Issues and Strategy for the New Millennia - Competitive Sourcing and Privatization - Contractors on the Battlefield - What Have We Signed Up For

摘要

Throughout the history of warfare, civilians have traveled with armies and accomplished those functions now call logistical support. The State's employment of these civilians in this capacity has been recognized in the laws of armed conflict as defined by the Laws of the Hague in 1907 and the Articles and Protocols of the Geneva Conventions, last held in 1949. Civilian support to armies was accepted based upon a universal perspective that noncombatants could accomplish support tasks as long as those tasks kept them out of direct confrontation with the enemy. This would allow the soldiers to handle the business of warfighting and allow the private sector to do what it does best. Today, we unquestionably accept that the use of civilian support remains legal yet the requirements of warfare have dramatically changed the scope and relevance of the support tasks they provide, thus making their distinction as noncombatants less obvious.