Blackwater Worldwide guards were found guilty Wednesday of killing 14 Iraqis and wounding 17 others after they fired machine guns and threw hand grenades into Baghdad’s Nisour Square seven years ago. Jurors ultimately rejected the guards’ claims that they were acting in self-defense, as none of the victims were insurgents. The conclusion of the 11-week trial brings a close to one of the darkest chapters of the Iraq War.

Despite the new spotlight on Blackwater’s botched operation, Erik Prince, the founder of the private security group is just as eager as ever to send hired hands into Iraq.

It can be hard to keep track of your money. You charge stuff and misplace the receipts, you forget to record a check written and before you know it, $12-14 billion is unaccounted for in Iraq. Even then, after one authoritative source thinks he’s found some of it, no one bothers to go get it.

New information from the former Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGAR) Stuart Bowen, reported by perhaps the bravest journalist alive today, James Risen, shows that of the multi-billions of U.S. dollars cash literally shipped on pallets to Iraq in 2003, over one billion was traced into Lebanon (the other billions remain unaccounted for.)

Private Military Contractor's have been heavily involved in modern armed conflicts around the world, providing strategic advice and training to military personnel of many countries. Although these companies started out solely providing support services, they quietly have been taking over combat missions and are beginning to set a new precedent in modern warfare.

They have most notably been involved alongside regular military forces in Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Africa and South America, where government troops have failed to stop militias or terrorist organizations operating within their borders.

Troops deployed by the thousands, adorned with camouflaged combat wear, tough boots ready to tread the ground of conflict territories and hands at one with a military-grade rifle – This is the image we often see when nations instigate war, but do we ever really think about exactly who is fighting it?It seems this vision has become more blurred in recent decades as reports have surfaced recently highlighting that immigrants, some illegal, are recruited to the service by mercenaries – what are now referred to as Private Military Companies or contractors (PMC). Fear of the companies have once again been affirmed by the newest installment of the Call of Duty franchise, Advanced Warfare, which follows mercenaries who have turned against the US Government.

As the military strategy against the Islamic State (IS) is slowly getting clearer, some suggest employing private military companies (PMCs) to fill the strategic void in Iraq. After the signing of the Jeddah Communique, the option of raising a private Muslim expeditionary force was discussed among the security circles of the participating states. Recalling the murky areas left from the first contractors' war, perhaps, it is time to ask: Is the Iraqi government institutionally ready for the forthcoming second contractors’ war?

Wary of putting combat troops in Iraq, the U.S. government is gauging contractors’ interest in advising the Iraqi Defense Ministry and Counter Terrorism Service in a range of capacities, including force development, logistics and planning and operations. The U.S. Army Contracting Command posted a notice last month seeking contractors willing to work on an initial 12-month contract, who should be “cognizant of the goals of reducing tensions between Arabs and Kurds, and Sunni and Shias.”

They would focus on administration, force development, procurement and acquisition, contracting, training management, public affairs, logistics, personnel management, professional development, communications, planning and operations, infrastructure management, intelligence and executive development, the notice stated.

Barack Obama may have ruled out sending “boots on the ground” back to Iraq but in the face of a growing threat from the Islamic State (IS), the Pentagon appears to have hit upon a way to get them back in by the back door. The US Army’s Contracting Command has issued a tender notice for companies capable of deploying security assistance mentors and advisers in Iraq. These individuals would be required for a 12-month contract, potentially extendable to a total of 36 months.

They are needed as consultants to the US “Office of Security Assistance in Iraq” and must be “cognisant of the goals of … reducing tensions between Arabs and Kurds, and Sunnis and Shias”. Some 40,000 private security contractors formed a disparate mercenary army of mostly westerners during the American-led occupation of Iraq. Many had secret contracts to work with the Central Intelligence Agency and alongside US and British special forces to provide intelligence and guard forces.

According to Fed Biz Opps the U.S. Army has posted a solicitation for Security Assistance Mentors and Advisors (SAMA) in Iraq. President Obama previously ordered up to 300 military advisers to Iraq in mid-June to assist Iraqi security forces and assess intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets in the region about 500 or so who are now on the ground.

According  to the solicitation the contractor shall provide advice and assistance to the Office of Security Assistance in Iraq. This contract will be similar to the mentoring and training program Dyncorp International was awarded in Afghanistan, but hopefully it will be better planned and executed. Read details about the contract solicitation below:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is working to provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to the tens of thousands of innocent children, women, and men displaced by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) assault on Sinjar and surrounding areas of northern Iraq.

USAID is deploying humanitarian response experts to key locations in the region to help manage and coordinate U.S. Government support of the Government of Iraq’s humanitarian aid effort for those displaced by ISIL. On August 4, USAID authorized the UN World Food Program (WFP) to utilize for the Iraq Emergency Operation approximately 15 metric tons of USAID A-29 meal replacement bars already in country, which can meet the daily caloric requirements of 31,000 people.

The United States government has delivered almost three quarters of a million weapons to Afghanistan’s army and police since 2004 but can’t track where those arms went, according to a new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, known as SIGAR.

“U.S. and Coalition–provided weapons are at risk of theft, loss, or misuse,” the report said. “We’re very concerned,” added John Sopko, the inspector general, “that weapons paid for by U.S. taxpayers could wind up in the hands of insurgents and be used to kill Americans and Afghan troops and civilians.”

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

Fact 1: It is not the case that all US troops will be removed from Afghanistan at the end of 2014.

In June 2011, President Obama announced his plan to begin the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. But the president did not say that all US troops would leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. What he did say was 10,000 troops would be removed by the end of the summer 2011, with 23,000 additional troops leaving at the end of the summer of 2012. After that, according to the President:

"our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2014, this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security."

Houston, Texas —  After five-plus years of litigation, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) today reaffirmed KBR’s use of private security contractors during combat operations in Iraq. The ruling clears the way for KBR to recover $45 million plus interest from the U.S. government for services rendered in 2003-2007. It also confirms the appropriateness of an additional $10 million in billings previously paid to KBR.

“KBR fulfilled its commitment to our troops and we are proud of the support that we provided our forces, ”. “Although ASBCA’s ruling is appealable, we hope this latest decision will finally conclude the matter.” said Andrew Farley, KBR Executive Vice President and General Counsel