Tag: Private Army

Those Private Armies

I have written many times of my dislike for private armies…oh my bad……security consultants….a rose by any other name is still a mercenary.

What got my creative juices flowing was the news that an ex-Blackwater operative has been sentenced to life in prison…..

A former Blackwater security contractor was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq that left 14 people dead, the AP reports. Federal judge Royce Lamberth issued the sentence after a succession of friends and relatives requested leniency for Nicholas Slatten, who was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in December. Prosecutors charged that Slatten, 35, was the first to fire shots in the September 2007 massacre of Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad. In all, 10 men, two women and two boys, ages 9 and 11, were killed. The defense had argued that Slatten and other Blackwater contractors opened fire only after they saw what they mistakenly thought was a potential suicide car bomber moving quickly toward their convoy.

Defense attorney Dane Butswinkas described Slatten as “a person of high integrity” whose family members had served in the US military for four generations. Several of Slatten’s supporters openly accused prosecutors of scapegoating an innocent man in order to placate Iraqi public opinion. The shootings strained US-Iraqi relations and focused intense international scrutiny on the extensive use of private military contractors in Iraq. Slatten himself told the judge that he was a victim of an “unjust prosecution” and that government lawyers cared more about producing a conviction than uncovering the truth of what happened in Baghdad 12 years ago. But Judge Lambert, in issuing the life sentence, dismissed much of the family’s claims that Slatten was a scapegoat for international political considerations. “The jury got it exactly right,” he said. “This was murder.”

AS I said I do not think these people should be fighting our conflicts…..that is the job of our military…..but there is an assassment of the industry…..

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan required the support of the private military industry. However, the United States government’s increased reliance and dependency on private military firms has not been without controversy. In fact, the lack of accountability that has allowed certain sectors of the private military industry to act with impunity have arguably complicated the U.S. military’s already difficult missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/08/05/an_assessment_of_the_private_military_industry_and_its_role_in_the_iraq_and_afghanistan_wars_114638.html

This is the armies of the future…mostly civilians with guns…..time for the military to depend on themselves to fight these wars if they truly need fighting.

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

The Mercs Are Coming!

By now everyone that cares about our status in the world knows that Russia and Ukraine are in a basic stand-off with tensions running high and emotions on the edge of ignition…..

Allow me to backtrack a bit……my regulars know how much I read and as it were write……I read something awhile back about using private mercs to fight insurgencies…..

The use of mercenaries and private military contractors (PMC’s) to provide operational support and fight in combat in conflicts worldwide has expanded tremendously since 9/11. The most notorious of these shadow armies, Blackwater, has put PMC’s in the public eye – for all the wrong reasons, when, in 2007, four employees were convicted in the U.S. court for killing 14 Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, Baghdad.

Granted, incidents of this nature are definitely not limited to PMC’s. Atrocities against civilians in combat by government and allied forces have been well-documented. The most notorious examples are Robert Bales, who went on a killing spree in Kandahar that ended in the deaths of 16 Afghan civilians, the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War, the Maywand District murders in Afghanistan, and the Haditha killings in Iraq.

https://theantimedia.com/job-classified-contingency-operations-ukraine/

Granted the article is more about the Middle East but it could be expanded to bring in the world….

Now back to the Ukraine/Russia thing…..

It has been uncovered that the US is looking for a few good mercs to work on classified missions…..

The geopolitical analysis site SouthFront has unearthed from the pages of LinkedIn an incredible public job offering by a US defense contractor which reveals potentially sensitive information. The job posting mentions “classified Contingency Operations” in Ukraine and was posted a mere 15 days ago — just prior to last Sunday’s incident between the Russian and Ukrainian navies in the Kerch Strait.

Writes SouthFront,the US-based defense contractor company “Mission Essential” accidentally revealed a US military specialist deployment in the combat zones in Ukraine via a Job Advertisement on LinkedIn.

Crucially, it’s yet further evidence which disproves the years-long claims by Washington that the United States is not directly involved militarily in the Ukraine conflict. The public posting suggests US special forces operations are indeed active and ongoing as tensions with Russia soar.

https://theantimedia.com/job-classified-contingency-operations-ukraine/

So all you chest thumpers can prove your worth by putting your life where your mouth is located.

I have never been a fan of mercs being used by private contractors……

Further Reading:

https://lobotero.com/2018/02/13/the-dogs-of-war/

https://lobotero.com/2017/01/03/rise-of-the-american-mercenary-2/

https://lobotero.com/2016/03/11/those-security-contractors/

https://www.your-poc.com/the-private-military-industrial-complex-extending-conflict-duration-and-quality-the-cost-of-using-private-military-contractors/

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/outsourcing-war/

There is more just use the “Search” option……

Rise of the American Mercenary

For a decade now I have ranting about the use of mercenaries to fight wars and provide security…..groups like Blackwater et al….are nothing more than mercenaries wrapped up in political correctness…..”security consultants”……

This is an op-ed I wrote for my friends at Ace News Room…..

I have been very verbal on what I think of private “security contractors” or what they really are…mercenaries……

But first….a mercenary?

The word “mercenary” comes from the Latin “merces,” which means “wages” or “fee.” Thus, taken literally, a mercenary is any person who serves merely for wages. Although this definition could apply to many of us in the working world, it’s most closely associated with the professional soldier, or someone who is hired by a political entity to fight in a conflict. That conflict could be a war, a coup attempt or a prohibition campaign designed to reduce illegal drug trade.

Source: Rise of the American Mercenary

If you have some time please go and visit Ace news Room….they have all the news….all the time….

A Blackwater World Order | The American Conservative

I am sure that I have been vocal enough that my readers realize that I think that privatization of the government is a con job…….especially when it comes to fight wars or guarding diplomats…….one of my pet peeves is that of Blackwater (I believe they want to call themselves “XE” these days)……it is NOT in the countries best interest to have a private army….to me it iS NO better than the hated militias in the Middle East…..

Did anyone see “7 Days in May”?  If not, may I suggest you watch it and then tell me what you think of a private army operating within the US.

Yes, I know this article is from American Conservative”….get over it!  There are some good writing going on, especially this article……

Read and offer up an opinion……

A Blackwater World Order | The American Conservative.

UAE Gets A New Army

This spring, the Arab Spring, as it is called in the media, has shown the will of the people and the violence of regimes to retain power….Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, et al……the one country that has had very little violence or even protests for that matter has been the United Arab Emirates (UAE)……even Saudi has had its minor uprisings….but the UAE must be concerned that the “Spring” may be headed their way….they are preparing to retain their power grip…..but how will they do this?

In an article written by Eamonn McCann……

United Arab Emirates has paid $529 million to a company set up by Blackwater boss Eric Prince to recruit and train a mercenary army to undertake “special missions” against the oil state’s enemies, defend oil pipelines, crush internal opposition and so forth.Emirate dictator Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan has also agreed to pay more than $100 million a year to meet running costs and supply weapons and equipment–including rifles, mortars and armored vehicles.

A training camp, complete with living accommodation, mess halls, firing ranges and a motor pool, has been built behind thick concrete walls topped with tangles of barbed wire in the desert. More than 500 of a projected 800 troops are in position, many recruited from Central and South America and paid $150 a day.

Their trainers, mostly veterans of U.S., British and German Special Forces and the French Foreign Legion, earn up to $200,000 a year.

………there is good reason to believe that elements of the Obama administration gave the plan nod-and-wink approval, the exposure by Times’ journalists may spark political controversy in Congress, which would please al-Nahyan and other Gulf rulers not at all.

You remember Blackwater?  My bad!  They changed their name to Xe after the killing of all those Iraqi civilians…..you know that mercenary army that is headquartered in the US?  It seems that our Founding do-dahs would have frowned on the fact that anyone within the borders of the country had a standing private army….but apparently it is okay this day in time….but tell that to Aaron burr….

I remember back ion the day when mercenaries were looked down upon….but I guess when you change your title to security consultant you become a fine upstanding citizen…..a contract killer by any other name is still…..Americans need to be watching this group closely…..did anyone see “7 Days In May”?  If not you may want to rent it and see what I am rattling on about…..

Blackwater Has More Trouble

In an article written by William Fisher, the woes of Blackwater just keep getting deeper and deeper.

New charges filed against private security contractor Blackwater accuse the
company of murder, destruction of audio and videotaped evidence, distribution
of controlled substances, tax evasion, child prostitution, and weapons smuggling.

The new charges were filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations
Act (RICO) by several of the Iraqi civilians who were injured or who lost family
members when Blackwater personnel opened fire in Nisoor Square in Baghdad in
September 2007.

The new allegations, which have been added to an ongoing civil lawsuit in
Virginia federal court, charge that then Blackwater chairman Erik Prince “has
created an enterprise that has engaged in a series of illegal acts that suffice
as RICO predicate acts extending over a substantial period of time beginning
at least in 2003.”

The complaint alleges that Xe-Blackwater “created and fostered a culture
of lawlessness amongst its employees, encouraging them to act in the company’s financial interests at the expense of innocent human life … and contrary to the interests of the U.S. military and State Department, and the nation of Iraq.”

The suit also seeks a court order requiring Erik Prince to “divest himself
of any direct or indirect interest in the RICO Enterprise or dissolve the RICO
Enterprise after making due provision for the rights of innocents, imposes
reasonable restrictions on Prince’s future activities or investments, and prohibits Prince from engaging in any mercenary or private military business.”

Blackwater still holds lucrative government contracts in Afghanistan and elsewhere and is reportedly marketing “CIA-type services” to Fortune 1000 companies through Prince’s Total Intelligence Solutions.

The complaint alleges that Xe-Blackwater, “in addition to hiring persons
known (or should have been known) to use steroids and other judgment-altering drugs, has been hiring as mercenaries former military officials known to have been involved in human rights abuses in Chile.”

It contends that “Xe-Blackwater knows that the former Chilean commandos
hired by Xe-Blackwater received amnesty from punishment for their wanton disregard
of human rights in exchange for being forbidden from taking part in any military or security activities in Chile.”

The suit also charges that “Xe-Blackwater has been hiring mercenaries
from the Philippines, Chile, Nepal, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras,
Panama, Peru, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Jordan, and perhaps South Africa.”

America’s number one private army is in deep do-do.  Never fear the cash from Blackwater will continue to pour into the Repub coffers.

What A Difference A Name Makes

Let us hope not!  These pricks are still the same pack of mercenaries no matter what they call themselves…..and it amazes me that NO ONE screams about a private army that has been raised in the country….I believe Aaron Burr was tried for treason for a similar act.

The controversial security firm Blackwater, involved in the shooting of Iraqi civilians, is changing its name.

Company President Gary Jackson says “effective immediately” the name for the firm’s parent company has been changed to Xe, pronounced “zee”.

Subsidiaries of the U.S.-based firm are also being changed, with Blackwater Lodge and Training Center, best-known for preparing workers for overseas operations, now to be called the U.S. Training Center.

In a memo to employees Thursday, Jackson said the reorganization will help “create unique brand identities for its products and services.”

A PR coup?  Nah!  Just trying to divert attention for now.