Private Sector, Public Wars: Contractors in Combat-- Afghanistan, Iraq, and Future Conflicts

The history of war can be divided into three eras that define the balance of dominant activities between the public and private sectors: from the middle ages to the early modern era, the early-modern to the modern era, and the current post-modern era. Each period is illustrated by historical vignettes. A description of the evolution of U.S. reliance on contract support follows, together with a look at the various types of contractors: consultants, service providers, and security firms. This...