US use of "soldiers of fortune"

[spmetla]

US doctrine to toss in a frag first is for high intensity MOUT. High intensity MOUT is different from low intensity in that soldiers have already taken fire from a building or KNOW that enemy soldiers are inside. The US practices and emphasizes a lot of room clearing training for soldiers, very rarely do we practice high intensity MOUT because like everyone know there are higher civilian casualties with it as well as the fact that frags have a tendency to penetrate the crappy houses that so many people have thereby injuring the soldiers.

Bear in mind most of the time when soldiers enter a house it consists of knocking on the door and telling the inhabitants that their house will be searched for whatever reason (mortar launch in area, IED went off nearby, etc...). Also I know when I was deployed we got flashbangs instead of frags.

I get your point that you don't like the legal status of mercs but like I said that is currently being wrangled with by the Iraqi govt. I'm pretty sure that the Iraqi govt. pulled Blackwater's license to operate in Iraq after the convoy incident.
The State Dept. is supposed to ensure that civilians that have committed crimes abroad get prosecuted but unfortunately the State Dept. is too cowardly to do so. I'm positive that it would ensure that Blackwater contractors who did wrong within the US (such as during Katrina) would be prosecuted and its failure to do so in Iraq is its own double standard. Having said that you could say that the State department is illegally using/protecting security contractors. Believe me, I don't like their invulnerability as well but I appreciate the work they do because then I'm not stuck sending my soldiers on those jobs allowing me to better accomplish whatever mission I'm given better. I'd much prefer that they be held accountable for their actions than stop using them.

I'd also like to point out that most of the contractors in large number that are in Iraq have nothing to do with a weapon. They drive trucks, do laundry, serve food, do construction, run the MWR and other things of that sort. The number of security contractors is far smaller than the total number of regular contractors.