Levin statement on private security contractors in Afghanistan

From the Office of U.S. Senator Carl Levin
Friday, August 20, 2010

WASHINGTON – Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement today on the use of private security contractors in Afghanistan.

Recently, President Hamid Karzai issued a decree calling for the dissolution of most private security companies operating in Afghanistan. The Senate Armed Services Committee is nearing completion of a year-long investigation into private security contracting in Afghanistan.

“The reliance on private security contractors in Afghanistan too often empowers local warlords and powerbrokers who operate outside the Afghan government’s control. There is even evidence that some security contractors work against coalition forces, creating the very threat that they are hired to combat.

“Not only do these contractors threaten the security of our troops, but they put the success of our mission at risk – an assessment that Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, and Major General Nick Carter, the Commander of Regional Command South, both shared with me during my recent trip to Afghanistan.

“President Karzai has said he wants to get rid of most private security contractors in Afghanistan. I agree with that.

“We need to work with President Karzai to come up with a realistic plan to accomplish that goal – one that not only shuts off the spigot of U.S. dollars flowing into the pockets of warlords and powerbrokers, but attracts rank and file contractor personnel to the Afghan national security forces.

“The challenge is significant, but the risk posed by maintaining the status quo is greater.”