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CIAO DATE: 04/05/07
Reconsidering Battlefield Contractors
by Doug Brooks and Jim Shevlin
Private firms play an indispensable role in supporting peace and stability operations from Congo to Iraq, but sensationalization and misinformation of "battlespace contractors" has unfortunately skewed public perceptions and is having an adverse impact on policy formulation. Despite frequent claims that private firms are unprecedented, unregulated, inherently unethical and even a threat to American democracy, the private sector actually has a long history supporting U.S. military operations, is regulated by numerous domestic and international laws and statutes, plays a central role in operations critical to speedy state recovery, infrastructure reconstruction and humanitarian security, and is critical to implementing policies of democratic governments and the international community. The private sector provides policymakers, as well as those tasked to carry out the policies, with remarkably cost-effective and flexible tools, and criticisms of the industry too often have more to do with the politics behind the policies than with the performance of the companies engaged in their implementation.
Private contractors have been serving in war zones alongside U.S. forces since the American Revolution, and their role has constantly evolved.2 Today, contractors are accepting new tasks, such as landmine eradication, and new clients, such as the UN. A more inclusive term for this expanding industry is the "peace and stability industry," which covers firms providing "military" services ranging from demining to heavy air logistics and from military and peacekeeper training to actual armed security. There has been a debate of sorts among policymakers and pundits about the scope, role, transparency and accountability of these companies-especially armed private security companies. The essential and increasing value the private sector provides to peace and stability operations is such that the role of these companies deserves an honest and nuanced discussion. This article will provide a typology for the firms involved, describe current regulations, highlight problems with current laws, and provide recommendations for the best way forward.
Within the peace and stability industry there are hundreds of companies providing critical services to military operations. Personnel utilized by these companies generally come from the ranks of former soldiers who learn an array of useful skills during their military careers and can serve in the civilian workforce for years after their military retirement. Many of these personnel have served for decades but are young enough to have second careers offering their skills through the private sector.
While there have been claims that the peace and stability services market is worth more than $100 billion worldwide, that figure is hugely inflated and takes into account services that most analysts would not normally include, such as cleaning the Pentagon.3 The largest contract for services in Iraq, KBR's LOGCAP, is valued at about $14 billion since 2003. The largest security contract in Iraq is with Aegis Defence Services Ltd., which has more to do with intelligence and coordination of other contractors, is worth $293 million over three years. Limited to service companies operating in conflict/ post-conflict (CPC) environments, a more accurate number would be closer to $20 billion per year, over half of this amount is from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
To better understand how the pie is divided, it helps to break the industry down into three generally recognized categories: the support companies, or Nonlethal Service Providers (NSPs), make up well over 90 percent of the market in terms of contract value and personnel numbers, and the two more controversial categories of Private Military Companies (PMCs) and Private Security Companies (PSCs).
Doug Brooks is President of the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA).
Jim Shevlin is Research Associate at IPOA and graduate student in the Peace Operations Program at George Mason University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps.