Accounting for and Managing Contractors in Contingency Operations
Abstract
This paper will provide an analysis of accountability and management of contractors on the battlefield and existing policies, regulations, and instructions associated with the issue. Contractors play an ever-increasing role in the sustainment of joint forces engaged in various phases of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Contractors also support every U.S. government agency represented on the battlefield today. Contractor support has steadily increased as a result of the reduction in U.S. government logistical forces, the advanced technology of systems fielded to operational forces, and the duration of the operations in which forces are engaged. Therefore, operational commanders must have formalized administrative and operational control measures in place to account for contractors in the battle space, the efforts and agencies they are supporting, and their movement. Contractor management on the battlefield is complicated by the size and complexity of the joint and interagency operations the U.S. government is currently engaged in, as well as the future operations in which the government will likely be involved. This paper will review the roles and numbers of contractors on today's battlefield; the military's and U.S. government's methods of controlling contractors; and current applicable law, policy, and doctrine pertaining to contractors on the battlefield. The paper concludes with recommendations for future directives and practices that can facilitate better joint and interagency management of contractors on the battlefield.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 26, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA493651
Entities
People
- Robert W. Schumitz
Organizations
- University of Texas at Austin