fair dinkum, info must be slow getting here in aus, i didn't know this and i'm sure all people here at 6RAR dont know that as well, we all beleaved that blackwater is still kicking. thanksBlackwater doesn't exist anymore. The company's name is Xe (Xe Services LLC.) They weren't a PMC but were classified as a PSC (Private Security Contractor.) They are still providing PSC services to the US government, but not on the scale they were. Most of their focus has moved to consulting and training. The US Training Center is all Xe ran with the main compound still in Myock, NC.
Am I the only person wondering if these "private security" companies are just another iteration of an old profession - the mercenary.
My reasoning is that they are not necessarily nationals of the country involved in conflict and they are taking pay to be there.
Now correct me if I'm wrong,but in the US if you are found to be a merc you can lose your citizenship - yet nothing has happened to the employees of Xe / Blackwater et al.
Also doesn't this smack of hypocisy by western govts who are using these firms as surrogate government arms, I hear that Xe / Blackwater is now marketing CIA like services to companies, will they be marketing govt like services to the general public soon?
I really do feel concerned about these companies, especially as they are pseudo armed forces under contract, with no public accountability, but everyone else seems cool with them - am I really paranoid?
You are wrong. Us citizens can not have there citizenship taken away.
You are wrong. US citizens can have their citizenship taken away.
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/3342/lithuanian-nazi-chief-stripped-of-u-s-status/
And
http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...OgVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QhAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5387,2460554
If today security is a merchandise, tomorrow there will be people making trouble and provoking unrest with one hand and selling us security with the other hand.
Wow, many points can be discussed.
These corporations can have skills/skilled individuals... But so does the army. And I think that the army can do the job without looking for profit. We pay taxes so that our armies provide us security. Mercenaries dont care about duty, but about profit and money...
If today security is a merchandise, tomorrow there will be people making trouble and provoking unrest with one hand and selling us security with the other hand.
I have enough doubts with "professional" armies... We dont need mercenaries (call them as you want, they are still paid to kill)...
But I think that we should allow private companies to sell training, equipment and workforce for security jobs like guarding, private body guards and such...
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