Interesting article, thanks for posting.
My reaction is mixed. On the one hand, I find this kind of thing interesting, the blurring of the line between military and specialist civilians.
On the other hand, I can’t help but wonder that there is money to pay contractors but no money to pay to maintain this capability in-house so to speak.
I always wonder if there are other considerations. Maybe contracting them allows the commander to have direct control without competing with other commands, or something. Or the owner of the company is well-connected. Or this is a way of keeping skilled people in the game and not losing their expertise after they have officially retired. Or some combination of the above.
I also find this article interesting because Africa is going to be the next theater for the Great Game. Al Qaeda, Chinese, you name it, we’ll all be there.
Cause we’re cheaper in the long run...and there’s LOTS of expertise after the last decade with guys that have retired or left the military.