Contractors on the Battlefield: What Have We Signed up for?
Steven J. Zamparelli
BiblioScholar
2012
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The role of contractors in warfare has changed dramatically. As the Services have drawn down, more and more of the duties formerly accomplished by military members are being performed by contractors. The military competency has been eliminated or drastically reduced. These duties run the gamut from the traditional base support functions to maintaining and operating fielded weapons systems on or near the battlefield. Yet instead of addressing the new challenges this change brings to Commanders who have come to rely on contractors as part of their warfighting team, DOD has ignored or downplayed them and thus, has blurred the distinction between "soldier and contractor." The reality is, there are significant differences that both parties must understand and accommodate or risk the prospect of failure on the battlefield. In June 1991, the Department of Defense Inspector General reported: "DOD Components cannot ensure that emergency-essential services performed by contractors would continue during crisis or hostile situations. Such loss of contractor support on sensitive military equipment and systems would have a degrading effect on the Armed Forces capability in a protracted war effort." This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
