Saturday, June 16, 2007
'Post-apocalyptic world of the 'Mad Max' movies'
WaPo has a big and fasinating story about the vast private-security army in Iraq. They're not mercenaries but also not the Merchant Marines. There's part of me that says, 'Well, all's fair in love and war. Supplies have to be delivered.' There's also part of me that says, 'We have more people over there than we've been led to believe, taking more casualties than we've been led to believe, and we're still stretched thin.' ... To get an idea of just one company's efforts:
P.S. -- It should be noted that most of the security personnel appear to be Iraqis delivering weapons and reconstruction materials to Iraqis. But a typical convoy has Western contractors serving as leaders -- and the armored trucks and weapons are paid for by the military. ...
WaPo has a big and fasinating story about the vast private-security army in Iraq. They're not mercenaries but also not the Merchant Marines. There's part of me that says, 'Well, all's fair in love and war. Supplies have to be delivered.' There's also part of me that says, 'We have more people over there than we've been led to believe, taking more casualties than we've been led to believe, and we're still stretched thin.' ... To get an idea of just one company's efforts:
ArmorGroup, which started in Iraq with 20 employees and a handful of SUVs, has grown to a force of 1,200 -- the equivalent of nearly two battalions -- with 240 armored trucks; nearly half of the publicly traded company's $273.5 million in revenue last year came from Iraq.
P.S. -- It should be noted that most of the security personnel appear to be Iraqis delivering weapons and reconstruction materials to Iraqis. But a typical convoy has Western contractors serving as leaders -- and the armored trucks and weapons are paid for by the military. ...
