8/7/2019 Steven Pressfield On Why Private Armies Are the Future

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Steven Pressfield on Why Privates Armies, as Written About

in THE PROFESSION, ARE the Foreseeable Future

1) Already there are more private contractors than conventional military soldiers in both Iraq andAfghanistan.

2) Deficit woes and budget shortfalls will apply increasing pressure on the Pentagon budget. We're

already withdrawing from Iraq; the Afghan "troop drawdown" is slated to commence in a littleover a year. What force will take up the slack? Probably elite conventional military combined with

elite private contractor teams (which are actually just elite U.S. military who have retired and gone

back to work as private contractors).

3) Great Britain just downsized its army and navy due to the economic crisis. That's one ally we

can't count on anymore. Already France, Germany, etc., are contributing next to nothing to efforts

such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Who will make up this shortfall?

4) "Nation-building" and counter-insurgency tactics are both very troop-intensive; they require

vast armies on-site. More and more, the American public is losing patience with these

methodologies. Already Vice President Biden is calling for a "counter-terrorism" strategy that usesfar fewer troops. Such a strategy can be outsourced. It's already partially outsourced, in that

numerous contractors participate in this type of mission as it is being run today.

5) Drone warfare. Predator-type unmanned air vehicles are being used more and more to hit "high-value targets"—i.e., Taliban and al Qaeda leaders—remotely. There is no reason this can't be

outsourced. It already is in many cases, in that companies like Lockheed and Grumman run the

show.

6) Oversupply of labor. There are literally hundreds of thousands of trained warriors (our own vets

from Iraq and Afghanistan) who would form an instant labor pool, should their trades suddenlycome into high-paying demand on the private side. God knows they're not making any moneyfrom Uncle Sam.

Only two things are missing to make the scenario of THE PROFESSION

credible in real life:

1) A genuine stand-alone private army. Right now, contractors hire out in small teams or

individually. What has yet to happen is a private company putting together a brigade-sized force(or larger) for hire. When that happens, everything will change.

2) "Mercenary" is still a four-letter word to the public. Certain outrages pulled off by Blackwater,etc., have given the idea of private contractors a black eye. That could change, however, as The

Profession suggests, with the rise of a credible, respected general who would become the head of

such a company and upgrade its image. Suppose General Petraeus retired in five years and signed

up to head a private outfit. That could be a game-changer. Already William Bratton, the highlyrespected former police chief of NY and LA, has signed to head an international security force.

This is only a halfstep away from what The Profession is suggesting.

8/7/2019 Steven Pressfield On Why Private Armies Are the Future

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