WASHINGTON, June 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is an op-ed by Michael Hardiman, a contractor who served in Iraq, on the role of security contractors in Iraq:
"Ay, mate. Get in. You will sit over here."
Security team leader Nigel jerked me out of my early morning stupor, barking instructions to both his crew and the people he was charged with transporting and protecting on this three day trip through the north of Iraq. At dinner the night before, Nigel and the gang had been friendly and talkative. Retired British SAS special forces soldiers, they had regaled us with stories of the Falklands Islands War from the 1980s.
But in this morning's predawn light, it was all business. Sulaymaniya in Kurdistan was low-risk, but travel through oil-rich Kirkuk and Saddam's home town of Tikrit would be more dangerous, or "dodgy" as our British team would say. The three days passed without incident, and we appreciated every minute of their experienced and professional protection.
Nigel and company were employed by one of the private sector security contractors that have proliferated since 9/11, in particular since the start of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. With macho names like Blackwater, Triple Canopy and Falcon and playing an expanded role compared to previous conflicts, they have drawn attention and criticism.
What I saw in Iraq was these contractors filling in where our armed forces did not need to be. Protecting key personnel, guarding convoys and defending supply depots has sharply reduced the number of American troops needing to be deployed overseas. Contractors have been exposed to significant danger and suffered more casualties than nearly all of the armed forces of nations contributing to the coalition in Iraq.
Upon my return to the U.S., I saw in all the media outlets stories about the incredible paychecks contractors received and the massive cost of all this to the taxpayer. Very prominent for example has been Pennsylvania Congressman Jack Murtha and others who have proclaimed that some contractors were "making more money" than the secretary of defense or a two star general. Or in Murtha's words, "How in the hell do you justify that?" (Philadelphia Inquirer, June 3 2007).
Here is how and why it is justified. By hiring contractors, the government can bring on experts in their fields, from personal security to linguistics to crop irrigation, without incurring the three major long-term costs of permanent government employees: pension, medical coverage and job security. When the job is done, the contractors are gone.
Take Blackwater for example, generally considered the most elite of the private security firms. It has no contracts with the Defense Department, but a major deal with the Department of State to protect prominent visitors to Iraq (such as Congressman Murtha) and "high value" Americans working in Iraq. When traveling with my boss I was protected by Blackwater teams. Every Blackwater contractor I met was a veteran of an elite military unit, and their Personal Security Details, or "PSD" protection teams, worked together seamlessly.
This kind of quality, exposed constantly to the dangers of war, doesn't come cheap. Some of the security contractors and specialists from other fields who are working in Iraq, are, in fact, paid like generals -- in terms of current salary. However, missing is the back-end compensation of a government pension, medical coverage and job security. Another difference is perks that a general officer or the Secretary of Defense receive, such as a huge staff waiting on them and a very nice bomb proof office in the Pentagon.
Congressman Murtha will be happy to know the level of expertise that is protecting him next time he leads a congressional delegation to Iraq. I hope he also realizes the savings to taxpayers before he returns home to complain about the expense of contractors.
Another legend I have heard frequently is the river of tax-free money flowing into the pockets of contractors. Under limited circumstances, a portion of the salary of some contractors is tax-free. My situation was much more typical. I made a lot of money in Iraq, and paid taxes on every penny of it. I was taken off the payroll when my Iraq service ended, and the US government has no future pension or medical obligations to me resulting from my time overseas.
The role of security contractors in Iraq has been to take the pressure off of our soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen by taking on defensive and protective responsibilities. This has reduced the need for ever-longer deployments, which keep our troops away from their families, and has saved the taxpayers money.
END
Mr. Hardiman served in Iraq as a contract employee of the Defense Department in 2004 and the State Department in 2005. He plans to return to Iraq later this year as an Army contractor.
Michael Hardiman
CONTACT: Michael Hardiman, +1-202-531-2290, hardimanmike@yahoo.com
Web site: http://www.mikehardiman.com/
