Hired soldiers have a long history. Their presence in warfare can be traced to circa 1294 B.C., when King Ramses hired Numidians to fight in the battle of Kadesh between Egypt and the Hittites (Taulbee 1998, 145). At some points in their history, mercenaries have been reviled. After the Hundred Years’ War, Machiavelli accused the mercenary ‘Free Companies’ of fighting only ‘bloodless battles’ – of attempting to avoid engagement with opposition troops (Howard 1976, 17). In other situations, however, mercenaries have gained honor and distinction. The Swiss pike soldiers, for instance, originally fought to keep invaders out of Switzerland. They subsequently hired out their services to parties throughout Europe. In 1502, a regiment of Swiss soldiers was hired to fill out the troops of Pope Julius II. They gained distinction and evolved into the modern Papal Swiss Guard (Singer 2003, 27). The use of mercenaries was not restricted to pre-Westphalian Europe. In the late 1700s, Britain hired German Hessian troops to subdue the American colonies. This policy was not particularly successful – at the end of the Revolutionary War, one third of the Hessians deserted to remain in America (Mockler 1969, 127). The British East India Company and Dutch East India Company hired private armies to protect their commercial interests (Singer 2003, 34). Is Blackwater the modern day Swiss Guard? Is it akin to the violent Hessians? Or are private military firms distinct from their predecessors?

This section will first provide definitions of mercenaries and private contractors and then delineate the differences between the two.

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In other words, the Pentagon needs contractors to help support the administrative side of the Iraqi state apparatus.

In comparison, U.S. troop levels only increased from 2,300 to 3,700 over the same time frame. The data only counts contractors deployed on behalf of the Pentagon and drawn from notable firms that bid on Department of Defense contracts. These companies ⇒

Thousands of others represent other elements of the U.S. government, like the State Department.

Only 5.8 percent of contractors for the Pentagon in Iraq focus on security and 1.2 percent, 24, work on training. The others fill roles once relegated to the U.S. military, namely logistics and maintenance, as well as construction and language services, among other crucial positions.

As U.S. forces in the region increase, the number of contractors also has to surge at a much greater rate to keep the ratio unbalanced. During the Iraq war, the ratio was one soldier to one contractor, but that arrangement has changed markedly. There is no upper limit for contractors in Iraq. The number can continue expanding based on operational requirements.

The situation in Iraq is still volatile enough to place some of the contractors in serious danger. An organized crime gang is believed to have abducted three U.S. contractors from southern Baghdad in late January.