View Full Version : Hundreds of Afghanistan contractor deaths go unreported
Iraq Ninja
07-17-10, 13:13
Well, I am not surprised by this news, just like it was not reported in Iraq back when things were rough.
Congressional report estimates Afghanistan death rate more than four times greater than for U.S. troops
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/15/afghan_war_contractors_dying
In one of the least examined aspects of President Obama's escalation of the Afghan war, armed private security contractors are being killed in action by the hundreds -- at a rate more than four times that of U.S. troops, according to a previously unreported congressional study.
At the same time, the Obama administration has drastically increased the military's reliance on private security contractors, the vast majority of whom are Afghans who are given the dangerous job of guarding aid and military convoys, the new Congressional Research Service study found.
In a 10-month period between June 2009 and April 2010, 260 private security contractors working for the Defense Department made the ultimate sacrifice, while over the same period, 324 U.S. troops were killed. In analyzing the numbers, the report found a private security contractor "working for DOD in Afghanistan is 4.5 times more likely to be killed than uniformed personnel."
Unlike when a soldier is killed in action and the military promptly issues a press release describing the circumstances of the death, contractor deaths go almost entirely unreported by the Pentagon, and, by extension, the media. As a result, both the level of violence and the number of people being killed as part of the U.S. effort in Afghanistan are being significantly underreported.
Details about how the private security contractors are dying are exceedingly hard to come by, beyond the fact that the majority were killed while guarding convoys.
The Defense Department told Salon it does not track the names or even the nationalities of the killed contractors, though a DOD official recently testified to Congress that the military's private security contractor force is over 90 percent Afghan.
"We have a very, very rigiorous system of tracking the soldiers and civilians who are killed -- it's publicly released, every single name," Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Elizabeth Robbins told Salon. "But with contractors, it's up to their contracted company."
Anthony Cordesman, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Salon that the Afghan private security contractors guarding convoys can be particularly vulnerable because they often lack the armored vehicles or helicopters that U.S. troops travel in. "The casualties can come from anything from the Taliban, to fights between contractors, to failure to pay local warlords off and an occasional reminder to do that," he said.
Those casualty numbers are likely to continue to rise as the military retains more and more private security contractors. When Obama announced last November that he was sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, for a total of 100,000, the number of armed security contractors had already been surging.
In March 2009, about the time Obama entered office, there were 4,000 contractors working for the DOD in Afghanistan. One year later, in March 2010, there were more than 16,000, according to the congressional study.
SeriousStudent
07-17-10, 13:53
Prayers sent for all the people downrange, that protect and defend us.
I hope that you, Iraqgunz, and all the other folks come back home safe.
In a 10-month period between June 2009 and April 2010, 260 private security contractors working for the Defense Department made the ultimate sacrifice, while over the same period, 324 U.S. troops were killed. In analyzing the numbers, the report found a private security contractor "working for DOD in Afghanistan is 4.5 times more likely to be killed than uniformed personnel."
Since these numbers don't appear to add up, I will assume they are factoring in the overall number of uniformed troops there as opposed to the number of overall contractors. If so, that is pretty sobering data.
I will say that I had no idea 90% of the private contracting done there was by Afghans. That seems like a rather high percentage, but maybe their numbers within the ranks have been increasing each year.
Littlelebowski
07-17-10, 18:55
Meanwhile, every Hollywood flick is demonizing private contractors. makes me sick.
Moose-Knuckle
07-18-10, 01:25
Meanwhile, every Hollywood flick is demonizing private contractors. makes me sick.
Every facet of media splooch does the same. There are several books on the subject as well that paint PMC's as rouge murders for the right wing. :rolleyes:
Typical lies, propaganda, and misinformation.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Blackwater/Jeremy-Scahill/e/9780786744909/?itm=1&USRI=blackwater+the+rise+of+the+world%27s+most+powerful
Meanwhile, every Hollywood flick is demonizing private contractors. makes me sick.
I just watched the Green Zone and was pissed at the way they portrayed the SF team. I thought they were contractors at first but think one of the characters refered to the as SF.
RancidSumo
07-19-10, 14:27
Every facet of media splooch does the same. There are several books on the subject as well that paint PMC's as rouge murders for the right wing. :rolleyes:
Typical lies, propaganda, and misinformation.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Blackwater/Jeremy-Scahill/e/9780786744909/?itm=1&USRI=blackwater+the+rise+of+the+world%27s+most+powerful
My brother lent me that book but I can only read "right wing Christian extremists" so many times before it becomes obvious the author wasn't too interested in factual reporting.
GermanSynergy
07-19-10, 18:39
My brother lent me that book but I can only read "right wing Christian extremists" so many times before it becomes obvious the author wasn't too interested in factual reporting.
Um yea...... The author is a typical leftist rabble rouser with little regard for the facts, and less for the guy that put their lives on the line.
Um yea...... The author is a typical leftist rabble rouser with little regard for the facts, and less for the guy that put their lives on the line.
I've been trying to read that book and it's leftist propaganda from cover to cover... I'll probably just end up tossing it in the trash to be honest.
GermanSynergy
07-20-10, 10:55
I've been trying to read that book and it's leftist propaganda from cover to cover... I'll probably just end up tossing it in the trash to be honest.
Yup. Given the level of vitriol, hyperbole and blind hatred, I'm surprised the author didn't try to accuse BW of stealing ice cream from kids, invade Poland in 1939 or aid the British in 1775.....:rolleyes:
ForTehNguyen
07-20-10, 11:16
washington post story about increasing reliance on PMCs
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/
The dependence on contractors is f'ed up. It's not good for our military or country to have privatized military forces on this scale and they have great damage to our reputation. many of them are foreigners btw so i would't get too weepy eyed about them "defending our country" or any other such nonsense. It's about money for most of them.
ForTehNguyen
07-21-10, 15:50
dunno if anyone has played Metal Gear Solid 4 on PS3 here but some of the things happening in real life are strikingly similar, like how America is becoming more and more reliant on PMCs. Sounds like we have too many troops in too many places at once.
Realize I will be un-popular when I say this, but:
So What?
Hundreds of oil field worker's deaths, workers that work in hostile environments, go un-reported too.
I have no sympathy for people that die who choose to take a job that has death as major risk of employment. Especially when they are doing that employment simply for an income.
Soldiers have been paid in wages since the Turks invented the practice.
I applaud people who stand honorably where others wont. Americans have a history of trying to get into the action for good causes before it was fashionable, popular or legal. From the Royal Airforce, to the American Volunteer Group, and the State of Israel.
variablebinary
07-21-10, 19:02
More Afghans need to suit up and be willing to die for their country.
Moose-Knuckle
07-21-10, 19:45
Soldiers have been paid in wages since the Turks invented the practice.
I applaud people who stand honorably where others wont. Americans have a history of trying to get into the action for good causes before it was fashionable, popular or legal. From the Royal Airforce, to the American Volunteer Group, and the State of Israel.
Well said sir. From the Texas Revolution, Teddy's Rough Riders, to Rhodesia....American fighting men have always stood and delivered. I give credit where credit is do.
GermanSynergy
07-21-10, 20:36
The dependence on contractors is f'ed up. It's not good for our military or country to have privatized military forces on this scale and they have great damage to our reputation. many of them are foreigners btw so i would't get too weepy eyed about them "defending our country" or any other such nonsense. It's about money for most of them.
The use of contractors by the Unites States is nothing new. Don't drink the left wing kool aid by thinking that they are all money hungry, blood thirsty "mercs", either.
Contractors do alot more than security work. They prepare meals, do laundry, provide intelligence, maintain vehicles and much more. Without them, we'd need many more troops in harms way to do these jobs.
Have you ever met an Iraq/Afghanistan contractor in person, or do you get all of your preconcieved notions about them from the left wing media?
You're painting with an awfully large brush...
variablebinary
07-21-10, 20:40
I would like see a true cost analysis on whether if using contractors is cheaper than just growing the military to offset the need of contractors.
I had no idea that so many contractors were being killed. I hope that they can stay as safe as our troops obviously.
Is there such a thing as the average contractor? Are most ex military? Do they come from the "regular" services, or do they tend to be more ex Special Forces types.
I seem to remember an article in Soldier of Fiction about a contractor, and his hours were terrible and he was issued really substandard equipment, but he was working a pretty "low glamor" armed security guard kind of job if I remember correctly.
GermanSynergy
07-21-10, 22:18
It depends. For instance, in Iraq, you generally have
Expats- US/UK/ZA - These are your security guys, intelligence support folks and SMEs.
LN- Local Iraqis that operate on bases that are day labourers, truck drivers and run hadji shops.
TCNs- Third country nationals- guy from India, Nepal, etc. These folks drive the trucks, wash laundry and prepare meals in the dining facilities.
In terms of qualifications, it all depends on what job you're after.
The requirements for a logistics coordinator will differ from a private security specialist.
Generally, former .mil or leo, clearance and knowing someone to give you a recommendation will get your cv looked at.
I had no idea that so many contractors were being killed. I hope that they can stay as safe as our troops obviously.
Is there such a thing as the average contractor? Are most ex military? Do they come from the "regular" services, or do they tend to be more ex Special Forces types.
I seem to remember an article in Soldier of Fiction about a contractor, and his hours were terrible and he was issued really substandard equipment, but he was working a pretty "low glamor" armed security guard kind of job if I remember correctly.
Iraq Ninja
07-21-10, 23:17
Is there such a thing as the average contractor? Are most ex military? Do they come from the "regular" services, or do they tend to be more ex Special Forces types.
I seem to remember an article in Soldier of Fiction about a contractor, and his hours were terrible and he was issued really substandard equipment, but he was working a pretty "low glamor" armed security guard kind of job if I remember correctly.
If it is the same article I read in SOF, the guy was not even in a war zone, but rather in Kuwait I think. He was doing static security work, which sucks and nobody strives to stay in those jobs anyhow. For the average PSD operator in Iraq, the lifestyle is very good with reasonable hours.
Most security contractors are former military, but only a small number are former SF types. Most are former grunts with a combat tour or two.
Today in Iraq, most military units can not roll out the front gate unless they got an Iraqi escort with them or they get approval from the Iraqis. Contractors are licensed through the Iraqi government to operate within the country, and have to abide by the same laws as everyone else does. If a checkpoint manned by the Iraqi police says you can't go thru, you turn around and head home. We rarely have any issues that can't be solved with a case of water or a soccer ball.
In twenty years when I got a grandchild on me knee asking what I did during the war on terror, at least I won't have to say that I stayed home and shoveled shit on the Internet (apologies to George Patton) and that I worked alongside some of the finest troops our Country has ever put into harms way. :) I just feel lucky to be a part of all this and don't expect anyone to understand my motivation. People who are in it just for the money, normally don't hang around after the first IED blast...
The scale is dramatically new. Pretty obvious. Everything you listed was done by US military not very long ago at all.
The use of contractors by the Unites States is nothing new. Don't drink the left wing kool aid by thinking that they are all money hungry, blood thirsty "mercs", either.
Contractors do alot more than security work. They prepare meals, do laundry, provide intelligence, maintain vehicles and much more. Without them, we'd need many more troops in harms way to do these jobs.
Have you ever met an Iraq/Afghanistan contractor in person, or do you get all of your preconcieved notions about them from the left wing media?
You're painting with an awfully large brush...
I would like see a true cost analysis on whether if using contractors is cheaper than just growing the military to offset the need of contractors.
It's not about cheaper its about growing the military industrial complex Eisenhower warned us about. Look at who is behind the dramatic unprecedented growth. Cheney was a big player for one. A five time draft deferrer who had "other priorities".
GermanSynergy
07-22-10, 12:05
The scale is dramatically new. Pretty obvious. Everything you listed was done by US military not very long ago at all.
How would you remedy this situation? Place more troops in harms way?
RancidSumo
07-22-10, 12:21
How would you remedy this situation? Place more troops in harms way?
I would move towards complete privatization and a non-interventionist foreign policy. Of course, that isn't going to happen anytime soon.
GermanSynergy
07-22-10, 12:29
Are you saying that you have no sympathy for members of the Armed Forces, Police, Fire, EMS & others who choose to go into harms way?
Forgive me for saying, it sounds very callous and cold hearted.
Also, who doesn't take a job without some expectation of monetary compensation?
I have no sympathy for people that die who choose to take a job that has death as major risk of employment. Especially when they are doing that employment simply for an income.
We could potentially save a lot of money by closing down most of our bases overseas and expanding the navy, air force and marine corps.
SeriousStudent
07-22-10, 20:05
......People who are in it just for the money, normally don't hang around after the first IED blast...
Sig line material. There's nothing as sobering as staring one's mortality directly in the face.
IraqNinja and GermanSynergy thank you for educating me on this issue.
IraqNinja, I think maybe we are talking about the same SOF article, thanks for clarifying a few things about that.
In any case, godspeed out there IraqNinja, stay safe. You certainly have an interesting job, and maybe, if I had your guts and training, maybe I'd opt for a similar job description, err if I had the guts :o
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