militaryhistory

FBI agents investigating the September 16 incident  in which Blackwater security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians,  have revealed that at least 14 of the shootings were unjustified. The FBI investigation into the shootings in Baghdad is still ongoing, but the findings, which indicate that the company’s employees misused deadly force rules in effect for security contractors in Iraq, are already under review by the Justice Department.

The use of civilian contractors in military affairs is a recent phenomena that has yet to be understood by the American people. Since the 9/11 attacks, cvilian contractors have permeated government functions, including training, intelligence, maintenance, IT and security protection. Though the security function in practice, as seen from the Blackwater incident can have a profound impact on international relations.

An overt example of this, is the security profession in the United States itself, in which each state has legal juristicton over how security personnel are hired, trained, disciplined and what type of powers that they possess. Also creating risk is how each private company whether a contract security service, or an employer who maintains a propriety security force, dictates how security personnel will be utilized.

Bu two of the most looming questions concern hiring and training. In the state of Illinois. Security personnel are only required to complete twenty hours of training and submit finger prints for criminal background checks. Lack of training equals lack of experience. This is a sobering fact considering that private security personnel out number police by three to one in the United States, and their police counterpart usually has a minimum of four hundred of training, plus time with a field training officer, before being allowed to begin street duty.