Threats Threats to the implementation of private military companies are public opinion and lack of budget for military spending. The challenge of public opinion can be founded in the way in which private military contractors are portrayed in the media and the high profile criminal investigations that have happened in the United States concerning the actions of a small minority of contractors. Similar to the current image of the Canadian Armed Forces, the actions of a small number of members can significantly impact the overall public opinion of a group. Even though the majority of military contractors have not been charged or found guilty of any crime, events such as the Nisur Square shooting will be used to weaken the argument for private
During the Vietnam Conflict, many Americans held a poor view of the military and its political and military leadership. Protestors met returning soldiers at airports, train and bus stations, and in hometowns with open hostility. Following the conflict, and perhaps the maturing of the ‘60s generation, the view towards the military began to change somewhat. The hostility declined, but an appreciation for the military never really re-emerged during the ...
The United States Army, in its current state, is a profession of arms. In order to be considered a profession, the organization must have an ethical code rooted in values, strong trust with its clients, and be comprised of experts within the trade. These experts are constantly developing the trade for the present and the future and hold the same shared view of their trade culture.
Author Aaron Fichtelberg expresses how Engineering ethics and Army ethics are cohesive entities that are treated as polar bodies. The U.S. Army has been ever growing machine fueled by patriotism and what is known as the Industrial Military Complex (Fichtelberg 690,692). The author Aaron Fichtelberg is trying to decipher how private engineers who create weapons for the military are ethically and morally responsible for the weapons they create. In this article the author tries to bring light of the responsibilities engineers have as professionals. An engineer has moral obligations that s/he must oblige by to ensure the general safety of the public as defined by the NSPE Code
In 2011, two former employees for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and an official from a small business Eyak Technology LLC were indicted on federal charges that included bribery, wire fraud, money laundering and unlawful kickbacks. In order to help better understand the details of the charges against these men, a closer look at the responsibility the individuals involved held with regard to the federal government is paramount. The suspects from USACE; Alexander Michael and Kerry Khan were programs managers at the time of said crime. Alexander Michael who was employed with USACE since 1979, was responsible for the USACE Directorate of Contingency Operations and had authority to secure funding for the USACE projects, this included
During the film, A Few Good Men, it is quite evident that the type of criminal court system portrayed in the movie deals with military court cases, rather than civilian matters. The story is a compelling one that describes how military tribunals are conducted within the United States, and how the legal system deals with affairs when it comes to court martials and criminal cases within the armed forces. The idea that this film is stressing, is that when it comes to following orders, who is responsible for the actions carried out? Is it the soldier, the commander, or both? This is the question that the prosecutors and defense attorneys battle in court in order to see justice done. Throughout this paper, I will go over the legitimization
The Army has experience, during wartime, peacetime and during period of persistent conflict, in addressing the challenges of developing, maintaining and adapting its professional practices and areas of expertise. It has been able to produce and utilize ethical combat power throughout its history because of the priority it has placed upon the development of Professional Soldiers, prepared to defend the Constitution and the American people. The Army and its leaders remain focused on the roles that institutional, operational, and self-development play within the ongoing evolution of the operating environment. As it does so, the Army will remain a Profession of Arms for centuries to come.
The military since the Colonial Era has been an impetus for social reform in the United States. The Revolutionary War afforded Black Americans an opportunity to escape from the toils of slavery and fight for freedom. Some Black Americans even earned their freedom by fighting for the Colonists, but still the freedom they fought for wasn’t their own. However, the military was responsible for the freedom of many slaves and some of these freed slaves became legendary soldiers like Salem Poor. His performance in battle gave credibility for future arguments about blacks being allowed to serve.
According to Charles Mahoney, the US military depended upon contractors to support counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of the tasks the military contractors conduct include drone missions to collect signals intelligence and assist foreign countries like Iraq and Afghanistan forces to fight insurgencies. There have been notable occurences of use of excessive force in violation of human right by companies such as CACI at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq and Blackwater at Nisour Square. Iraq has made reference to the lack of monitoring the private military defenses on their grounds. “If the US government is going to work extensively with contractors, it requires a more robust oversight system, government agencies and courts also need assurances they can hold defense firms accountable if they break the law overseas”
The military is tasked with the duty and responsibility of protecting the nation from external attacks and managing any attacks that may happen. Over the years, countries across the world have engaged in conflicts originating from differences in policies and invasion of privacy and unfair treatment of citizens in foreign countries. In...
As a Wall Street Journal Pentagon correspondent, Thomas E. Ricks is one of America’s elite military journalists. He has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and awarded a Society of Professional Journalists Award for his writings based on the Marines. Thomas E. Ricks lectures to military officers and was a member of Harvard University’s Senior Advisory Council on the project on U.S. Civil-Military Relations. As a Pentagon correspondent, he can access information where no other civilian can step foot—traveling with soldiers abroad, his eyes tell the tale of the life of a Marine.
The Army must reduce dependence on contractors to maintain the operational readiness required to accomplish its’ mission. According to an industry study on privatized military operations the author pointed out that the overreliance on contractors potentially erodes unit core competencies as organic knowledge, skills and abilities are lost from disuse. The use of contractors in mission critical areas prevents the transfer of actual experience and self-reliance necessary for successful operations. Placing a comparable amount of military personnel who normally perform a function with the contractor will help sustain operational capacity, institutional expertise and support more effective contract oversight. The ability to assess contractor reliability against standardized metrics will significantly reduce the risk to deployed forces who are highly dependent on the contractors for mission accomplishment.
...zation of police forces. Some feel that the militarization helps make police forces more successful while other see the militarization of police forces as a negative that is detrimental to the people living in the areas that are affected by the militarization. The recent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland has caused the issue the become a hot topic in the media. The Obama administration’s act of prohibiting federal agencies from providing police forces with grenade launchers, high-caliber weapons and bayonets is in response to the outcry from the media about the military equipment used in the unrest in Ferguson and Baltimore. Even with Obama riding police forces of that equipment, the question still remains should police forces still be able to purchase this equipment from private vendors. Should police forces be allowed any police equipment at all?
As I look at how we are evolving, I see the military as being run more and more like a business in terms of managing budgets and personnel, project management, operations, marketing and public relations. I have observed many career military professionals struggle with having the business skills and experiences to successfully evolve with the new military business model.
Since this judgment was handed, Smith has been subject to a great deal of controversy and scrutiny. Legal scholars and lawyers, judges, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), its Service personnel, and, their families, have joined in on the debate. It is suggested that there is need of reform, sooner rather than later , as the Smith case “will have damaging consequences for military effectiveness” .
National defense being another example where the role of government is indispensable, because people do not pay for each unit the...