Outsourcing the Global War on Terrorism

The US military strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan made use of private military and private security companies on an unprecedented scale. In this environment, actions and operations can greatly affect the efficacy of the US military - creating unintended diplomatic and tactical consequences.

"Lovewine combines an insider's perspective on the use of Private Military Companies in Department of Defense contingency operations with rigorous research. Exploring the involvement of contractors from Iraq to Afghanistan and from intelligence collection to security services, Outsourcing the Global War on Terrorism shows why Private Military Companies have a major impact on the success or failure of US military operations and policies." Elke Krahmann, Professor of Security Studies, Brunel University-London, UK "With the privatization genie out of the bottle, Lovewine's sober analysis leads to an important, yet troubling, question: Have corporations and the US government changed their ways following operations in Iraq and Afghanistan? Lovewine's book is a must read for those concerned about the efficacy of US military force in the twenty-first century." Dr. Christopher Spearin, Canadian Forces College/Royal Military College of Canada "Lovewine has given us a long overdue, vitally needed, corrective to the party line long spouted by private military and security contractor advocates that they are the most cost-effective enabler that the military has at its disposal. Thanks to his research we now have compelling evidence that there are very real and substantial costs to using PMSCs. His book is a must read for anyone seriously interested in PMSC issues." David Isenberg, Senior Analyst, Wikistrat, USA and author, Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq 'This document provides a useful source of information on the now extensive literature on the US government's use of contractors to support deployed military forces and diplomats It synthesizes chunks of this literature to describe the roles and behavior of specific companies offering the full range of services that the US government has used to support its deployed military forces and diplomats.' Frank Camm, PhD, Senior Economist, RAND Corporation, USA

George C. Lovewine is a political-military analyst with the US Department of Defense. He currently works in Germany.