Use of private security firms in Iraq draws concerns

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KIRKUSH, Iraq -- The use by the Pentagon of more than a dozen private security companies to guard key installations and train a new Iraqi army has helped extend U.S. military resources but raised concern among some active-duty soldiers and civilian U.S. officials.

That trend was on display recently here in northeastern Iraq, where the U.S. authority proudly displayed a battalion-size set of recruits it hopes will form the core of a new pro-American Iraqi army.

The camouflage-clad recruits -- young and middle-aged, Kurdish, Arab and Turkoman -- marched in formation, launched ambushes and fired their weapons for a group of visiting reporters.

But their training was being handled not by U.S. forces but a group of gray-suited specialists under contract from the Vinnell Corp., a subsidiary of American defense giant Northrop Grumman. Vinnell, in turn, has subcontracted most of the Kirkush training to MPRI, an Alexandria firm that helped train the new Croatian and Bosnian armies.

"The Iraqi army is such an essential component for the future of Iraq in terms of avoiding civil war," said Rex Wempen, a Baghdad-based security consultant and former Special Forces member. "It shows how embedded the [private military contractors, or PMCs] are in the thinking of the Department of Defense that they would use them to train that army."

At a time when the overstretched U.S. military is struggling to persuade other nations to send troops to help secure Iraq, PMCs can relieve some of the pressure on American forces.

"If you're going to keep the number of troops down, this is the way to do it," said Mr. Wempen. "The expense is the same or more. But politically it's much less expensive."

Staffed by ex-military personnel, the private firms are playing an increasingly visible role in Iraq:

• Armed employees of Custer Battles, a Fairfax firm, guard Baghdad airport, manning the type of checkpoints often operated by American soldiers.