[Half Vast Conspiracy]

And if civilians dress as military as with Blackwater?

That's been my question all along. I'm not comfortable with a private firm doing what the military ought to be doing.

[FreedomPoster]

Just to bring the point local, if you get assaulted, should you not be able to fight back and shoot your assailant, unless you are wearing a police uniform?

[decimon]

I'm not comfortable with a private firm doing what the military ought to be doing.

Their status always seems iffy to me. I recall discussions of private contractors in "the geographical entity formerly known as Yugoslavia" with many considering then to be nothing but Beltway Bandits.

[Eagle Eye]

Do you have a problem with a private firm cleaning portajohns and showers so that the troops have clean facilities?

Heck the troops could do this themselves, right?

There’s also a lot of security needed for non military projects over there.

Nothing wrong with civilians doing this kind of work.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Why not? The US Government ‘outsources’ to private firms/contractors all the time. Why not outsource to a firm comprised largely of ex-military, ex-government employees, expert in their field, who have a bit more leeway in their ROE and can do what must be done but which is stymied by PC?

[jpl]

I'm not comfortable with a private firm doing what the military ought to be doing.

Me neither, but this is an inevitable outcome of attempting to run and police the world on the cheap, with a military about half as big as it should be for such an enormous job.