T H E P R E S S :

Washington fields mercenary army in Iraq:

"According to recent estimates there are around 15,000 private bodyguards and security personnel operating inside Iraq, of which at least 6,000 are believed to be armed—making them the second biggest military presence after the US Army. The number is set to increase even further—in what is being described as an Iraqi Klondike—after the so-called handover of sovereignty to the Iraqi Governing Council on June 30."

Mercenaries and private security firms are increasingly assuming the task of regular troops world-wide :

"US forces, but even the United Nations and Iraqi insurgents are increasingly making use of the service of private companies or individuals guarantee their safety or conduct military operations.

The coalition forces in Iraq are coming under increasing pressure from insurgents. Security and military companies are profiting from the situation by assuming tasks which were formerly reserved to the military. Employees of private security firms meanwhile constitute the second largest military contingent in Iraq, numbering around 25 thousand people - more than the entire British force. Private companies guarantee the flow of supplies, train troops and service computers. Their employees are former soldiers, officers or secret service members. The trend towards privatisation is not confined to Iraq. Such companies operate everywhere in the world, from Columbia to Afghanistan. "

Outsource This!:

"Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld viewed the war in Iraq as an opportunity to validate his theory that the overwhelming technological advantages enjoyed by the United States would allow a small, mobile ground force supported by high-tech weaponry to achieve military victory. Rumsfeld and other civilians in the Pentagon overruled the military commanders on the size of the force that would invade Iraq, and bet that the lightning ground assault and precision air attacks would enable us take control of the country largely intact.  As a result, we were left woefully unprepared to provide basic security in the days and weeks immediately after the fall of Saddam's regime, an error that we are still paying for in blood and treasure more than a year later."

Senators seek investigation into private security firms in Iraq (reported by AP on April 29, 2004 already)

"Earlier this month, 13 Democrats wrote Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to argue that it is a dangerous precedent to allow private armies to operate outside the control of a governmental authority. Dozens of companies are operating in Iraq under contract with the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S.-led governing body in Iraq, plus the Defense Department and other U.S. agencies. Thousands of others are on assignments for the United States and others worldwide, protecting buildings, guarding officials, and training police and soldiers. The senators asked the GAO to address the private contractors' liabilities, including whether they are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and who has jurisdiction to punish them if they commit crimes."

Book: Corporate Warriors: The Rise and Ramifications of the Privatized Military Industry by P.W. Singer

A Guide to Private Military Corporations by Disinfopedia, "a collaborative project to produce a directory of public relations firms, think tanks, industry-funded organizations and industry-friendly experts that work to influence public opinion and public policy on behalf of corporations, governments and special interests. The Disinfopedia is sponsored by the Center for Media and Democracy.

Executive Outcomes have an interesting entry. Read!