The Heat discusses private military contracts

The Heat

Billions of dollars are being spent on private military contractors. The question is are they a danger to peace?

The ‘help wanted’ sign went up recently as the United States is looking for more private contractors to play a bigger role in Iraq. In Afghanistan, 10,000 U.S. troops stand in sharp contrast to the nearly 40,000 contractors supporting their mission. More than a third are American citizens in both armed and unarmed roles. Washington has used contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan more than it has in any war in its history, spawning what has become a multi-billion dollar growth industry. But the outsourcing of armed security and conflict, while limiting the role of government military, is not without controversy.

CCTV’s Roee Ruttenberg provided some background information.

The Heat discusses the issue with these experts:

  • Doug Brooks is the founder and President Emeritus of the International Stability Operations Association a leading private sector organization representing global security firms.
  • Scott Horton is an attorney and human rights advocate. His current book is “Lords of Secrecy: The National Security Elite and America’s Stealth Foreign Policy.”
  • Laura Dickinson is a Future of War Fellow with the New America Foundation’s International Security’s Program and a Research Law Professor at George Washington University.

The Heat continued its discussion about the role of military contractors in global conflicts.