Barack Obama

Private Military Out of Control

Monday, October 22, 2007

Chicago Sun-Times

U.S. security contractors in Iraq must be held accountable

If the U.S. government persists in outsourcing war to private contractors, those companies need to be accountable to the American people.

They are not.

The FBI investigation into the Sept. 16 killings of 17 Iraqi civilians by employees of Blackwater USA, a private security contractor, exposes a gaping lack of accountability. U.S. soldiers are investigated and tried under clear and established rules when accused of wrongdoing. A cottage industry that has grown exponentially since Sept. 11, 2001, private military companies are policed by a patchwork of rules and agencies that have left officials unclear on how to scrutinize and prosecute them.

Contractors shouldn't be rogue militia, roaming the country shooting without justification and without consequences. This is especially true since the federal government has apparently hired out the Iraq war right under our noses: There are nearly as many private military employees there as troops.

"It was a serious miscalculation by this administration of how many troops would be necessary ... a complete miscalculation of the violence and length of the war," said Sen. Dick Durbin, who supports legislation to better regulate contractors. Altogether, Blackwater has been involved in 195 escalation of force situations since 2005 -- about 1.4 shootings a week. But the company was given immunity from prosecution in Iraq by L. Paul Bremer III, former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Furthermore, military laws are written in such a way that Blackwater is not bound by them. Other than prosecuting Blackwater in U.S. civil courts, officials are unclear how the company should be handled.

''We're using them to a much greater extent than anyone really realized," said Laura Dickinson, a University of Connecticut military law expert. "We haven't had a public debate about it. They are risking their lives, too, but we have to make sure they are observing the appropriate limits on when you can use force."

Legislation subjecting contractors to the same military laws that bind soldiers would boost transparency and oversight. Congress is halfway there with the passage of Rep. David Price's (D-N.C.) bill to better govern security contracting. The next step is passing a law proposed by Sen. Barack Obama to subject contractors to military law. However, the State Department and President Bush -- who strongly opposed Price's proposal -- need to get out of the way.

Despite assurances that our military is equipped to secure victory in Iraq, it's clear now that America has depended heavily on a shadow military. Single-bid contracts are awarded to favored companies and paid for by taxpayers, who don't have a say in the process or its outcomes.

Our national interests are threatened when these companies act on the country's behalf without having to answer to Americans. Instead of winning the hearts and minds of Iraqis, we've made them angry and possibly fueled support for the counterinsurgency that is keeping us stuck in Iraq.