ProRev: U.S. Hiring Mercenaries for Iraq

News Max Progressive Reviwe ^ | 02 APR 04 | Carl Limbacher

[dts32041]

Although the media repeatedly refers to the men killed in the recent attack in Iraq as "civilian contractors,? they were in fact mercenaries used as part of the U.S. government's outsourcing of jobs, reports the Progressive Review.

Firms overseeing the specialized contractors include Blackwater, the one involved in the recent incident, as well as Dyncorp and the Steele Foundation.

The Steele Foundation, the third largest supplier of mercenaries, has 500 troops in Iraq and recently distinguished itself by -- depending on who's telling the story -- failing to protect Haitian president Aristide from kidnapping by the U.S. government or participating in the act.

According to the Progressive Review, the international convention against the recruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries defines a mercenary is any person who:

• Is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict;

• Is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar rank and functions in the armed forces of that party...

  A mercenary is also any person who, in any other situation:

• Is specially recruited locally or abroad for the purpose of participating in a concerted act of violence aimed at

• Overthrowing a Government or otherwise undermining the constitutional order of a State; or

• Undermining the territorial integrity of a State;

• Is motivated to take part therein essentially by the desire for significant private gain and is prompted by the promise or payment of material compensation...

  The bottom line of the rule of war: "A mercenary, as defined in article 1 of the present Convention, who participates directly in hostilities or in a concerted act of violence, as the case may be, commits an offence for the purposes of the Convention.?

  Meanwhile, the phenomenon grows, says the Review, which points to a San Francisco Chronicle piece quoting Deborah Avant, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

  "The rate of growth in the security industry is phenomenal," Avant said "If you had asked a year ago whether there would be 15,000 private security in Iraq, everyone would have said you're nuts. It has moved very quickly over the past decade, but Iraq has escalated it dramatically."

  The trend is highly controversial. Some critics point out that security firms are largely unaccountable to governments, the courts or the public.

  Some examples:

• The Steele Foundation, which provided the security detail for former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was briefly embroiled in controversy when Aristide accused it of withdrawing its agents under orders of the U.S. government when he was overthrown in February. Kenneth Kurtz, the CEO of the Steele Foundation, declined to comment to The Chronicle about the allegations.

  Steele, the world's fifth-largest security firm, employs around 500 agents in Iraq, about one-third Westerners and the rest Iraqis. As elsewhere -- the firm operates in 20 countries -- it offers far more than just Hollywood-style firepower. The company's brief includes corporate consulting and high-tech investigations.

• The Age Australia reports that the U.S. is hiring mercenaries in Chile to replace its soldiers on security duty in Iraq. A Pentagon contractor has begun recruiting former commandos, other soldiers and seamen, paying them up to $U.S. 4000 a month to guard oil wells against attack by insurgents.

  Last month Blackwater USA flew a first group of about 60 former commandos, many of whom had trained under the military government of Augusto Pinochet, from Santiago to a 970-hectare training camp in North Carolina.

  From there they would be taken to Iraq, where they were expected to stay between six months and a year, the president of Blackwater USA, Gary Jackson, said.

  "We scour the ends of the earth to find professionals - the Chilean commandos are very, very professional and they fit within the Blackwater system."

[xzins]

IMO, a mercenary is only someone hired outside a nation's own normal military recruitment plan to assist in fighting a war. Therefore, if a military convoy is being protected by foreign hired soldiers during the combat phase of the war, then they are mercenaries.

If foreigners are hired to protect civilian convoys by civilian contractors after the combat phase of the war, then they are not mercenaries.

Our military convoys were not, and are not, protected by foreign hires.

[dts32041]

http://www.ilrg.com/subject/lawofwar/15conv-mercenaries.html

FYI, This the article the progressive review pointed to.

[endthematrix]

You said someone hired... What about Americans through private companies. What does "assist in fighting a war" cover?

"In February, Blackwater, through a subcontractor, began hiring former combat personnel in Chile, offering up to $4,000 a month to guard oil wells in Iraq, the company official said. Some of the Chileans worked for former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, the spokesman confirmed.

You got this thing mixed up.

[xzins]

I don't think they're any more a mercenary than is a Mexican security guard watching a K-Mart in Kansas.

A contract was let for a specific security service and this company was able to provide the specifications of the contract.

The Hessians in the Revolutionary War were mercenaries. A hired group of foreign fighters.

[endthematrix]

Thanks for the clarification. There are many white papers on the DoD contracting out services. To some, the issue is cost and efficiency benefits. The flip side is corruption and oversight and the illusion created of conventional military numbers and hiding support related deaths.

There is little doubt some Rats what to frame the debate into profiteering and campaign contributions. IMO, the red tape within the armed services has caused the farming out of support services that would be better served under the respecting commands. If you join the Army you maybe a cook or driver. The pay should be crap and you don't necessarily need to get the same training an infantryman. The cost should be cheaper than private corps, then against the US would be funding all the health care and other welfare. Also, on a national sovereignty rant, why should the US military be beholden to powerful (foreign)corporations that could influence national security issues?

[Justa]

Lol, I've seen some of those Chilean and El Salvadoran bodyguards in Najaf and they most definitely have the Death Squad alumni look to them. Bodyguards yes, but mercenaries, no. They are charged with defensive rolls, not offensive operations. The writer fails to even guage them against the very definition of mercenary he cites. Sloppy journalism or biased reporting? My guess is the latter.

[Destro]

One Man's mercenary, is another Man's employee.

[Destro]

You left out this definition of mercenaries - Is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar rank and functions in the armed forces of that party...

[Allegra]

Goodness...ANOTHER FReeper over here!

That does it..we're going to have to form a FR Iraq Chapter.

:-)

[Destro]

"civilian contractors"? Were they there to put up drywall?

Their must exist a definition to describe this type of occupation other than mercenary. "Imported security detail"?

[Cannoneer No. 4]

ping

[91B]

Hmmm-whether or not you qualify as a mercenary would depend on what role you preformed. As these guys were not active combatants (they did not go seeking combat) they do not qualify as mercs.

I know a Brit paramedic who was working for KBR at Camp Cedar (for about $100K/year) and I wouldn't call him a merc either (he had previously been with one of the RM commando units).

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Big Pay luring Military's Elite to Private Jobs

[Cannoneer No. 4]

ping

[Cannoneer No. 4]

freedom fighter, definitely.

Don't you just hate duh, if fire fighters fight fires, what do freedom fighters fight?

Final victim of Fallujah attack identified

Wesley J. Batalona, 48,

[novacation]

They were US citizens working in the interests of the US government.Revenge

[Matthew James]

I disagree with the author. Working as security guards does not make them mercenaries.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

To me, you are a mercenary if you would work for the other side if they offered a better deal. If no financial inducement could cause you to switch sides, you're not a mercenary.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Bump.

[A. Pole]

Civilians are in fact far better placed to provide security than uniformed military personnel.

"Civilians" involved in organized security/para-military operations are not civilians.