Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2008 Filling the Void: Private Security Providers and Their Implications for United States Military Operations in Iraq and Beyond Howard Prentiss Shores III Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES FILLING THE VOID: PRIVATE SECURITY PROVIDERS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR UNITED STATES MILITARY OPERATIONS IN IRAQ AND BEYOND By HOWARD PRENTISS SHORES III A Thesis submitted to the Department of International Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2008 Copyright © 2008 Howard P. Shores III All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the thesis of Howard Prentiss Shores III, defended on February 25th, 2008. ________________________ Peter Garretson Professor Directing Thesis ________________________ Mark Souva Committee Member ________________________ Michael Creswell Committee Member The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii For my Uncle Charles iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people have contributed to the realization of this work over the course of the past year; without their vigorous dedication, this work would not have been possible. My most sincere thanks to Dr. Peter Garretson for his tireless direction and advice provided over the course of the creation of this thesis. Thanks to the members of my committee, Dr. Mark Souva and Dr. Michael Creswell for their valuable advice and many contributions to this work. I would like to thank my department chair, Dr. Lee Metcalf for her advice and support. Many thanks to those interviewed for this work for their time, their useful first-hand experience, and valuable advice. Thanks to Michael Orlando for his insights into international law, his revisions, and for his availability as a sounding board. Most importantly, thanks to my parents: my mother Jenelle for her understanding and support, and my father Howard for his numerous revisions and suggestions, as well as his valuable military perspective. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................................ ix ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... x LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I: THE RISE OF THE PRIVATIZED SECURITY INDUSTRY................................ 6 Setting the Stage ............................................................................................................. 6 A Dispassionate International Community................................................................. 8 The Rise of Political Islam and Islamic Terrorism ..................................................... 9 Changes in the United States Military ...................................................................... 10 A New Threat and a “New” Kind of Warfare............................................................... 13 Into Mesopotamia ..................................................................................................... 14 War Preparations and Private Contractors................................................................ 15 Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Fall of Saddam Hussein....................................... 19 The Fallujah Bridge .................................................................................................. 22 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER II: THE CONTRACTING INDUSTRY.................................................................... 25 Military Contractors and the United States Military: A Brief History ......................... 26 The Military Contracting Industry Today..................................................................... 29 Contractors and the Total Force Strategy ..................................................................... 29 The Spear Typology...................................................................................................... 31 Military Support Firms ............................................................................................. 32 Military Consulting Firms......................................................................................... 33 Military Provider Firms - Private Security Providers............................................... 34 Private Military Providers in Iraq ................................................................................. 36 Blackwater Security Consulting ............................................................................... 37 Custer Battles............................................................................................................ 38 Triple Canopy ........................................................................................................... 39 DynCorp.................................................................................................................... 39 Erinys International................................................................................................... 40 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER III: CONCERNS REGARDING THE USE OF PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTORS IN IRAQ ................................................................... 43 Concerns that Private security providers are “Mercenaries” ........................................ 43 Private Security Providers and Fraud, Waste and Abuse ............................................. 47 The Debate Concerning the Use of Contractors ........................................................... 51 Questions of Reliability ............................................................................................ 52 Concerns regarding Lobbyists and Consultants........................................................ 55 Cost Effectiveness..................................................................................................... 57 Laws and Accountability .............................................................................................. 60 Immunity and CPA Order #17.................................................................................. 60 Applicable Laws and Regulations of the United States................................................ 63 Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (2000)....................................................... 63 The War Crimes Act of 1996.................................................................................... 65 The Uniformed Code of Military Justice.................................................................. 66 Alien Tort Claims Act............................................................................................... 67 v Arms Export Control Act (1968) / International Traffic in Arms Regulations / Export Administration Act........................................................................................ 68 Title 18: Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction. ........................................... 69 U.S. Military Regulations ............................................................................................. 70 Defense Acquisition Regulations Supplement.......................................................... 71 Department of Defense Instruction 3020.41............................................................. 71 International Law.......................................................................................................... 72 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 75 CHAPTER IV: PRIVATE SECURITY PROVIDERS IN IRAQ AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE US-LED MISSION ................................................................. 77 The Successful Application of Private Security Providers in Iraq ............................... 78 Force Multiplication.................................................................................................. 78 Notable Examples of Good Contractor Conduct ...................................................... 80 The Effects of Private Security Providers on United States Military Operations......... 83 Lack of Command and Control Authority over Private Security ............................. 84 Lack of Communication and Coordination between Contractors and U.S. Forces.. 85 Private Security Providers and their Effects on U.S. Military Personnel ..................... 90 Contractor’s Behavior and Presence......................................................................... 91 Differences in pay and motivation............................................................................ 94 Force Retention........................................................................................................