It is becoming increasingly clear that official data on U.S. military personnel deployed to so-called combat zones overseas may underestimate the true number. Similarly, active-duty military casualties represent only a fraction of the American casualties suffered in Washington’s various overseas crusades over the past two decades.
The primary mechanism for that statistical deception is the Pentagon’s use of “civilian contractors,” such as the one killed in a drone strike targeting U.S. troops targeting coalition bases in eastern Syria last week. It is expanding.by Congressional Research Service in JanuaryAs of the end of 2022, approximately 22,000 contractor personnel worked for the Department of Defense across Central Command’s jurisdiction, with a reported 7,908 contractors in Iraq and Syria. ing.
When most people hear this term used, they assume that the individuals involved are support personnel who provide food, transportation, and other services to the military. this is true. But in many cases, contractors are replacing armed guards — mercenaries, if you will — and can suffer casualties at a similar rate to soldiers who are officially part of the U.S. military.
In 2017, U.S. Army Gen. John Nicholson, then commander of the NATO Resolute Support Mission and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Pentagon would “replace contractors with soldiers to meet staffing levels.” He said it was necessary. Afghanistan. As of October 2018, There were over 25,000 contractors in Afghanistan. Of these, he classified 4,172 as private security contractors in Afghanistan and 2,397 as armed private security contractors.
Of course, the peak of the use of contractors was during the global war on terror. Committee on Wartime Contracts in Iraq and Afghanistansaid in its final report in 2011 that there was an “unhealthy overreliance” on military contractors by the Department of Defense, State Department, and USAID.
It is difficult to determine the exact number of armed contractors in recent years. Officially it seems low. in February 2021 reportOf the 27,338 contractors in Afghanistan, there were reportedly 1,413 armed (as opposed to unarmed) security contractors at the end of 2020, and 96 (unarmed) private security contractors in Iraq and Syria. ing.
But according to CRS in 2023“The number of security contractor employees working for the Department of Defense in Iraq and Syria has fluctuated significantly over time depending on a variety of factors. As of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2022, the number of security contractor employees working for the Department of Defense in Iraq and It reported 941 security contractors in Syria, but not a single one was identified as an armed security contractor.”
However, in April 2022, the Department of Defense numbers Of the 6,670 military contractors in Iraq and Syria at the time, 596 were designated for training and security.
Although they are said to not participate in direct combat, many Pentagon contractors are simply modern-day Hessians, German mercenaries employed by major European powers in the 18th century. Britain used these privately owned guns to suppress movements for independence in the American colonies. In fact, George Washington’s army captured more than 900,000 of them during the Christmas 1776 raid that captured Trenton and Princeton.
In our time, black water Its role as a major source of contractors during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq highlighted an important new element in the Pentagon’s strategy. Blackwater was founded in late December 1996. Former Navy SEAL Eric Prince, the company has since changed its name several times, most recently becoming Constellis. But the basic business model remains the same, and that model is attracting imitators. 2020 insider account This testimony from one of the company’s operatives should dispel any remaining illusions that the company’s personnel provide support services only to the U.S. military.
Contractors in combat situations are exposed to even greater risks in such roles. As of September 1, 2021, 4,898 U.S. troops have died in Iraq, according to calculations by the Watson Institute at Brown University. The number of contractor fatalities was a close second. 3,650. In Afghanistan, the suspicious scope of deaths attributable to American “civilian” contractors was further revealed when the US military finally withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021. Washington acknowledged that 2,448 U.S. service members were killed. was killed A comparison was made with 3,846 contractors over a 20-year intervention period.Watson Institute analysis reveals contractor fatalities 3,917.
In late 2021, analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) noted that: more contractors (approximately 8,000 people) died in various post-9/11 conflicts than U.S. military personnel. Such an outcome would not be possible without some level of deep contractor involvement in combat operations.
The Pentagon’s strategy in Syria also appears to be based on using contractors wherever possible.Officially, the US only has about 500 troops in Syria, but recent reports suggest that number is over 900. But General James B. Jarrard’s ill-advised comments in 2017 suggested that the actual number of U.S. military personnel in Syria has always been: approaching 4,000. Mr. Jarrard appears to have included Washington contractor executives in his total, even though such confessions contradicted the Pentagon’s official position at the time.
The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment today to confirm the number of military contractors, armed or not, in Syria.
Drone attacks on US military targets in eastern Syria on March 23 killed one American contractor And wounding another person (and five military personnel) may have provided a new glimpse into the true scope (and danger) of Washington’s uninvited presence in Syria. The use of Pentagon contractors has become a convenient smokescreen to hide the extent to which the United States is embroiled in unnecessary, bloody, and morally questionable armed conflict.
We may be witnessing that process emerging now regarding US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Alexander Vindman, a former National Security Council official known for his role in the first impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, is openly impose Washington has called for military contractors to be sent to assist Kiev’s efforts to repair damaged weapons systems. CSIS has already proposed: similar movement In May 2022, U.S. “battlefield contractors” will be dispatched. A dramatic escalation would not be necessary to move from such support by so-called contractors to a direct combat role.
US leaders are willing to take an even more dangerous risk than interfering in the affairs of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, since the presence of US mercenaries in Ukraine could lead to a direct conflict with Russia. Congress and the American people must demand greater transparency about the role of Washington’s Hessians in all combat zones.
