I'm Shocked, Shocked to Hear...

that there are more contractors than US troops in Afghanistan, despite SecDef Gate's desire to reduce the military's dependence on contractors.

Even as U.S. troops surge to new highs in Afghanistan they are outnumbered by military contractors working alongside them, according to a Defense Department census due to be distributed to Congress -- illustrating how hard it is for the U.S. to wean itself from the large numbers of war-zone contractors that proved controversial in Iraq.

The number of military contractors in Afghanistan rose to almost 74,000 by June 30, far outnumbering the roughly 58,000 U.S. soldiers on the ground at that point. As the military force in Afghanistan grows further, to a planned 68,000 by the end of the year, the Defense Department expects the ranks of contractors to increase more.

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The heavy reliance on contractors in Afghanistan signals that a situation that defense planners once considered temporary has become a standard fixture of U.S. military operations.

"For a sustained fight like our current commitments, the U.S. military can't go to war without contractors on the battlefield," said Steven Arnold, a former Army general and retired executive at logistics specialists Ecolog USA and KBR Inc. KBR was formerly owned by Halliburton Co. He added, "For that matter, neither can NATO."

It's just like old times... some things just never change and will never change.

Comments

[Kilo]

"some things just never change and will never change"

I was thinking the same thing while listening to Jeremy Scahill yet again lying about PMCs and perpetuating the myth that these numbers represent armed mercenaries rather than unarmed service providers.

[J.]

He is rather shrill, isn't he?

[Nixon]

J, no politician dare invoke a draft and these wars aren't gonna fight themselves with an already stretched Armed Forces. So, they hire contractors to fill in the gaps. Plus, it's a way for politicians to aware lucrative contracts to rich dudes who made big campaign contributions. Why fight the system?

[J.]

Oh I'm not fighting it at all, I understand the relationship of contractors and govvies. It's SecDef Gates trying to change the process. I'm just a symptom of the problem... such that it is. I'm enjoying the ride as a bloodsucking contractor living off the flesh of the military.

[Nixon]

You're not working for the Rendon group, are ya? They seem to be in the news lately.