Is Blackwater Proper?

[RussK]

RussK, you propose that private contractors fill voids that the military cannot. If so, why are they still private contractors, if they are engaged in military activity overseas? It's quite fishy to me that they would continue to operate under the employment of a private firm, if all they're doing is providing services that our own military is unable to provide efficiently/properly. What's the practicality of not being an employee of the United States, when engaging in military activity on behalf of the United States? Why not buy the equipment and hire the men themselves?

To me, there must be a reason of practical evasion involved. Is there no benefit - no rule that can be ignored - in being a private contractor versus a member of the armed forces?

Just to share a personal anecdote... a family friend is working with the peace core currently in Afghanistan, and the only pictures I've seen of her have shown multiple heavily-armed private contractors guarding her. She must always be under the protection of these guards if she is to leave her base. She must travel everywhere in a heavily-armored truck, owned and operated by the same private contractors. What would the reasoning be behind this? A marine could just as easily do this job - why not hire these contractors as employees of the military? (I'd ask her myself but it's almost impossible to communicate with her due to her location). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the government had a monopoly on the use of force. Is the hiring of private contractors not a contradiction of that principle?

There is a very practical benefit: much higher salary than military pay, and you're not in the military.

Depending on specialty, one can make 100k+, tax free and not have to worry about most of the military BS. As far as the private contractors guarding Peace Corps elements, that's exactly a perfect role for such an entity; the military shouldn't be worried about guarding these people and are currently concerned with the more important objectives put in front of them. Not only that, general marines or soldiers are not as proficient at guarding convoys and such as the private contractors.