“If he “hires the military” who are already being paid by the government, then costs go way down.”
That doesn’t work out in practice. You still pay their salary, but on top of that you have to pay though the nose for travel, and build facilities to house them, feed them, wash clothes, remove waste, etc., etc..
Contracting with folks who already live there, and specialize in what they are doing, is the cheapest course of action.
Makes sense
Any bases nearby? Maybe some could be stationed there
We have national guard who are trained truck drivers. Could they be used to transport material?