Outsourcing the Global War on Terrorism: Private Military Companies and American Intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan

239 Pages·2014·1.32 MB·English

by  George C. Lovewine (auth.)

Outsourcing the Global War on Terrorism
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Outsourcing the Global War on

Terrorism
Private Military Companies and
American Intervention in Iraq
and Afghanistan
George C. Lovewine
OUTSOURCING THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM
Copyright © George C. Lovewine, 2014.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-37282-6
All rights reserved.
First published in 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-47635-0 ISBN 978-1-137-37026-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137370266
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the
Library of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: April 2014
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents

List of Illustrations vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Abbreviations xiii
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Chapter 2 The Impact of the Department of Defense’s Use of
Private Security Companies on US Operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan 17
Chapter 3 Analysis of the Effects of Private Security Companies
on US Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan 51
Chapter 4 The Impact of the Department of Defense’s Use of
Private Military Companies on US Efforts in
Iraq and Afghanistan 77
Chapter 5 Analysis of the Effects of Private Military Companies
on US Efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan 111
Chapter 6 Conclusion 135
Appendix 1 US Military and Policy Objectives in Afghanistan 151
Appendix 2 US Military and Policy Objectives in Iraq: Operation
Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn 155
Appendix 3 DoD Policy and Guidelines—Contingency Contracting 161
vi (cid:77) Contents
Glossary 165
Notes 177
Bibliography 185
Index 221
Illustrations

Figures
2.1 The outcome of Academi activities in Fallujah 30
2.2 The outcome of the Academi in Nisoor Square 35
2.3 The outcome of ArmorGroup activities 40
2.4 The outcome of USPI activities 43
3.1 Academi’s effect on US military activities and
political objectives 55
3.2 Academi’s effect on US policy objectives and military
stability operations 58
3.3 US military reactions to ArmorGroup’s activities 63
3.4 US political reactions to USPI activities 65
4.1 The outcome of CACI and L3-Titan activities 90
4.2 The outcome of Kellogg, Brown & Root activities 97
4.3 The outcome of DynCorp activities 104
4.4 DoD and US regulations to address the prisoner abuse
issue and their impact 109
5.1 US military reactions to the Abu Ghraib incident 117
5.2 US military reactions to KBR’s logistics operations 120
5.3 US military reactions to DynCorp’s logistics operations 125
6.1 M ilitary forces waging the global war on terrorism 143
Tables
2.1 Nationality of contracted civilians performing security-related
to supporting US activities in Iraq and Afghanistan 20
2.2 Top private security companies providing security services
to US entities in Iraq and Afghanistan 21
2.3 Significance and the assessed impact of private security
companies on US objectives 45
viii (cid:77) Illustrations
2.4 Policy changes and regulatory developments based on
the activities of private security companies 48
3.1 A review of the operational and policy effects of private
security companies on US objectives 71
4.1 Estimate of private military companies’ employees
supporting the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan 79
4.2 Significance and the assessed impact of private military
companies on US objectives 105
4.3 Policy changes and regulatory developments based on
the activities of private military companies 107
5.1 A review of the operational and policy effects of private
military companies on US objectives 129
Preface

Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the US military has
operated at a high operational tempo, characterized by sustained combat
operations, in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan, part of the US Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) required the
US military to field its military forces, as well as provide it with the logisti-
cal and material support needed to fight and win these wars. To support this
military effort, the US Department of Defense (DoD) deployed thousands of
contracted civilians into both theaters of war. The DoD relied on the employees
of Private Military/Security Companies (PMSCs) to perform critical support
missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
This new operational reality shaped an environment in which the employ-
ment of PMSCs on the battlefield has not only raised questions concerning
overreliance on commercial entities, but has also given rise to the question—
can the activities of PMSCs affect US military capabilities or even undermine
(or influence) US policy efforts in Afghanistan or Iraq? In the chaotic envi-
ronments of Iraq and Afghanistan, the actions or operations of PMSCs have
the potential not only to influence US objectives, but also to undermine the
ongoing US military operations, US relations with the international commu-
nity, and US capacity-building initiatives within both countries. Through an
examination of the actions/activities of selected PMSCs, this book explores the
questionable activities of companies employed by the US government and the
consequences of those activities on US military and policy objectives in Iraq
and Afghanistan.