Change

Saw this movie a couple of weeks ago: (Flyboys) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454824/ about The Lafayette Escadrille, a group of American volunteers flying for the French in WWI. I assume they were paid but, there's no specific mention of this fact one way or the other. If they were, it should be noted that France largely financed WWI through the British who did the same through the US. In other words, we paid them, through the British, then the French, with everybody taking a cut along the way no doubt.

This picture drew my attention to this topic today. 'Private military contractors' fighting for foreign governments (aka China) with US assistance in 1941:


We gave China financial assistance, China paid the Flying Tigers $500/kill plus a regular paycheck.

In both cases The Lafayette Escadrille and Flying Tigers were inducted into the regular US Armed Forces as we entered the wars.

There are differences and similarities between these types of groups and military contractors today. I wonder if anyone has explored them? For example, has the size of the modern US military obviated the need for military contractors in the combat arms community? Has the nature of modern combat outstripped the ability of the contractor to participate effectively?