Views on Bannon's idea of hiring the Golden Company (or mercenaries) for wars?

[Shadows]

Stephen Bannon wants to talk about using mercenaries to solve Afghanistan

Today, the New York Times reports (paywall) that the White House solicited plans to replace US troops with mercenaries from Erik Prince, the founder of the scandal-tarnished mercenary company Blackwater, and Stephen Feinberg, the billionaire private equity investor who controls the defense contractor DynCorp and spends his free time playing soldier with special operators at a private training camp he constructed. The proposals from the two men, who could make millions from an increased use of private contractors by the US, were solicited by Stephen Bannon, Trump’s top political adviser. Bannon encouraged Defense secretary James Mattis to include the idea of relying on private companies rather than soldiers in a review of Afghanistan policy. Mattis reportedly declined.

https://qz.com/1026395/donald-trumps-political-adviser-stephen-bannon-is-plotting-publicly-funded-private-armies-from-blackwaters-erik-prince-and-dyncorps-stephen-feinberg-to-fight-in-afghanistan/


While this potentially saves lives of soldiers, how does it play out in the long term?
Could the paid mercenaries be bought (or individual fighters for that matter) in the midst of a war by the opposing party?
What about accountability if a mercenary ends up killing allies?
What about Human rights? Could we have innocent civilians brutalized, women raped, children tortured, etc & a return to medieval times when it comes to wars?
Could there be rampant corruption & contracts being given to buddies?

Do you support hiring mercenaries ala the Golden Company ?

[Kamala]

Prince is Betsy DeVos's brother, for the record. Just more rich elites helping each other at the expense of the taxpayer.

[Doimper]

Privatizing war is one the most Republican things I can imagine

[TheSaint250]

Not a good idea. I'd trust our own nation's military over mercenaries any day

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

So Bannon (and by extension, Trump) want to transport large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages?

Sounds like an action totally unworthy of the head of a civilized nation.

[Zioneer]

I do wonder who are the Blackfyres in this scenario.

[Catholics vs. Convicts]

Prince is Betsy DeVos's brother, for the record. Just more rich elites helping each other at the expense of the taxpayer.

[ProudModerate2]

Not a good idea. I'd trust our own nation's military over mercenaries any day

Completely agree.
Should I be shocked that such a Clownish idea is coming from trump & Co ?

[Blue3]

Remember what happened in Star Wars, after the Republic let private corporations maintain their own armies... they weren't loyal and eventually turned, leading to the Clone Wars.

[Badger]

Not a good idea. I'd trust our own nation's military over mercenaries any day

Completely agree.
Should I be shocked that such a Clownish idea is coming from trump & Co ?

[publicunofficial]

PMC's are bad news.

[Kingpoleon]

Prince is Betsy DeVos's brother, for the record. Just more rich elites helping each other at the expense of the taxpayer.

You guys are just now finding this out? I've known for a year. Her husband almost became the first Governor with a brother-in-law in charge of a private army.