Although the United States isn’t a signatory to the U.N.’s “International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries,” the employees of private military companies aren’t mercenaries. PMCs supply support services and personnel whose jobs range from aircraft repair to medical and humanitarian aid. They also provide security guards who have parlayed their […]
US Military Reveals Contractors Flew to the Rescue in Niger, but Little Else Details about an ambush in the West Africa country and what American personnel were doing there remain scant. Here's what we know. Additional details that have emerged regarding an ambush in southwest Niger that left four U.S. Army soldiers dead continue to prompt more […]
Private Security Firms Possibility in US Afghan Strategy Jeff Seldin — U.S. policymakers are “very, very close” to a new military strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, but options still range from withdrawal to an increased reliance on private security contractors. “I believe we are close,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters late Monday, cautioning […]
Civilian federal employees serving in combat zones would receive the same tax credit available to military personnel who work alongside them, under a new bipartisan bill. The Combat Zone Tax Parity Act (H.R. 4621) aims to address a shortage of civilian workers staffing dangerous regions by extending a federal income tax break to those employees. Civilian […]
Private contractors can provide immediate relief to a conflict-torn region, but run the risk of damaging the very fabric of the international state system in the long run. BY: TANYA ROHATGI — As President Barack Obama’s time in the White House draws to a close, critics and supporters alike are trying to condense his often disjointed foreign […]