Good pay, questionable benefits:
American security contractors walking thin line in Gaza – msn/Responsible Statecraft
“The introduction of private contractors is apparently critical to the success of the ceasefire, as Israel’s earlier demands to have IDF forces staff the checkpoint were reportedly holding up previous attempts to broker a deal. But former private military contractors who spoke with Responsible Statecraft say the practice of privatizing military and security-related affairs poses a number of risks to the contractors while allowing governments — in this case, the United States and Israel — to forgo putting their own military on the ground. Furthermore, these experts say, the private military industry in general — thanks to the built-in profit incentive and overarching opacity of its operations — lends itself to exacerbating and prolonging violence and conflict, not restraining it…
“The former contractors also observed that their peers had had little outside support during and after their service, despite risking their lives on the job, but also, as Lerette had observed, suffering from post-service mental health problems sometimes leading to suicides.
“According to Brown University’s Cost of War project, 50% more contractors than troops were present in the U.S. Central Command region in 2019, which included Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, more contractors than service members have died in wars waged post-9/11.
“‘Contractors are cheaper than hiring your own military…when the conflict is over, you don’t have to send them home to sit at… Fort Liberty, where they’re drawing a paycheck but not fighting. You just fire them, the contract is over,’ McFate explained. ‘You don’t have responsibility for [contractors’] physical or mental health. You don’t have responsibility for taking care of their funeral. There’s no Arlington Cemetery for them.'”