All this being part of why Clinton gave up on gays in the military - in trying to keep the deep state from tearing itself apart in the Cold War aftermath, that was a cheap sop to keep one faction pacified and try to just wait for everyone to retire and drawdown by attrition. But then Bush the Younger and 9/11 and the buildup and fuck, man. National security expenditures are being maintained because if not then on the inside the deep state will go for each other’s throats and on the outside all the veterans with their shit together in contractor jobs they got off their security clearances will have to look around and find something to do and… fuck, man.

At least someone had the sense to castrate the PMCs in time.