Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

". . . Around the world, the U.S. military pre-positions cargo vessels on the high seas, close to world trouble spots. . . . They are maintained not by sailors but by master merchant seamen—that is, by private contractors. . . . Had the Navy itself been doing the job, I was told—the government being the government and the military the military—it would have required a hundred sailors."

Actually, I believe the CIVMARS are federal civilians. The Navy is doing the job, just not blue suiters. Since you don't have to train gaggle of junior sailors and the mission scope is limited (e.g. no belligerent operations), a CIVMAR crew is indeed a fraction of an active duty crew. USS CORONADO was an interesting experiment recently. Prior to her decom, she was operated with an MSC crew, but staffed (as a flagship) with military personnel.

Important questions regarding this arrangement:

Will the lucrative opportunity for employment with a contractor tend to shape, change or influence the decisions made by active duty officers and NCOs in the performance of their military duties and responsibilities?

Will this arrangement cause a conflict of interest?

Will active duty military personnel be willing to stand in the face of the contractor (who he or she hopes to work for in the near future) and take the same actions they would have taken if a post-military contract job was not looming on the horizon?

Just how much power and influence will be transferred to the contractors -- and be taken away from the military -- by this arrangement?