Posted on 08/17/2018 12:04:37 PM PDT by Behind the Blue Wall
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is increasingly venting frustration to his national security team about the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and showing renewed interest in a proposal by Blackwater founder Erik Prince to privatize the war, current and former senior administration officials said.
Prince's idea, which first surfaced last year during the president's Afghanistan strategy review, envisions replacing troops with private military contractors who would work for a special U.S. envoy for the war who would report directly to the president.
It has raised ethical and security concerns among senior military officials, key lawmakers and members of Trump's national security team. A year after Trump's strategy announcement, his advisers are worried his impatience with the Afghanistan conflict will cause him to seriously consider proposals like Prince's or abruptly order a complete U.S. withdrawal, officials said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
If namesless former officials (*cough* Brennan) are against it, I’m for it.
Are our great generals incapable of closing out the war?
A war run by private contractors? That's insane. There should be much less, or no use of private contractors in global endeavors. If someone wants to serve the US, they should join up.
Not a bad idea. Maybe he’s read a few Tom Clancy books.
Should get out of all Mohammadan countries, and not one dime of aid to them.
If Erik Prince wants to wage a private war, then he better be on the hook for every penny of expense. No taxpayer money for mercenaries.
I hear Chinese businessmen are hiring him in Africa to protect them from angry blacks
Erik would get the job done in the most sane and expeditious way possible... When he finishes there he needs to receive a contract to clean out every trace of the deep stare communists...
Sounds like war profiteering. Military industrial. It would be cheaper and no ‘involuntary’ troops. Cheaper does not mean successful or future increases in funding. I say no.
I was going to ask if the article reveals who would pay the mercenaries. If it’s not us, I think it’s a great idea.
We should get out of Afghanistan. It’s a black hole sucking lives & money.
Blackwater isn't just hiring people off the street.
I mean he pays for everything. He wants planes, he buys them. I’ve seen this movie too many times, Private gains, public losses. He will eventually run out of money because Afghanistan isn’t going to pay him.
We should get out of Afghanistan and quit wasting money.
No one has ever tamed it and no one ever will.
I never understood why we don’t have an American Foreign Legion. It certainly works for France.
Prince's idea, which first surfaced last year during the president's Afghanistan strategy review, envisions replacing troops with private military contractors who would work for a special U.S. envoy for the war who would report directly to the president... his advisers are worried his impatience with the Afghanistan conflict will cause him to seriously consider proposals like Prince's or abruptly order a complete U.S. withdrawal, officials said.
Oh no -- an abrupt complete withdrawal! Heavens to Betsy!
Using a private contractor would keep the worldwide supply of mercs busy in one place. Thanks Behind the Blue Wall.
Ron Paul was right again.
The Constitution already provides a tool to fight terrorists: Letters of Marquis and Reprisal.
“Should get out of all Mohammadan countries, and not one dime of aid to them.”
Yes! And destroy every last opium poppy on the way out the door and make those poppy fields infertile for a couple of decades. Making them glow in the dark would be good!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.