Why Does DOD Use Individual Contractors?
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 to focus on military-specific activities; providing supplemental expertise in specialized fields, such as linguistics or weapon systems maintenance; and providing a surge capability to quickly deliver critical support functions tailored to specific military needs. Some have accordingly argued that meeting immediate personnel needs through surges in contractors used by the federal government is more cost-effective on a long-term basis and just as the effective use of contractors can augment military capabilities.
