Army of Shadows

While the debate about the increase of troops in Iraq still going on in the Senate for a second week in a row, another hearing is been held at the House.
This hearing was created to investigate private security firms in Iraq.

On this hearing, family members of the PMC (private military contractors) employed by Blackwater USA, killed in the 2004 ambush in Falluja, west of Baghdad, complained about the failure of the company to provide their relatives with adequate gear and weaponry.

Private contractors are not mercenaries in the traditional sense, since they are not used in combat operations.
Many of them are veterans of US armed forces, and they perform noncombatant duties normally carried by US Army troops, but they are paid 2 to 5 times more (depending on the risk) than regular soldiers.

Basically they provide security and protection.
These contractors are the second largest army in Iraq, after the US Army and Marines.
The Pentagon estimates the amount of contractors in Iraq in around 100.000.

The largest security contractors, Blackwater USA and Dynacorp have deployed more then 1.000 private soldiers in Iraq.
Blackwater USA also has a fleet of 25 planes and helicopters operating in Iraq, under its aviation affiliate, Presidential Airways.
Recently one of these helicopters was shot down in Baghdad, killing five civilian contractors.

L3 Communications have 7.000 employees working in over a dozen of contracts in Iraq.

Backwater alone has won $505 million in publicly identifiable federal contracts since 2000.

Just to understand the magnitude of these private armies, you have to contemplate the ratio of private contractors compared to the regular Army.
During the first Gulf war 08/90-02/91, the ratio of private contractors to troops was 1 to 60; in the current war, it's 1 to 3.

These contractors are not only Americans, but from other countries like Germany, South African, Great Britain, Philippines, Colombia, Chile etc.
Of course, people from some countries get paid less than others.

With their presence, the amount of foreign forces in Iraq reached more that 250.000.

Meantime the war still raging, and we still paying for it…