Most of the dozens of combat outposts and outlying bases in Afghanistan have soldiers or Marines assigned to gates or guard towers. But the Pentagon official said those troops could be shifted to more valuable duty.”They just stare out from the tower. So let’s bring in contractors,” the Pentagon official said. “Now you can have a thousand more troops in the field.”
Here we go guys and gals. Despite the negative news about security contractors recently, the military still has a mission to accomplish, and we are an important part of that mission. We are the ones that will be freeing up the combat forces, so that they can go out there and fight.
What we have to work on, is ‘being the guys that do it right when no one is looking’ and ‘having the courage to do what is right’. Be a leader out there. –Matt
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U.S. to boost combat force in Afghanistan
Support units will be replaced by up to 14,000 ‘trigger-pullers,’ and noncombat posts will be contracted out, Defense officials say. The swap will allow the U.S. to keep its troop level unchanged.
By Julian E. Barnes
September 2, 2009
Reporting from Washington
U.S. officials are planning to add as many as 14,000 combat troops to the American force in Afghanistan by sending home support units and replacing them with “trigger-pullers,” Defense officials say.The move would beef up the combat force in the country without increasing the overall number of U.S. troops, a contentious issue as public support for the war slips. But many of the noncombat jobs are likely be filled by private contractors, who have proved to be a source of controversy in Iraq and a growing issue in Afghanistan.The plan represents a key step in the Obama administration’s drive to counter Taliban gains and demonstrate progress in the war nearly eight years after it began. (more…)
