Individual DOD contractors fulfill a wide variety of organizational roles and functions from logistics and transportation to intelligence analysis and private security [top 10 defense contractors of the world].

Following the conclusion of the Cold War, the U.S. military—in line with a government-wide trend—embraced outsourcing, increasing reliance on contractors instead of using military servicemembers or government civilians to perform certain tasks. Some analysts have highlighted numerous benefits of using contractors. These benefits include freeing up uniformed personnel

(POC) — A US citizen was murdered in Baghdad on Monday, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani.

A US State Department spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that American Stephen Edward Troell died in Baghdad, noting they "are closely monitoring local authorities' investigation into the cause of death."

Private military contractors are private companies that provide the same services as a private military, but instead of being employed by a government or state, they work for private organizations. The private organization hires them to protect their employees and assets while providing security in high-risk areas. They can be hired by anyone from an individual to a corporation, non-governmental organization (NGO), or multinational company.

If you want to become a private military contractor without military experience, make sure that you do careful research on the companies hiring non-military PMCs before you submit your application.

Well-known companies in the United States that you can consider looking into are G4S, KBR, Academi, Vinnell Corporation, and Northbridge Services Group. You can look for other top organizations online.

Civilian contractors have frequently played an important role in American military operations. George Washington hired civilians to haul the Continental Army's equipment; supply vendors followed the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War.

Indeed, today's military recognizes the use of civilian contractors as a force multiplier in stabilization efforts. Although sometimes expensive, contractors are capable of supplying immediate expertise and manpower much more rapidly than the military can grow subject matter experts.

Some defense contractors say they're actively pursuing new acquisitions this year, buoyed by greater budget certainty and an early wave of consolidation.

Already this year, Orbital Sciences completed its deal to merge with ATK's aerospace and defense businesses, while Engility finalized its purchase of TASC. Earlier this month, Harris announced its plan to buy Exelis to create a 23,000-employee contractor with more than $8 billion in sales.

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

BACKGROUND: This report updates DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces. It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)) and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

KEY POINTS: In 3rd quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 66,123 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 12.5K from the previous quarter. A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

BACKGROUND:  This report updates DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces.  It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)) and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).  

KEY POINTS: In 2nd quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 78,638 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR.  This total reflects a decrease of approximately 20.5K from the previous quarter.  A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below:

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY TO INCLUDE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

BACKGROUND: This report updates DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces. It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)); Iraq; and, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

KEY POINTS: In 1st quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 99,057 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a significant decrease from the previous quarter. The numbers of contractors in other USCENTCOM locations make up about 17.9% of the total contractor population in the USCENTCOM AOR. A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY TO INCLUDE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

BACKGROUND:  This update reports DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces.  It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Iraq, and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

KEY POINTS: In 4th quarter FY 2012, USCENTCOM reported approximately 137,000 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR.  This total reflects no change from the previous quarter.  The number of contractors outside of Afghanistan and Iraq make up about 13.7% of the total contractor population in the USCENTCOM AOR.  A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below:

DoD Contractor Personnel in the USCENTCOM AOR

*Includes DoD contractors supporting U.S. Mission Iraq and/or Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY TO INCLUDE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

BACKGROUND:  This update reports DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces.  It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Iraq, and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).  

KEY POINTS: In 2nd quarter FY 2012, USCENTCOM reported approximately 153,000 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR.  This was approximately a .6% increase from the previous quarter.  The number of contractors outside of Afghanistan and Iraq make up about 16% of the total contractor population in the USCENTCOM AOR.  A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below:

DoD Contractor Personnel in the USCENTCOM AOR

*Includes DoD contractors supporting U.S. Mission Iraq and/or Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq

Afghanistan Summary 

• The distribution of contractors in Afghanistan by contracting activity are:

Theater Support - Afghanistan: 20,226  (17%)

LOGCAP: 32,653  (28%)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 15,222  (13%)

Other:* 49,126  (42%)

Total: 117,227

Nasir Ahmad Ahmadi was hired to work as an interpreter alongside American troops in Afghanistan. But soldiers were alarmed by his strange behavior, his inability to do the job and the foul condition of his living quarters. They suspected he used drugs.

Just a few months after he arrived at an Army Special Forces base near Kabul, Ahmadi was ordered to pack his bags and leave. Instead of getting ready for the next flight out, Ahmadi grabbed an AK-47 assault rifle from another interpreter's room on the base and started shooting. He killed two unarmed soldiers and wounded a third.

On Monday, nearly 18 months after the January 2010 shootings, the survivor and family members of the slain soldiers filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Mission Essential Personnel, the U.S. defense contractor that hired Ahmadi as it rushed to put more interpreters to work in Afghanistan.