Comments on: The Outsourcing of Warfare: Privatized Military Operations by Publicly-Traded Companies http://blog.kld.com/transparency/the-outsourcing-of-warfare-privatized-military-operations-by-publicly-traded-companies/ SRI, ESG, antitrust, Climate change, Emerging Markets, Engagement, Foundations & Endowments, Globalization, Green Building, Investments, KLD, Law & Economics, Management, Microfinance, Mission-based Investing, Organic Food, Pensions, Private Equity, Product Safety, Proxy Voting, SEC, Social Enterprises, SRI/ESG Investing, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability Reporting, Transparency Thu, 4 Dec 2008 01:56:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Eric Bright http://blog.kld.com/transparency/the-outsourcing-of-warfare-privatized-military-operations-by-publicly-traded-companies/#comment-7423 Eric Bright Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:51:22 +0000 http://blog.kld.com/transparency/the-outsourcing-of-warfare-privatized-military-operations-by-publicly-traded-companies/#comment-7423 Kudos for addressing this issue! That the U.S. military is paying private contractors big money to do such work within war zones. Work that can be categorized as security, military logistics, maintenance, supply and other services essential to war-making. In effect, when contractors do this work, they enhance our troops' abilities to conduct additional combat missions. No longer does a soldier need peel potatoes or load ammo trucks -- that gets done by contractors paid two, three or even ten times a soldier's pay rate. In this war, our fighting men and women are given the privilege of getting shot up repeatedly, allowed to rest some while the contractors support them, and then our soldiers get sent on combat missions over and over again. In effect, contractors increase combat effectiveness and enhance the number of times that a soldier gets sent into harm's way. Let us know when you figure out whether your research methodology will reflect the identification or exclusion of military service contractors. Kudos for addressing this issue! That the U.S. military is paying private contractors big money to do such work within war zones. Work that can be categorized as security, military logistics, maintenance, supply and other services essential to war-making.

In effect, when contractors do this work, they enhance our troops’ abilities to conduct additional combat missions. No longer does a soldier need peel potatoes or load ammo trucks — that gets done by contractors paid two, three or even ten times a soldier’s pay rate. In this war, our fighting men and women are given the privilege of getting shot up repeatedly, allowed to rest some while the contractors support them, and then our soldiers get sent on combat missions over and over again. In effect, contractors increase combat effectiveness and enhance the number of times that a soldier gets sent into harm’s way.

Let us know when you figure out whether your research methodology will reflect the identification or exclusion of military service contractors.

]]> By: T Welsh http://blog.kld.com/transparency/the-outsourcing-of-warfare-privatized-military-operations-by-publicly-traded-companies/#comment-7424 T Welsh Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:25:24 +0000 http://blog.kld.com/transparency/the-outsourcing-of-warfare-privatized-military-operations-by-publicly-traded-companies/#comment-7424 The artiucle raises two interesting issues. First is the reversion to the historical example of mercenary companies to fight wars. Drake the privateer springs to mind was a very cost effective way for Elizabith 1 to face off the Spanish. Of course the officers of the crown took a percentage of the take! Second is the persistent efforts of contemporary governments in the West to find mechanisms that either vitiate or mitigate any direct line of accountability. The PMO investment achieves the desired outcome. This is avoidance of accountability is too real for me as I sit here in Jordan in an hotel where war wounded children from Iraq await treament at the local hospital paid for my the Government of Jordan. Who is accountable for their wasted bodies, who is accounta ble for the fact that they young boy will never play soccer in football crazy Iraq? The artiucle raises two interesting issues. First is the reversion to the historical example of mercenary companies to fight wars. Drake the privateer springs to mind was a very cost effective way for Elizabith 1 to face off the Spanish. Of course the officers of the crown took a percentage of the take! Second is the persistent efforts of contemporary governments in the West to find mechanisms that either vitiate or mitigate any direct line of accountability. The PMO investment achieves the desired outcome.

This is avoidance of accountability is too real for me as I sit here in Jordan in an hotel where war wounded children from Iraq await treament at the local hospital paid for my the Government of Jordan. Who is accountable for their wasted bodies, who is accounta ble for the fact that they young boy will never play soccer in football crazy Iraq?

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