Blackwater Blackbox
 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/...ash/index.html

This sends chills down my spine. We really have to investigate these private firms more closely.

Related thread.

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/sh...ad.php?t=13129

No we don't have to investigate the firms. The pilots were behaving like @ss-clowns, which might be OK on a Sunday morning hamburger run, but not in a combat zone, in a lawless country, with some of the most severe terrain on the planet.

For anyone who is not familiar, Blackwater was founded by an ex-navy officer, and used to employ exclusively ex-US military special operations types. Due to the high demand in the middle-east, they have lowered their standards, but most of their operators are still ex-military (US) with ground combat experience.

These people are not really mercenaries, they are effectively US soldiers operating under a different pay and benefit program...they are still paid for by the DoD. Can't really blame them for getting 4-5 times more to do the same job they used to do.

The DoD is ultimately responsible for essentially all combat operations...maybe they should exercise more oversight over their subcontractors with a combat role. But that is not an easy thing, it's hard enough to manage the active-duty combat forces. If you put somebody in a no-win situation and then try to Monday-Morning-QB their decisions, things are never going to be cut and dried and easy to sort out.