Blackwater in Georgian-Russia War?

[Nbadan]

"In addition to the trainers, 1,000 soldiers from the Vicenza, Italy-based Southern European Task Force (Airborne) and the Kaiserslautern-based 21st Theater Sustainment Command, along with Marine reservists with the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines out of Ohio, and the state of Georgia’s Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry recently participated in “Immediate Response 2008."

What the is Immediate Response? Sounds kind of ominous, doesn't it, given the cir stances?

From the web site:

"The mission of IMMEDIATE RESPONSE '08 is to improve interoperability of U.S. and Georgian armed forces (GAF) at the unit level through the brigade headquarters level. Through the Immediate Response series of exercises, U.S. and GAF will develop tactics, techniques and procedures for potential use in future joint and combined operations."

Linky

Where did the Georgians ever get the idea we'd rush in to help them? Hmmm . . .

Globalsecurity.org:

"In addition to the trainers, 1,000 soldiers from the Vicenza, Italy-based Southern European Task Force (Airborne) and the Kaiserslautern-based 21st Theater Sustainment Command, along with Marine reservists with the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines out of Ohio, and the state of Georgia’s Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry recently participated in “Immediate Response 2008. . . This is a great opportunity not just to prepare for future missions in Afghanistan, but to build the relationship our state has with the country of Georgia," said Maj. Matthew Smith, commander of the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry.”

Linky

If there are dead US troops, that really complicates things, doesn't it? But if they're just contractors, well who cares about them, right? They're on their own. That's the beauty of privatizing the Pentagon..

[Anti.Hero]

Corporate Armies are the future. It's like Globalization, it's coming and you can't stop it.

[Indazone]

I met a former special ops guy recently. The guy now works for Blackwater and he told me that guys get around 300 K a year if they are front line Blackwater guys. They have better guns and equipment than the US military except for heavy armor like tanks and Apaches. However, their armored SUV's are even more reliable than the US Humvees and better armored. Air conditioned and tricked out too. They got better guns and optics.

Blackwater in Iraq and Afghanistan has the full support of the US military. In fact, they send the Blackwater guys in to do their fighting for them because the rules of engagement are such that US troops cannot fire at an enemy combantant within 100 ft of a civilian. So Blackwater is not restricted by this rule so they are doing most of the fighting. They get Air Force air support, intel, and are loaded with former marines and special ops guys.

Also interesting is that the deathrate of these contractors is not recorded in the overall death count in Iraq. So I was told that roughly 4000 of these contractors have also been killed so the death count in Iraq is more like 8-9000 killed in action.

I am not suprised that Blackwater would be in Georgia. More like a case where the US is not really there but is there in proxy with a corporate fighting force.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

If there are dead US troops, that really complicates things, doesn't it? But if they're just contractors, well who cares about them, right? They're on their own. That's the beauty of mercenaries.

fify, as usual...