Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Guns for hire
By Andrea Laidman
The Observer (Notre Dame)
10/15/2007

(U-WIRE) SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Great Britain's decision last week to cut their troops in Iraq in half by spring raises questions about the composition of forces on the ground in Iraq.

The United Kingdom will decrease their deployment from 5,000 to 2,500 in the coming months, with the possibility of future reductions throughout 2008.

This move emphasizes again the role of outsourcing and contracting in the Iraq war: Private security guards now make up the second largest "force" in Iraq, and the British reductions only further cement the centrality of security firms.

The Pentagon estimates there are 60 private security firms with as many as 25,000 employees in Iraq (this is in addition to 100,000 civilian contractors working to rebuild the nation).

Last Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates defended the decision of British officials to remove half of the 5,000 British troops in Iraq by spring. Gates, speaking in London, said that Britain remained "America's closest ally" and portrayed the British decision as a "joint agreement" with full consent and support of the United States. He said the troop reduction and plans for the future size and role of British troops had been "closely worked out" with Gen. David Petraeus, the senior American commander in Iraq.

When announcing the halving of troops to the House of Commons last week, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown left open the possibility that all British soldiers might leave Iraq by the end of 2008.

This possibility of continuing reductions or the complete withdrawal of British troops was not addressed by Gates in London.

As British troops are sent home from Iraq and their number drops to 2,500, it is possible that the next year could see a single security firm with more troops on the ground than any nation besides the United States.

The current dominant firm in Iraq is Blackwater, a company that, according to an Oct. 1 report released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has seen incredible growth since the start of the war.

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