DoD Buzz: New Rules Coming for Contractors

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New Rules Coming for Contractors
By Bryant Jordan Friday, October 10th, 2008 6:27 am[br />Posted in Intelligence, International, Land, Policy

The war in Iraq has been a windfall for hired muscle, with private security types able to pull in hundreds of dollars a day — at times doing the same job as a soldier. In some instances, senior managers for a company like Blackwater — the North Carolina-based company whose name is synonymous with armed contractors — could pull in more than a grand a day, according to reports.

But between any future U.S-host nation status of forces agreement — including one the United States and are pushing to nail down before Dec. 31 — and the Army’s new stability operations field manual, the boomtown days of for armed contractors may be numbered, say Army officials.

In response to questions by Dod Buzz during the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington, D.C., officials said the rules under which Blackwater and other private security companies have been operating are going to change, including in Iraq. Furthermore, they suggested that if FM 3-07, the stability operations guide, is implemented correctly, there may be less need to have private security.

“SOFAs will direct a lot of that in the countries” the United States deploys troops to, said Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, commander of the Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, the command that oversees the Command and General Staff College. “We could see a major shift even next year in Iraq, if you want to talk very specifically what contractors may or may not be able to do as the year 2009 rolls along.”

But if the steps spelled out in the new field manual are fully factored into planning even before any hostilities, then actions taken right after the shooting stops — establishing or re-establishing health care, a judiciary, public works and security, etc. — could reduce the need or likelihood of private security moving in.


Rest of article at: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2008/10/10/new-rules-coming-for-contractors/?wh=wh