NPR: Blackwater Wants to Expand Military Work

Blackwater Wants to Expand Military Work

U.S. officials are mulling a request from the Iraqi government to expel security firm Blackwater USA from the country within six months. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports, company founder Erik Prince is "laying plans for an expansion that would put his for-hire forces in hot spots around the world doing far more than guard duty."

Already, the 10-year-old company — which went from renting out shooting ranges for thousands of dollars in its early years to revenue of almost a half-billion dollars last year — is bidding on military work against industry giants such as Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. Mr. Prince says he is planning to build Blackwater's expertise in training, transportation and military support while expanding into making everything from remotely piloted blimps to an armored truck called the Grizzly that is tough enough to compete for the Army's latest armored-vehicle contract.

And on Sunday night, Prince defended his employees and himself against the accusations that they are mercenaries that have followed a shooting in Baghdad last month that left 17 Iraqis dead. "You know the definition of a mercenary is a professional soldier that works in the pay of a foreign army. I'm an American working for America," he said on CBS' 60 Minutes.

1:35 PM ET | 10-15-2007 | permalink

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American working for America eh. Well to the Iraqis American professional soldiers contracted out by the American government sure fit the definition of mercenaries according to Mr. Prince.

Sent by Erik | 2:38 PM ET | 10-15-2007

The new paradigm of war is not the former Interstate Industrial Conflict in which total submission and complete infrastructure destruction of an enemy nation is the desired outcome. The desired outcome in Afghanistan and Iraq is a stabilized and secure situation. However our military tactics, strategy, weaponry, training, and military organization is still locked into the requirements which were neccessary for Interstate Industrial Conflicts such as World War II. This mindset has a long history, beginning with Napoleon. Outcomes are seen in terms of absolute victories, with a clear endstate without further conflict. Those expectations are entrenched in our political life, military efforts, news media, and public forums. Until we understand the new paradigm of the conflicts in which we are engaged; that the endstate has different requirements in terms of strategy, tactics, and resolution, we will be much less than satisfied by our military incursions. These wars have no quick or clear victory, and victory is not what we formerly believed it to be.

Sent by Charles Grach | 8:54 AM ET | 10-22-2007

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