Seventy percent of all personnel that work for the Department of Defense are private contractors.

[dmr]

That was said by Jeremy Scahill on the Olbermann show June 24, 2010. Those words haunt me. I knew it was bad, but never knew it was this bad. It didn't happen overnight, either. I wonder what the percentage increase was during Bush*/Cheney.

The topic of this discussion is Blackwater's latest contract.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37920685/ns/msnbc_tv-countdown_with_keith_olbermann/
...
OLBERMANN: The secretary of state when she ran for the presidential nomination opposed this kind of mercenary contracting. So did President Obama, we thought he did. What‘s going on relatively to the leadership at the highest levels here?

SCAHILL: Right. Well, I think that what this shows is that the United States has become entirely reliant upon these private sector forces. The fact is that we are now addicted as a nation to outsourcing national security policy.

Seventy percent of all personnel that work for the Department of Defense are private contractors. I‘m not just talking about on the battlefield. I‘m talking about the whole Department of Defense.

So, you know, I‘ve talked to a leading member of the intelligence committee today, Jan Schakowsky, who told me that she‘s repeatedly asked the Obama administration to justify this and has been given no clear reason for why they continue to do this.
...

You can view the whole segment here: http://www.clicker.com/web/fire-dog-lake/Countdown-The-Nation-s-Jeremy-Scahill-Blackwater-facelift-fooling-no-one-still-a-merc-outfit-965645.html

I've already written my Senators and Representative.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. Before we repeat the Charge of the Light Brigade here, lets get some context

and understand just what that included. Does it include all the people at GE who build jet engines? What about the GE tech reps in the field? Same for LM, NGC, etc. That kind of critical detail is needed

[spanone]

2. how long til private contractors are writing policy?

[KonaKane]

14. What makes you think they aren't now?

Crazier things have happened.

[laughingliberal]

20. I thought they were. nt

[bananas]

3. "I‘m not just talking about on the battlefield. I‘m talking about the whole Department of Defense."

That covers a lot, the DOD has private companies bid for contracts, for everything from janitorial services to designing and building the next generation of jet fighters.

edit to add: That's why so much defense spending is pork-barrel politics - congressmen vote on projects based on how much $$$ it will bring to their area.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

9. I doubt his statement is accurate

With KO not even asking the most basic questions on it, I am disappointed in both of them.

[avaistheone1]

4. How do those numbers compare with 25/30 years ago percentage wise?

[Ozymanithrax]

5. It includes janitors, grounds keepers, electrician, and others that maintain U.S...

facilities here and abroad. It includes military facilities that perform depot level maintenance on aircraft, tanks, trucks, and other equipment. This job is no longer handled by "war fighters." It includes civilian security forces that serve on most U.S. military bases. It includes the people that work in the PX's, commissaries, gas stations. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employs 34,600 civilians and 600 soldiers. From what I've found, the U.S. military employs about 700,000 contractors, most of whom perform jobs that do not involve killing people.

Personally, I oppose hiring Xe or similarly named mercenary units. If more soldiers are "needed" recruit them or draft them.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. What about the big boys like Lockheed, GE, Northrop Grumman...

The statement is without context or backup. Damn near worthless.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. Corporations are not employees of the Department of Defense...

They are contracted to develop and build equipment and are not U.S. Government employees. Since bringing up these "big boys" is what you have, clearly this statement is "Damn near worthless."

Try here:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Americans_serve_in_the_military_currently
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa052998.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Corps_of_Engineers

If you want to find out what all these civilans do working for the Department of Defense, do not rely on some talking head on any show.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. He said contractors...which both LockMart and Blackwater are and did not deliniate

KO was wuss for letting him get away with it.

[Ozymanithrax]

13. Yes, but his numbers are wrong, including all employees and...

contractors, most of which are not "war fighters."

[aikoaiko]

6. Does this include all the non-armed personnel too? Like cooks, janitors, etc?

:shrug:

[Historic NY]

7. Its a racket...people get out of the service ........

and come back for 3-4 times salary for the same work. So its now blame Obama, its going to take years to stop this practice. Much like lobbying, rules will be needed to stop people from quitting the military and coming back in as a civilian contractor. The privatization culture has become big business and they blatantly recruit amongst active duty. USMA at West Point is just now going back to Military Police at the gates. It never made sense to me to have private guard minding a military base, they have no powers of arrest. The bakery at West Point used to employee about 16 people to make hundreds of loaves of bread from scratch daily. They now buy premade stuff and still have to finish it off. Its not saving money, its actually costing more and lining the pockets of contractors. The contractors have no loyalty its permeated all facets of the government. It might have cut the government work force but it replaced it with profit orientated business culture that just doesn't care.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041604075.html
(the union won)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-isenberg/military-ethics-and-priva_b_466291.html

http://www.privateforces.com/

http://www.sandline.com/hotlinks/4contractors.htm

[Bigmack]

12. They've outsourced to the civilians...

the jobs that the military used to do.... cooks, maintenance.. like that.

That way.. the actual number of people we have servicing the MIC is unknowable.

[havocmom]

15. Which means, America is NOT being defended.

[bobthedrummer]

16. it's the culture of death-kick

[Bragi]

17. US military is largest mercenary army in history

Why would we expect otherwise?

[sufrommich]

18. I'm sure the families of soldiers would prefer you

not refer to them as mercenaries.

[Bragi]

19. Most I know handle the truth quite well /nt

[TexasObserver]

21. Because that is the purpose of the DOD.

The defense contractors tell the generals what to do, and the generals tell the congress what they need, and the lobbyists for the contractors stuff money into the pockets of congress, which pass bills to buy stuff from the defense contractors.

Ike was right.

[bobthedrummer]

22. Some useful links for researchers and citizens looking into this criminal development

Corp Watch
http://www.corpwatch.org/

The Center for Media and Democracy/Source Watch
http://www.sourcewatch.org/

Right Web/Institute for Policy Studies
http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org