Gloer
01-23-2003, 11:21 AM
Ít appears to be that more and more dominant part of the US military force is privately owned and only loyal due to a commercial contract.
This means the transportation logistics, supply, high tech radar systems, even weapons systems. Most technical personnel is not enlisted but employed by private contractors.
US army can not function without these private corporations that facilitate logistics, supply and technology for teh army. But US army can very well run a war without drafted soldiers from the citizen population.
What do you think this means? US military is not national but professional and not only that - it is increasingly profit making and private.
In history there is an interesting incident showing the influence of merchenary and "moral" aims conflicting.
1204 a crusader army had gathered at Venice to sail to the Holy Land. The Venetians had been contracted to lease a fleet to take the army over the Mediterranean sea. Unfortunately the crusader leaders had not managed to gather enough to pay the agreed fee to the logictics contractor. The campaign was about to fall to peaces when the venetians made an offer: If the crusaders could lend them their force they would settle the missing amount. They suggested that the Crusaders would help the venetians to take the rich and strategic city of Constantinople, the capitol of Byzantium, that was guarding the Black Sea trade. Byzantium was a christian kingdom and actually the basileus of Constantinople stirred the first crusade because he asked for help against the muslims. But the crusader leaders decided to agree. The other option was to dismantle the whole campaign.
So constantinople was sacked, raped and robbed by christians. The venetians established a puppet emperor for 70years and took all the trade. The city never recovered and it was an easy capture for the muslim Ottomans later on.
And the crusade? They declared that the crusade was a success and the orthodox heretics had been defeated. Can we detect a slight alteration from the plans, politics and the results here?
do the modern contractors have an influence on how the US military force is conducted?
This means the transportation logistics, supply, high tech radar systems, even weapons systems. Most technical personnel is not enlisted but employed by private contractors.
US army can not function without these private corporations that facilitate logistics, supply and technology for teh army. But US army can very well run a war without drafted soldiers from the citizen population.
What do you think this means? US military is not national but professional and not only that - it is increasingly profit making and private.
In history there is an interesting incident showing the influence of merchenary and "moral" aims conflicting.
1204 a crusader army had gathered at Venice to sail to the Holy Land. The Venetians had been contracted to lease a fleet to take the army over the Mediterranean sea. Unfortunately the crusader leaders had not managed to gather enough to pay the agreed fee to the logictics contractor. The campaign was about to fall to peaces when the venetians made an offer: If the crusaders could lend them their force they would settle the missing amount. They suggested that the Crusaders would help the venetians to take the rich and strategic city of Constantinople, the capitol of Byzantium, that was guarding the Black Sea trade. Byzantium was a christian kingdom and actually the basileus of Constantinople stirred the first crusade because he asked for help against the muslims. But the crusader leaders decided to agree. The other option was to dismantle the whole campaign.
So constantinople was sacked, raped and robbed by christians. The venetians established a puppet emperor for 70years and took all the trade. The city never recovered and it was an easy capture for the muslim Ottomans later on.
And the crusade? They declared that the crusade was a success and the orthodox heretics had been defeated. Can we detect a slight alteration from the plans, politics and the results here?
do the modern contractors have an influence on how the US military force is conducted?