The Trump administration is considering handing the Afghanistan war off to 5,500 private contractors

American troops in Afghanistan.
(Image credit: WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)

The Trump administration is reportedly considering hiring 5,500 private contractors to accelerate the conclusion of the 16-year-long war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, USA Today reports. The proposal comes amid reports that the White House is stumped on how to proceed in the conflict, which spanned two presidencies before landing in President Trump's lap.

The proposal is "unprecedented," USA Today writes, with Blackwater founder Erik Prince explaining that the thousands of new private contractors would phase out the U.S. military troops advising Afghan forces in the country. The contractors would serve as "adjuncts" of the national forces, wearing the Afghan military uniform. The plan would also involve a 90-plane private air force that would only operate with the local government's approval.

Concerns about the plan have been raised by Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, and his defense secretary, Jim Mattis, USA Today reports. Chief strategist Stephen Bannon approves of the proposal. Prince is the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"At what point do you say a conventional military approach in Afghanistan is not working?" Prince asked. "Maybe we say that at 16 years."

Read The Week's James Poulos on America's failure in Afghanistan here.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.