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Private Military and Security Companies The modern Private Military and Security Company (PMSC) came to be after the end of the Cold War. An increase in government interest in privatization and outsourcing combined with an age of warfare where civilians and combatants were increasing difficult to differentiate created the perfect environment for PMSCs to expand (Singer). Although PMSCs play an integral role in providing basic services for the United States military, the extent of their role must be reevaluated because they have been criticized for unscrupulous financial practices and lack of accountability and transparency. To completely do away with PMSCs would be catastrophic to United States military personal because of the extensive logistical and support services they provide. US troops are stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the reluctance of congress to send more troops forces thousands of PMSC contractors to fill the holes. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a new landmark in the role of PMSCs in warfare, with 54% of the troops on the ground being private contractors hired by the Department of Defense and 46% being uniformed soldiers (Oliver). According to George Seagle, Director of Security for the Government and Infrastructure Division of Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), since 2003 KBR (a PMSC) has “served more than 490 million meals, transported more than 675 million gallons of fuel, delivered more than 220 million pounds of mail, and washed more than 30 million bundles of laundry.” Furthermore they often construct infrastructure such as housing and mess halls to feed troops. However, many times they are involved directly in conflict, designated as bodyguards, convoys, or trainers. Although some PMSCs have ... ... middle of paper ... ...events strain relations and could be avoided if PMSCs are regulated with more scrutiny or limited to non-combatant roles in warzones. PMSCs will no doubt continue to be an important part of our armed forces. They can provide much needed services for our troops, but if left unregulated their actions may have repercussions that endanger our troops. The extent and effectiveness of their role must be reevaluated and limits must be placed on their actions to prevent further political strains and financial waste. Works Cited Oliver, Paul. The Endemic Problem of Overreliance on Private Military Contracting. 11 April 2011. Shearer, David. "Outsourcing War." Foreign Policy (1998): 68-81. Singer, P. W. "Outsourcing War." Foreign Affairs (2005): 119-132. Article. Tavernise, Sabrina. Maliki Alleges 7 Cases When Blackwater Killed Iraqis. 20 September 2007. Magazine.
...at home. Based on the QDR Gen Casey writes the objectives memorandum to best support the defense of the United States and support the civil authorities at home.
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. The Army currently has an ethical code embodied in the Army Values, which provides guidance to the individual and the organization. These values are universal across the Army, regardless of an individual’s personal background or religious morals.
...between civilian political and military leadership. Operation Vigilant Resolve is a great example of the failure of this relationship and the need to rectify this issue. This is the final, most important lesson we must learn. Our top military leaders must also be great politicians. They must understand how to temper the will of our civilian leadership who may not be versed in military strategy or operations. We need leaders who are willing to fight for what is right and be humble enough to accept when they are wrong.
After more than ten years of persistent counterinsurgency (COIN) conflict and multiple simultaneous responses to several natural disasters, the United States Army is at a crossroads regarding professional education for its officers and enlisted force. Considering overseas contingency operations in Iraq are due to conclude in December 2011 and by 2014 for Afghanistan, it is plausible that strategic planners are considering the future make-up of what will constitute the Total Army Force to include new educational criteria for what could be a smaller force than was needed for present day operations. While this may be “peace dividend” speculation, there is precedence for the Army to reevaluate its force structure and personal qualification requirements after every major conflict over the last century. . Even though defense budget reductions should redoubt army equipment priorities, training deferrals because of persistent contingency operations have inhibited enlisted professional development despite that counterinsurgency operations require refocused soldiers training to improve their sense of situational understanding and application of observable operational ethics through conceptual enlisted leadership evaluation efforts.
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).
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...
To meet future challenges and opportunities the Department of Defense (DOD) must decide how to adjust the armed forces structure in an austere economic environment. Based on current strategic direction and fiscal constraints, the general force structure and capabilities necessary to rebalance Joint Force 2020 is a smaller but fully integrated joint military organization. The 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) emphasizes US military power will evolve and remain modern, capable, and ready while accepting some increased risk through force reductions. Rebalancing will require innovative approaches and solutions to protect the homeland, build global security, project power, and win decisively with a leaner organization.
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...
Private military companies, security contractors and private military firms do provide so very useful functions and not all of them are paramilitary. Many private military companies such as DynCorp and Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR), a subsidiary of Halliburton, provide more services than just protection. Many functions performed by private military companies include logistical support, transportation, engineering, construction, skilled and unskilled laborers, maintenance, technical expertise and other paramilitary operations. (Kidwell, 2005) The government typically hires private security contractors to provide services that formally belonged to military forces such as the protection of high profile dignitaries and the guarding of military installations overseas. The proliferation of private military companies jumped significantly after the events of 9/11. The Bush Administration enacted a three-phase plan to increase the number of private contractors hired. The first phase in the hiring process was to try to release the military to fight the war on terrorism; the second phase was to allow commanders to focus their efforts on winning the war by outsourcing supplementary functions; third, it would support the President’s Management Agenda. As a result, private military companies are a necessary and important contingency plan for operations that would occur in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Dogru, p.13, 2010)
Armed with numerous studies, and intensive public hearings, Congress mandated far-reaching changes in DOD organization and responsibilities in the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. This landmark legislation significantly expanded the authority and responsibility of the chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Included in this expanded authority and responsibility was the requirement for the chairman to develop a doctrine for the joint employment of armed forces. As operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, and Desert Storm have vividly demonstrated, the realities of armed conflict in today's world make the integration of individual service capabilities a matter of success or failure, life or death. Furthermore, the operation Desert One demonstrated the need for a strengthened Joint Warfare Doctrine and the consequent change in Joint Warfare Employment. It is plain to see the benefits of having the greatest navy integrated with the world's greatest army and air force. However, even in the wake of a relatively successful joint operation in the Middle East (Desert Storm), certain weaknesses are evident in the current joint employment tactics and/or capabilities. By analyzing past operations such as Urgent Fury and Desert Storm, we are able to see sufficient evidence that the Joint Warfare Concept can be disastrous in one instance and virtually flawless in another.
forces and are likely to be far more palatable to the local public whose support is ultimately the key in any counterinsurgency campaign, the advisory role of U.S. forces has become increasingly important. Strategic outcomes now hinge on advisor mission competence and success for at least two reasons. First, because America does not have enough ground forces to meet all security threats everywhere and must therefore rely upon the strategic leverage foreign troops provide; and second, because those forces have more legitimacy than do American troops who can be perceived as occupiers. “Strategic outcomes now hinge on advisor mission competence and success… because America does not have enough ground forces…[and]…because those forces have more legitimacy than do American
Private security is more focused on crime prevention, and matters that happen on private property. Private security generally has more relaxed entry requirements. Supreme court do not necessarily apply to private security. Private security is detrimental, because requirements for employment are minimal, and in many cases, training is nonexistent. There are few federal, state, or local laws that guide private police conduct. In my opinion, I believe the large private security presence in the United States is beneficial to law enforcement efforts in the United States, because they are nothing like the police but they carry equipments like the police. They get critical intelligence from the law enforcement. They out number the real police. Investigating
The “military-industrial complex” is government entities, specifically the Department of Defense, become too “comfortable” with the manufacturers of the weapons it provides for the Armed Forces. The agency grows to ignore the political branches of government, even acting on its own imperatives. This description carries a negative connotation. Some argue that the United States’ worldwide commitments, its large military, and the use of new, high-technology weapons have created a vast industrial machine. This machine is allied with the Pentagon in a way that dominates the political officials who are normally in charge of the Armed Forces. However, the United States has become a world military force because of a decision made by elected officials in 1949-50, not by a military-industrial complex. The industrial machine calls for weapons research, development, and acquisition, but the development and purchase of weapons is made in a wasteful manner. The allocation of funds among the several armed services is also dictated by inter-service rivalry or strategic political motives,
Each country in the world has the ability to decide where they want to place their military. Doing so by taking strategic measures, the private sector has to sometimes work day and night with no breaks to ensure global security. For example, in the 1960s during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the entire private sector had to work for days on end to make sure that nothing drastic was going to happen to the country and even to the world. This does not just apply to the 1960s when it happens, but it applies to every single day and it is apart of the responsibility that comes with working in the private
The military budget of the US, approximately $700 billion, is roughly the same as the military budgets from every country in the world. If the US military budget were to be cut in half, it would still be the largest budget in the world, if it were cut in half again, ...