[Peace-discuss] Stimulus program

[C. G. Estabrook]

	DOD: Obama's Afghan Surge Will Rely Heavily On Private Contractors
	Justin Elliott | December 15, 2009, 9:29AM

Private contractors will make up at least half of the total military workforce 
in Afghanistan going forward, according to Defense Department officials cited in 
a new congressional study.

As President Obama's escalation of the war in Afghanistan unfolds, the number of 
contractors will likely jump by between 16,000 and 56,000, adding up to a total 
of 120,000-160,000, according to an updated study from the Congressional 
Research Service.

DOD officials who spoke with the study's author said contractors would make up 
50-55 percent of the total workforce -- troops plus contractors -- in the 
future. This would actually be a significant reduction from the last two years, 
when contractors have averaged 62 percent of the total.

As we've reported, many questions about the army of contractors, which 
outnumbers the size of the U.S. troop force, remain unanswered and 
underexamined. We don't have up to date numbers on how much the United States 
spends on private contracts, and the DOD does not break down the services done 
by contractors in Afghanistan (it does for Iraq).

As of September 2009, contractors providing security, transportation, and 
logistical services numbered 104,100 in Afghanistan and 113,700 in Iraq, 
according to the military. Most of the contractors in Afghanistan are local 
nationals, according to the military. Here's a table looking at how much the 
numbers in Afghanistan will increase with Obama's surge:

Full article at http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/afghanistan_
contractors_new_congressional_study.php?ref=mp