I’m not sure how I feel about this…
From this afternoon’s Military.com headlines:
Use of Contractors for Training Faces Review
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a top-level review of the Pentagon’s use of private security contractors, including the controversial Moyock, N.C.-based Blackwater Worldwide, to train American troops.
“Why have we come to rely on contractors to provide combat or combat-related security training … Are we comfortable with this practice?” Gates asked in a July 10 memo to Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The defense boss also requested more detail on how much each of the military branches is spending on contractor-supplied training and whether the services have established “appropriate red lines” governing “what types of security training are permitted to be contracted out.”
He expects initial answers sometime this week, Gates said in a letter Friday to Virginia Sen. Jim Webb. A Mullen spokesman confirmed that a response is in the works.
I’ve run into a lot of contractor trainers in my travels and I’ve got to tell you, they’re by in large pretty darn good at what they do and provide a necessary service to American troops preparing for battle. Most of the training Soldiers and Marines receive at the camps in northern Kuwait, including Camp Buehring, before they go into Iraq comes from contractors. Everything from urban warfare training to tactical shooting drills are taught by retired master sergeants and gunnies.
The ones I’ve talked to are dedicated pros who don’t complain about the abysmal conditions and isolation of some of these camps. I’ve also looked into the training that goes on at civilian organizations for special operations forces. Again, some of the most sophisticated and highly technical fighting and weapons training goes on at these places and it would be a shame to have to shut these relationships down.
I’m not sure where Webb is going with this inquiry. I’ve got to admit, I am a bit squeemish when I hear that sailors with the riverine force are being trained by Blackwater staff. Not because of the company involved, but more because that seems like pretty basic training that should be conducted by sailors themselves.
I’m willing to be convinced otherwise, but I just don’t see what the problem is with retired grunts finding a new career training the same Joes they once served alongside. It’s the same thing that happens in the civilian world with retired whomevers “consulting” in their prior business. If the troops are more effective for it, why not do it?
– Christian
Direct training or training support?
A lot comes down to military force size and whether U.S. Armed Forces can afford to divert warriors from frontline units to school house training focuses that are not always career-enhancing for the Soldier, Sailor, Airmen, or Marine.
In many cases, contractors are cheaper than Soldiers or DoD civilians for the same or higher levels of experience.
This train has somewhat left the station years ago in the arena of supporting live, virtual, and constructive training:
http://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/wta/
Or google: Warrior Training Alliance.
Perhaps the red line has been crossed for some training. But there are technical areas in the realm of simulation, and live range complexes that contractors can run less expensively while freeing uniformed force structure and maintaining required continuity.
I agree…
But isn’t the bigger question Why aren’t they hanging onto the expertise and keeping these guys on the payroll as full time trainers.
I know some mercenaries… I mean contractors are ex special forces… doesn’t that imply that special forces should help tutor the normal grunts?
Why not do it? Because you’re turning more and more functions into FOR PROFIT enterprises. That’s a horrendous idea.
Reason #2: You lose OVERSIGHT and ACCOUNTABILITY. We know the military doesn’t have the resources to contractors. Taking this function one more step away from the public creates a risk of abuse puts national security assets in private hands.
Jeez, it doesn’t matter if the ones you happen to have seen were good. Gates realizes that this takes us further down the slippery slope. He’s right.
The problem with US ( and Canadian forces too) that they don’t pay their elite well enough to make them stick around. USSR (rest in piece
knew the value of these type of soldiers that’s why they were making significantly more then anyone else in the country. I’m surprised to see that elite units here (US and Canada) are not paid extra (aside from danger pay if deployed) for all the extra skills they have. Take a look at the private sector, if you have rare skill and they are in demand then you get better jobs and you get paid higher rates.
Here is rhetorical question why would someone want to do the same job for less money?
I applaud these guys for switching to private contracting jobs and not sticking around to learn (once again) that the system is screwing them.
The only thing that DOD needs to do is to setup guidelines and make sure that they are being followed. This will keep me happy as a taxpayer because I know that soldiers training meets certain standards and they are being trained by the best.
Franklea: “Why not do it? Because you’re turning more and more functions into FOR PROFIT enterprises. That’s a horrendous idea.“
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For profit enterprises are generally more efficient than government-run institutions. They cost taxpayers less.
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“Reason #2: You lose OVERSIGHT and ACCOUNTABILITY. We know the military doesn’t have the resources to contractors. Taking this function one more step away from the public creates a risk of abuse puts national security assets in private hands.“
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Be assured that government oversight and accountability continues through close supervision by DoD civilian and military personnel.
I went to flight school in 1981…and had civilian contractor flight instructors for both basic and instrument portions of flight school. That trend has expanded and Army Aviators are not suffering from it in combat. Taxpayers save money because sophisticated simulation flight hours are cheaper than real ones.
This is not a new phenomenon and the government would not do it unless it was cost-effective. I know of nobody who has joined our company who makes as much as he/she did while on active duty. That is why it is cheaper while sparing military and DoD civilian manpower for other critical duties.
http://therevolvingdoor.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/why-contractor-trainers-is-a-bad-idea/
Frank,
Read your blog. New to the game are we? You said:
“And this on the very day that the Senate Appropriations Committee holds a hearing to ask what happened to the billions upon billions that have been squandered due to poor management of military contractors, questions to which Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England could only answer, basically,
i think that it is bullshit that private contractors are training our military. it is hurting our retention whether you believe it or not. i have talked to many people dealing with contractors and there arrogant assholes who have no regard for authority. there are rules for a reason. but if people do not want to follow these rules they can join a contractor. sure there are some rules contractors must follow but not nearly as many operational guidelines as someone with the same role in the military.
Compare the training at a good civilian school to what the military provides. I trained with some Marines at a shooting school and they fired more rounds in that week than any of them had fired in their 10 years as military police, and were much more capable of actually effectively employing their pistols. Civilian schools don’t spend half the time carrying out pointless, ass-covering “safety procedures” because the trainers understand what actually is required to run a safe class and what constitutes pointless time-wasting harassment, a point that very few military range safety people ever get. You walk around with loaded guns all day class, just like you do when you are in the real world.
I am in one of the more technical branches of the active army and we are inundated with new tech and toys every year. We don’t have the manpower nor the experience with these systems to teach ourselves, therefore we have contractors teach us and contractors live on the FOB with us to advise us and help maintain them.