“Erik Prince, founder of the controversial firm Blackwater, is trying to convince President Donald Trump to privatize America’s war in Afghanistan.”
Richard Nixon campaigned in 1968 on a promise to end the draft. The draft of middle class Americans was a source of resistance to the Vietnam war. Ending the draft, was seen by some as a means to deflect anti-war sentiment. Some feared that ending the draft would lead to more wars.
With the end of the Vietnam war, the the draft ended. In 1973 Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announced that no further draft orders would be issued.
The second Iraq war was fought in part by mercenaries. I met a veteran at work who explained that his job was to drive a bus on a military base. Another driver, who drove the same route, was a private employee. The second driver was paid much more than the first to the disgust of the enlisted man. Mercenaries, specifically employed by Blackwater, were involved in scandalous incidents in Iraq. Some believe that Blackwater attracted unsavory personnel who were not well supervised.
So now Blackwater wants to assume responsibility for the war in Afghanistan. Erik Prince claims he can fight the war with mercenaries more effectively than the American military and at less cost. If it is a good idea to keep fighting our longest war yet, is it a good idea to turn it over to a private company? The Pentagon doesn’t think so, and I too think not.
