"Despite publicly breaking with an American private security company in Iraq, the State Department continues to award the company, formerly known as Blackwater, more than $400 million in contracts to fly its diplomats around Iraq, guard them in Afghanistan, and train security forces in antiterrorism tactics at its remote camp in North Carolina." - Bret Taylor

Probably because they really have no competition. As western mercenary forces go, Blackwater is as good as it gets. - LANjackal

Must same I'm *really* surprised that we're outsourcing intelligence though ... that's good for the free market and all, but you'd think that'd be the one thing we'd do in house :S - LANjackal

Why is that a shame? Nothing wrong with paying people to do your killing for you. That's what soldiers do, the only difference is contractual (they work for the govt.) not moral. As for the "excessive force" allegations, I'm enjoying the silence of the US diplomats who're still alive thanks to being protected. Trust me, over there is NOT like the US. I've lived in a crime-ridden 3rd world country with private (corporate) security before, and every day is an us-or-them situation. You don't have time to think. You take the route that guarantees the safety of yourself and those you're hired to protect no matter what. People who haven't been in those situations need to stop whining before they experience it themselves instead of reading the NYT from a Bay Area Starbucks. That's not the real world - LANjackal

The only reason I'm concerned about intel being handled by external contractors is the increased security risk from leaks, further links in the chain, etc. I don't have a moral problem with it. - LANjackal

The US is supposed to be the good guys by using Blackwater pardon me Xe we give credence to our enemies and make counter - insurgency more difficult. Excessive force and shoot don't shoot is the core of improperly executed security builds the bad propaganda that recruits our enemies. Merc's and out sourcing war are a loser on so many levels sadly lessons learned in Iraq are becoming ongoing mistakes in A-Stan - WarLord

Have you ever lived outside the US, warlord? I'm just asking. And I don't mean visited. I mean *lived*. In a country like Colombia, Nigeria, Venzuela, etc. When a family member or friend gets shot and robbed at a stoplight, kidnapped + raped + killed, get back to this thread and let us know if you still have the same outlook. It really is YOU or THEM over there. All I know is, if I see some suspicious guy in the way of my security motorcade. He. is. Dead. I'm putting a 5.56mm straight through his head. Deal with the whiners back home later - LANjackal

LAn 2 issues totally seperate - one is my response to a need for deadly force the other is a national policy to allow Xe cowboys to run roughshod over a country basically recruiting for AQ. I have zero interest in discussing my response and really little in discussing the cowboys other than to register my distaste for their tactics and the stupidity of we who employ the Prince of Darkness - WarLord

I'd rather be alive than dead right. That's all I have to say. And if it takes Blackwater to ensure that, so be it. I'll hire them 10x over. - LANjackal

@LANjackal Political assassination for intelligence matters is a core function of the government, it implies a level of responsibility which can not be outsourced to a private entity, for it dilutes that very responsibility. What is also, the legal responsibility of a corporation which purpose is to assassinate people, seriously? - Stephan Osmont

@LANjackal: I don't think anyone here seriously thinks things are all rosy "over there", or that we're going to have polite officers reading terrorists their Miranda rights. But you're conflating that with the wholly unrelated issue of whether we, as a nation, should be outsourcing assassination to private entities that exist in a legal gray area. The problem with companies like Blackwater is that they are acting on our behalf, but with very uncertain legal accountability. And events in Iraq have shown them to be, at times, less sensible than our own well-trained soldiers. - Joel Webber