At What Cost. Indeed: Contractor Indispensability in Army Logistics

摘要

In June 2009, the Commission on Wartime Contracting (CWC) issued an interim report entitled 'At What Cost': Contingency Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan'. The Commission, by Congressional mandate, studied U.S. Military use of contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan in order to evaluate and report on America's wartime contracting for logistics, reconstruction, and security. This paper examines the question as it relates to Army logistics contracting by reviewing recent history and doctrine related to contractors on the battlefield, examining how contractors can offset force structure, and offering case studies of contract costs versus military logistics. The paper also examines the problems with contract logistics and their recommended solutions concluding with a way forward that expands the professional contracting workforce, updates doctrine and training, and strengthens unit oversight of contractor activity - all part of the cost of contract logistics in the U.S. Army.