The U.S. Contemplating Hiring Contractors (Mercenaries) To Protect Bases And Convoys In Afghansitan

A set of security lights illuminate the landscape at Bagram Air Base March 2, 2009 in Bagram, Afghanistan. Following U.S. President Barack Obama's executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Bagram Air Base is slated for a $60 million expansion, nearly doubling the size of the prison at Bagram. Currently the base north of the Afghan capital Kabul holds over 600 prisoners classified as enemy combatants. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

U.S. Could Hire Private Guards for Bases in Afghanistan -- FOX News

U.S. military authorities in Afghanistan may hire a private contractor to provide around-the-clock security at dozens of bases and protect vehicle convoys moving throughout the country.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. military authorities in Afghanistan may hire a private contractor to provide around-the-clock security at dozens of bases and protect vehicle convoys moving throughout the country.

The possibility of awarding a security contract comes as the Obama administration is sending thousands of more troops into Afghanistan to quell rising violence fueled by a resurgent Taliban. As the number of American forces grow over the next several months, so too does the demand to guard their outposts.

Read more ....

My Comment: Wasn't this process criticized by the Democrats (including President Obama when he was a Senator) in Iraq when Blackwater and other private contractors were hired to protect convoys, bases, and VIPs?