U.S. Eyes Private Security For Afghanistan - Army Considers Hiring Contractors 'Theater-Wide'...

[bridgit]

'U.S. military authorities in Afghanistan may hire a private contractor to provide around-the-clock security at dozens of bases and protect vehicle convoys moving throughout the country.

The possibility of awarding a security contract comes as the Obama administration is sending thousands of more troops into Afghanistan to quell rising violence fueled by a resurgent Taliban. As the number of American forces grow over the next several months, so too does the demand to guard their outposts.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he wants to cut back on the use of contractors that now provide a wide range services to American troops in war zones, including transportation, communications, food service, construction, and maintenance. As recently as February, however, Gates called the use of private security contractors in certain parts of Afghanistan "vital" to supporting U.S. bases. A contract for the work also creates job opportunities for Afghans, he said.'

http://cbs2.com/national/afghanistan.blast.1.2.1101535.html

[imdjh]

1. I have forgotten. Why exactly are we pissing away money in that shithole? Do they even have oil?

[Truth Talks]

2. Oil Pipeline

There's either an oil pipeline(s) that crosses Afghanistan, or one is being built. I think it's part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's war to contain Russia and China.

[gleaner]

3. This again?

After the boondoggles, fraud and outright thefts perpetrated by private contractors in Iraq like Halliburton, KBR and others who also cut the troops back to two meals and gave them polluted water to drink, they want to repeat the scenario in Afghanistan too? It defies logic.

Then there were the "security" contractors in Iraq, like Blackwater and Aegis who killed Iraqi civilians for no particular reason while ostensibly training Iraqi security forces. For Aegis it was more like a competitive sport. I saw the video of one of their hunting parties set to music after they had posted it on a company web site. It was sickening. They reported to no on but their companies, who reported to no one at all.

I don't think we should be making war in Afghanistan or anywhere else, but if we do send soldiers to war we need to feed them adequately, give them plenty of water, keep them as safe as we can and not treat the local civilians as if they were big game. The military used to provide its own food services, supply itself and had its own security troops. Since they had much more of a stake in their own organization they did a much better job. Maybe Secretary Gates should read a letter written by a soldier in Iraq to his mother asking her for sealed packets of tuna from home and bottled water in addition to the quart each soldier was given per day. He thought he could do his job better if he wasn't hungry and thirsty all the time. Gates says security now, but if he sneaks that one by, then people like Halliburton will be back losing their next eight billion dollars. By the way, no one ever held them accountable for it. It wouldn't hurt the economy to have it back, would it?

[bridgit]

4. Yup, this again, we're remaking the jump to Ludicrous Speed!

And without any past accountability you're right it's just shovling good money after very, very bad money

[gleaner]

5. Money and lives both...

I get so tired of hearing of the necessity of wars. The waste of money is bad and takes a lot out of our economy which could be better spent.

The loss of lives of both our soldiers and the native civilians who are in the war zones is even worse. How do you replace a human being? How do you put one back together after he has been bombed or shot or so traumatized that he can barely function? Don't ask the Bush administration, they didn't even try. He closed veteran's facilities and would not even provide $75 dollar strap networks to reinforce older helmets so that the soldiers would not suffer concussive injuries caused by violent shaking of the brain. He shut down clinics which treated PTSD and gave little or no help to soldiers with other emotional disorders resulting from combat. In Landstuhl, the hospital in Germany where we sent the most gravely wounded soldiers, the families had to hold bake sales and solicit contributions to buy such basic items as bedding, clothing, and sundries to keep clean, for the soldiers who were hospitalized there. I include the women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as well. Though they were not given direct combat assignments, the line quickly blurred and they did see combat, injury and death.

This has really got to stop. Round one was the worst, but what happens if we go to round two knowing full well what happened only recently? It's not like we were suddenly struck ignorant. We know better.

[bridgit]

6. I agree, there are no more excuses