The Herald

BRITAIN'S overstretched special forces could be facing an exodus because of a new American "mercenary" deal in Iraq offering up to three times the military's rate of pay for SAS or SBS veterans with combat experience.
The £58m contract, for a civilianised force of former soldiers "trained to Nato standards", is for guarding the four-square-mile Green Zone in central Baghdad which houses coalition headquarters and the Iraqi governing council offices.
The Pentagon plans to withdraw its own regular troops to six bases on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital to minimise casualties inside the city in a US presidential election year, leaving protection of the vulnerable administrative nerve-centre in the hands of a private security company.
A UK special forces officer who contacted The Herald yesterday said the 350-strong SAS was already so over-committed and demoralised that up to 60 reservists had been drafted in to help in the hunt for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
"We are already on the brink of a manning crisis. About 40 men have already left the regiment in the last year or are in the process of doing so. Most are tired of playing second-fiddle to US special forces in Iraq and fed up with the increasingly penny-pinching attitude of the Ministry of Defence," he said.
"Quite a few have already signed up with private security firms, who are just officially-sanctioned mercenaries by another name, or are earning big bucks as consultants. A contract which offers double or triple pay and guaranteed action will be an attractive lure for many more.
"We were already at risk of being a full squadron down by the end of the year – 25% of our fighting strength – but the numbers opting out look set to become a haemorrhage."
The SAS commander, a lieutenant-colonel and former Guardsman, can refuse two requests by members of the unit for premature voluntary release from the action roster and the army. If a trooper asks a third time, he must grant the request.
It costs about £2m to train a soldier to the SAS's exacting standards. A corporal earns about £30,000 a year, plus allowances. Private security firms seeking their expertise pay anywhere between £50,000 and £100,000.
Bids for the Iraqi security contract are due to be submitted by this Sunday and the first armed American and British teams will begin deploying from April 1.
A Pentagon spokesman yesterday confirmed that the deal was open to contractors recruiting personnel "with previous military experience", with a central core of "force protection" operatives trained to Nato standards.
The recruitment of British or US former special forces troopers would be "up to the contractor", he said. "These guys have the skills and experience ideal for the job."