if at First You Dont Privatize Try Try Again and Isenberg

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Author David Isenberg is a senior research annotator with the British American Security Data... more Author David Isenberg is a senior research analyst with the British American Security Data Council (Bones). He has been researching and writing on private military companies since the early 1990s. His 1997 monograph "Soldiers of Fortune Ltd.: A Profile of Today'south Private Sector Corporate Mercenary Firms" and television episode "Conflict Inc." are acknowledged staples in the field. He has written on the bailiwick for numerous periodicals, lectured at Us military schools and overseas on the subject; and been a frequent commentator on numerous radio and tv set shows on PMC activities.

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Responsible Statecraft , 2021

I might reasonably presume that in the over 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, the Pentagon would ... more One might reasonably assume that in the over 20 years since the 9/xi attacks, the Pentagon would accept finally managed to effigy out how to exercise constructive supervision and control over its individual armed forces contractors.

You lot know, the hired guns in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, many of whom bubbled up to our consciousness with notorious war scandals in places similar Fallujah and Nisour Square. In other words, the government should accept established some sort of oversight strategy past at present.

Reasonable mayhap. Merely wrong, according to a July 29 report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which said:

The Section of Defense (DOD) has been unable to comprehensively place individual security contractor (PSC) contracts and personnel supporting contingency, humanitarian, peacekeeping , or other similar operations.

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Responsible Statecraft , 2021

Requite credit where it is due. Erik Prince, co-founder of the Blackwater private security company, ... more Requite credit where information technology is due. Erik Prince, co-founder of the Blackwater private security visitor, and the "Energizer Bunny" of the private military and security contracting industry, who just keeps going and going, has done information technology over again. Prince has again been accused by the Un of plotting and launching a failed mercenary operation.

On Feb 19, the New York Times reported that a confidential Un report delivered to the U.Due north. Security Quango detailed how Prince "violated a United Nations artillery embargo on Libya, by sending weapons to a militia commander who was attempting to overthrow the internationally backed government." And from a national perspective that likewise might be a violation of the U.South. Neutrality Acts.

That commander is Libyan-American warlord and 1-fourth dimension CIA asset General Khalifa Haftar.

Co-ordinate to the report, U.Northward. monitors said that they had "identified that Erik Prince made a proposal for the functioning to Haftar in Cairo, Arab republic of egypt on, or nigh, fourteen April 2019."

The report reveals how "Mr. Prince deployed a force of strange mercenaries, armed with attack aircraft, gunboats, and cyberwarfare capabilities, to eastern Libya at the pinnacle of a major battle in 2019."

According to a later study by Rolling Rock, Haftar "saw plans for an operation that would utilize ii Cobra H1 assault helicopters, mounted with 20mm rotary machine guns and crewed past strange mercenaries, to swoop down and kill or capture 11 of Haftar's political enemies."

Furthermore, the functioning included a program to class a hit squad to locate and assassinate commanders opposed to Haftar.

Let's just pause and consider the implications. If true, Prince, was offering to provide the adequacy to impale people; like a modernistic version of Murder Inc. or any organized crime lord.

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Responsible Statecraft , 2020

Last month, Rolling Stone reported that Erik Prince, co-founder of Blackwater Security — which wa... more than Last month, Rolling Stone reported that Erik Prince, co-founder of Blackwater Security — which was sold in late 2010 to a grouping of investors — wants to bring the mercenary group back to its "glory days" of the Bush era.

A full-folio advertising in the Jan/February 2019 edition of Recoil magazine featured the old school Blackwater acquit-paw logo of the controversial private security firm below the words, "We are coming." Some observers thought this suggested a resurgent Blackwater might contract with the regime to carry out a privatized war in Afghanistan. Others thought it a clever "campaign to draw attention to Blackwater Ammunition, a fledgling joint venture between Blackwater founder and CEO Erik Prince and Italian gun and armament designer Nicola Bandini and James Fenech in Malta."

One should at least consider the possibility that Prince is serious, considering if the passage of fourth dimension tells us annihilation it is that Prince, long known as the Energizer Bunny of the private military machine and security contracting, or PMSC industry, just keeps going and going and going.

So, the question to ponder is, if Prince does reassume control of Blackwater and over again focuses on providing security contractors for disharmonize zones — and offers his services to the U.S. regime — should the authorities take?

The reply is an emphatic no. Why non? Considering Prince cannot exist trusted, for reasons beyond the infamous Nisour Square massacre in which Blackwater mercenaries killed 17 Iraqi civilians.

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Asia Times , 2019

In Washington, the The states armed services is routinely feted as the best equipped, the best trained, the mos... more In Washington, the Usa military is routinely feted as the best equipped, the all-time trained, the most lethal, indeed, the greatest force always fielded. However, its dismal war record since 1945 suggests otherwise.

An uneasy draw in Korea was followed by humiliating withdrawals from S Vietnam, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq – with dire consequences for Usa policy, interests and reputation. These disasters were counter-counterbalanced but by small-scale successes – the invasions of Grenada and Panama – or limited-objective wins, such equally the liberation of Kuwait in Gulf War I.
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Indeed, a detailed 2015 conference by the United states of america Special Operations Command analyzing the last century of American overseas conflicts found 9 losses, 43 ties and simply 12 wins.

The The states, information technology seems, no longer knows how to win wars.

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Asia Times , 2019

Erik Prince, a former Navy Seal and founder of private armed services contractor Blackwater USA, has be... more Erik Prince, a former Navy Seal and founder of individual military contractor Blackwater USA, has been waiting to pitch his ideas to the US administration. Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb
Although U.s.a. President Donald Trump has appear a pullout of troops from Syria and a depict-downward in Afghanistan, the fighting continues.
Waiting to make a killing are the "Dogs of State of war" – men who fight not for flags, only for greenbacks. Every bit pullouts go out geopolitical vacuums that invite or intensify conflict, the business organisation forecast looks upbeat for "private military contractors," or PMCs – the polite corporate term for "mercenaries."
In that location is considerable speculation underway as to whether US PMCs – and the man who had led the American sector, Erik Prince of sometime baddest PMC Blackwater – will fill the vacuum created past Trump. Withal, the sector is in flux.
American and other Western contractors in recent years have profited by operating on the margins of – and nether the aegis provided past – coalition and NATO armed services operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. That is not the case in Syria, nor is it likely to be the hereafter case in Afghanistan.
Moreover, Western PMCs face rising contest from market entrants with a more ambitious and risk-tolerant arroyo: Russian PMCs. While a war-weary West retreats from the Middle East, Russian mercenaries are benefitting from Moscow'due south play in Syria.
Unlike the support and security roles that are Western PMCs' stock-in-merchandise, the Russians are engaging in direct activity. With Moscow'southward combat operations in Syria largely restricted to air and special forces missions, PMCs provide a proxy ground force that a casualty-balky Kremlin can keep "off the books" when it comes to body bags coming home.

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Periodic media attending has focused on private military security companies in the by couple of... more Periodic media attending has focused on private military security companies in the past couple of years. Erik Prince has occasionally popped upwards from his undercover warren to pitch his latest self-serving scheme to enrich himself. For example, Prince and others offered to turn the state of war in Afghanistan over to private contractors. They likewise pushed a programme to constitute a private global intelligence network accountable just to the CIA director and the president. Meanwhile, Russian companies like Wagner has been doing Putin's fighting in Syria.

In the tradition of non seeing the forest for the copse, observers have neglected to notice a more than disturbing reality. Significant amounts of present and future military gainsay operations have been outsourced to the private sector with little, if any, government control.

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Revelations that data-consulting firm Cambridge Analytica used ill-gotten personal information fr... more Revelations that data-consulting firm Cambridge Analytica used sick-gotten personal information from Facebook for the Trump entrada masks the more than scandalous reality that the visitor is firmly ensconced in the U.S. war machine-industrial circuitous. As The New York Review of Books notes, Cambridge Analytica is one of the " bazaar companies specializing in data analysis and online influence that contract with regime agencies. " So, it should come as no surprise and so that the scandal has been linked to Erik Prince, co-founder of Blackwater and the Analeptic Bunny of the world of private military machine and security contractors (PMSC). Having left the country years ago in a well-publicized huff for more comfortable, and

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f you retrieve the media has been saturated with news well-nigh Russia think once more. While thoughts might... more than f you retrieve the media has been saturated with news about Russia retrieve again. While thoughts might run to Robert Mueller's probe into possible Russian collusion with the Trump election campaign, I refer to something perhaps far worse: the development and expansion of Russian federation's private military companies (PMC) and its implications for the global spread of armies for hire by great powers and multinational corporations akin. Before going further information technology is of import to define exactly what I mean past PMC sector.

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Question: What does a man worth billions of dollars desire? Answer: More than billions. Now such a descr... more Question: What does a human being worth billions of dollars desire? Answer: More billions. At present such a description could utilise to more than than a few people in the fields of finance, investing and technology, only in this instance it applies to Erik Prince, the Analeptic Bunny of the private military and security contracting (PMSC) industry. Despite by rebuffs, he but keeps going, and going, and going.

Prince, founder of the Blackwater private security company was in the news this past summer, with his program to turn the U.S. state of war in Afghanistan over to the private sector, which I previously wrote most here and here.

Although it was not widely appreciated then, Prince was doing an first-class imitation of Milo Minderbinder, the legendary fictional war profiteer in Joseph Heller'south famed Catch-22 novel. Minderbinder essentially believed that all wars should be conducted by individual enterprise—and so long as the governments pick up the expenses. For him, the main business organisation of the American public should be his business.

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President Trump's August 21 spoken communication on Transitional islamic state of afghanistan endorsed an increase of several one thousand U.S. s... more President Trump'southward August 21 spoken communication on Transitional islamic state of afghanistan endorsed an increment of several thousand U.S. soldiers in Transitional islamic state of afghanistan. In so doing, Trump seemed to reject the plan pitched by Erik Prince and Stephen Feinberg to essentially rely on private contractors to practice the fighting in Afghanistan.

In fact, however, Trump'south speech communication was long on rhetoric and light on details. Equally Heather Digby Parton noted in Salon:

Essentially Trump told u.s., "We accept a programme, we won't tell you the program and the plan volition price a lot of money." In other words: "Trust me.

Having attracted some mainstream support, Prince's proposal is non withal dead. The "new" U.S. strategy, in its focus on counterterrorist operations confronting the Taliban, leaves a lot of room for the employ of private contractors. The Pentagon's lack of enthusiasm about their apply doesn't mean they won't end upward working for the CIA.

The future brownie of the private contractor proposal for Afghanistan depends a great deal on the credibility of the man behind the programme: Erik Prince.

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According to a July ten New York Times article, Steve Bannon has relied on advice from Erik Prince... more Co-ordinate to a July 10 New York Times article, Steve Bannon has relied on advice from Erik Prince, co-founder of storied private security firm Blackwater, and Stephen A. Feinberg, a private equity billionaire financier who owns the giant military contractor DynCorp International through his investment company Cerberus Capital letter Management. That the Trump administration would turn to Feinberg is not that surprising. Although Feinberg himself has no straight national security or warzone contracting experience, DynCorp has been a major private contractor player in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Like the old Due east.F. Hutton commercial, when DynCorp talks, the governments listen.

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In 2014, retired Gen. James Mattis, now secretary of defense force, reportedly referred to the United A... more than In 2014, retired Gen. James Mattis, now secretary of defence, reportedly referred to the United Arab Emirates as " Little Sparta. " He was favorably comparing the UAE to the historic Greek city-land, known for its military prowess, especially against the Persians during the Greco-Persian Wars. Mattis presumably did and so non merely because of a potent politico-military brotherhood between the Usa and the UAE, but besides because the UAE has for years been working on strengthening its military capabilities.

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An Associated Press story before this month regarding misconduct by employees of Sallyport turne... more An Associated Press story earlier this month regarding misconduct past employees of Sallyport turned a lot of heads in the world of private security contracting. The U.S. company has received most $700 1000000 in federal contracts to secure Balad Air Base, abode to a squadron of F-16 fighter jets participating in the U.South.-led coalition to annihilate the Islamic Country,. According to the Associated Press, nonetheless, the employees were involved in sexual activity trafficking and smuggling:

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Given his reputation as an allegedly successful businessman before being elected president, information technology sh... more than Given his reputation equally an allegedly successful businessman earlier existence elected president, it should come up as no surprise that Donald Trump favors greater use of the individual sector. Thus, those favoring privatizing and outsourcing activities previously done past the government are predictably elated past Trump's election. Diverse individual security companies in particular are licking their chops. I previously wrote about the good times the private military and security contracting industry can expect in the Trump era.

Various private security companies in particular are licking their chops. I previously wrote about the good times the private military and security contracting industry can await in the Trump era. But Iraq, Afghanistan, or Africa are not the only realms for private security contractors. Another venue for private contractors, both here at dwelling and in many other parts of the world, is the one dealing with immigrant, refuges, and homeland security issues, and information technology's almost to go very big. You lot could phone call it PISS (Private Immigrant and Security System).

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Written in the spirit of Sinclair Lewis'southward It Tin't Happen Here With the reward of hindsight, ... more than Written in the spirit of Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Hither

With the advantage of hindsight, we should have known what was coming when President elect Donald Trump appear his selection of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Instruction.

The showtime inkling was her terminal name. Later on all, Vos, in Dutch, ways play tricks. And putting a privatizing, deregulating, fanatical charter schoolhouse advocate like DeVos in charge of a $200 billion plus federal section is, peradventure, the ultimate instance of the fox in the henhouse.

At first glance DeVos seemed a foreign choice, as she is not a teacher, has not worked in teaching, and never had her children in public school.

But with merely a little hindsight, she had all the credentials necessary for a Trump nominee. She has a net worth of $130 million, comes from a family of billionaires and was happy to pay to play in American politics. Since 1970, DeVos family members have invested at to the lowest degree $200 million in a host of right-fly causes.

Furthermore, she was put in accuse of the section dedicated to public instruction, something she has a long record of wanting to destroy.

In curt, she was rich, ideologically fanatical and dedicated to the destruction of the department she was charged with managing; a perfect Trump appointee.

But the about telling sign of what was to come up was familial; her blood brother, Erik D. Prince, was cofounder of Blackwater, the storied, private security company which achieved so much notoriety in the wars in Iraq and Transitional islamic state of afghanistan.

The tip-off was her public speech after being confirmed when, after thanking President Trump for giving her the opportunity to make American schools swish again, she said that, only equally her brother had successfully brought to behave the unique capabilities of the private sector to help support American warfighting, she intended to use the individual sector to assistance make American education great once more.

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In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower nominated old General Motors president Charles Erwin Wils... more In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower nominated quondam General Motors president Charles Erwin Wilson as secretarial assistant of defense.

That sparked a controversy during his confirmation hearings based on his large stockholdings in General Motors. Reluctant to sell the stock, valued at the time at more than $2.5 one thousand thousand, Wilson just agreed to practise and so under commission pressure. During the hearings, when asked if he could brand a decision that would exist adverse to the interests of General Motors, Wilson answered affirmatively. But he added that he could not conceive of such a state of affairs "because for years I idea what was skillful for our land was practiced for General Motors, and vice versa." This statement has frequently been misquoted every bit "What's good for General Motors is practiced for the state."

About 40 years afterward in 1989, Carlyle, the individual disinterestedness firm, took off when it hired Frank Carlucci, a one-time defense force secretary and deputy manager of the CIA. Carlucci was able to open doors in Washington, allowing Carlyle to participate in many lucrative deals.

And now, 27 years later on, Donald Tump has nominated retired Marine Corp general James Mattis, the former manager of General Dynamics, every bit the next secretary of defense. For the military-industrial-congressional complex information technology doesn't get much better than this.

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due north recent years, U.S. military operations in Africa have profoundly expanded. Washington has establis... more northward recent years, U.S. military machine operations in Africa have profoundly expanded. Washington has established forward operating locations (FOL) and drone bases. Information technology has helped various African countries, like Republic of liberia, retrain their militaries. Information technology has tried to track rebel groups like the Lord'due south Resistance Ground forces and the Due east African terrorist group like Al-Shabaab. The U.Due south. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has been involved in wide-ranging activities.

Thanks to the piece of work of a very few journalists—like Nick Turse who has greatly enhanced our understanding of U.S. Special Operations Forces in Africa or Craig Whitlock of The Washington Mail who has exposed problems at U.South. drone bases—there'southward more data about these expanded operations.

But one attribute of U.S. military operations in Africa remains vastly nether-covered and unappreciated: the role of private military machine and security contractors (PMSC).

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Although political and media analysts volition be parsing the election results for months to come up ane... more Although political and media analysts will be parsing the election results for months to come one winner is blatantly obvious, and it is non Donald Trump. Rather, it is something all revenue enhancement-paying Americans support, even if they don't recollect about it: the armed forces-industrial congressional-complex (MICC). To ostend that one demand look no further than the stock market on November ix. As Defense One reported, military contractor stocks soared:

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Polling shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans, regardless of political orientation, ag... more Polling shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans, regardless of political orientation, agree that money has as well much ability in American politics. All the same, many don't empathise how that power affects U.S. national security. In many ways, the overwhelming influence of money on policy-making compromises our condom from threats both internal and external.

Almost people are familiar with President Dwight Eisenhower'south famous adieu accost warning about a war machine-industrial circuitous. But one judgement in information technology has been largely overlooked:

The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the ability of coin is ever present – and is gravely to be regarded.

Although Eisenhower was talking about the cooptation of America's academics, his essential indicate, that the influence of money could accept a dangerously corrupting influence on America'southward national security, was expressionless on. But even Eisenhower could not have imagined only how powerful the influence of money would become.

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Author David Isenberg is a senior inquiry annotator with the British American Security Information... more Author David Isenberg is a senior research analyst with the British American Security Information Quango (Bones). He has been researching and writing on private armed services companies since the early 1990s. His 1997 monograph "Soldiers of Fortune Ltd.: A Profile of Today's Private Sector Corporate Mercenary Firms" and television episode "Conflict Inc." are acknowledged staples in the field. He has written on the field of study for numerous periodicals, lectured at United states military schools and overseas on the subject; and been a frequent commentator on numerous radio and television shows on PMC activities.

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Responsible Statecraft , 2021

One might reasonably assume that in the over 20 years since the 9/xi attacks, the Pentagon would ... more than I might reasonably presume that in the over 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, the Pentagon would have finally managed to effigy out how to exercise constructive supervision and control over its individual military machine contractors.

You lot know, the hired guns in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, many of whom bubbled upward to our consciousness with notorious war scandals in places like Fallujah and Nisour Square. In other words, the regime should have established some sort of oversight strategy by at present.

Reasonable perhaps. But wrong, according to a July 29 study released by the U.S. Government Accountability Part, which said:

The Department of Defense (DOD) has been unable to comprehensively identify private security contractor (PSC) contracts and personnel supporting contingency, humanitarian, peacekeeping , or other similar operations.

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Responsible Statecraft , 2021

Give credit where information technology is due. Erik Prince, co-founder of the Blackwater individual security company, ... more Give credit where information technology is due. Erik Prince, co-founder of the Blackwater private security company, and the "Energizer Bunny" of the private military and security contracting industry, who just keeps going and going, has done it once again. Prince has again been defendant past the United Nations of plotting and launching a failed mercenary operation.

On February 19, the New York Times reported that a confidential United Nations written report delivered to the U.North. Security Council detailed how Prince "violated a Un artillery embargo on Libya, by sending weapons to a militia commander who was attempting to overthrow the internationally backed regime." And from a national perspective that also might be a violation of the U.S. Neutrality Acts.

That commander is Libyan-American warlord and ane-time CIA asset General Khalifa Haftar.

According to the report, U.N. monitors said that they had "identified that Erik Prince fabricated a proposal for the performance to Haftar in Cairo, Egypt on, or about, 14 April 2019."

The study reveals how "Mr. Prince deployed a force of foreign mercenaries, armed with attack aircraft, gunboats, and cyberwarfare capabilities, to eastern Libya at the height of a major battle in 2019."

According to a later study past Rolling Stone, Haftar "saw plans for an performance that would utilise two Cobra H1 attack helicopters, mounted with 20mm rotary machine guns and crewed by foreign mercenaries, to dive down and impale or capture 11 of Haftar's political enemies."

Furthermore, the operation included a programme to course a hitting squad to locate and electrocute commanders opposed to Haftar.

Allow'southward only pause and consider the implications. If true, Prince, was offering to provide the capability to impale people; like a modern version of Murder Inc. or whatever organized crime lord.

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Responsible Statecraft , 2020

Final month, Rolling Stone reported that Erik Prince, co-founder of Blackwater Security — which wa... more than Last month, Rolling Stone reported that Erik Prince, co-founder of Blackwater Security — which was sold in late 2010 to a grouping of investors — wants to bring the mercenary group back to its "glory days" of the Bush era.

A full-page advertizement in the January/Feb 2019 edition of Recoil magazine featured the old school Blackwater deport-paw logo of the controversial private security firm below the words, "We are coming." Some observers thought this suggested a resurgent Blackwater might contract with the government to carry out a privatized war in Afghanistan. Others thought it a clever "campaign to draw attending to Blackwater Ammunition, a fledgling joint venture between Blackwater founder and CEO Erik Prince and Italian gun and ammunition designer Nicola Bandini and James Fenech in Malta."

One should at to the lowest degree consider the possibility that Prince is serious, because if the passage of fourth dimension tells us anything it is that Prince, long known every bit the Energizer Bunny of the private military and security contracting, or PMSC manufacture, just keeps going and going and going.

Then, the question to ponder is, if Prince does reassume control of Blackwater and once over again focuses on providing security contractors for conflict zones — and offers his services to the U.S. government — should the government take?

The answer is an emphatic no. Why non? Because Prince cannot be trusted, for reasons across the infamous Nisour Foursquare massacre in which Blackwater mercenaries killed 17 Iraqi civilians.

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Asia Times , 2019

In Washington, the Us military is routinely feted as the best equipped, the all-time trained, the mos... more than In Washington, the US military is routinely feted every bit the all-time equipped, the best trained, the most lethal, indeed, the greatest force always fielded. Nevertheless, its dismal war record since 1945 suggests otherwise.

An uneasy draw in Korea was followed past humiliating withdrawals from Due south Vietnam, Somalia, Transitional islamic state of afghanistan and Iraq – with dire consequences for U.s. policy, interests and reputation. These disasters were counter-balanced only by small-scale successes – the invasions of Grenada and Panama – or limited-objective wins, such every bit the liberation of Kuwait in Gulf State of war I.
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Indeed, a detailed 2015 briefing by the US Special Operations Command analyzing the last century of American overseas conflicts plant 9 losses, 43 ties and only 12 wins.

The Us, information technology seems, no longer knows how to win wars.

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Asia Times , 2019

Erik Prince, a former Navy Seal and founder of private military contractor Blackwater U.s.a., has be... more than Erik Prince, a one-time Navy Seal and founder of private military contractor Blackwater USA, has been waiting to pitch his ideas to the US administration. Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb
Although US President Donald Trump has announced a pullout of troops from Syria and a describe-down in Afghanistan, the fighting continues.
Waiting to make a killing are the "Dogs of War" – men who fight not for flags, but for cash. Equally pullouts go out geopolitical vacuums that invite or intensify disharmonize, the business forecast looks upbeat for "individual armed forces contractors," or PMCs – the polite corporate term for "mercenaries."
There is considerable speculation underway as to whether U.s. PMCs – and the man who had led the American sector, Erik Prince of former baddest PMC Blackwater – volition fill the vacuum created by Trump. However, the sector is in flux.
American and other Western contractors in recent years have profited by operating on the margins of – and under the custodianship provided by – coalition and NATO military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. That is not the case in Syria, nor is it probable to be the hereafter example in Afghanistan.
Moreover, Western PMCs face ascension competition from market place entrants with a more than aggressive and risk-tolerant arroyo: Russian PMCs. While a war-weary West retreats from the Middle Due east, Russian mercenaries are benefitting from Moscow'due south play in Syria.
Unlike the support and security roles that are Western PMCs' stock-in-trade, the Russians are engaging in straight activity. With Moscow's gainsay operations in Syria largely restricted to air and special forces missions, PMCs provide a proxy ground force that a casualty-averse Kremlin can keep "off the books" when it comes to body bags coming habitation.

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Periodic media attention has focused on private war machine security companies in the by couple of... more Periodic media attending has focused on private armed forces security companies in the past couple of years. Erik Prince has occasionally popped up from his underground warren to pitch his latest self-serving scheme to enrich himself. For instance, Prince and others offered to plough the war in Afghanistan over to private contractors. They also pushed a plan to institute a private global intelligence network answerable only to the CIA director and the president. Meanwhile, Russian companies similar Wagner has been doing Putin'due south fighting in Syrian arab republic.

In the tradition of not seeing the forest for the trees, observers take neglected to notice a more disturbing reality. Significant amounts of present and future military gainsay operations have been outsourced to the private sector with little, if whatsoever, government control.

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Revelations that information-consulting business firm Cambridge Analytica used ill-gotten personal information fr... more than Revelations that data-consulting house Cambridge Analytica used sick-gotten personal information from Facebook for the Trump campaign masks the more scandalous reality that the visitor is firmly ensconced in the U.S. military-industrial complex. As The New York Review of Books notes, Cambridge Analytica is 1 of the " boutique companies specializing in information assay and online influence that contract with government agencies. " So, it should come as no surprise then that the scandal has been linked to Erik Prince, co-founder of Blackwater and the Analeptic Bunny of the world of individual war machine and security contractors (PMSC). Having left the country years ago in a well-publicized huff for more comfortable, and

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f you lot think the media has been saturated with news about Russia think again. While thoughts might... more f you think the media has been saturated with news well-nigh Russian federation retrieve over again. While thoughts might run to Robert Mueller's probe into possible Russian collusion with the Trump ballot entrada, I refer to something possibly far worse: the development and expansion of Russia's private military companies (PMC) and its implications for the global spread of armies for rent by neat powers and multinational corporations alike. Before going further it is important to define exactly what I mean by PMC sector.

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Question: What does a man worth billions of dollars want? Answer: More billions. Now such a descr... more than Question: What does a human being worth billions of dollars want? Reply: More billions. Now such a description could utilize to more a few people in the fields of finance, investing and engineering, but in this instance information technology applies to Erik Prince, the Energizer Bunny of the private military and security contracting (PMSC) manufacture. Despite past rebuffs, he merely keeps going, and going, and going.

Prince, founder of the Blackwater private security company was in the news this past summer, with his programme to plough the U.Southward. war in Afghanistan over to the private sector, which I previously wrote about here and here.

Although it was not widely appreciated then, Prince was doing an fantabulous imitation of Milo Minderbinder, the legendary fictional war profiteer in Joseph Heller's famed Catch-22 novel. Minderbinder essentially believed that all wars should be conducted by private enterprise—and then long as the governments pick upwards the expenses. For him, the master business of the American public should be his business.

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President Trump's August 21 spoken communication on Afghanistan endorsed an increase of several thousand U.Due south. southward... more President Trump'south Baronial 21 speech on Transitional islamic state of afghanistan endorsed an increment of several thousand U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. In then doing, Trump seemed to turn down the plan pitched by Erik Prince and Stephen Feinberg to substantially rely on individual contractors to do the fighting in Afghanistan.

In fact, nonetheless, Trump'due south speech was long on rhetoric and lite on details. Every bit Heather Digby Parton noted in Salon:

Essentially Trump told us, "Nosotros accept a program, we won't tell you the plan and the program volition cost a lot of money." In other words: "Trust me.

Having attracted some mainstream back up, Prince's proposal is not yet dead. The "new" U.S. strategy, in its focus on counterterrorist operations against the Taliban, leaves a lot of room for the use of private contractors. The Pentagon'south lack of enthusiasm about their employ doesn't hateful they won't end upward working for the CIA.

The time to come credibility of the private contractor proposal for Transitional islamic state of afghanistan depends a smashing deal on the credibility of the man behind the plan: Erik Prince.

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According to a July ten New York Times article, Steve Bannon has relied on advice from Erik Prince... more According to a July x New York Times article, Steve Bannon has relied on advice from Erik Prince, co-founder of storied private security firm Blackwater, and Stephen A. Feinberg, a private disinterestedness billionaire financier who owns the giant military contractor DynCorp International through his investment company Cerberus Capital Direction. That the Trump assistants would plow to Feinberg is not that surprising. Although Feinberg himself has no direct national security or warzone contracting experience, DynCorp has been a major private contractor player in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Like the sometime E.F. Hutton commercial, when DynCorp talks, the governments listen.

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In 2014, retired Gen. James Mattis, now secretarial assistant of defence, reportedly referred to the United A... more In 2014, retired Gen. James Mattis, now secretary of defence, reportedly referred to the United Arab Emirates as " Little Sparta. " He was favorably comparing the UAE to the historic Greek city-land, known for its military prowess, particularly against the Persians during the Greco-Persian Wars. Mattis presumably did so non only because of a strong politico-military alliance between the United States and the UAE, but also because the UAE has for years been working on strengthening its military machine capabilities.

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An Associated Printing story before this calendar month regarding misconduct past employees of Sallyport turne... more An Associated Press story earlier this month regarding misconduct past employees of Sallyport turned a lot of heads in the world of private security contracting. The U.S. company has received about $700 1000000 in federal contracts to secure Balad Air Base of operations, habitation to a squadron of F-16 fighter jets participating in the U.S.-led coalition to annihilate the Islamic State,. According to the Associated Press, still, the employees were involved in sex trafficking and smuggling:

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Given his reputation as an allegedly successful man of affairs before being elected president, information technology sh... more Given his reputation equally an allegedly successful businessman before existence elected president, information technology should come as no surprise that Donald Trump favors greater use of the private sector. Thus, those favoring privatizing and outsourcing activities previously washed by the government are predictably elated by Trump's election. Various individual security companies in detail are licking their chops. I previously wrote almost the skillful times the private armed forces and security contracting manufacture can look in the Trump era.

Various private security companies in particular are licking their chops. I previously wrote about the skilful times the private military and security contracting industry can expect in the Trump era. Merely Iraq, Afghanistan, or Africa are non the merely realms for private security contractors. Some other venue for private contractors, both here at home and in many other parts of the world, is the one dealing with immigrant, refuges, and homeland security problems, and information technology's about to go very big. Yous could call it PISS (Private Immigrant and Security System).

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Written in the spirit of Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here With the advantage of hindsight, ... more Written in the spirit of Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here

With the advantage of retrospect, nosotros should accept known what was coming when President elect Donald Trump announced his selection of Betsy DeVos for Secretarial assistant of Education.

The outset inkling was her last name. After all, Vos, in Dutch, means fox. And putting a privatizing, deregulating, fanatical charter school advocate like DeVos in charge of a $200 billion plus federal department is, perhaps, the ultimate example of the play a joke on in the henhouse.

At first glance DeVos seemed a strange choice, as she is not a teacher, has not worked in educational activity, and never had her children in public school.

Merely with just a little hindsight, she had all the credentials necessary for a Trump nominee. She has a net worth of $130 million, comes from a family of billionaires and was happy to pay to play in American politics. Since 1970, DeVos family members have invested at least $200 million in a host of right-wing causes.

Furthermore, she was put in accuse of the section dedicated to public education, something she has a long record of wanting to destroy.

In short, she was rich, ideologically fanatical and dedicated to the destruction of the department she was charged with managing; a perfect Trump appointee.

But the virtually telling sign of what was to come was familial; her brother, Erik D. Prince, was cofounder of Blackwater, the storied, individual security company which achieved and so much notoriety in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The tip-off was her public speech after being confirmed when, after thanking President Trump for giving her the opportunity to make American schools classy again, she said that, only equally her brother had successfully brought to comport the unique capabilities of the private sector to help support American warfighting, she intended to use the private sector to assistance brand American education great again.

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In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower nominated quondam General Motors president Charles Erwin Wils... more In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower nominated former General Motors president Charles Erwin Wilson as secretary of defense.

That sparked a controversy during his confirmation hearings based on his large stockholdings in General Motors. Reluctant to sell the stock, valued at the time at more than than $2.five 1000000, Wilson but agreed to practice and then under commission force per unit area. During the hearings, when asked if he could make a decision that would be agin to the interests of General Motors, Wilson answered affirmatively. But he added that he could not excogitate of such a situation "considering for years I thought what was skilful for our state was good for General Motors, and vice versa." This statement has frequently been misquoted every bit "What's good for Full general Motors is good for the country."

About forty years after in 1989, Carlyle, the private equity house, took off when information technology hired Frank Carlucci, a one-time defense force secretary and deputy director of the CIA. Carlucci was able to open doors in Washington, allowing Carlyle to participate in many lucrative deals.

And now, 27 years later, Donald Tump has nominated retired Marine Corp general James Mattis, the one-time director of General Dynamics, equally the adjacent secretary of defense. For the military-industrial-congressional complex it doesn't get much ameliorate than this.

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due north contempo years, U.S. military operations in Africa accept greatly expanded. Washington has establis... more than north recent years, U.South. military machine operations in Africa have profoundly expanded. Washington has established forward operating locations (FOL) and drone bases. It has helped diverse African countries, like Liberia, retrain their militaries. Information technology has tried to track rebel groups like the Lord'southward Resistance Ground forces and the East African terrorist group like Al-Shabaab. The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has been involved in broad-ranging activities.

Thanks to the piece of work of a very few journalists—like Nick Turse who has greatly enhanced our understanding of U.South. Special Operations Forces in Africa or Craig Whitlock of The Washington Post who has exposed problems at U.S. drone bases—in that location's more information well-nigh these expanded operations.

Only 1 attribute of U.S. military operations in Africa remains vastly nether-covered and unappreciated: the role of individual military and security contractors (PMSC).

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Although political and media analysts will be parsing the election results for months to come up one... more Although political and media analysts will be parsing the election results for months to come up one winner is blatantly obvious, and it is non Donald Trump. Rather, it is something all taxation-paying Americans support, even if they don't call up most it: the armed services-industrial congressional-circuitous (MICC). To confirm that one demand look no further than the stock market on Nov 9. Equally Defense I reported, armed forces contractor stocks soared:

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Polling shows that an overwhelming bulk of Americans, regardless of political orientation, ag... more than Polling shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans, regardless of political orientation, agree that money has likewise much power in American politics. Even so, many don't understand how that power affects U.Southward. national security. In many ways, the overwhelming influence of money on policy-making compromises our safe from threats both internal and external.

Most people are familiar with President Dwight Eisenhower's famous farewell address warning nearly a military-industrial complex. But 1 sentence in information technology has been largely overlooked:

The prospect of domination of the nation'south scholars past Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of coin is ever present – and is gravely to exist regarded.

Although Eisenhower was talking about the cooptation of America's academics, his essential point, that the influence of money could have a dangerously corrupting influence on America'southward national security, was dead on. Merely fifty-fifty Eisenhower could not have imagined merely how powerful the influence of money would become.

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Source: https://independent.academia.edu/DavidIsenberg

if at First You Dont Privatize Try Try Again and Isenberg

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