Defense Contractors in Afghanistan

Monday, December 21, 2009

Defense Contractors in Afghanistan

Number of Contractors
As of September 2009, there were 104,101 DOD contractors in
Afghanistan, compared to approximately 64,000 uniformed personnel. Contractors made up 62%
of DOD’s workforce in Afghanistan (see Figure 7). In December 2008, contractors represented
69% of DOD’s workforce in Afghanistan, which apparently represented the highest recorded
percentage of contractors used by DOD in any conflict in the history of the United States.

Figure 7. DOD Contractors in Afghanistan vs. Troop Levels

Source: CENTCOM Quarterly Census Reports; Troop Levels in the Afghan and Iraq Wars, FY2001-FY2012: Cost
and Other Potential Issues, by Amy Belasco; Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff, “Boots on the Ground” monthly
reports to Congress; CRS estimate of troops in Afghanistan for September, 2009.

Some analysts and DOD officials believe that the higher percentage of contractors in Afghanistan
is partially a result two factors: contractors providing some services to the more than 30,000
international forces that are part of the International Security Assistance Force29 and DOD’s
expansion of facilities to support the anticipated military surge in Afghanistan.

On December 1, 2009, President Obama announced that the United States will be deploying an
additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total number of U.S. troops there to
approximately 100,000. Such a troop increase will likely require an increase in the number of
contractors in Afghanistan. According to DOD officials, contractors are expected to make up
approximately 50%-55% of the total workforce in Afghanistan in the future, although such an
estimate could change if conditions in Afghanistan change.30

Over the last seven quarters, contractors have made up between 55% and 69% of DOD’s
workforce in Afghanistan, averaging 62% of the workforce during that period (with a mode of
57%). Assuming that going forward contractors will continue to make up a similar percentage of
DOD’s workforce, deploying 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan could require an additional
26,000 to 56,000 contractors, for a total of between 130,000 to 160,000 contractors (see Table 3).
The contractor footprint in Afghanistan could increase further if the new strategy includes a more
robust construction and nation building effort.

Table 3. Number of Contractors Required

Troop Level	Contractors as % of Total Workforce	Additional Contractors Required	Total Number of Contractors
100,000	55%	16,000	120,000
100,000	57%	26,000	130,000
100,000	62%	56,000	160,000

Source: CRS analysis of DOD data.
Notes: Over the last seven quarters (March 2008 to September 2009), contractors have represented 65%, 55%,
67%, 69%, 57%, 57%, and 62% of the total DOD workforce, respectively. The data points listed in the table were
chosen because they represent the lowest contractor/workforce ratio (55%), the mode (57%), and the mean
(average)(62%).

Type of Work Performed by Contractors
DOD does not report the breakdown of services that contractors provide in Afghanistan, with the
exception of data on private security contractors. Nevertheless, the types of services provided by
contractors in Afghanistan are similar to those conducted in Iraq, including logistics, construction,
linguistic services, and transportation; however, the percentage of contractors providing each
service are likely different. DOD officials stated that they will start providing data on the
breakdown of services in Afghanistan in the next quarterly census.

Profile of Contractors
As of September 2009, of the approximately 104,000 contractors in Afghanistan, 9,300 were U.S.
citizens, 16,000 were third-country nationals, and 78,500 were local nationals (see Table 4).
Local nationals made up 75% of contractor personnel.

Table 4. DOD Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan
(as of September 2009)

	Total Contractors	U.S. Citizens	Third-Country Nationals	Local Nationals
Number	104,101	9,322	16,349	78,430
Percent of Total	100%	9%	16%	75%

Source: CENTCOM 4th Quarter Contractor Census Report.

DOD uses significantly more local nationals in Afghanistan than U.S. citizens and third-country
nationals combined. There also appears to be an inverse relationship between the percentage of
troops and local national contractors in Afghanistan (see Figure 8), although there is not enough
data to draw significant conclusions with statistical reliability. Understanding such data could
help DOD plan more effectively for contractor requirements in future operations.

Figure 8. Breakdown of DOD Contractor Workforce in Afghanistan

Source: CENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports; CRS Report R40682, Troop Levels in the Afghan and
Iraq Wars, FY2001-FY2012: Cost and Other Potential Issues, by Amy Belasco; Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff, “Boots
on the Ground” monthly reports to Congress; CRS estimate of troops in Afghanistan for September, 2009.

Endnotes

29 See ISAF “Placemat.”

30 Based on discussions with DOD officials, December 8, and December 11, 2009.

Wartime Contracting to probe State Department Contractor Employee Conduct

Release: Immediate
CWC-NR-8
Contact: Clark Irwin, (703) 696-9362
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ARLINGTON, VA, Sept. 4, 2009 – The U.S. State Department’s selection, management, and oversight of security and other contractors will be the focus of a Sept. 14 hearing by the independent federal Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The hearing complements the Commission’s mandate to study matters including the widespread use of private security contractors, and was spurred by recent allegations of misconduct among employees of the State Department’s contractor Armour Group North America. Armour Group, a unit of Wackenhut Services, Inc., has a contract to protect the U.S. embassy and personnel in Kabul, Afghanistan. The company attracted intense media scrutiny recently when a watchdog group released photos purporting to show Armour Group employees engaging in alcohol-laced incidents of nudity, sexual misconduct, and degradation of junior employees. The State Department has announced that eight of the guards have now been fired.

“The conduct that’s been featured in the news speaks for itself,” said Commission Co-Chair Michael Thibault. “We don’t intend to dwell solely on that. We also want to get at the underlying questions of what the State Department contracts require of contract-employee conduct, how thorough its contractor-selection process is, how contract performance is monitored, and how shortcomings are addressed.”

Co-Chair Christopher Shays said, “Behavior like this is completely unacceptable and destructive to America’s image around the world. We need to make sure that federal departments engaging contractors are doing thorough vetting, ensuring training and compliance with codes of conduct, and enforcing contract terms that represent the high ideals of America.”

The Sept. 14 hearing, “State Department Oversight of Contractor-Employee Conduct,” is scheduled to run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Room 2247 of the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.

Congress created the Commission in 2008 (Public Law 110-181) and directed it to research federal contracting for reconstruction, logistical support, and security functions, and to recommend improvements. The eight Commissioners are: Michael Thibault and Christopher Shays, co-chairs; and Clark Kent Ervin, Grant Green, Robert Henke, Linda Gustitus, Charles Tiefer, and Dov Zakheim. They are supported by 40 staff members.

The Commission’s Web site, www.wartimecontracting.gov, includes a link to an electronic copy of the Commission’s June 2009 interim report to Congress, “At What Cost? Contingency Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan”. That report cited management of the Iraq drawdown and Afghan buildup among eight “issues of immediate concern”; others included weaknesses in contractors’ business systems, shortages of federal contract-management professionals, and limited accountability for the use of subcontractors.

Briton Held After Contractors Killed In Iraq

LAC Darren Hoare and SGT Charlie Kearnan patrol near Baghdad International Airport in 2003. Photo: Photo by CPL Darren Hilder.

Christine Kellett

August 10, 2009 – 7:41AM

A former Queensland airman working in Iraq as a private security contractor has been killed during a drunken shootout in Baghdad’s Green Zone, officials say.

It is believed Amberley man Darren Hoare, 37, and a British colleague with private security firm ArmourGroup, Paul McGuigan, were allegedly shot dead by a fellow security guard, also from Britain, after drinking alcohol during the early hours of this morning.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have yet to confirm the identity of the dead men, though it is understood Mr Hoare was a former Leading Aircraftman based at the Amberley RAAF base west of Brisbane before joining the UK-based security firm.

ArmourGroup provides risk consultancy, mine removal and security training in war zones, according to ArmourGroup’s website. It also operates out of Afghanistan.

Baghdad military spokesman Qassem Atta said alcohol was being investigated as a factor in this morning’s shooting.

“The (alleged) perpetrator arrived yesterday from abroad. They drank a lot and afterwards there was a dispute, then he took his weapon and killed the two men,” Atta said.

“After that he went outside of the trailer and he shot an Iraqi and injured him in the leg. Security forces surrounded him and he gave himself up,” he said, adding the man was under arrest with Iraqi police.

The injured Iraqi was also an employee of ArmorGroup, he said.

Iraqi authorities charged the contractor with murder over the shooting.

A DFAT spokesman said the deceased man’s family had been notified in Australia.

“Consular staff are liaising with the man’s employer and the local police who are investigating the crime,” the spokesman said.

Mr Hoare served in Iraq with the Australian Air Force and is pictured on its website warning about heat stress in the desert.

It was the second incident in less than three months involving contractor killings in the Green Zone and the suspected gunman could be the first Westerner to face an Iraqi trial on murder charges since a new security pact took effect on January 1.

“Their next of kin have been informed and we are supporting them as much as we can in these tragic circumstances,” company spokesman Patrick Toyne-Sewell said in the statement.

A spokesman for the British Embassy, Jawad Syed, confirmed the shooting and said two Britons “believed” to be employees of ArmorGroup were arrested by the Iraqis over the shooting.

The British Foreign office also said in a statement two Britons were being held.

Foreign security contractors are a common sight in Iraq, working as protection forces for foreign companies, embassies and even US bases.

The role of private security guards came under intense scrutiny over a deadly shooting of civilians in Baghdad in 2007 involving employees of the US company Blackwater, since renamed Xe.

An Iraqi investigation found that 17 civilians died and 20 were wounded when Blackwater guards opened fire with automatic weapons while escorting an American diplomatic convoy through Baghdad’s Nisur Square.

The incident led the Iraqi government to revoke the immunity from prosecution enjoyed by private contractors.

The Iraqi government banned the company in January and it ended its operations in the country in May.

In June this year five Americans working for a security company in Baghdad were cleared of suspicion over the fatal stabbing of 60-year-old US citizen James Kitterman.

The Green Zone, which was handed back to Iraqi control in January, was the site of the Coalition Provisional Authority government set up after the 2003 US-led occupation that overthrew executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

The area is home to foreign embassies and Iraqi government offices.

brisbanetimes.com.au with AFP             Original Story here