Civilian Combatants, Military Professionals? American Officer Judgments

Abstract

There is an undeniable trend toward the increased use of civilian contractors in conjunction with military personnel in peacetime and in war. Civilian employees of defense contractors and private military companies have become more numerous, organized, and insinuated in the American military. Should they be regarded as military professionals? To address this question, we first discuss the nature of the military profession. We then discuss the degree to which civilian contractors engaged in functions performed by the military possess the characteristics of military professionals. Finally, we discuss the results of a survey of elite field-grade officers and the ways and degrees to which they accord civilian contractors professional status.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA530369

Entities

People

  • Gary Schaub Jr.

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

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

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Department Of Defense
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Governments
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • Personnel Management
  • Private Military Companies
  • Students
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • Software Engineering