When asked why private security contractors are important for the U.S. military a former specialist for the United States Army replied, “It’s the extra sense of security. Strength in numbers. The United States Government won’t deploy more troops overseas but they will hire these private companies to help us out” (Ruohenen). Habib Moody, a student at Yale University, is the author of “Soldiers for Rent”. In this article written for The New Atlantis, Moody argues that the government should not be hiring companies to fight the war for our soldiers. At one point in the article he says by hiring private companies to fight, we are “degrading such a noble calling”. In other words, by having civilians working alongside the military we are degrading a soldier’s work. He generates claims and describes why he thinks there is a lack of oversight and regulation on contractors overseas. Because of this, the contractors are unpunishable and getting away with war crime. While I agree with Moody that there is an excess of government military contracts, having private companies overseas is highly beneficial to our government. Without these contracts, the amount of U.S. military personnel would need to be increased to more than double, leading to a higher government expense than what the contractors charge. Private military companies or PMCs have been taking part in wars for the United States for a long time now. Deborah Kidwell is the Assistant Professor of Military History and has done a lot of research on PMCs. She says in her book “Public War, Private Fight? The United States and Private Military Companies” that PMCs were used as far back as the American Revolution. During the revolution companies were hired for means l... ... middle of paper ... ...rmy You Can Afford: the United States, International law, and the Private Military Industry.” Boston University International Law Journal Spring 2010: 181-218.Academic OneFile. Hartung, William D. “Privatizing war.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 60.2 (2004): 78+. Academic OneFile. Web. 19 Mar. 2014 Karp, Jonathan. “Contractors in War Zone Face Legal Front; Private Firms Like Blackwater could be Held Liable for Casualties during Military Tasks.” Wall Street Journal Mar 08 2007, Eastern edition ed. ProQuest. 4 Mar. 2014 Kidwell, Deborah C. Public War, Private Fight? The United States and Private Military Companies. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2011. Google Scholar. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. Moody, Habib. “Soldiers For Rent.” The New Atlantis 17 (2007): 122-27. Web. 2014. Ruohenen, Thomas. Personal interview. 19 Mar. 2014.
army out of harms way. The author briefly discusses the troubles at Kip’s Bay and Fort Washington.
Brown, Jerold E. Historical Dictionary Of The U.S. Army. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2001. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Military background and history has been in the world for a long time. It goes back as far as Assyrians, Spartans, Aztecs, Romans and Greek. The military purpose is mainly to protect our country and our rights and freedoms. It’s just a part of nature. No one came up with military it just happened and got stronger and stronger over the years. It first started with random people coming together protecting towns and homes and families, and eventually more and more people came together. The three main branches of the military are The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. All three of these branches are the reason the U.S is how it is. These branches fight for our freedom, our rights, and our country!! (Robbie Hughes Interview)
Lockheed Martin is an organization that heavily relies on its defense contracts in order to generate revenue. In 2005, 95% of Lockheed Martin’s revenue came from the US Department of Defense, other US Federal government agencies and foreign military customers (Defense News, 2007). Lockheed Martin earns this revenue by winning government contracts. As previously noted, Lockheed Martin has a large customer base with the US Department of Defense. The company is the largest provider of IT services, systems integration, and training to the government (Lockheed Martin, 2008). Other customers that provide revenue for Lockheed Martin are international governments and some commercial sales of products and services (Lockheed Martin, 2008).
Leahy, Stephen M. "The Historical Battle over Dispatching American Troops." USA Today (Farmingdale). July 1999: 10-12. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 May. 2014.
As America heads into a new year, we find our government tightening its purse strings and cracking down on excessive spending, with an emphasis on the US military. According to author Brad Plumer, a reporter at the Washington Post, “U.S. defense spending is expected to have risen in 2012, to about $729 billion, and then is set to fall in 2013 to $716 billion, as spending caps start kicking in.” Pared with a more drastic 350 billion dollar cute going into effect over the next ten years, the military finds itself cutting what cost the most to maintain and support troops (Fact Sheet par. 2). In recent years the military has bolstered an overwhelming 1,468,364 troops (Active Duty). These numbers are to be cut substantially; the biggest cut is to be seen in the Army. The Army must deal with a reduction of 80,000 troops, cutting its force of 570,000 troops to nearly 140,000.Subsequently, the budget cuts, which have led to a reduction of troops in the military, has driven the military to turn to advanced weapons technology that requires less people to m...
Since even before the United States has been classified as a nation, African Americans have served in armed forces. From a little village militias to the army or sailors, African Americans have stepped up to help defend and eventually earn their own freedom. The battle for unification and for recognition of black soldiers has been a slow undertaking. It wasn't until after World War II that the U.S. armed forces became fully and lawfully unified, under a 1948 executive order by President Harry S. Truman. They were “unified”; meaning that the African American troops could be in the same regiments and squads as the white men. Previously they underwent completely separate training and were assorted to their own regiments. Throughout time many groups of enlisted black men have made up the hammer which broke down the racial barriers which were all too common up until about 45 years ago. All of this had to start somewhere, which leads me to the Revolutionary War.
Wars and military battles are always viewed as violent and power hungry things. We never fully grasp the politics of most wars and understand what is going on behind the scenes. Troops in the Middle East are a present day, debatable issue. Most Americans question whether or not they are there for good or for evil. Social aspects of our military also come in place with the current event refugee problem. About half of the United States fears that if we let foreigners in we might also be letting ISIS in. ISIS (Islamic State of Iran and Syria) is an extreme terrorist group that seeks to eliminate America and all of our allies through bombings and attacks. Many people do not know that the military takes up 53.71% which is $598.49 billion tax payer’s dollars. There are great pros and cons of the armed forces. They ensure our safety but also force us to cut down in education spending but increase the spending of our army. Recruitment is more ensuring present day than it was in the past. The military welcomes all patriots that would put their life on the line for their country and their people. Considering there are five different departments in the service, it is easier to
...re of so that they can focus on doing their job of providing the war fighter with the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, the F-22 Raptor. By ensuring these people are empowered, motivated, and properly equipped they are free to focus on their job of producing, acquiring, and delivering this product to the war fighter, and in turn ensuring the USAF and DoD have the critical capabilities of the F-22 available when they are needed.
Of this total, around $500 billion comprises the base budget which “includes funding for the procurement of military equipment and the daily operations costs of U.S. bases” (Gould & Bender, 2015). Basically, home defense measures amount to over eighty-percent of the nation’s defense budget. With these astronomical figures, one may question whether or not these types of expenditures are excessive when considering the infrequency of attacks on U.S. soil. To further break down this nearly $500 billion base budget, roughly $200 billion is allotted for operations/maintenance, $135 billion for military personnel, $90 billion for procurement, and $65 billion for research/development (Gould & Bender, 2015). In a world where people rush to purchase lottery tickets at the hopes of hitting a jackpot worth a few million, these expenditures are incomprehensible and may seem excessive; however, not everyone feels this way. In an article found on the U.S. Department of Defense’s website, the “DoD has done its best to manage through this prolonged period of budget uncertainty, the secretary said, making painful choices and tradeoffs” and that in “today’s security environment we need to be dynamic and we need to be responsive. What we have now is a straitjacket” (Pellerin, 2015). At the end of the day, it is all about who is being asked whether the defense
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...
Zerby, Roy M. Interview by author, 28 March 1996. Mail questionnaire. 12th Armored Division Historical Project, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas.
The US military can be successful in future wars if it focuses on, trains to, and adapts its force structure to prepare for full spectrum operations. The most likely challenges to US national security interests include international terrorist organizations, transnational criminal organizations, insurgent rebellions and small wars. The most dangerous challenges to US national security interests come from major conventional threats like Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China. To overcome these most likely and most dangerous challenges, the US needs to focus its strategic guidance on full spectrum operations, increase training in conventional operations while maintaining current training in irregular operations, and improve the force structure with irregular operation enablers while maintaining its conventional power capabilities.
National defense being another example where the role of government is indispensable, because people do not pay for each unit the...
There are many reasons why the Army should be considered a profession. The Army trains and certifies its members, has continuing development of its personnel, and contains many professions within it. Much like doctors and lawyers, the Army requires each member to complete training and certification. The Army focuses on development of its personnel to maintain skills important to the profession. Aside from the profession itself, the Army contains many other professions. The U.S. Army has and will continue to maintain and advance the profession through study and intellectual development.