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Oliver North defends the use of civilian contractors
in Afghanistan there are more than 74,000 military contractors and the number is increasing as more U.S. and NATO troops "surge" into the theatre. Though it’s unlikely to make the lead story in any of the mainstream media, contractors are performing tasks that U.S. government entities either cannot do or that cannot be done as economically.
Saturday, August 29, 2009

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DOD publishes contractor numbers as of March 2009
This update reports DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces. It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) as of March 31, 2009.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009

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LOGCAP III Illustrates Why Government Contracting Can Be Prolonged
The U.S. Army even before the invasion of Iraq in March, 2003 utilized private contractors to provide housekeeping services. This was especially true overseas in places like Kuwait. The contracts used to provide these services were called LOGCAP. KBR a large company that did this kind of work for the U.S. government as well as private companies was chosen as the prime for LOGCAP in 2001. The company was subsequently awarded two more contracts which now last to after 2010.
Friday, May 15, 2009

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Cheap Labor for Private Security
Low-cost labor helps private security companies stay competitive, but weak regulation and 'mercenary' complications are having an adverse effect.
Friday, April 10, 2009

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New IPOA Code of Conduct for Private Contractors Ratified
International Peace Operations Association (IPOA) announced that the 12th version of its Code of Conduct was ratified by its 53 member companies and is now in effect.
Saturday, March 7, 2009

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DoD contractor personnel numbers as of December 2008
This update reports DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater. It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) as of December 31, 2008.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

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Dogs of War: PMC Research 101
A common refrain from many who observe the private military contracting industry is that it is opaque, shadowy, veiled, secretive, hidden, non-transparent, etc. Is this true? Yes and no, but mostly no.
Saturday, February 7, 2009

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Dogs of War: That is the question
Is it possible that a private security contractor can actually do a good job -- do what it contracted to do without waste, fraud or abuse? Of course, the answer is yes. And the vast majority of security contractors do just that. Yet to read and watch much of the media coverage of their work, it would be easy to get a different impression.
Saturday, January 31, 2009

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Dogs of War: Contracting's con side
It is hard to truly understand many war-related activities unless you have been there. The culture of private military contractors is no different.
Sunday, January 4, 2009

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Fatal Shootings by Iraq Contractors Drop in 2008
Private security contractors guarding State Department officials in Iraq have been involved in just one deadly shooting incident through the first 10 months of this year, compared with 72 during the same time period in 2007, the federal government reported this week.
Sunday, December 21, 2008

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Dogs of War: It's all Eisenhower's fault
Coming up on nearly six years of contractor presence in Iraq and more than seven in Afghanistan, it seems reasonable to ask how contractors are faring in the book world.
Saturday, December 20, 2008

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Many Government Contractors Bring Home Little Bacon, Report Finds
If you think of well-paid, highly skilled people like brainy engineers at Lockheed Martin or tough Blackwater gunmen in Iraq when you hear the phrase "government contractors," think again. Many contractors do grunt work and don't get paid much for it.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008

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Dogs of War: The Blackwater indictments
What should we think, now that the long investigation into the killings of 17 Iraqis by Blackwater contractors last year has ended with the indictment of five of them and a guilty plea by another?
Monday, December 15, 2008

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Dogs of War: A contractor's tale
What much of the debate over the use of contractors overlooks is that their presence on American battlefields is not the result of the greed of a bunch of opportunistic entrepreneurs and shady corporations. Instead, it is the result of deliberate decisions made decades ago.
Monday, December 1, 2008

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Dogs of War: The global stability industry
The private military contracting industry is generally thought of in terms of two types of employees. There are logistics workers who drive the trucks, build and staff the bases, maintain the weapons, and do many other non-armed tasks. And then there are security contractors who carry guns and, when necessary, fight to protect their clients. But the industry is far more diverse than that, though you would not know it to read the average commentary on the subject.
Saturday, November 22, 2008

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Dogs of War: The Top 10 PSCs in Iraq
According to a recent government audit, first reported in The New York Times, at least 310 PSCs from around the world have received contracts from U.S. agencies to protect American and Iraqi officials, installations, convoys and other entities in Iraq since 2003, at a cost of about $6 billion.
Saturday, November 15, 2008

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Dogs of War: Contractors and Obama
In the wake of Barack Obama's election victory many American private military and security contractors are wondering what their future will be under President Obama. It is probably better than they imagine.
Saturday, November 8, 2008

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Obama election win could boost defense companies
U.S. defense contractors thrive as well during Democratic administrations, if not better, than in Republican ones, and an election of Barack Obama as president offers no hint of being an exception.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008

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Dogs of War: The last contractor
Just as private contractors were part of the buildup of forces in Iraq, from the very beginning of the war to today, they are also figuring to be a prominent part of the eventual withdrawal. A recent report finds that the success of the eventual withdrawal from Iraq -- or "reposturing effort," as it is called -- will depend on having clearer guidance and plans for reposturing of contractors from Iraq, and accountability and disposition of contractor-managed, government-owned property.
Saturday, October 4, 2008

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Firm training Lebanon's ISF has had trouble elsewhere
US government-funded training for Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) is being provided by Dyncorp, a private military contractor whose conduct during similar missions in Iraq and Afghanistan has been heavily criticized.
Saturday, September 20, 2008