Report: Trump Administration Wants To 'Outsource Afghanistan To Mercenaries'

Steve Inskeep asks Mark Perry of The American Conservative about his article that says some in the Trump administration want to use more contractors in Afghanistan.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Military contractors outnumber soldiers in Afghanistan almost 3-1. They do a lot of the back-office work of warfighting. The question now is whether their role could expand under the Trump administration.

Mark Perry wrote about this in The American Conservative, and he's in our studios this morning. Thanks for coming by, sir. Good morning.

INSKEEP: So the headline on your article is "Bannon And Kushner" - close presidential advisers - "Bannon And Kushner Want To Outsource Afghanistan To Mercenaries."

PERRY: That's right, head of Cerberus International and DynCorp, which has a very large footprint in Afghanistan.

INSKEEP: A very large footprint doing what sorts of things?

PERRY: Logistics, supply - they also train Afghan police. They provide services to American troops, but they also provide security. And of course...

INSKEEP: Meaning some of them carry guns?

PERRY: Absolutely. And under this proposal, more of them would carry guns. And a lot of the fighting and training of the Afghan army would be contracted to private contractors. It's a very controversial proposal, but it was promoted by Prince and Feinberg to the White House. Mr. Trump apparently liked the proposal and wanted it to be considered for the new Afghanistan strategy, which is what's happening. 

ERRY: Well, Americans - American men and women wouldn't be coming home in body bags who wear uniform. This would be a wholly owned subsidiary, a corporate contract for private gain. - NPR

Report: Trump Administration Wants To 'Outsource Afghanistan To Mercenaries'