The US Is About To Send More Private Contractors To Iraq

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-as-us-troops-return-to-iraq-more-private-contractors-follow-2014-12


A Shi'ite fighter walks during an intensive security deployment against Islamic State militants

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government is preparing to boost the number of private contractors in Iraq as part of President Barack Obama's growing effort to beat back Islamic State militants threatening the Baghdad government, a senior U.S. official said.

How many contractors will deploy to Iraq - beyond the roughly 1,800 now working there for the U.S. State Department - will depend in part, the official said, on how widely dispersed U.S. troops advising Iraqi security forces are, and how far they are from U.S. diplomatic facilities.

Still, the preparations to increase the number of contractors - who can be responsible for everything from security to vehicle repair and food service - underscores Obama's growing commitment in Iraq. When U.S. troops and diplomats venture into war zones, contractors tend to follow, doing jobs once handled by the military itself.

"It is certain that there will have to be some number of contractors brought in for additional support," said the senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/r-as-us-troops-return-to-iraq-more-private-contractors-follow-2014-12#ixzz3Mom7Ydpu

[countryjake]

1. Oh goody...

we never do seem to have enough Blackwater mercenaries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academi

Academi is an American private military company, founded in 1997 by Erik Prince. Formerly known as Blackwater, the company was renamed Xe Services in 2009, and "Academi" in 2011...

In 2014, the company became a division of Constellis Holdings along with Triple Canopy and other security companies that were part of the Constellis Group as the result of an acquisition.