Private Security Contractors in Iraq: Background, Legal Status, and Other Issues

Abstract

The United States is relying heavily on private firms to supply a wide variety of services in Iraq, including security. From publicly available information, this is apparently the first time that the United States has depended so extensively on contractors to provide security in a hostile environment, although it has previously contracted for more limited security services in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and elsewhere. In Iraq, private firms known as Private Security Contractors (PSCs) serve to protect individuals, transport convoys, forward operating bases, buildings, and other economic infrastructure, and are training Iraqi police and military personnel.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 25, 2008
Accession Number
ADA486541

Entities

People

  • Jennifer K. Elsea
  • Kennon H. Nakamura
  • Moshe Schwartz

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Attrition
  • Business Administration
  • Congress
  • Employment
  • Government Procurement
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Private Military Companies
  • Security Personnel
  • Sexual Assault
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design