Contractors and War - (Stanford Security Studies) by Christopher Kinsey & Malcolm Hugh Patterson (Paperback)

About the Book

This book examines the impact of contractors on the American way of war.

Book Synopsis

The U.S. military is no longer based on a Cold War self-sufficient model. Today's armed forces are a third smaller than they were during the Cold War, and yet are expected to do as much if not more than they did during those years. As a result, a transformation is occurring in the way the U.S. government expects the military to conduct operations--with much of that transformation contingent on the use of contractors to deliver support to the armed forces during military campaigns and afterwards.

Contractors and War explains the reasons behind this transformation and evaluates how the private sector will shape and be shaped by future operations. The authors are drawn from a range of policy, legislative, military, legal, and academic backgrounds. They lay out the philosophical arguments supporting the use of contractors in combat and stabilization operations and present a spectrum of arguments that support and criticize emergent private sector roles. The book provides fresh policy guidance to those who will research, direct, and carry out future deployments.

Review Quotes

"In the cacophony of books about military operations since 9/11, Contractors and War is truly a standout. Not only are the contributors authentic experts, they avoid the platitudes that mar lesser efforts, and instead sink their teeth into the toughest issues. This book is a 'must-have' for any serious practitioner or policy maker interested in the way the US has worked--and will work--with contractors in 21st century operations."--Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., Maj. Gen. USAF (Ret.), Executive Director, Center on Law, Ethics and National Security, Duke University

"The books succeeds in evoking further examination from its broad audience by organizing expert analysis and deftly capturing the contractor dynamics that will affect how the nation projects power abroad and how it will be perceived in so doing."--Lt. Curtis Nickel, US Naval Institute Proceedings

"The strength of this combined work is the multiple subjects covered within it, which give an insight into many of the key issues from a number of viewpoints."--Iain Gibson, RUSI Journal

"The US military's increasing dependence on contractors raises questions of accountability that go far beyond episodic outrage at the misconduct of individuals. Contractors and War offers thoughtful analysis of the diminishing range of activities that remain inherently governmental--as well as the opportunities and the costs of the privatization of US power."--Simon Chesterman, Dean, National University of Singapore Faculty of Law and Global Professor, New York University Faculty of Law

"This book brings together several relevant views on a very important contemporary issue. It provides a foundation for the development of new theory by offering a way to "see" the challenges associated with the contemporary use of contractors in support of U.S. expeditionary operations."--Claude Christianson, LtGen, US Army (Retired)

About the Author

Christopher Kinsey is a senior lecturer in international security at King's College London, based in the Defence Studies Department at the Joint Services Command and Staff College. Malcolm Hugh Patterson teaches international law and international relations at Macquarie University in Sydney.