Blackwater USA says it can supply forces for conflicts
Contributed by PHIL
By BILL SIZEMORE, The Virginian-Pilot
March 30, 2006

Stepping into a potential political minefield, Blackwater USA is offering itself up as an army for hire to police the world's trouble spots.

Cofer Black, vice chairman of the Moyock, N.C.-based private military company, told an international conference in Amman, Jordan, this week that Blackwater stands ready to help keep or restore the peace anywhere it is needed.

Such a role would be a quantum leap for Blackwater and raises a host of policy questions.

Until now, the eight-year-old company has confined itself to training military and police personnel and providing security guards for government and private clients. Under Black's proposal, it would take on an overt combat role.
"We're low-cost and fast," Black was quoted as saying. "The issue is, who's going to let us play on their team?"

Unlike national and multinational armies, which tend to get bogged down by political and logistical limitations, Black said, Blackwater could have a small, nimble, brigade-size force ready to move into a troubled region on short notice.

Black's remarks were reported by Defense News, a military publisher that sponsored the conference where he spoke, the Special Operations Forces Exhibition.

Chris Taylor, a vice president at Blackwater's Moyock headquarters, confirmed the account.

"A year ago or so, we realized that we could have a significant positive impact with a small, professional force in stability operations and peacekeeping operations," Taylor said.

Blackwater is no stranger to volatile situations. As a security subcontractor escorting a convoy in Iraq in 2004, the company attracted worldwide attention when four of its workers were killed, mutilated and hung from a bridge in Fallujah.

Blackwater, most of whose workers are former members of elite military units such as the Navy SEALs, now provides security for the U.S. ambassador to Iraq under a contract with the State Department.

The reconstruction of Iraq has been hampered by insurgent activity, Taylor said, and Blackwater has the expertise to quell insurgent attacks if invited by the Iraqi government.

"We clearly couldn't go into the whole country of Iraq," Taylor said. "But we might be able to go into a region or a city."

Another place where Blackwater could help restore order, Taylor said, is the Darfur region of Sudan, where millions have been killed or displaced by civil strife. The company could send troops under the control of the United Nations, NATO or the African Union, he said.

Taylor and Black said the company would undertake such a mission only with the approval of the U.S. government.

Peter Singer, a scholar at the Brookings Institution who has written a book on private military companies, said the concept of private armies engaging in counter-insurgency missions raises myriad questions about staffing standards, rules of engagement and accountability.

"No matter how you slice it, it's a private entity making decisions of a political nature," he said.

"It gets dicey."

http://www.privateforces.com/content/view/505/57/

You know, not that I don't have my own opinions about this (they've been talking about it for awhile), I'm really left wondering what YOUR motive is in posting it. Not once have you commented on any of the articles you've posted, and your agenda concerning the US is pretty clear. So, what's the deal?

Its all in his name, "Force and Coerce" bruv.

What about hiring Blackwater to help restore order in America?

So why not hiring Blackwater to help restore order at Capitol Hill? A low-cost and fast coup d'etat, maybe?

How long does it take anyway until Blackwater, Halliburton and all other private Armies turn against their feeding hand like OBL, Saddam Hussein did? Or what about a sweet Civil War inside the US?

Best wishes from Switzerland

lwwb
Roger

Originally Posted by Solve et Coagula

What about hiring Blackwater to help restore order in America?

So why not hiring Blackwater to help restore order at Capitol Hill? A low-cost and fast coup d'etat, maybe?

How long does it take anyway until Blackwater, Halliburton and all other private Armies turn against their feeding hand like OBL, Saddam Hussein did? Or what about a sweet Civil War inside the US?

Best wishes from Switzerland

lwwb
Roger

Pretty much sums up his general attitude.

Edit: With those kind of wishes you can keep them to yourself.

Executive Outcomes helped to maintain order in Africa for many years with resounding success. I more than welcome their efforts to be used for putting out fires. It solves that pesky media problem and its more cost effective. Were they to ever turn on the hand that feeds them they could easily and swiftly wiped off the planet. No matter what they will never have an edge over the SPECOPS troops on active duty.

Damn, bulldogg got to Executive Outcomes before I did. He is truely a learned man Those 'horrible mercenaries' where way more effective than any 'legitimate' UN Peacekeeping action was.

and Solve et Coagula, you really should stop watching all those sci-fi movies at night. Haliburton isn't going to start marching down the streets of Bern.

Originally Posted by bulldogg

Executive Outcomes helped to maintain order in Africa for many years with resounding success. I more than welcome their efforts to be used for putting out fires. It solves that pesky media problem and its more cost effective. Were they to ever turn on the hand that feeds them they could easily and swiftly wiped off the planet. No matter what they will never have an edge over the SPECOPS troops on active duty.

Dunno much about Executive Outcomes and the like. I think he is talking about using these forces in America. But do you really see any chance at all that these forces would be used on American soil? Can you imagine the outcry and public rage it would engender against the government? Can you imagine the public even standing for this in any shape way or form?

Read the bold in my previous post to see what jumped out at me when I first read his post then let me know what you think he is trying to say.

Solve, please read your PM.

Originally Posted by Whispering Death

Damn, bulldogg got to Executive Outcomes before I did. He is truely a learned man Those 'horrible mercenaries' where way more effective than any 'legitimate' UN Peacekeeping action was.

Cost less, too.