Using mercenary soldiers can be traced back to the earliest periods of Ancient History. Great empires like the Egyptians and the Persians utilized mercenary troops. Hannibal’s initial successes and later defeats in the second Punic War rested with the employment of mercenary soldiers. American History also contains evidence of mercenaries from the earliest days of nationhood.
The current use of mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan is not a new phenomenon. However, given the scope of the numbers of men involved, the budgets, and recent media reports regarding inappropriate behaviors and possible illegal actions, the use of mercenaries by the Department of Defense has come under scrutiny.
Mercenary Armies in American History
All students of the American Revolution recall the 1776 Battle of Trenton in New Jersey. George Washington’s Continentals surprised 1500 Hessian troops the day after Christmas. Varying reports suggest that the German mercenaries were tired after celebrating the holiday with liquor. The battle itself highlighted the British use of German mercenary troops, hired out by various German principalities. The 1777 Battle of Saratoga included several units of German troops under the command of British General Burgoyne.
After the new American nation was born in 1783, declining economic conditions led to civil unrest, the most prominent one in New England known as Shays Rebellion. Daniel Shays, a decorated hero with a presentation sword from George Washington, led farmers facing foreclosure in an effort to close the courts. Boston merchants and financiers hired an army commanded by General Benjamin Lincoln to end the revolt.
During the Gilded Age at the time of post-Civil War industrialization, private contractors like the Pinkertons were hired by business owners to end strikes like the Pullman Strike in Chicago and the 1892 Homestead Steel Strike in Pennsylvania.
Twenty-First Century Mercenaries
Mercenaries today operate in Iraq and Afghanistan, supplementing U.S. troop strength and guarding diplomats. In the spring of 2008, 180,000 private contractors worked in Iraq; by the spring of 2009, 68,200 were operating in Afghanistan. These “soldiers of fortune” treat each new posting as a “tour of duty” (a term used by a former Blackwater employee working in Afghanistan). Their deaths and casualty numbers are not included in the official Department of Defense numbers.
Because they operate outside of the normal conventions of war, their actions frequently engender severe criticism, such as the recent revelations of highly questionable “hazing” practices at Camp Sullivan in Kabul by employees of ArmorGroup, a subsidiary of Wackenhut, a long-time provider of security personnel. Critics also point to the September 16, 2007 shooting of 17 civilians in Nisoor Square, Baghdad by Blackwater security forces. Blackwater Worldwide, which earned over $1 billion in no-bid contracts from the federal government, has since reorganized under the new name Xe Services.
The Moyock, NC company was also involved in the CIA’s secret renditions program, according to memos obtained August 24, 2009 by the German news magazine Der Spiegel. Additionally, Blackwater was involved with the CIA after 9/11 in setting up assassination teams, a plan that never went beyond the initial planning stages. Blackwater has also trained thousands of law enforcement personnel at its sprawling North Carolina headquarters.
Are Mercenaries the Way of the Future?
In the absence of a national military draft and growing security concerns around the world, private contractors can play a significant role in pursuing U.S. interests if held to a higher level of accountability. Middle East commentators like al-Jazeera’s Ahmed Monsour and U.S. activist attorney Susan Burke who has filed suits against Blackwater, refer to companies like ArmorGroup and Triple Canopy out of Herndon, VA as “merchants of death.”
Historically, contract soldiers do bear the exclusive criticism of atrocity but comparing them to Hitler’s SA – as some critics have done, is disingenuous. The My Lai massacre of 1968 demonstrates that regular soldiers can commit acts of atrocity when confronted by an elusive enemy. The only solution for those desiring to cutoff contract soldiers may well be a new military draft.
Sources:
- Sherwood Ross, “The Rise of Mercenary Armies: A Threat to Global Security,” Global Research
- Britta Sandberg, “Gyards at US Embassy Organized Humiliating Sex Games,” Spiegel Online, September 4, 2009
- Gabor Steingart, “Memo Reveals Details of Blackwater Targeted Killings Program,” Spiegel Online, August 24, 2009
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States (On-line edition)
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