Battlefield Contractors : Time to Face the Tough Issues

The battlefield as we know it has changed forever. Freedom and democracy no longer lie solely in military hands. Instead, civilian contractors now fuel our planes, operate our weapons, and feed our troops. The military simply cannot operate without them. Yet, the military is unprepared for the legal minefield created by battlefield contractors. Defense Secretary William Cohen's infamous statement "We can keep the tooth, but cut the tail" prefaced modern military's unprecedented reliance on civilian contractors. Secretary Cohen sought to streamline the military infrastructure by keeping the "shooters" and reducing the "supporters." That effort continues today, as civilian companies perform an ever-growing portion of tasks originally performed by uniformed personnel. The military has contracted with civilian companies for hundreds of years. Originally, contractors provided primarily supplies and transportation. During the last two decades, however, the United States military has come to rely on civilian contractors for various types of logistical and operational support. Civilian contractors increasingly perform tasks such as laundry, food, billeting, transportation and trash removal in deployed locations. The military also relies heavily on civilian contractors to develop, maintain, and often operate, new technology. This technology includes complex weapons, communications, and intelligence systems. As a result, many of these systems could not operate without contractor support. As these systems deploy, the contract support accompanies it.Air Force Inst of Tech Wright-Patterson AFB OH is the author of 'Battlefield Contractors : Time to Face the Tough Issues', published 2003 under ISBN 9781423501886 and ISBN 1423501888.