Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Report: Private contractors outnumber U.S. troops in Iraq

Above: A private contractor helicopter with 'security' forces over Baghdad in 2006.

The number of U.S.-paid private contractors in Iraq now exceeds that of American combat troops, newly released figures show, raising fresh questions about the privatization of the war effort and the government's capacity to carry out military and rebuilding campaigns.

More than 180,000 civilians — including Americans, foreigners and Iraqis — are working in Iraq under U.S. contracts, according to State and Defense department figures obtained by the Los Angeles Times...

The numbers include at least 21,000 Americans, 43,000 foreign contractors and about 118,000 Iraqis — all employed in Iraq by U.S. tax dollars, according to the most recent government data...

But there are also signs that even those mounting numbers may not capture the full picture. Private security contractors, who are hired to protect government officials and buildings, were not fully counted in the survey, according to industry and government officials...

"We don't have control of all the coalition guns in Iraq. That's dangerous for our country," said William Nash, a retired Army general and reconstruction expert. The Pentagon "is hiring guns. You can rationalize it all you want, but that's obscene."

Read the rest at the LA Times

Related Link:
Perspective: Iraq 'contractors' face growing parallel war

Related Link:
Judge halts award of Iraq 'security' contract

Related Link:
Blackwater 'contractors' engage Iraqi security forces

Related Link:
State Department hires DynCorp to recruit U.S. border agents to work in Iraq

Related Link:
Labor Department: 146 contract workers killed this year, at least 917 total; 12,000 wounded or injured

Related Link:
U.S. House Panel Puts Iraq Contractor Abuse Claims ‘On the Record’

Related Link:
Blackwater files protest over Army 'security' contract

Related Link:
Opinion (Jeremy Scahill): Corporate warriors

Related Link:
Speaker: 'Private contractor' to protect Iraq parliament

Related Link:
Report: Pentagon sees experience in El Salvador as fallback option if 'surge' fails

Related Link:
Opinion (Yuram Weiler): The dangers of private armies

Related Link:
Report: UK to send mercenaries for 'post-occupation' phase

Related Link:
Reversing denials, Pentagon says Blackwater mercenary contract hidden in Halliburton deal

Related Link:
Perspective: Our mercenaries in Iraq

Related Link:
Petraeus: Mercenaries vital part of effort

Related Link:
Perspective: Contractor's war role debated

Related Link:
War Stories: Working as a 'hired gun' in Iraq

Related Link:
DynCorp gets extension to train police officers in Iraq