Six-figure bonuses retain US commandos

[ck4829]

The Pentagon has paid more than $100 million in bonuses to veteran Green Berets and Navy SEALs, reversing the flow of top commandos to the corporate world where security companies such as Blackwater USA are offering big salaries.

The retention effort, started nearly three years ago and overseen by U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla., has helped preserve a small but elite group of enlisted troops with vast experience fighting the unconventional wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department statistics.

Overall, more than 1,200 of the military's most specialized personnel near or already eligible for retirement have opted for payments of up to $150,000 in return for staying in uniform several more years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071011/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/pentagon_commando_costs

[aquart]

1. Stop handing contracts to companies that compete with us.

Seems so frighteningly simple.