In the aftermath of the widely publicized deaths in Fallujah, Mother Jones re-posted this story from last year about private military contractors in Iraq. I noted this particularly troubling bit:
The Pentagon has become so dependent on private military companies that it literally cannot wage war without them. Troops already rely on for-profit contractors to maintain 28 percent of all weapons systems, and the Bush administration wants to increase that figure to 50 percent. In most cases, private military companies can legally withdraw their employees if faced with danger in a combat zone — an escape clause that worries many military officials. If contractors flee when the shooting starts, it could sever supply lines, ground aircraft, and leave soldiers to run complex weapons systems they no longer have the skill or know-how to keep in working order. “There are some weapons systems that the U.S. military forces do not have the capability to do their own maintenance on,” concedes David Young, a deputy commander at the Defense Contract Management Agency.
Emphases are mine.
I met some men whom I’m fairly sure were private military contractors last summer in Colombia. After a week of not seeing any Americans at all, we suddenly heard American voices while staying in the Dann Carlton Hotel in Bucaramanga (northeastern Colombia, near but not in a combat zone). My gal and I were having dinner in the hotel restaurant when we saw three 30-ish men make their way to the bar, chatting away with obvious Yankee accents. Since Bucaramanga is a place no tourist would normally want to go, I couldn’t resist the chance to go up and chat with them. I walked up, introduced myself, and said how nice it was to hear American voices. I asked them what had brought them to Bucaramanga, and I got a cold, fixed stare and a one word reply: “Work”. I didn’t push it further, but the men then began to pepper me with all sorts of questions about our presence in Colombia. It was most unnerving. Once they had satisfied themselves that I was not a journalist (which seemed to be their biggest concern), they were reasonably friendly. I later overheard them talking about helicopters, and how Colonel so-and-so was a complete idiot… it was altogether unnerving. I did not need to see any identification to know more or less precisely what they were doing in Bucaramanga; next time, I’ll keep my whole “hail-fellow-well-met” act to myself!
Actually, under the Geneva convention definition, they aren’t mercenaries, at least in the Fallujah incident.
One of the requirements is that they not be nationals of one of the nations involved in the hostilities. As the killed contractors were all Americans, they cannot be considered mercenaries.
Also, if that place in Columbia is where no tourist in their right mind would go, why on Earth were you there? (Trying to tell us something, huh? kidding!)
Actually, it’s highly likely that they were, apart from the contractors (although the U.S. employs a lot in Columbia), Special Forces soldiers or CIA paramilitary forces (you might recall that some of those were KIA in Afghanistan. The man that was killed in the prison uprising where the Marin boy was caught. I forget both of their names. No matter.).
Just offering another option.
That’s comforting. Next time, no chatting with the crewcut boys in Colombia. (I was visiting my girlfriend’s family; we will probably go back this summer too!)