U.S. soldiers race across the border into Kuwait on Wednesday, part of the last combat brigade to leave Iraq as part of the drawdown of American forces.
With the last American combat brigade pulling out of Iraq this week, the U.S. is turning much of the security effort there over to a small army of civilian contractors under the State Department.
The U.S. is planning to use the contractors to train Iraqi police, operate radar to warn of enemy attacks, search for IEDs, fly drones, and even act as a quick-response force. —JCL
The New York Times:
To protect the civilians in a country that is still home to insurgents with Al Qaeda and Iranian-backed militias, the State Department is planning to more than double its private security guards, up to as many as 7,000, according to administration officials who disclosed new details of the plan. Defending five fortified compounds across the country, the security contractors would operate radars to warn of enemy rocket attacks, search for roadside bombs, fly reconnaissance drones and even staff quick reaction forces to aid civilians in distress, the officials said.
“I don’t think State has ever operated on its own, independent of the U.S. military, in an environment that is quite as threatening on such a large scale,” said James Dobbins, a former ambassador who has seen his share of trouble spots as a special envoy for Afghanistan, Bosnia, Haiti, Kosovo and Somalia. “It is unprecedented in scale.”
White House officials expressed confidence that the transfer to civilians — about 2,400 people who would work at the Baghdad embassy and other diplomatic sites — would be carried out on schedule, and that they could fulfill their mission of helping bring stability to Iraq.
If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.
A combat brigade paid by the taxpayer by any other name is a
combat brigade paid by the taxpayer.
Hey, guess this is the new american ‘jobs’ program. Which also
means if you missed serving, then to work and get paid, you go
to work for the mercenaries and serve by the ‘backdoor’.
By Aarky, August 19, 2010 at 12:31 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
dihey has it right! The Iraqis will hate us for the next ten generations. We attacked them based on a pack of lies. None of the war criminals have been prosecuted. Many billions of dollars that could have rebuilt their country can’t be accounted for by the Penatgon. Our media willingly helps to put out the lie that all combat ops have stopped in Iraq and that it will take 50,000 US troops to help train the Iraqis. We then find that the State Department will hire additional thousands of private security guards to do what? Along with all those troops leaving Iraq, someone at the White House should have got around to ordering State to chop their Bhagdad Embassy crew and all the hangers on with their phony paper empires by at least 60%. What gives the State people nighmares is the thought that maybe in 2011 our troops will actually leave and they will be also be literally kicked out of Iraq.
This has been sticking in my craw for a few years
now. Doing the exact same job, security guard, in
Baghdad a US sergeant earns $71/day: a Blackwater
security guard earns $1,222/day: a Sunni militia
fighter earns $16/day. (Petraeus, when he was
running the so-called operation in Iraq only earned
$493/day.)
Private military contractors, mercenaries, if truth
be told, must have billions invested in the campaign
coffers of our so-called law makers. What else could
explain the practice of hiring them to do the work of
the military and the concomitant outrageous amounts
of money they cost us.
This story reminds me of what happened in The Netherlands in 1946-1947. Indonesia was at that time still a Dutch colony but there was a powerful insurrection going there,led by Sukarno. The Dutch navy trained Indonesian volunteers at its base in Den Helder north of Amsterdam. My sister befriended one of these trainees who often visited with us on weekends. When he had graduated and was about to return to his fatherland we asked: “Well, what are you going to do with your newly-learned profession”? His answer (which we fully expected) was: “kick you Dutch out of Indonesia”.
I firmly think that this is what eventually will happen in Iraq.
Truthdigger of the Week: Sen. Angus King
Email 
Print
Share
Email to a friend
Newsletter 
Like Us
Follow Us
Get Our Feed
By samosamo, August 19, 2010 at 7:00 pm Link to this comment
****************
A combat brigade paid by the taxpayer by any other name is a
combat brigade paid by the taxpayer.
Hey, guess this is the new american ‘jobs’ program. Which also
Report thismeans if you missed serving, then to work and get paid, you go
to work for the mercenaries and serve by the ‘backdoor’.
By PatrickHenry, August 19, 2010 at 3:59 pm Link to this comment
felicity,
$493 a day is still pretty good, given the perks.
The $1222 per diem for a blackwater puke is a bribe not a wage. I hope its not comming from our tax dollars.
Report thisBy Aarky, August 19, 2010 at 12:31 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
dihey has it right! The Iraqis will hate us for the next ten generations. We attacked them based on a pack of lies. None of the war criminals have been prosecuted. Many billions of dollars that could have rebuilt their country can’t be accounted for by the Penatgon. Our media willingly helps to put out the lie that all combat ops have stopped in Iraq and that it will take 50,000 US troops to help train the Iraqis. We then find that the State Department will hire additional thousands of private security guards to do what? Along with all those troops leaving Iraq, someone at the White House should have got around to ordering State to chop their Bhagdad Embassy crew and all the hangers on with their phony paper empires by at least 60%. What gives the State people nighmares is the thought that maybe in 2011 our troops will actually leave and they will be also be literally kicked out of Iraq.
Report thisBy jr., August 19, 2010 at 10:20 am Link to this comment
Dihey,
Let’s hope you’re right.
Report thisBy felicity, August 19, 2010 at 10:18 am Link to this comment
This has been sticking in my craw for a few years
now. Doing the exact same job, security guard, in
Baghdad a US sergeant earns $71/day: a Blackwater
security guard earns $1,222/day: a Sunni militia
fighter earns $16/day. (Petraeus, when he was
running the so-called operation in Iraq only earned
$493/day.)
Private military contractors, mercenaries, if truth
Report thisbe told, must have billions invested in the campaign
coffers of our so-called law makers. What else could
explain the practice of hiring them to do the work of
the military and the concomitant outrageous amounts
of money they cost us.
By dihey, August 19, 2010 at 10:00 am Link to this comment
This story reminds me of what happened in The Netherlands in 1946-1947. Indonesia was at that time still a Dutch colony but there was a powerful insurrection going there,led by Sukarno. The Dutch navy trained Indonesian volunteers at its base in Den Helder north of Amsterdam. My sister befriended one of these trainees who often visited with us on weekends. When he had graduated and was about to return to his fatherland we asked: “Well, what are you going to do with your newly-learned profession”? His answer (which we fully expected) was: “kick you Dutch out of Indonesia”.
Report thisI firmly think that this is what eventually will happen in Iraq.