New Essay, New Post

What I know

PMC and army training differs

Army and PMC pay rates differ

Their organization differs

Their equipment differs

Their working environments differ

What do I Need to know

How exactly all these things differ

What my research told me

Army training holds to a certain  level at all points, but can be exceeded by special jobs, but never is lower than standard: PMC training can range from none to Special forces grade

Army is payed according to a modest pay scale: PMC are paid exorbitant rates

The Army has a strictly regimented system and chain of command: PMCs lack any chain of command and authority is held by supervisors if by any

The Army has standard issue weapons and vehicles: PMCs use whatever they can get a hold of.

The Army's environment is based on core values and obedience: PMCs environments are based on making money

FINAL DRAFT ESSAY 1

Russell Kimmel 

Dr. Ken Kerr

EN101-16

15 Sept.  2011

Private Military Contractors

                In modern warfare a new idea has taken a firm hold in the mind of military and civilian leadership. That new idea is the outsourcing of traditional military jobs to private military contractors. Private military contractorsare companies that blur the line between civilian and military in accountability, funding, and function.

                Private military contractors have questionable accountability, both criminally and in simple oversight. While theyoperate under the employment of the United States Military, they are unable to be tried under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Hedahl). For most of the Iraq War, contractors were not able to be tried under Iraqi law due to Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17 (Fainaru 136). It was not until the Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq that allowed contractors to be tried under Iraqi law. This agreement did not go into effect until 2010 (Lam).Furthermore, contractors also cannot be sued by their former employee's families because they hide behind legislation that prevents soldier's families from the suing the U.S. Army (Eviatar). As for oversight, contractors usually lack any type of supervision. As Dr. Hammes says,"Unless it provides a government officer or noncommissioned officer for each construction project, convoy, personal security detail, or facilities-protection unit, the governmentdoes not control, or even know about, their daily interactions" (Hammes). Often the officials delegated to provide oversight from the U.S. embassy generally fail to do so ( Singer 239). Even the Government Oversight Administration (the investigative arm of Congress) employees assigned to this task are poorly trained and fail to notice if contractors are taking advantage of the government (Singer 154).

                Private military contractors are funded very differently than the armed forces. Their contracts usually come from the State Department, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Agency for International Development (Isenberg). Most noteworthy is the amount of pay that contractors receive. On average contractoremployeescollect up to five or ten times more wages than the average soldier (Hedahl). This can amount to employees earning almost six-hundred dollars a day (Scahill xx). Furthermore, most contracts are what is called "cost-plus," which means the more a contractor spends, the more money the company receives. The contractor's profit is a percentage of the expenditure, so higher costs incurred are more profitable than contracts that stay on budget (Rasor and Bauman 22).By the end of the fiscal year 2011 over 200 billion dollars will have been spent on contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan(Isenberg).

                Private military contractors function to free up soldiers to do their primary job, which is to engage in combat. Most importantly, contractors run the supply lines for the military, for instance delivering food, parts, and ammunition to forward operating bases (Hammes).As a result, contractors prepare the food on bases as well. They cook and serve the food in the mess halls to soldiers and contractors alike (Rasor and Bauman 142).In other settings, contractors perform maintenance on high tech equipment, such as specialized electronics and aircraft carrier systems, that our servicemen now lack the expertise to do (Hedahl). Another job contractors fulfill is the training of local forces, such as the training of the new Iraqi army (Hartung).Contractors also perform translation and interrogation for various agencies (Lam).  Even though all these tasks are not combat related, contractorsdo take on armed roles. These roles include guarding of locations and convoys (Rasor and Bauman 121). In addition, contractors also performed bodyguard roles for the U.S. State Department in Iraq (Scahill 77).Finally, contractors fill the role of an extremely flexible workforce, almost like a temp agency for soldiers. When needed, more contractors can be hired to fill positions, and when the need for their services is no longer required, the contractors are let go (Hammes). This flexibility prevents the expenditure of political power to expand the standing armed forces, and the long term spending associated with career soldiers (Hammes).

                Private military contractors are a key part of how we fight wars today. Contractors may blur the line between military and civilians, but they have secured a large foothold in our fighting style. Accountability is ,at times, shoddy, and funding a complicated affair, but contractor's flexibility makes them an invaluable tool.

Works Cited

Eviatar, Daphne. " My Own Private Military: Private Military Contractors Turn to David Hammond When                They Get in Trouble for Their Work in Iraq. And They Get in a Lot of Trouble." American Lawyer.        29. 7 (July 2007): 17(3). Student Resource Center - Gold.Web. 31 Aug 2011.

Fainaru, Steve. Big Boy Rules: America's Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq. Philadelpia: De Cape, 2008. Print.

Hammes, T. X. "Private Contractors in Conflict Zones." JFQ: Joint Force Quarterly 60 (2011): 26-37.            Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Sept. 2011.

Hartung, William D. "Outsourcing Is Hell." Nation 278.22 (2004): 5-22. Academic Search Premier. Web.     15 Sept. 2011.

Hedahl, Marcus. "Blood and Blackwaters: A Call to Arms for the Profession of Arms." Journal of Military                Ethics 8.1 (2009): 19-33. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Sept. 2011.

Isenberg, David." War and Private Contractors: Can't Live with Them, Can't Live Without Them.”               Huffington Post ( 2  Sept. 2011). Web. 6 Sept.  2011.

Lam, Jenny S. "Accountability for Private Military Contractors Under the Alien Tort Statute." California   Law Review 97.5 (2009): 1459-1499. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Sept 2011.

Rasor, Dina and Robert Bauman. Betraying Our Troops: The Destructive Results of Privatizing War. New                York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007. Print.

Scahill, Jeremy. Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Private Mercenary Army. New York:                 Nation, 2007. Print.

Singer, P.W. Corporate Warriors: The Rise of Privatized Military Industry. London: Cornell University,      2003. Print.

My Rough Draft Deuce

Russell Kimmel 

Dr. Ken Kerr

EN101-16

DATE

Private Military Contractors

                In modern warfare a new idea has taken a firm hold in the mind of military and civilian leadership. That new idea is the outsourcing of traditional military jobs to private military contractors. Private military contractors(PMCs) are companies that blur the line between  civilian and military in  accountability, funding, and function.

                Private military contractors have questionable accountability, both criminally and in simple oversight. While they operate under the employment of the United States Military, they are unable to be tried under the Uniform Code of Military Justice(Hedahl). For most of the Iraq War, Contractors were not able to be tried under Iraqi law due to Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17(Fainaru 136). It was not until the Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq that allowed contractors to be tried under Iraqi law. This agreement did not go into effect until 2010(Lam). Furthermore contractors also cannot be sued by their former employee's families because they hide behind legislation that prevents soldier's families from the suing the army(Eviatar). As for oversight, contractors usually lack any type of supervision. As Dr. Hammes says," Unless it provides a government officer or noncommissioned officer for each construction project, convoy, personal security detail, or facilities-protection unit, the government does not control, or even know about, their daily interactions(Hammes)." Often the officials delegated to provide oversight from the U.S. embassy generally fail to do so( Singer 239). Even the Government Oversight Administration ( the investigative arm of Congress) employees assigned to this task are poorly trained and fail to notice if contractors are taking advantage of the government (Singer 154).

                Private military contractors are funded very differently than the armed forces. Their contracts usually come from either the State Department, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Agency for International Development(Isenberg). Most noteworthy is the amount of pay that contractors receive. On average contractor employees collect up to five or ten times more wages than the average soldier (Hedahl). This can amount to earning almost six-hundred dollars a day (Scahill xx.)Furthermore most contracts are what is called "cost-plus", which means the more a contractor spends, the more money the company receives. The contractor's profit is a percentage of the expenditure, so higher costs incurred are more profitable than contracts that stay on budget (Rasor and Bauman 22). By the end of the fiscal year 2011 over 200 billion dollars will have been spent on contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan (Isenberg).

                Private military contractors function to free up  soldiers to do their primary job, which is to engage in combat. Most importantly,  contractors run the supply lines for the military, for instance delivering food, parts, and ammo to forward operating bases (Hammes).Furthermore contractors prepare the food on bases as well. They cook and serve the food in the mess halls to soldiers and contractors alike (Rasor and Bauman 142). In other settings contractors  perform maintenance on high tech equipment, such as specialized electronics and aircraft carrier systems,  that our serviceman now lack the expertise to do (Hedahl).Another job contractors fulfill is the training of local forces, such as the training of the new Iraqi army (Hartung).Contractors also perform translation and interrogation for various agencies (Lam).  Even though all these  tasks are not combat related,  contractors do take on armed roles. These roles include guarding of locations and convoys (Rasor and Bauman 121). In addition contractors also performed bodyguard roles for the U.S. State Department in Iraq (Scahill 77). Finally, Contractors fill the role of a extremely flexible workforce, almost like a temp agency for soldiers. When needed, more contractors can be hired to fill positions, and when the need for their services is no longer required, the contractors are let go (Hammes). This flexibility prevents the expenditure of political power to expand the standing armed forces, and the long term spending associated with career soldiers (Hammes).

                Private military contractors are a key part of how we fight wars today. Contractors may blur the line between military and civilians, but they have secured a large foothold in our fighting style. Accountability is at times shoddy, and funding a complicated affair, but contractor's flexibility makes them an invaluable tool.

My Rough Draft

Russell Kimmel 

Dr. Ken Kerr

EN101-16

DATE

Private Military Contractors

                In modern warfare a new idea has taken a firm hold in the mind of military and civilian leadership. That new idea is the outsourcing of traditional military jobs to private military contractors. Private military contractors(PMCs) are companies that blur the line between  civilian and military in  accountability, funding, and function.

                Private military contractors have questionable accountability, both criminally and in simple oversight. While they operate under the employment of the United States Military, they are unable to be tried under the Uniform Code of Military Justice(Hedahl). For most of the Iraq War, PMCs were not able to be tried under Iraqi law either due to Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17(Fainaru 136). It was not until the Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq that allowed contractors to be tried under Iraqi law. This agreement did not go into effect until 2010(Lam). PMCs also cannot be sued by their former employee's families because they hide behind legislation that prevents soldier's families from the suing the army(Eviatar). As for oversight, PMCs usually lack any type of oversight. As Dr. Hammes says," Unless it provides a government officer or noncommissioned officer for each construction project, convoy, personal security detail, or facilities-protection unit, the government

does not control, or even know about, their daily interactions(Hammes)." The officials delegated to provide oversight from the U.S. embassy generally failed to do so( Singer 239). Even the Government Oversight Administration ( the investigative arm of Congress) employees assigned to this task are poorly trained and fail to notice contractors taking advantage of the government (Singer 154).

                Private military contractors are funded through U.S. government. Their contracts usually come from either the State Department, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Agency for International Development(Isenberg). The average contractor receives up to five or ten times more pay than the average soldier (Hedahl). This can amount to earning almost six-hundred dollars a day (Scahill xx.) Most contracts are what is called "cost-plus", which means the more a contractor spends, the more money the company receives. The profit is a percentage of the expenditure, so higher prices are more profitable for them (Rasor and Bauman 22). Over 200 billion dollars will have been spent on contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan by the end of the fiscal year (Isenberg).

                Private military contractors function to free up  soldiers to do their primary job, which is to engage in combat. PMCs run the supply lines for the military (Hammes). PMCs provide the food on bases as well (Rasor and Bauman 142). Contractors also do maintenance on high tech equipment, such as radar and aircraft carriers,  that our serviceman now lack the expertise to do (Hedahl). PMCs also train local forces to fight, such as the Iraqi military (Hartung).PMCs also preform translation and interrogation for various agencies (Lam).  PMCs also take on armed roles. These include guarding of locations and convoys (Rasor and Bauman 121). PMCs also preformed bodyguard roles for the U.S. State Department in Iraq (Scahill 77). PMCs also fill the role of a extremely flexible force. When needed, more contractors can be hired, and when the need goes away, the contractors are let go (Hammes). This also prevents the expenditure of political power to expand the standing armed forces (Hammes).

                Private military contractors are a key part of how we fight wars today. They may blur the line between military and civilians in their accountability, funding, and function, but they are not going away anytime soon.

My thesis, and topic sentences

Thesis:Private military contractors(PMCs) are companies that blur the line between  civilian and military in  accountability, funding, and function.

TS1.Private military contractors have questionable accountability, both criminally and in simple oversight.

TS2.Private military contractors are funded through U.S. government.

TS3.Private military contractors function to free up  soldiers to do their primary job, which is to engage in combat.

To post old info...

What do I know?

PMC’s can be private or publicly traded.

PMC’s are taking over things normally done by the armed forces proper.

PMC’s are of questionable legality.

PMC’s seem to lack oversight.

What do I need to learn?

What jobs are PMC’s taking over?

Are PMC’s actually legal?

Is there any oversight for PMC’s?

Does using PMC’s save money?

How does the use of PMC’s affect the USA’s image?

How do PMC’s operate?

Who controls the hiring of PMC’s?

Now then, for the rest about the sources. Anything from a Wikipedia will have a whole host of problems. You either won’t know who the author is, or if you do, they will probably have credentials to back up their claims. Links are commonly dead, and the pages can go for weeks without being updated.

Now for bedtime, with more progress to be posted tomorrow.

Straight to the Source

So I figure I found a pretty good source here.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-isenberg/war-and-private-contracto_b_944365.html

The article is current, since it was posted 4 days ago. The author is has good credentials,and has been writing on the subject for quite some time. He even has a book out about it.

Well class is wrapping up so I'll finish up this post at home.
And now that I have my password back I can actually post all the work I've already done but haven't posted yet. So expect a full update later.

Russell out.