PARAMETERS
US Army War College Quarterly
Autumn 2008, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 3
Website Here
Contractors: The New Element of Military Force Structure
By Mark Cancian
From Parameters, Autumn 2008, pp. 61-77.
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Conclusion
There is still a great deal of hand-wringing related to “relying on mercenaries” and nostalgia about returning to an all-military warfighting force. As a result many are in denial with regard to contractors. But it is time to move forward. The experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown what future conflict will look like when fought by an all-volunteer force. On the whole the record is vastly superior to the experience in Vietnam, a war fought by a conscript Army.