The Pluses And Minuses Of Security Contractors Operating In Afghanistan

Hamid Karzai has long made clear his opposition to private security companies, saying only the Afghan army and police should be allowed to carry weapons. Photograph: Matt Moyer/Getty Images

Rogue Security Companies Threaten US Gains In Afghanistan War -- Christian Science Monitor

The Pentagon is dependent upon contractors in the Afghanistan war. But many of the security companies are undermining – or even working against –the US war effort.

Since its Revolutionary days, the American military has been no stranger to the use of paid help – from carpenters to ditch diggers – to wage war. By 1965 in Vietnam, the practice of relying on private defense companies became widespread enough within the Pentagon that Business Week dubbed it a "war by contract."

In Afghanistan, the use of private contractors has reached record levels. A 2010 Congressional Research Service report found that they now make up 60 percent of the Defense Department's workforce. With fewer US soldiers than contractors throughout the war-torn country, the Pentagon is more dependent on private defense contractors than ever in its history.

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More News On Security Contractors In Afghanistan

Afghanistan: move to ban private security firms hits reconstruction effort -- The Telegraph
Reports: Security policy threatens Afghan reconstruction -- MSNBC
Report: U.S.-Led Reconstruction Projects to End in Afghanistan Over Security Dispute -- FOX News
U.N. weighs in on security contractors -- UPI

My Comment: What does not help the situation is reading stories like this one.