The private military company Blackwater is claiming it wants to reduce its vital role in guarding US military operations abroad. In an interview with the Associated Press, Blackwater CEO Erik Prince said Blackwater’s activities in Iraq had brought it undue media scrutiny. Blackwater has made headlines for a series of incidents, including the mass slaying of seventeen Iraqis in Baghdad last September. Blackwater says it wants to focus efforts on security training. But it will still continue working under its contract guarding US officials in Iraq. On Monday, Democratic Senator Jim Webb of Virginia released a memo showing Defense Secretary Robert Gates questioning the use of private military firms. In a letter to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Adm. Mike Mullen, Gates asked, “Why have we come to rely on private contractors to provide combat or combat-related security training for our forces?”