Comments on: Private Security in Iraq Face Tighter Rules

By: Bloviating Zeppelin

Bloviating Zeppelin — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:16:02 +0000

If you ask someone their MOS and you receive a blank stare, that’s a clue. And for those who are RIF’d, BobF speaks the truth. And it’s true in the cop world as well. One day a full-timer, next day a retireee with no benefits but an hourly wage doing PRECISELY the same thing. In my department they are called On-Calls. And they’ve had exactly the same training as me. And they too must attend CPT when I do. If contractually some don’t like Blackwater’s training, then they must dislike our basic military training.

By: gunz

gunz — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:43:46 +0000

Political correctness in disguise bro, going to put the shackles on them too.

By: BobF

BobF — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:35:55 +0000

Tom, go to most any military instillation and you will find civilians working for private contractors, especially on USAF bases. One day we were wearing military uniforms and the next day we’re working for private companies, contracted out to do the very same thing we did as active duty.

That’s probably the biggest recruitment “carrot”: We’ll train you for your future civilian job. Us aircraft mechanics, pilots, air traffic controllers, med tech, etc got our training for the civilian world, why not the Special OPs guys?

By: TexasFred

TexasFred — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:13:34 +0000

Here's a prime example of a job search that requires a PROFESSIONAL, and you can't let personal politics get in the way, but look at the time in country and the financial payback... US-WA-Palestine-Palestinian Mobile Training Team

By: TexasFred

TexasFred — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:08:39 +0000

MI, I can’t go into a lot of detail but yeah, I know it’s right too… Those guys ARE the standard…

Then there’s ’shooters’, they give us ALL a bad name…

By: Mad Irishman

Mad Irishman — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:57:53 +0000

Fred,

Agree wholeheartedly with ye post. In fact I can back it up with FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE.

The Standard? Hell , Most EXCEED the standard…in many cases..that IS THE CRITERIA.

Slainte’

Mad
http://madirishmaninc.blogspot.com

By: TexasFred

TexasFred — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:05:58 +0000

Tom, I don't think I used the word EXCLUSIVE in this, and the only company I mentioned by name was BlackwaterUSA...Â But if they (Blackwater)Â did hire an ex-cop it was quite likely that he had skill(s) they needed, as I DID say, shooters are a dime a dozen, specialists get the jobs, the good ones... If you have some linked info to the contrary, I'd like to see it but I have most of Blackwater's trainingÂ process documented and itÂ can be seen here: Welcome to Blackwater USA Yeah, I know, it's all just company propaganda... Whatever...

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:08:12 +0000

I thought Blackwater and other contractors DID hire non-Special Ops people though. It may not be many but I recall hearing about one guy who was a police officer here in the US and he ended up being a private military contractor in Iraq. Maybe that was at the ultra-corrupt Custer Battles.

I don’t even think the companies care, to be honest. They just want more bodies so that they can charge the US government $500,000/person/year or whatever they charge (do we even know?).

All US gov’t organizations that use Private Military Contractors should put a clause in their contracts indicating that if the PMC hires a US soldier who has been out of the service for, say, less than 1 year, must pay a training fee ($100,000?) to the US gov’t since we trained the soldiers with our tax dollars.

Who am I fooling though? They’d just cost plus it. Or they’d just hire cheaper foreign contractors. Or they’ll setup a shell company, hire the mercenary as a independent contractor to get around the loophole and then kick the mercenary to the curb when he gets his brains rattled by an IED.

The whole structure breeds corruption and recklessness.