From The Hindu, February 13, 1975: U.S. Congress probe into hiring of military trainers

Washington, Feb. 12: Rising unemployment in the U.S. and the lure of high pay and adventure in exotic lands is persuading a number of American ex-servicemen, who had fought in Vietnam, to seek jobs as military mercenaries in Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The latest disclosures show that a 1,500-strong American private force, commanded by a former Major-General, is in Iran to help create a helicopter strike force known as the Iran Sky Cavalry Brigade. It will be modelled after a similar American unit that fought in Vietnam.

The Bell Helicopter International, a private American company which has a five-year contract with the Iran Government to provide this tactical training force, is a sister firm of the Bell Helicopter Company, which sold over 450 attack helicopters to Iran two years ago.

Though the U.S. Government is not involved in this particular training contract, it was revealed early this week that another private company, the Vinnell Corporation of California, had a $77 million (Rs. 61.6 crores) contract with the U.S. Defence Department to provide a 1000-man special force unit to train Saudi soldiers to protect their oil fields from invasion by foreign troops.

Both Saudi Arabia and Iran have been buying huge quantities of arms from the U.S. with their oil riches, and some of the weapons supplied are so modern and sophisticated that even the U.S. armed forces have not started to use them.