Contractors on the Battlefield: Flexible Tool for the Operational Commander or Unacceptable Sustainment Complication

Abstract

Civilians accompanying and supporting military forces is a time honored tradition the world over. Under the recent label of Contractors on the Battlefield (CoB), American military doctrine has blossomed over the previous decade to include joint and service level doctrine, policy and procedures for the effective employment of CoB. Unless contractor support is considered and built into the logistic support plan from the beginning of planning, the operational commander may not gain the maximum advantage available from all his resources. Reality dictates full integration of the CoB tool to give maximum flexibility to the operational commander's plans and operations. This paper examines many aspects of CoB relevant to the operational commander including its: historical perspective; need; doctrine; and effects on the operational commander. This paper will also list specific recommendations relating to CoB for the operational commander's consideration based on research findings and government agency reports.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 18, 2004
Accession Number
ADA425997

Entities

People

  • Richard B. Pennycuick

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Battlefields
  • Business Administration
  • Command And Control
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Iraqi-War
  • Lessons Learned
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Information Retrieval
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.