anybody; formal military credentials is a BIG part of the justification for the pay we make.
An industry standard is six years military experience, minimum. I don’t know what Xe / Blackwater’s standards are – they are a bunch of lance corporals, that’s part of the reason I have nothing to do with that crowd. As far as kept healthy goes; you get sick you get a cut in pay until you get well. A case of food poisoning last summer cost me $500 – a day’s pay. You get wounded, there’s something written into the contract for that, it’s called “benefits” – basically the contractor is paying for that as well, and that’s some pricey health insurance, let me tell you about a little thing called ‘medevac’.
You get killed, you’re on your own. Oh, there’s a pittance of life insurance, but it doesn’t really cut it for the kid’s education. That’s why we’ve banded together in the veteran’s associations and foundations – check it out:
http://www.specialforcesassociation.org/
http://www.specialops.org/
Because we of all people know that if you expect the Government to take care of you, you will get two things: Jack, and sh*t.
It may interest you to learn that I was not an American citizen when I enlisted in the greatest Army to ever march across a battlefield. Please feel free to explore Blog STORMBRINGER if you wish to discover my origins:
http://seanlinnane.blogspot.com/2009/10/origins-of-stormbringer_04.html
http://seanlinnane.blogspot.com/2009/10/penguins.html
http://seanlinnane.blogspot.com/2009/12/melbourne-vs-sydney.html
I EARNED my United States citizenship the hard way – I have this in common with thousands of other immigrants who got a break on the naturalization process by raising our right hand and taking an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign AND domestic – and WE WEREN’T EVEN CITIZENS WHEN WE DID IT.
Does that make us mercenaries? By the sentiments you’ve expressed, I’m a mercenary two times over. What’s odd about this is even BEFORE I became a citizen I never viewed myself as anything but an American fighting man, fighting in the forces which guard this country and our American way of life. To this day I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
Now then, “upgrades to our national rail system, continued maintenance of our National Parks, better highways and bridges, better electrical transmission grids, stronger regulatory oversight over high risk businesses” – exactly of this is covered by our Constitution? OK, maybe that part about “for the public welfare” – that’s a bit of a stretch when you’re talking about electrical transmission grids and regulatory oversight – what’s wrong with the electric we’ve got now? Private enterprise seems to be taking good care of itself in that department. You’ve obviously never been to Africa or Eastern Europe or the Middle East where the government is in charge of the electricity, have you?
Where the Constitution DOES get specific is on the subject of DEFENSE.
You may be surprised to learn that the highest was the use of privateers (contractors / professional soldiers / mercenaries) was during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 with the use of the Letter of Marque and Reprisal. Privateers brought colonists to the new world and they are the ones that defeated British merchant vessels and even war vessels during the war. Pure privatized naval warfare; it gets very little mention in the history books. Thomas Jefferson was fascinated with the concept of privateering, and George Washington actually invested in privateer companies.
During the Civil War, the Pinkertons protected Lincoln and were the first national intelligence agency. They are the precursor to the Secret Service. During the Indian Wars, William Cody was a civilian contractor and scout to the Army, and was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in combat. Not to mention the thousands of contractors that worked on the stage lines and pony express, protecting goods and people as they travel through ‘Indian Country’. Not to mention the hired guns and law men, that offered their services throughout the west, to be the answer to stop criminals.
One of the founding fathers of the Boy Scouts, Frederick Burnham, was a soldier of fortune in the truest sense; he fought many wars in the US and in Africa. His learned his scouting skills fighting Indians and working with other mountain men and civilian scouts during those wars, and soldiering in Africa. He was very influential to Baden-Powell, THE founder of the Scouting movement.
During my active duty I often wondered how many of the non-combat jobs could have been done better and cheaper by civilians. Privatization not only reduces the cost of the fighting force, but serves as an excellent place for troops at EOS (End Of Service) to find their first civilian jobs. Imagine – this could actually give Obama a chance to Save or Create a real job!
The problem is there is a segment of the American population who believe that those who joined the military have automatically offered to give their lives, and they have no respect for the value of that life – that should it be expended – it does not have to be in fair trade
‘Fair trade’ in my opinion is several tens of thousands of the enemy for every one of ours.
Those who volunteered and serve today should be treasured as the professionals they are. Robert Heinlein said, “Civilians are like beans, you buy as many as you need . . . what you can’t buy is fighting spirit!” He was right. The only thing worse than a conscript is someone who is there “for the college money!”
We have a tremendous American warrior ethos; this should be covered in every history book in North America.
garlic // Jan 6, 2010 at 9:27 am
It’s BS to say only those with experience can criticize.
GOProud // Jan 6, 2010 at 9:56 am
Sean, thank you for responding to Balconesfault’s nonsense in a direct, candid, honest fashion.
I have two family members working right now in Afghanistan and Iraq. Both in security details. One serves with a group of great men, according to my nephew each deeply dedicated to their missions –they protect US citizens who are in Afghanistan trying to teach likely Afghan judges how to properly conduct civilian courts… these are US citizens who serve stateside as county prosecutors, state judges, state defenders, court clerks, etc. They are NOT military personnel; they have no sense of security beyond the cold fact that they are targets in a hostile land… and so are the local Afghans trying to learn from these US citizen-experts.
My second family member is serving as security for construction engineering teams trying to get Iraq’s miserable power grid back in operation. Last year, he was part of a security team protecting Iraqi hospitals and staff from local terror gangs who would steal drugs, equipment, kidnap staff and anything else because they saw the hospitals & those who work there as fat-cats ripe for the taking.
Both men served as Marines in the 1980s. Both were high school athletes, community leaders and saw their work as more of a vocation than a job. It’s worked out for them as well as it’s worked out for the Afghan/Iraqi leaders. None of the teams my family members were with have failed in their mission to protect… should US troops been deployed to do this work? Hell no. I hope that record remains through 2010.
Both men are slated to exit their employment this year and head back stateside to take on the job of training US military personnel on matters of working with natives in theatre. Our family will be happy to have them back home… we thought they’d be safer working on US military base… Maj Hasan has tarnished that hope.
The real problem America has is that the media fails to fully report what happens in any war. Blackwater bad. Haliburton bad. ACORN good. People like Balconesfault are allowed to blather on in blogs without proper or credible rebuttal and that’s to his shame.
Thanks for taking the time and helping to underscore what it really means to work in this field. I, for one, am glad to call you a fellow citizen. You have far more in common with our original patriots who built our great Nation. We need that more now, than ever.
GOProud // Jan 6, 2010 at 10:01 am
garlic, I think your reduction is flawed… “It’s BS to say only those with experience can criticize”.
Anyone can provide an opinion on just about anything. It’s simply fair to point out that those with experience have greater credibility than ankle-biting, pajama-clad armchair pundits with a keyboard and lots of recess time.
In this blog, it seems that those who endlessly rebutt the rebuttals of the rebutted rebuttal think they have the last word and are champions of the day.
That’s likely true in their own, limited little minds. Experience counts… except when running for president.
Kanzeon // Jan 6, 2010 at 10:54 am
JeninCT
It is doubtful whether military spending increases aggregate output:
http://economics.ca/2006/papers/0899.pdf
As to the role of contractors, no one, to my knowledge, has ever suggested that private contractors shouldn’t provide general goods and services. That never has been in controversy.
Controvery arises because of the increasing size and influence of private contractors, and because they are performing military services.
Mr Linnane suggests that it is cheaper to hire a contractor at $100k than to use soldiers, but you provide no statistical evidence. There is reason to doubt it is very significant, however – the nation requires a trained standing army. The only reason that a contractor at a much higher rate can save money is because contractors are used for short term engagements. Accordingly, there will always be a huge military payroll, and attendant benefits, and short stints of contractor use, and it isn’t self-evident that the savings would be particularly great, if they exist at all. If the contractors are providing training and support, that must be covered on an ongoing basis as well – I would hope there’s more to being a contactor than just showing up and collecting a paycheck.
And, in exchange for this uncertain cost savings, we have men in combat situations who are not trained by the United States government, and not subject to the military justice system. No thanks.
The alternative to contractors, by the way, isn’t conscription. Some alternatives are: internation cooperation, to share the burden with our allies’ professional soldiers, competency at the higher levels of the Department of Defense, and being selective about the conflicts we enter.
Kanzeon // Jan 6, 2010 at 11:46 am
“You may be surprised to learn that the highest was the use of privateers (contractors / professional soldiers / mercenaries) was during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 with the use of the Letter of Marque and Reprisal.”
But the use of the Letter of Marque and Reprisal was as controversial then as contractors are now, and banned by treaty internationally, a ban recognized informally by the United States:
“Because the difference between a privateer and a pirate was a subtle (often invisible) one, in 1856, the issuance of letters of marque and reprisal to private parties was banned for signatories of the Declaration of Paris. The United States was not a signatory to that declaration and is not bound by it. During the 1861-1865 American Civil War and the 1898 Spanish-American War, however, the United States issued statements that it would abide by the principles of the Declaration of Paris for the duration of the hostilities. The Confederate States of America issued letters of marque and reprisal during the Civil War. The only vessel to operate under a letter of marque issued by the United States Congress since the War of 1812 was the airship Resolute, operated by civilians to patrol the seas for submarines during the Second World War (see Airship, § World_War_II).”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_marque#United_States
balconesfault // Jan 6, 2010 at 2:38 pm
FYI: the profit margin on your average contractor is 100% – NOT 300%.
I wasn’t talking about profit margin. I was talking about markup by the contracting company. And I will assume that you mean the same thing.
If you are in the business, I will have to defer to your expertise, but I would be very surprised indeed if the contracts for Xe, et al, include billing their weapons-carriers at only a 2x markup. I’ve been heavily involved in government contracting in the US, much with the DOD, and I never see markups that low. Granted, markups for the public sector are lower than for the private sector – but public sector contractor markups on labor of 2.4-3x are still standard.
Transportation, equipment, chow & quarters (hotels) and arms (weapons) for those contracted security personnel comes out of that 100%, so that further cuts into the profit margin.
Again, I guess this is possible. I remember reading about Halliburton billing the government for embroidered towels in Iraq, but perhaps their contracting terms are different than Xe’s. I have to admit that I am very dubious here, though – for example, I do know contractors on the engineering side who have spent time in Iraq, and I know that their driver is a line item in the invoice, their living expenses are line items in the invoice, and incidentals they may need to complete their job, be it testing equipment, special communications uplinks, computers … are all line items in the invoice. The government gets a bill that says:
Joe Blow salary x 2.5 multiplier
Joe Blow travel x 1.2 markup
Joe Blow housing expenses x 1.2 markup
Joe Blow incidentals x 1.2 markup
Joe Blow’s driver and security
- if contracted, x 1.2 markup
- if on payroll, salary x 2.5 multiplier
I would guess that it is inside the real of possibility that security contractors function in an environment where all those costs are expected to be internalized into the multiplier, and that the multiplier is held to 2x base salary.
If so, I applaud our government for their wonderful management of our money.
balconesfault // Jan 6, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Sean: Now then, “upgrades to our national rail system, continued maintenance of our National Parks, better highways and bridges, better electrical transmission grids, stronger regulatory oversight over high risk businesses” – exactly of this is covered by our Constitution?
GOProud My second family member is serving as security for construction engineering teams trying to get Iraq’s miserable power grid back in operation.
No comment necessary.
GOProud // Jan 6, 2010 at 4:18 pm
From reading a couple of your earlier posts, if you’d take to heart the policy that “No Comment” is needed by you, this blog would be markedly improved by your adoption of that policy, Balconesfault.
You had the most accuracy in this statement: “If you (Sean) are in the business, I will have to defer to your expertise”. Of course, for the uninformed opinion spreaders like you, that would be an impossible task. Thanks for proving the rule.