Saturday, April 09, 2011
Special Forces in Afghanistan (photo: U.S. Army)
Apparently even the best American soldiers need to be guarded in the dangerous realm of Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense’s Special Operations Command is seeking local security contractors to guard commando encampments, with arrangements taking effect next week (April 15). Tasks will include protecting large American bases and tiny remote encampments.
The latter responsibility could undermine the mission of Special Forces which often try to move stealthily through hostile territory. Having mercenaries guard a commando unit’s hideout could enlarge the preferred “light footprint.”
According to the job descriptions, as described by Wired, contractors will be expected to provide “surveillance and counter-surveillance of the installation perimeter, avenues of approach, likely indirect-fire locations and vicinity from designated Perimeter Defensive Positions.”
Hiring these contractors also comes at a time when Afghan President Hamid Karzai has threatened to tax private security forces so much money that they can’t stay in business.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Mercs to Watch Commandos’ Backs in Afghanistan (by Noah Shachtman, Wired)
Comments