US use of "soldiers of fortune"

[Koga No Goshi]

He asked if we thought it was a problem - I said no.



They take the veterans after the veterans retire from the military. Once a soldier finishes his term, he can leave and do what he likes. If Blackwater pays better, good for them - increase army salary, limit the number of Blackwater employees that are hired, or, in an extreme case, control the salaries of Blackwater through government mandate (alright, the last one was sarcastic). I don't think outsourcing military power is a good idea, but I certainly think using mercenaries where necessary, as supplementary forces, is a good idea.

This would be a totally moot point if we took the billions going to Blackwater and used it for better combat pay or sign on bonuses or rewards for serving multiple terms. And since taxpayer money is paying for it anyway I'd prefer to have the people going around under an American flag with weapons overseas to be accountable to some kind of standard.

I don't think outsourcing military power is a good idea, but I certainly think using mercenaries where necessary, as supplementary forces, is a good idea.

Which undermines the defense you just made of it. They weren't used because they were necessary. They were used because the Bush Admin sold the war on the idea that it could be done with fewer troops than many of the generals said it could be, and retired the ones like Shinseki who refused to sign off on the lie.