Category: Mercenaries

Another Problem With FCS

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David Axe notes a potential problem with the NLOS-C (Non Line of Sight-Cannon), the Howitzer variant of the the Future Combat System Manned Ground Vehicles (FCS-MGV) which the Army intends to have replace nearly all existing US armored vehicles.

Specifically, by virtue of the high level of sophistication and automation, the NLOS-C has a crew of only two, as compared to 4 for the current howitzer, the Paladin.

If the future NLOS-C units reduce their manning requirements to fill the minimum number of people needed to operate the systems without considering the need to maintain continuous operations and endure battle losses, the expensive high-speed cannon might be silent when needed because an adequate number of Soldiers are not available to operate it.

A commenter on his blog notes that for for a 6 tube battery, you have 42 men, 4 per paladin, and 3 on each of the 6 ammunition carriers, for a total of 42 men.

For NLOS-C, with automated firing and loading, this is likely down to 24 men, possibly fewer depending on how the army allocates loading vehicles, and the loss of one man on any of these vehicles will likely take that out of action.

With the current setup, the Paladin and its loading vehicles can operate at reduced capacity with short crews. The same is not realistic with a lone crewman operating a vehicle.

Additionally, in a situation like Iraq and Afghanistan, which is still the most likely conflict scenario, it is likely that these troops would not just be assigned to artillery duty, but also to, “non-standard missions, which require the Soldiers to anything from patrols to base security”, which, “demand at least the current number of Soldiers, if not more, to complete such missions.”

It appears that one of the institutional myths present in Pentagon doctrine is that the individual soldier is ruinously expensive, and replacing him/her with technology or private contractors will create a more effective, and more cost effective war fighting force.

The performance of systems and reduced crews, in addition to the performance of mercenaries private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, has proven this assumption to be disastrously wrong.

$6 Billion on Mercs…so Far

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Nathan Hodge uncovers this little bit of chocalatey goodness from the most recent report of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

And that’s just the stuff that the SIGIR found.

What’s more the report says that the numbers should go up as the troops pull out, because, “requirements for private security services for DoS [Department of State] and USAID would likely increase to compensate for support previously provided by the military.”

Lovely. The US needs to sign onto the anti-mercenary treaty, and shut down this entire industry.

Waxman Looking to Take Out Blackwater

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Henry Waxman (D-CA) is Blackwater International’s misrepresentation of itself as a small business to get contracts.

If fraud can be shown, they could be declared ineligible for future government contracts, which would, thankfully, put them out of business.

As Waxman explained in a memo (PDF) accompanying the launch of the three investigations, they each hinge on Blackwater’s self-classification of its workers as contractors rather than employees. Waxman argues that classifying security personnel as contractors has allowed Blackwater to apply for small business contracts for which it wasn’t eligible, underpay income taxes and workers benefits, and avoid complying with DOL anti-discrimination requirements for federal contractors.

As useless as Pelosi is sometimes, it’s good for Waxman to have subpoena power.

When You Think That They Can Go No Lower

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They continue to surprise…in a bad way.

Everyone’s poster child for mercenaries, Blackwater USA, is now asserting that they bear no culpability for a plane crash in which their under trained and reckless employees killed US soldiers when they crashed into a mountain top in Afghanistan because the law of the land there is Sharia, and “Sharia law does not hold a company responsible for the actions of employees performed within the course of their work.

Thats right, they are trying to apply religious law to a civil suit.

I have an idea. Let’s send Eric Prince to Afghanistan to stand trial there.

Iraq Over the Weekend, and a Conclusion

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Not really updated this for the past few days, as my wife’s birthday has taken precedence.

First, we have Maliki threating an escalation against the Mahdi Army (see here and here), and then we have reports that he’s seeking to ease tensions with the Mahdi Army, and that he has
suspended raids against them.

So it appears that there are some mixed signals out there.

It doesn’t help that the performance of the state security forces was atrocious, with More well over 1000 deserting or refusing to fight.

Abu Aardvark, who has an advantage over most bloggers, and for that matters most US journalists, in that he can read Arabic, the fact that Maliki’s response to all of this has been to recruit over 10,000 members of the Badr Brigades (you know, the ones who are in the pay of the Iranian Republican guard) and the Dawa militias, after insisting that there were no resources available to hire more forces after insisting that there were no positions available to Sunni security forces.

Nothing Maliki does is about anything but short term personal political advantage, which should come as no surprise.

In related news Muqtada al-Sadr is offering to help purge the security forces of militia elements, which I assume means elements of the Badr Brigades and the Dawa militia, and we are seeing an uptick of violence in Sadr City.

If this is not surreal enough for you, the State Department just renewed the contract for Blackwater security with out any changes to the terms, so they still have a license to kill with impunity.

Needless to say, being really pissed off by this, because there is one thing that all the various factions in Iraq can agree with, they want the unaccountable, incompetent, and violent mercenary forces out of their country.

Given the timing of the Basra raid, I have come to the conclusion that this was instigated by Bush and His Evil Minions™, particularly Dick Cheney, who visited just before this all blew up, at least in generalities, if not specifics.

I think that they wanted a dramatic sign of progress prior to the Petraeus testimony

Will Contractors Lose Iraq Immunity? – TIME

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Well, it appears that the US and Iraq are in the process of renegociating their security agreements, and the Iraqis consider the removal of immunity for contractors to be non-negotiable.

I think that this is the first time that the representatives of the Iraqi government are behaving in a way that is both beneficial to, and supported by its citizens regardless of ethnicity.

Good for them. As for the mercenaries, the rules in a foreign country are that if you do the crime, you do the time, in that country’s jails.

Justice Deptartment Says State Department Offers of Immunity Make Prosecution Difficult

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Gee, I wonder if those offers of immunity, which make complication prosecution because they, “might make it difficult to prove that evidence gathered by federal prosecutors did not stem from statements made by the guards after they were promised limited immunity,” have anything to do with the fact that this guy is a loyal Republican donor from a family of loyal Republican donors.

It certainly seems that Blackwater has been using State to run interference on drunken murder, fraudulent billing practices, and human sacrifice.

OK, the last one is pulled out of my ass, but I’m going BillO here.

Blackwater Destroys Physical Evidencem

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Here’s a surprise, after flipping out and indiscriminately spraying civilians with bullets, the Blackwater mercenaries security contractorspatched and repainted their trucks almost immediately.

The repairs essentially destroyed evidence that Justice Department investigators hoped to examine in a criminal case that has drawn worldwide attention. The Sept. 16 shooting has strained U.S. relations with the Iraqi government, which wants Blackwater expelled from the country. It also has become a flash point in the debate over whether contractors are immune from legal consequences for their actions in a war zone.

They knew that there was going to be an investigation, and they knew that the physical evidence was important, and they still destroyed it.

This is a slam dunk for obstruction of justice.

Regardless of your position on mercenaries private security contractors, it’s clear that Blackwater conducts their business in such a way that they should be shut down.

Of course, unlike the scariest bitch you’d ever want to meet, Martha Stewart, the management of the firm is Republican, so there will probably be no legal repurcussions.

State Department Knew Blackwater Was Cooking Books in 2005

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The State Department’s IG report in early 2005 noted that, “that Blackwater cited its profit from the contract as a cost it incurred, and billed the government for it — resulting in what the report called “a pyramiding of profit.”

This is the second most blatant bit of account theft that I have ever heard of, the first being a guy who noted change as an expense for a non-profit group called the MSR.

He did time, and so should the execs at Blackwater.

Who Says That Irony Is Dead?

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Yes, it’s true, Blackwater has decided to expand its operations into peacekeeping.

Well, I guess that the dead do not conduct war.

(to the tune of Ghostbusters)

Blackwater

If there’s men with guns
in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

If there’s random death
and it don’t look good
Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

I ain’t afraid of no mercs
I ain’t afraid of no mercs

If there’s a fear of death
running through your head
Who can ya call?
Blackwater

An populist man
turning your country red
Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

I ain’t afraid of no mercs
I ain’t afraid of no mercs

Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

If ya all alone
pick up the phone
and call
Blackwater

I ain’t afraid of no mercs
I here it likes the mercst
I ain’t afraid of no mercs
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

If you’ve had enough of those
Looters and scum
Ya better call
Blackwater

Lemme tell ya something
Bustin’ makes me feel good!

I ain’t afraid of no mercs
I ain’t afraid of no mercs

Don’t get caught alone no no

Blackwater

When it comes through your door
Unless you just want some more
I think you better call
Blackwater

Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

I think you better call
Blackwater

Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

I can’t hear you
Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

Louder
Blackwater

Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

Who can ya call?
Blackwater

Who ya gonna call?
Blackwater

Military Takes Control of Contractors, State Department Bozos Who Screwed Up Contractors Get Bonuses

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The military has basically taken control of oversight of contractors, “The agreement requires all State Department convoys in Iraq to coordinate their movements with the military’s main operations center in Baghdad, sets minimum standards for training the contractors and outlines when armed guards may use force in self-defense.”.

In related news, “two key deputies who worked closely with the security contractors, Kevin Barry and Justine Sincavage, received quiet promotions“, and “On November 20, an internal cable, listed as State 158575, went out to State employees announcing the recipients of bonuses ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 for “outstanding performance.” Among them: Kevin Barry and Justine Sincavage.”

My head hurts.