Blackwater USA: Onward Christian Soldiers.

In the wake of the Iraqi invasion of 2003, American citizens became aware that the Bush administration and the US military were employing private security companies to help "stabilize" the beleagured country. This elicited a wave of controversy due to the fact that these companies could feasibly be used to avoid public accountability for the actions of American military forces. In addition, there is no accurate way for the public to make an accurate accounting of the way these contractors are spending US tax dollars. While we are gradually becoming acclimated to the idea that we will never know how the government administers the grotesquely increasing military budget, the use of mercenaries adds another layer of obfuscation. It was even suggested that these mercenary soldiers might act in a particularly partisan manner.

Iraq wasn't the first, or the last, place where these private security contractors were employed. They were used in the previous invasion of Afghanistan, as well as in Lousiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In the latter disaster it was rumored that they participated in law enforcement. Of course this choice was higly troubling. This is a convenient method for the federal government to do an end run around posse comitatus laws (these protect us from the use of regular military forces for law enforcement purposes in domestic situations).

One company that continually appears on the roles of independent contractors employed by the Bush administration is Blackwater USA. This private military contractor and security firm was founded by Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL and the son of an auto parts magnate. When his father died, he quit the Navy and sold the Prince Corporation for $1.4 billion. He invested the money in Blackwater. The corporation currently boasts possession of "the largest privately owned firearms training facility in the nation" in rural North Carolina. The vice chairman of the company commented in 2006 that Blackwater is able to provide a full brigade-strength sized unit (1500-3500 personnel) of military professionals for use in humanitarian efforts and low intensity conflicts. The Blackwater Academy also offers coursework in scout/sniper training, language/cultural immersion, military-grade weapons, and tactical training (civilians welcome).

The Blackwater firm made a name for itself when four of its employees were ambushed by Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah. They were killed by a grenade, their bodies were burnt to a crisp, and they were suspended from a bridge crossing the Euphrates River. The graphic photos released by the world media enraged US patriots, but drew attention to the thorny complexities of using private contractors as combatants in a theater of war. In 2005 and 2007, eleven Blackwater contractors were killed as their helicopters were shot down over Iraq. A total of 30 employees have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghansistan. But Blackwater and other private military contractors are not legally required to carry life insurance for their "operators". Under the Defense Base Act, the burden of compensation for survivors of the fallen rests on the American taxpayer instead.

Blackwater (along with their offshore subsidaries and affiliates like Greystone, Air Quest, and Presidential Airways) currently has over half a billon dollars worth of US government contracts. Some of their operations are based in foreign countries, where they can draw prospective employees from a range of backgrounds. They have recruited foreign nationals from some of the most repressive military regimes in the world (Chile, South Africa). Their aviation activities in Iraq have included rendition flights. And until very recently, private contractors in Iraq have enjoyed virtual immunity from legal prosecution.

Word is that Blackwater USA is making a bid to acquire some of the $7 billion worth of UN contracts in Darfur. To that end, they have been making a concentrated effort to seem just a little less bad-assed, and a bit more humanitarian. Their company webpage used to feature pictures of ninja-like commandos. Now they have a photo of their employees in the midst of smiling third world children. This is a big change in PR efforts. In fact, their previous perception management was illuminated by the choice of web bloggers to refer to Blackwater Aviation's flight group as "Ass Monkeys". What claim can they make on compassion?

Founder/owner Erik Prince sits on the boards of far rightwing organizations such as Christian Freedom International and the Institute of World Politics. He was an intern for the first president Bush (while Dick Cheney was reconfiguring the defense department to allow greater degrees of outsourcing). He also interned for the Family Research Council. He has campaigned for Patrick Buchanan. The Prince family is famous for pumping tens of millions of dollars into the Christian Conservative movement. The son is a chip off the old block. He is an outspoken critic of homosexuals, the Clean Air Act and governmental oversight of corporations. Unfortunately he's also the general for a rabid "brigade-sized" force of highly trained mercenaries. The conjunction of force, war profiteering and extreme political ideology is a grave threat to the future of the United States.