Soldiers of Misfortune? Blackwater USA, Private Military Security Contractors (PMSCs), Iraq War, Afghanistan War, Counterinsurgency (COIN) Campaigns, DynCorp, Zapata, Kroll

The long counterinsurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan have made two facts abundantly clear about military contractors: 1) The U.S. Army has become dependent upon them; and, 2) They frequently create problems for, and sometimes actually interfere with, accomplishing the mission. In order to free up Soldiers for their core task of fighting and winning the nation's wars, the U.S. Government began in the 1980s to hire private companies to provide services previously handled by the military itself. Contractors gradually took over building bases, running mess halls, and doing laundry for U.S. troops at home and abroad. Providing such logistics support allowed a smaller land force to do as much as a large one had previously done. Logistics contractors also provided a surge capacity. They could be hired for a mission and let go once the mission was completed. The military also found it expedient to outsource maintenance of new high-tech weapons systems rather than assume the cost of developing and maintaining its own support capability.

Other than occasional cases of waste, fraud, and abuse, logistics and technical support contractors caused no serious problems and, indeed, were a valuable force multiplier. That situation changed dramatically with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. To bolster its military mission in the face of a growing insurgency, the George W. Bush administration deployed a small army of armed security personnel employed by private military security contractors (PMSCs). PMSCs provided personnel security details, convoy escorts, and facilities guards for the Departments of Defense and State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and a host of other agencies and departments. Operating in a legal vacuum, these contractors were armed like Soldiers but dressed like civilians. In carrying out their jobs, they often acted in a heavy-handed manner toward Iraqi civilians and got involved in several escalation-of-force incidents. The Army had similar problems with contractors in Afghanistan. These problems called into question the wisdom of using PMSCs in contingency operations.

This monograph examines the role of security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. From analysis of these two missions, it draws broad lessons from which it derives concrete recommendations to improve the conduct of further missions. Rather than do away with PMSCs altogether, the author recommends limiting their roles, providing better oversight of their activities, and improving legal accountability for their wrong doing. This monograph will be of interest to Soldiers and policymakers engaged in the difficult task of planning and conducting contingency operations.

Topics and subjects covered: Private military security contractors, PMSCs, iraq war, afghanistan war, counterinsurgency (COIN), Iraq green zone, Armor group, custer battles, Triple Canopy, DynCorp, Zapata, Kroll.