WI the american army got privatized?

I'd say that there is a difference between "being a mercenary" and "joining a foreign military." I'd argue that the Brigade of Gurkhas and FFL are an example of the latter. In fact, since 1997 Gurkhas can transfer out of the Bridgade of Gurkhas into regular Army units, if they like.

Also, under protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions, clauses 47e & f, neither are considered mercenaries. If that matters to you.

Both the Gurkhas and FFL attract recruits for many reasons. Some are indeed financial, especially with the Gurkhas- the prospect of escaping endemic poverty and earning a pension, as well as residency rights in Britain can be a strong motivator. But that obviously isn't just about getting paid. That's about changing your life, and that of your family. Such things instill loyalty that a mere shilling does not. Also a sense of adventure, and being able to leave the valley you were born in. A new start. (The FFL offers actual citizenship, but I don't think the Brigade of Gurkha do.) Respect- which both the Gurkha and FFL get, whereas mercenaries most emphatically do not.

Many reasons. Similar to the reasons that many foreign nationals join the US military, though we do not firewall them off in their own units as with the Gurkha or FFL.

Whew! Well, in short I agree that neither the Gurkha nor FFL are mercenaries, even if the FFL does seem to willingly adopt that label as a sort of badge of badassery.
 
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The majority of functions that have been privatized in the US military are things like food service, construction/base support services, etc. In the history of the USA these sorts of things, as well as contract medical personnel in combat zones have happened before. This was done in the recent past because it is cheaper to hire these services than have military personnel doing them where you pay for pensions, medical care of the servicepeople and their dependents, and such things directly. Some of the cyber things are contracted because, frankly, recruiting enough of those folks with military pay scales (especially enlisted) is quite difficult. Folks like Blackwater are supposed to be used only for security for civilian folks like AID and not for direct combat ops.

Is this cost effective? For chow halls and lawn mowing in the USA probably. IMHO the issue with this is in a combat zone you now a have a bunch of civilians (not legally supposed to have weapons) who need to be protected and contribute zero to defense. In the Marines, every cook needs to qualify with their T/O weapon annually and SeaBees are trained with all sorts of weapons as well as bulldozers - just two examples.

I simply can't see the USA absent Skippy the ASB ever making the entire military, in particular combat arms, "private contractors". The history of mercenary armies, whether the free companies of the late middle ages or the Italian condottieri rarely ends well for the political entities that hire them. Where "mercenaries" have worked is where they are add-ons to the regular military, and thus can be controlled, or hired from other governments (like "Hessians" in the ARW) who have someone who takes responsibility for them and can be held to account.
 
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