Ok folks, this is pretty important. CNAS, like I have mentioned before, has the ears of the guys that advise the President on matters like this one. As you can see, John Nagl is personally involved on this working paper, and you can read his stamp all over this thing. I have been waiting for this paper for awhile, and I am glad they are finally pulling the trigger.
It is a quick read and the best I could come up with on this, is that CNAS is trying to make the administration feel better for using contractors in the war. To say ‘it’s ok, we have been using them for awhile, and contractors are the way of the future’. Oh, and we are going to rebrand contractors by calling them ES&R contractors. (Blackwater, eat your heart out)
You get the idea. President Obama owns this ‘just war’ now and the increase in the use of contractors is under his watch. Matter of fact, contractor use has gone up under his leadership, and in Afghanistan we outnumber the troops. Yee haw. Finally there is a recognition of that fact over at CNAS, and this paper is proof of that.
With that said, the administration needs ammo for the conversations they have with those who oppose the use of contractors within their party. Especially with President Obama’s far left supporters and even his more moderate supporters. He needs us for this war, and his party needs some convincing as to the why.
The reason why I mention the political aspects of this paper, is because the mention of Bosnia and the use of contractors there under the Clinton Administration was very much emphasized. Nagl and company wanted the reader to know that contractors are not just a tool of the Bush administration and the Republicans. That the Democrats have a pretty good history of using and enjoying the benefits of contractors during times of conflict as well. Or better yet, we are a tool of America and not some political party.
So why do I like this paper? Well it is finally a legitimization of this industry, and at the highest levels of defense think tankery. CNAS has the ear of all the President’s men, and generals for that matter. These guys are saying we are a necessity for the war and for future wars, and it is time to figure out how to properly use this tool of warfare called contracting. It is about smart contracting and dealing with reality.
Personally, I just think we need strong leadership to make the common sense/necessary decisions to square away contracting. To demand quality service from contractors, trust but verify that service, and insure tax payer dollars are wisely spent. And then just apply Kaizen to the whole thing to make sure it remains kick ass. If you guys need more people in government to manage these contracts, then get off your ass and hire some folks to get the job done. We are in a recession right now, and I am sure you could get some more people to help out.
Below I have also put up a few critiques of the paper. (bold is my statement, quoted chunks are CNAS) One is about the new name CNAS came up for us–‘ES&R contractors’. It has a terrible ring to it. lol The other is about a lack of proper historical reference–no mention of privateers or the Indian Wars. Buffalo Bill Cody was a contractor that received a Medal of Honor, and no mention of that? Wow, talk about selective history recollection? The final one is just a little bit of slam on ‘smart contracting’. We need good leaders who know their stuff, have the courage to do what is right, and takes care of their people. Once we have those, then we can implement smart contracting or whatever strategy you want to pursue. Overall, good stuff and I can’t wait for the final product.-Matt
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Contractors in American Conflicts: Adapting to a New Reality
Publication Type: Working Papers
Publication Date: 12/16/2009
Author(s): Richard Fontaine , John Nagl
When our nation goes to war, contractors go with it. Contractors have become an enduring feature of modern American conflicts, and the United States cannot now engage in hostilities or in reconstruction and stabilization operations without them. At their peak, there were more contractors on the ground in Iraq than American troops in uniform and there are more contractors today in Afghanistan than there are U.S. troops on the ground.However, while private security contractors (PSC) like Blackwater (now knows as Xe Services) have gotten the bulk of public and congressional attention, they only compromise about 5 percent of all contractors in hostile environments – this working paper, which is part of the CNAS project Contracting in Conflicts , addresses the other 95 percent. That 95 percent represents the vast majority of all the tasks carried out by U.S. contractors in theater, and it has been plagued by its own set of problems – including insufficient oversight, inadequate integration into operational planning, and ambiguous legal status. In order for the United States to adapt to the key role that contractors will play in future hostilities, it must establish new policies and rules of the road.
PDF for paper here.
Edit: 12/22/2009 – CBS posted a story about this as well.