Overseas Contractors out-number US Military in Middle East

As the war draws down in Afghanistan & troops having left Iraq last year Contractors have seen a signification increase in contracts especially this 3rd Quarter FY 2012. But we have also noticed there are a number companies now merging or getting bought out by bigger companies.

Defense Contractors still maintain a strong presence in the Middle East  despite recent draw down of  US troops.  In Afghanistan, there are more contractors than U.S. troops according to the most recent quarterly contractor census report issued by the U.S. Central Command latest contractor census »

Currently 137,000 DoD contractors working  in the region that covers Iraq, Afghanistan and 18 other countries from Egypt to Kazakhstan not counting 13,500 from the DoS.  DOD data reveal that from FY2008 to FY2011, contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan represented 52 percent of the total force, averaging 190,000 contractors to 175,000 uniformed personnel, said Moshe Schwartz, a defense expert at the Congressional Research Service, at a congressional hearing last month, as reported by Time.

“Contractors can provide significant operational benefits to DOD, including freeing up uniformed personnel to conduct combat operations; providing expertise in specialized fields, such as linguistics or weapon maintenance; and providing a surge capability, quickly delivering critical support capabilities tailored to specific military needs,” Schwartz said. “Because contractors can be hired when a particular need arises and let go when their services are no longer needed, in some circumstances, hiring contractors can be cheaper in the long run than maintaining a permanent in-house capability.”