Armies for hire

Listened to BBCs broadcast 'Armies for Hire'. Tim Spicer, owner of Aegis Defence Services Ltd, said that PMCs are "totally accountable". This was based on his firm having a contract with the US that includes a vast body of regulations, a license with the Iraqi government (host nation element as he called it) and that the firm through the contract with the US was subject to MEJA and UCMJ.

A little note to you Tim and others who believe that PMCs are totally accountable - MEJA (Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act) defines "employed by the armed forces" to include civilian employees of the DOD as well as DOD contactors and their employees (including subcontractors at any tier). This means that only PMCs holding contracts with the DOD are covered, what about firms holding contracts with the DOI or CIA?  

According to the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) US civilians and contractors can be tried by court martial but only if Congress has declared war. The last time Congress declared war was on 11 December, 1941, and we all know that the US has been engaged in conflicts and war since then.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6670783.stm