President Donald Trump has voiced his frustration with the conduct of the war in Afghanistan and is reportedly considering a proposal to privatize the U.S. role in the conflict. We’re facing a stalemate with the resurgent Taliban, who continue to punish Afghan security forces with unrelenting attacks and take over cities with complex assaults.
Seventeen years into the war in Afghanistan, there appears to be no end in sight. After an “end” to combat operations in 2014 and a reduction of U.S. troop levels to 9,000 under the Obama administration, the trend is again shifting to a renewed U.S. combat role and additional troops on the ground.
Enter Erik Prince and the prospect of a privatized war in Afghanistan.
Who is Erik Prince?
Back in 2007, Prince’s private security company Blackwater gained a lot of negative attention in the United States over what they were doing in Iraq. At the height of the war there, Blackwater received contracts from the United States government to provide protective services to diplomats and VIPs in combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2007, Blackwater contractors shot and killed Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, Baghdad. The contractors involved in the shooting were tried in the U.S., but only one has received any jail time. He is awaiting a new trial after a three-judge panel tossed the conviction.
It was another ugly chapter in the United States-led war in Iraq. Blackwater, the company involved in the shooting, was founded by Erik Prince. He had a short career as a Navy SEAL officer and started Blackwater in 1997. From 1997 to 2010, Blackwater would be awarded $2 billion in government security contracts, much of which was classified work with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Prince became well known after the 2007 incident in Iraq. It forced him to change Blackwater to Xe Services in 2009 and then to Academi in 2011 after it was acquired by a group of private investors.
Unable to continue securing contract work from the U.S. government, Prince began focusing on other countries. He moved on from his Blackwater days and started a new private security company called Frontier Services Group. The company’s goal is to help Chinese businesses with security, aviation, and logistics while working in Africa, an area of increasing interest for China. In 2013, Prince sold controlling interest of Frontier to Chinese entrepreneurs, and he remained on as chairman.
A War to Be Fought by Mercenaries?
Erik Prince’s idea first surfaced last year during the Afghanistan strategy review held by the president and his National Security team. The plan would see the replacement of U.S. troops in Afghanistan with private military contractors who would work for a U.S. envoy that would oversee the war and report directly to the president.
Contractors would stay in Afghanistan for the long term. Whereas U.S. troops continually rotate into and out of the country, private security contractors under Prince’s plan would remain in Afghanistan for years, allowing them to develop meaningful relationships with the locals and a far better understanding of the situation on the ground.
The idea of privatizing the war in Afghanistan has raised serious ethical concerns, and President Trump’s advisers are reportedly concerned that the president is seriously considering Prince’s idea.
It remains unlikely, however, that Prince’s plan would be adopted by the White House and the Pentagon. Still, contractors continue to plan an important role in Afghanistan, as they did in Iraq. They outnumber U.S. troops, and it is entirely possible that they will play a greater role in future operations.
