There Are 108,000 Private Contractors in Afghanistan and the Pentagon Has No Idea What They're Doing

[unhappycamper]

http://www.commondreams.org/further/2013/06/11-3



There Are 108,000 Private Contractors in Afghanistan and the Pentagon Has No Idea What They're Doing
By Abby Zimet
06.11.13 - 4:19 PM

Edward Snowden's NSA leaks have highlighted the issue of lack of oversight for intelligence contractors, but they're not the only contractors acting on their own. Two recently released reports, by the Congressional Research Service and Government Accountability Office, show that the number of private contractors in Afghanistan is on the rise - they now far outnumber troops, with 108,000 private workers vs. 65,700 soldiers, or 1.6 contractors for every soldier - and that the Pentagon "lacks the ability to document the work each contractor is performing." The result: A de facto private army likely for years to come, with little or no accountability or transparency, which over the last six years has cost the Department of Defense approximately $160 billion, "a figure that exceeds total contract obligations of any other U.S. federal agency." Welcome to the drawdown.

[Bennyboy]

1. I met a returning vet a couple of months ago....

About 20 or so, big old square head, doing his laundry at the laundromat. We got to talking and he told me had done his tour and had his honorable discharge and was heading back to Afgrhanistan where "I am going to make enough money so I never have to work again in my life" in one year. Now, to a 20 something that might be a couple hundred grand surely, but still that is one hell of a chunk of change.

Then a few weeks ago, I meet this guy. RETIRED Colonel in the AF. Chopper pilot. He had been in Afghanistan for the past two years, flying helicopters and told me he made "Well over a million dollars" a year as a private pilot working for a contractor. Says he has 4 months off and is paid no matter what. And that all his former AF buddies all had similar jobs over there, in fact there is a pipeline of sorts there recruiting and hireing former military to work for the contractors..

[think]

2. Didn't realize they paid that well

thanks for the input....

[Bennyboy]

4. neither did I and have even tried to verify

that, but no luck. We are not talking just security, the rebuilding and the oil fields and all that. Protecting Americans doing the jobs that used to belong to Afghanis. (of course the Afghanistan Gov't did not spend to tear down, then rebuild like the US is doing).........

[Victor_c3]

9. There were job postings floating around when I was getting out in 2007 that were paying $260,000+

for a year in Iraq. They were looking for people to basically do what I did in Iraq when I was a 1st Lieutenant. I would essentially be an Infantry Platoon Leader for a private contractor.

If I didn't have a wife and plans to start a family (and if I didn't actually care about my life) I would have jumped on that opportunity. I came back from Iraq with a stellar Officer Evaluation Report from my time as an Infantry Platoon Leader and I'm sure I could have landed one of those jobs.

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. "Private Contractors"??

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didn't they used to be called mercenaries?

Used to be, the word "Private Contractor" referred to plumbers, electricians, carpenters . .

oh right -

collateral damage didn't use to mean killing innocent civilians . .

I need a new dictionary,

from the DOD.

CC

[Bennyboy]

5. Not just mercenaries....

Lots of security and construction and oil workers...... All of the rebuilding and all that falls under this heading.

BTW in both Iraq and Afghanistan, there have ALWAYS been more private contractors than US Soldiers.

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. Sort of get that, but still

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I believe the ones like BlackWater should not be grouped in with the worker-bees.

CC

[Bennyboy]

8. Well, just getting the number

is hard until now. I've asked here many times and relayed the above story and nobody could even give me an estimate. And all of it falls under the Pentagon's budget.

And Xe, (Blackwater's new moniker) is only one of a ton of security contractors. everyone that does anything over there is guarded. Buildings are locked down, fencing, high security. The kid above is doing that but not for Blackwater (Xe).

In the true sense of the word Mercenary, there are probably very very few if you do not count those providing security as mercenaries. And I think there is a difference, a small one sure, but one all the same.

[think]

6. Some might call it

verbal abuse....