AllGov.com – Outsourcing Death In The Afghanistan War

During the past decade, working as an employee of a U.S. military contractor in Afghanistan has been one of the more dangerous ways to make a living.

Private contractors have been front and center in the U.S. military’s involvement Afghanistan, just as they were in both wars in Iraq.

Contractors have been responsible for supplying the military with everything from from cooks to convoy drivers to guards in charge of protecting American diplomats and sometimes top military officers.

U.S. Army officer meets with Afghan private security contractors.

As the U.S. military winds down its presence in Afghanistan, the number of private contractors in the country has exceeded the number of U.S. soldiers. In what has amounted to massive outsourcing of military support and supply lines, the responsibilities of contractors during the Afghan war have ranged from cooks to convoy drivers to security guards in charge of protecting American diplomats and even generals.

Here, via AllGov.com, are the some numbers on the human costs of an outsourced war:

Number of employees of defense contractors working in Afghanistan as of January 2012: Approximately 113,500.
Number of American soldiers in Afghanistan as of January 2012: About 90,000.

Percentage of contractor workforce in Afghanistan who are American: 22%.
Percentage of contractor workforce who are Afghans: 47%.

Number of private contractors killed in Afghanistan in 2011: 430.
Number of U.S. troops killed: 418.

Number of employees of L-3 Communications and its subsidiaries Titan Corp. and MPRI Inc. killed in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001: 370.
Number of employees of same firms who have been seriously wounded in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001: 1,789.

Number of Supreme Group catering employees killed in Afghanistan since 2001: 231.
Number of Service Employees International employees killed in Afghanistan since 2001: 125.
Number of Compass Security employees killed in Afghanistan since 2001: 163.

Source – Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky, AllGov.com
http://www.allgov.com/US_and_the_World/ViewNews/Outsourcing_Death_in_the_Afghanistan_War_120215
AllGov – News – Outsourcing Death in the Afghanistan War.

Photo: isafmedia http://www.flickr.com/photos/isafmedia/3946851115/