rough draft

Russell Kimmel 

Dr. Ken Kerr

EN101-16

DATE    

Private Military Contractors Verses a Standard Unites States Army Unit

                In the face of economic crisis in the United States, one business sector has continued to waste taxpayer dollars. In the last ten years the United States has been at war, it has spent over 206 billion dollars on private military contractors. The estimated waste on these contracts is up to sixty billion dollars (Isenberg). This money is being wasted when a standard United States Army unit  could fulfill the same job more effectively. Standard Army units surpass private military contractors in accountability, equipment, and standards.

                To begin, private military contractors lack accountability for their actions. The United States government generally has no idea what contractors are doing on a daily basis (Hammes). Even if officials know contractors are underperforming, it is extremely difficult to replace contractors due to convoluted contracting procedure (Rasor and Bauman 35). In the realm of justice, contractors can go unpunished for even the most egregious crimes, such as the shooting of two Iraqi police officers (Fainaru 65).  This lack of consequences was due to contractors being unable to be charged under Iraqi law until 2010 (Lam).

                Private military contractors lack proper equipment and vehicles. Contractors buy whatever equipment they can afford, whether it be top of the line or out of a trash heap (Rasor and Bauman 142). Contractors use subpar vehicles to fulfill contracts. In one case, their contract paid for armored cars, but the contractors used soft skinned vehicles to make more profit (Private Military Contractors in Iraq). In other instances broken vehicles were purchased without so much as an inspection (Rasor and Bauman 16).

                Private military contractor's poor recruiting standards and unequal levels of training propagates substandard performance. Companies such as Blackwater USA hire soldiers from countries with questionable human rights records (Scahill xxiii). Kalliburton Brown and Root hired foreign drivers ,some of which had never driven large trucks before, to drive convoys in and out of Iraq (Rasor and Bauman 66). In regards to unequal training, contractors can have anywhere from special forces level training to no combat experience whatsoever(Singer 84: Fainaru 49). Geoff Clark, security manager for shipping contractor Agility, says in a comment about the training and manner of  warehouse guards in Umm Qasr that, " you've got some who are very professional, and others I wouldn't let protect a cup of piss" (qtd. in Fainaru 142).

                While private military contractors lack accountability and quality, the United States Army excels in the areas of accountability, equipment, and standards.

                United States Army units have a strict accountability structure, both in oversight and in a justice system. Soldiers report up the chain of command, with the officer above them directly responsible for their actions ( Holbrook). This structure leads towards efficiency and high performance. Soldiers are accountable to their own dedicated justice system, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Eviatar). If soldiers commit a crime, they are charged and punished within the system (UMCJ). This accountability gives the Army credibility and responsibility.

                Army units have standardized equipment and vehicles. According to the official U.S. Army Fact Files, every piece of equipment must meet a minimum standard of quality. Soldiers can have confidence that their gear will perform to their expectations (Fact Files). Soldiers also do not need to worry about having the right vehicle for the job, as they can be assigned anything from an armored Humvee to an Abrams main battle tank (Army Careers & Jobs).

                The United States army has very controlled recruiting and training standards. The Army will not take just anyone to be a soldier; the applicant must meet certain criteria such as physical fitness or intelligence (Powers). A recruit that falsifies his information to join can even be charged with a crime (UMCJ). As for training, all soldiers receive copious amounts of training before they are even given a specific job. Every soldier goes to Basic Combat Training, which lasts ten weeks, then continue on to any number of Advanced Individual Training, where he will learn his specific role in the Army (Goarmy.com:Soldier life). Furthermore soldiers can go onto even more training in their field courtesy of the Army(Army.com:Benefits).

                With such poor a economic situation in the United States, the government cannot afford to waste money on contractors. When contractors are paid to do a job, and the job could be done better by a unit already in the defense budget, money is being thrown away. The government should stop hiring subpar contractors when the United States Army can complete the same task, with more accountability, better equipment, and superior training.