Soldiers lack necessities, contractors earn huge profits

[lamourlupus]

Investigate people and organizations - They give tax deductible donations to charities and elected officials to have the laws changed to protect their kind. They hire ex-CIA, ex-FBI, ex-Law Enforcement, ex-Military and others.

President Obama fears the Military-Industrial Complex, However, Mr. Robert Greenwald does not and his other films are proof.

Thank you Mr. Robert Greenwald!

[TheMicroknight]

Smoke and Mirrors. The dirty pictures of war that shame the US are simply renamed and accountability to the people of the US falls off the shoulders of our government and onto a private set of shoulders that nobody can influence in real time or by legitimate channels. The government has run away with too much latitude and shorter leash is nowhere to be found.

[mullaahmed]

War is about profit, and it's a good thing. Only an idiot is dying for faceless entity like America or any other country.

[mullaahmed]

Bunch of state-military pussies complaining like little kids. PMCs are better, cheaper and more efficient related to battlefield operations.

[mullaahmed]

That's the problem of the American military, not the PMCs.

[lamourlupus]

@mullaahmed - You and others like you are part of the problem.

Americans and others in the world who ignore credible information are accomplices of evil people and thus become evil.

YouTube has videos of American Presidents and leaders from other countries that warn about wars, secret societies along with combat veterans including those who received the US Congressional Medal of Honor and military personnel of other nations with awarded a similar medal.

[mullaahmed]

@lamourlupus No you're wrong. There are too many American soldiers, so the huge American military spending (about 50% of world's spending) is still not enough to get them decent equipment.

PMCs are private entities, and private entities are almost always more efficent than state ones.

[AdamJardim]

@mullaahmed that is bullshitt! some PMC are efficent but the rest are just shit!

[firemanladder12]

what a bunch of pogues

[69musclecars]

private contractors... don't hate them... they just love the smell of money, instead of fighting for a Curupt to fuck Gorverment and for low pay !

[davem57400077]

@69musclecars BlackWater is a small fish,Go after the BIG FISH and leave BlackWater out of it.SIGN ME UP LONG LIVE "BLACKWATER"

[69musclecars]

@davem57400077 In PMC, Blackwater is only the biggest company in the world ! but never mind.

[samhain6677]

How many decades do we need to realize that everything our government does is about making someone money. Quit being so fucking naive and think for yourselves.

[Brettimuss]

Why not just get out and get a job as a private contractor

[flickeries]

Who started the 9/11 bombings?

[B12G]

My experience with contractors was pretty limited. Laundry, 'maintenance', and Truck drivers. I don't like support personnel in the military, most of them are slackers, but not all. I'd rather deal with a contractor than POS pogue.

[B12G]

@Iceman0321 You are only somewhat correct, some will 'bitch' regardless of what branch they are in. Marines do have some good gear. I personally escorted fuel to Marines in Iraq, they, Marines, wouldn't come and get their own fuel, and when you were in their AO, they wouldn't respond to reports of contact in their sector... As for the laundry, if you are on a base in Iraq, there is no river to wash anything in, so you have to use the TCN contractors, and they do loose your clothing.

[centurion180ad]

Insufficient mobilization for ground operations and repudiation of Hague & Geneva Conventions Pertaining to Land Warfare was civilian criminal methodology from before the war.

General Shinseki eluded to this in testimony before Congress, and he was fired within hours of saying the truth.

[DerLetzteTagDLTAV]

They do it to survive I guess. Once these basic necessities are met, however, money doesn't seem to help a whole lot when it comes to happiness. If happiness is what they are looking for I guess

[DivineMaddog]

God bless the Canadian Army :P

[daggda28]

Why thanks for the compliment. They don't charge 90$. Besides we all bought out own washing machines and trucked them to our outpost when we lived there for 3 months. As far as KBR we use to gives those boys rides everywhere in Diyala. Now the big convoys? sure it's a buisness. I never gaurded Pogues so I'm guessing you are one. Trans companies wine to much. I go to the outsorce people for intel, road conditions, supplies ECT, You want to talk symantics, the circle never ends. Hows Green bean?

[daggda28]

where as those soldiers would cost upwards of 70K per head a year in the combat zone and that dosnt include how much we train them, feed them and their family, and perhaps have to do this for 20 years and possibly more per soldier. PC's will never go away and if anything will get used more so the forces can make room for more combat soldiers and less Pogues (support or non combat arms. Personaly I'd rather have haliburton bring me my mail and food, where as a 88M unit would drag their heels.

[learnedchris]

your real smart guy kbr charges 90 dollars a bag for a laundry bag. to take kbr off the fob it takes a act of congress as a convoy commander i had to fill out a bunch of papper work to give a fucking kbr employe a ride to biap from are outpost whitch took away from my convoy prep and by the way you will get your supplies faster from a transportation company than kbr because its less red tape most of supplies are trucked by soldiers cause kbr reinvets the term fobait do your research killer

[daggda28]

wrong wrong wrong. Even the biggest critics understand that these guys are hired for effciency. And they dont rape tax payers. Our government under any administration has used PC's for many things. It cost them less to hire truck drivers outsorced than it cost to buy the truck, train the guy to train the guy to drive the truck X's 3 (3 to a truck normaly) plus military pay, benefits, housing, insurance, DOD schools, ect ect. or pay one guy 90K and he brings the truck and it comes with mechanics

[rjanis123]

blood money

it was one thing when we all thought it was just blood for oil

but in reality, it's just blood for money.

cooperate feudal imperialism

inexcusable indelible unforgivable, and most of all unconscionable.

[samhain6677]

@rjanis123 what did you think that oil represented

[MrHardrod2]

@samhain6677 Those oil contracts was to fuel America's vehicles for mass transportation so that people can go to work, kids can go to school in school buses, planes can transport people to other States and Countries they go for vacation or conduct business or visit relatives, for cargo ships to transport products and goods we import and export, for Cruise lines for people to take holidays on, for fishermen to use on their fishing boats, for motorcycles that bikers ride, etc. It's all relative

[inwasco]

WE DESERVE THOSE PROFITS!!!

[flodaisback]

you dont get the profits the corrupt American congress gets it

[inwasco]

GFTG

[inwasco]

FUCK BUSH!!!

[firstamendment91]

improper faulty body armor caused a colleague of mine to develope a severe disk rupture and resulted in his discharge.He had to fight with the veterans adm. to receive adequate benefits and is on strong pain medication.All for serving his country

[AUsluicerman]

There has always been a segment of congress that is anti-military and companies are afraid to get behind a war that has so much propaganda. Just look at the crap Haliburton is catching.

[baseballnolie34]

If by crap you mean bundles of hundred dollar bills then yes.

I don't pity companies that makes billions cheating taxpayers.

[AndrewFisher16]

This shows: private companies are more effecient than government. It always has been, and always will be. It's unavoidable.

[sirbadman]

It shows that select private companies are leeching off the government and American taxpayers.

[nomorepropaganda]

more efficient? Cadillac escalades on $7,000/month leases for three years each is efficient? Burning $100,000 trucks that need a new tire/air filter is efficient?

[Raspute]

Actually, we don't hire them for efficiency, we hire them by association. Cheney was CEO for Halliburton, so Cheney creates a war to give Halliburton profits. Efficiency is irrelevant.

[usnavysss]

am joining the army next year when i turn 17. o ya if you are a american go to CAMAHOLIC DOT NET .only americans only no faggot canadians.

[mountain19]

you sound like you will make quite the killer son. there seems to be enough hate in your heart. then you can come home and kill americans as they are asking the men now, many like you will be willing i am sure.

[louis12346]

Yes fight for Exxon, BP Shell & Rockefeller good boy,

[MrHardrod2]

@louis12346 As much as I do not like those Oil Corps making all the profits and we are getting paid peanuts compared to those rich oil executives, we still need oil and gas for mass transportation. Everything is relative. We all drive vehicles. We all ride planes, boats, motorcycles, cars, trucks. Every industry I know whether it is Medical, electrical, police, computers, Plumbing, Sanitation, Teaching, etc will require to ride some type of vehicle to go to work. This is the world we live in.

[samhain6677]

@MrHardrod2 Our need/demand for oil is the only reason they want it. The product doesn't matter to them, They don't care about whether we can get where we need to go, eat, or even live or die. The just want control of something that people cannot do without and will pay for no matter how much you jack the price up. It just happens to be oil.

[MrHardrod2]

@samhain6677 Well, everything is tied to something. If we did not need oil / gas to drive our vehicles and for mass transportation then it would be a different ball game. Think of it, all vehicles will not need oil to run including planes, boats, submarines. We develop a new source of energy power we can draw upon to run all types of vehicles then oil companies will be in trouble. Less pollution too and this may stop global warming. However, we are a long ways from that if it ever happens.

[americafuckyeah274]

@MrHardrod2 I realize this comment is three months old be even then I thought it was clear to everyone that global warming isn't real..

[BillyDouglas]

the US military needs to increase professionalism and concentrate on quality not quantity. but now with private contractors that fly under the radar it will be much more difficult.. since when have soldiers been complacent about food and call charges? lol when you signed your name on the line you gave your life to the army and you have to deal with it

[BrigaderSeth]

thats kinda fucked up

[B12G]

Regardless of politics, there is a lot of truth in this piece. The Corporations, like KBR, et al are making a killing in Iraq, and it's all probably deficit spending to top it off.

[centurion180ad]

Military analysis is performed by those brought through the procurement employment pipeline.

That means corrupt fiat-dollar mongering bastards from corporations, or the lobbyist shills paying graft from Washington DC.

[darkdeath401]

you guys are dumb all of you

no matter who is president you

all are going to hate him/her

you guys will never be satisfied.

you guys are selfish, ignorant, and

self indugled. you guys have no respect

for our country try saying this shit

in a different country, like my country

and they'll fuck you in your ass

[Frogboy411]

stfu japanese diseased faggot!

[dmharvey79]

Pure bullshit. As a combat veteran (OEF / 2003-2004) I'll be the first to say that the contractors I dealt with were necessary to our mission. Why? because in the years prior to 9-11-01 our military was severely downsized. Also, lets not forget...99% of these contractors have spent 10 or 20 years in the military and they are being paid for the experience they possess. Like I said before, this video is pure bullshit.

[Tesselator]

Yeah, but if you consider that we shouldn't even be in Iraq then you have enough guys! The mission was to get Osama Bin Laden and the tight small band that apparently started operating independently of CIA directives.

Well Osama is in Pakistan if he's even still alive... So what the hell were you doing in Iraq? Oh yeah, shopping for oil on a five-finger-discount. Not something you should commit ANY military personal to doing!

[essethuggangster]

when your president says "fuck saddam, we're taking him out" as his defense plan to his cabinet, you know we're fucked.

[CharAznable]

I cant wait till Halliburton makes its own private Army like in the good old days of Cesar and Rome. I'll be sitting on my porch sipping lemonade when Cheney Marches on Washington. You think we are paying out the ass now? just wait till the first American Emperor.

[rockondon]

great clip..keep em coming

[webbmichael29]

Wow... Couldn't they have found some more credible sources. These people are retired, were stationed at ANACONDA, and were whiny guard soldier (Not bashing, I am WA ARNG). Soldiers not getting rifle plates? No way! Keep the Kuwait POG's off the net!

[locojojo]

It's a supply & demand thing. Capitalism rules!!! The military will have the opportunity to go back as contractors and earn the same. You gotta' pay your dues first. Call it an apprenticeship.

[donor64]

Bullshit! How much do you make per day right now? Today? Take that amountx180 or x365. That's why contractors make such OBSCENE amounts. $9000 a month? $300 a day. But you have the chance of being killed, blown up, maimed.

[LEATSLAN]

Most people have no problem with the actual contractors who are out there working and risking their lives... what I hate is the corruption, the money "vanishing", the waste of taxpayers money that could be spent on troop equipment, the overcharging... none of that is the actual contract worker's fault... it's the corportations and their war profiteering.

[theinsomniac4life]

It used to be that war was good for the economy because it encouraged production here at home. Now it sends civilians overseas and into battle zones as we fight wars that our military cannot fight. Keep the soldiers home, keep the civilians home, and protect our freedoms - god knows we need it.

[internationaljay]

test1

[TheRealBunzii]

I wonder how many of those on the video are now working for a contractor? I served proudly in the US Army. I went in for the education money. Patriotism was there. I also served as security in Afghanistan as a contractor and did that for the money. I am proud of the work I did there too. Would you go for minimum wage to a war zone, third world country? I agree that there are crooks involved with contractors. But don't lump those who actually do the work in that bunch.

[LEATSLAN]

Most people have no problem with the actual contractors who are out there working and risking their lives... what I hate is the corruption, the money "vanishing", the waste of taxpayers money that could be spent on troop equipment, the overcharging... none of that is the actual contract worker's fault... it's the corportations and their war profiteering.

[OoogieBoogie]

LOL cheeseburger night XD what a farce

[powellss]

Slick video, nice conspiracy theory, but it glosses over the root cause: If the Army hadn't been cut from 18 Active Duty divisions in '91, down to 10 by the late '90s, we'd have more than enough troops to do all the jobs that we're now forced to outsource. DFAC management, laundry, base camp support jobs have to get done, and there aren't troops available to do them. Same thing happened in Bosnia / Kosovo in the '90s.

[my15minutes]

powellss - Sorry, but your comments are no more convincing when you repeat yourself.

What "conspiracy" is being theorized? This is a documentary, factually asserting that KBR, Halliburton, and others, are war profiteers.

And attempting to blame past presidents for troop drawdowns in peacetime is weak. If this were a just war, and our President told us he needed troops, he wouldn't have to outsource a damn thing.

[powellss]

Thanks for the reply. If the service is having a hard time meeting end-strength needs, due to weak recruiting (even w/ record-breaking re-enlistment stats... think about that one for a second), there is no choice but to contract out the jobs. It's a trend that has been picking up speed ever since the early/mid 90s. You call this "weak," but it's "the truth." Trying to weave this into some dark plot on the part of Bush/Cheney/KBR/Big Oil, is absurd.

[my15minutes]

Well, thank you for yours! To business? Cheers.

Now, regarding what you say about troop levels, "no choice but to contract out", etc. My last comment still stands. "If this were a just war..."

Sorry, but again with the "dark plot" and "conspiracy" buzzwords?

It's factual assertions about war profiteering. Period. So, I have to ask. Why is it in your interest to mislabel and defend the criminal action they document?

[ronny2471]

your dejavu all over again, look, you can espouse any doctrine you want, all we want is to preserve the freedoms we were guaranteed under the constitution and save for your children the rights your twisted nuts clearly dont deserve

[LEATSLAN]

ronny, you cannot possibly be so stupid as to believe that the Iraq war is to "preserve" freedoms - did you take a special short bus course, or were you always this dumb?

[maxx1000]

What RIGHTS does this War of Terror preserve?

[powellss]

Um, how about your right not to be killed while working in your office building, by a hijacked plane full of innocent passengers? Or do you think that's not important, i.e. we shouldn't have even gone into Afghanistan after 9/11.

[stonecast]

Well seeing how Iraq had nothing to do 9/11 or terrorists I say you're wrong.

[thatwasmyidea]

Powellss, this has nothing to do with 9/11. We should never have gone to Iraq. There is no concievable purpose of this war. We had a reason to invade Afghanistan. I can't say the same for Iraq.

[powellss]

Slick video, nice conspiracy theory, but it glosses over the root cause: If the Army hadn't been cut from 18 Active Duty divisions in '91, down to 10 by the late '90s, we'd have more than enough troops to do all the jobs that we're now forced to outsource. DFAC management, laundry, base camp support jobs have to get done, and there aren't troops available to do them. Same thing happened in Bosnia / Kosovo in the '90s.

[my15minutes]

powellss - See reply, below...

[TheRealBunzii]

I agree. Military has been saying "support" jobs would be phased out when I proudly served in the US Army. It happened. Thats a fact. Downsizing in the late 80's and early 90's have produced the situation we are in.

[webbmichael29]

YES!!! Thank you.

[maxx1000]

SO IT'S ALL CLINTON'S FAULT?

What stopping Bush and the DOD from acquiring the necessary troop levels NOW?

You make a poor apologist for the Worst President and his cronies that are making money at the expense of our soldiers lives.

YOU DON'T SUPPORT THE TROOPS

WHEN YOU SUPPORT THE LIES THAT GET THEM KILLED.

[powellss]

Earth to Maxx1000: Troop levels don't grow on trees.  The President can't snap his fingers and suddenly create thousands of new, fully-trained troops ready for immediate deployment. Right or wrong, the Army was downsized from 18 Active Duty divisions to 10, in the 1990s. It takes years and years to undo something like that.

[my15minutes]

Thank you very much for posting this, and all your clips from this film.

There is an appalling lack of Congressional oversight of Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater especially.

[my15minutes]

When I was in the service, there was nowhere *near* this level of soldier's responsibilities being contracted out to private companies.

And this explains some of why Rumsfeld scoffed at the higher troop requirements by General Shinseki, from the very beginning.

[OoogieBoogie]

I work at a Commissary which is run by DECA.

[my15minutes]

Which base? How do you feel about DECA?

[OoogieBoogie]

I feel we need DECA because no one joins the military to be a grocer.

[my15minutes]

Hehe. Too glamorous? :)

Well, no one joined the service in WW2 to be a cook, either. But since most people don't get to pick their job, entering the military, if grocers were what was needed...

Besides, I don't think DECA is one of the companies accused of war profiteering. I don't think anyone has a problem with them.

[OoogieBoogie]

No, DECA is good, I agree. Private mechanics and engineers aren't bad either.

[dejahthoris]

Excellent, thank you for posting this.

[clarkslick]

I don't recall hearing as many stories about this for the Vietnam War or Iraq I. This certainly must be the most corrupt American government in history. How can honorable Americans not be absolutely sickened after knowing about this? Especially with Bush et al claiming that it's mostly Democratic talk that's demoralizing the troops. The only future justice would be full war crimes charges against Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and whoever else is responsible.

[TheRealBunzii]

Would it be fair to claim your not a Bush fan? I would hope its based on more than just a 5 minute video.

[rockondon]

north vietnam was sold american tires...corruption

tonkin war crisis that kept war profiteering going/uss

liberty lindon johnson had iareal bomb the liberty as

a pretext to war and blame it on egypt..its been corrupt all along lol

[Hotpotatomash]

very powerful. thx