US

Military Pilots Are Leaving Air Force To Become Highly-Paid Private Contractors

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Eric Lieberman Managing Editor
Font Size:

Air Force pilots with an expertise in drone operations are leaving the military to become private contractors because the pay is substantially better.

The Pentagon has added four more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) controlled by contractors since the Obama administration revamped its attempt to become offensive against the Islamic State in roughly the past year. There are plans to add six more drones to be flown by contractors in the next two or so years. (RELATED: 65-Year-Old Woman Obliterates Drone Hovering Over Her Property)

Officials at the Pentagon say a large portion of outsourced drone operators are being paid double or triple their military salaries, according to The New York Times.

While it is illegal for contractors to use drones as a weapon, they can use it for reconnaissance, the NYT reports.

The move exemplifies an overarching tendency by the American military to subcontract rather than having work done internally. The number of contractors the American military hired for Iraq jumped from 250 to 2,028 in only a year.

Erika Yepsen, a spokeswoman for the Air Force, told The NYT that any aerial assignments conducted by contractors “have oversight from both a government flight representative and a government ground representative,” which is “the same oversight currently provided for military aircrews.”

But some experts in the industry contend that contractors for the military complicate the administration and performance of the military and its endeavors. The CATO Institute composed an extensive report on the use of private military contractors (PMCs). It concluded that while the U.S. relies heavily on PMCs, “more internal investigations and audits need to be conducted by or on behalf of outside actors, particularly the governments, not the companies themselves.”

In other words, since the Pentagon’s practice of hiring PMCs has become so entrenched in the culture, the least that can be done is amplify accountability.

“This is opening up a whole new can of worms,” Laura A. Dickinson, a law professor at George Washington University, told The NYT.

“We have seen problems with security contractors on the battlefield since 9/11 and there’s been an improvement in oversight in that area, but that came after a decade of problems,” she continued. “With drones, this is a new area where we already do not have a lot of transparency, and with contractors operating drones there’s no clearly defined regime of oversight and accountability.”

Accountability isn’t the only potential problem. The increase in hiring private contractors could cost the country tons of money since the trend showcases the Pentagon’s apparent willingness to pay more, which will further exacerbate the problem by encouraging more Air Force pilots to go to the private sector.

Follow Eric on Twitter

Send tips to eric@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.