Troop Level Conundrum

All of the major news outlets have been reporting on President George W. Bush’s decision to increase troops levels in Iraq. Easier said than done, however.

For one, increasing troops levels means one of two things, from a traditional stand point. First and foremost, one could institute the draft. This, however, seems implausible. Despite Mr. Bush’s father’s belief that America had “licked the Vietnam syndrome” after the American victory in the First Persian Gulf War, the memory of Vietnam is still very much the proverbial “Elephant in the room” of American politics. While the implementaton of the draft would help create a more diverse military in terms of race and class, it could also prove politically deleterious, as it would significantly aid in mobilizing a vigorous and strident anti-war movement.

The other option is to simply call back active-duty National Guardsmen. This, however, is troubling as well. Numerous National Guardsmen have already served their required military time, many even serving extended stays of duty, being redeployed up to three or four times. They have been strained and have bared a large and unfairly large portion of the burden of this war. Because of the preexisting strain on the National Guard, I think this too seems like an inappropriate option.

Therefore, with those two “traditional” approaches seemingly unavailable, I believe that the only logical and necessary conclusion is to increase the number of armed mercenaries in Iraq. Currently, the military already employs significant numbers of armed mercenaries, who are in turn employed by private military firms (PMFs) and other corporations associated with the defense industry (Halliburton).

Because armed mercenaries are private citizens and operate outside the bounds of the military, they are not subject to international law or the military court system, thus they’re capable of using extralegal means in carrying out operations. In addition to that, since they’re privately paid for and employed, the money spent on them “trickles back” into the American and Iraqi economy. You know what this means? You guessed it! Tax cuts!

It seems like the use of armed mercenaries is a win-win situation for everyone. You can avoid invigorating an anti-war movement, while also strengthening the number of troops in the region. Troops who are not held accountable to the Geneva Convention. Therefore, we should completely privatize the army, just like Mr. Bush’s failed Social Security reform bill. Hopefully you’re reading, Mr. Bush!