Indeed, there are more contractors than US personnel in Afghanistan and formerly Iraq. These are not only used in logistic and services but also as combatant t

Indeed, there are more contractors than US personnel in Afghanistan and formerly Iraq. These are not only used in logistic and services but also as combatant troops. And this not always has been the case, during the first Golf War, the percentage of contractor was much lower at 10 to 20%. This is a recent evolution (around the 2000s). It also raises a number of questions like: * legal loopholes when atrocities are committed (one example is the Blackwater case in 2007) * the very damaging conflict of interests that arise from privatizing war (conflict of interests in a public contract for let say a bridge can cost money to the collectivity, a conflict of interest in for waging war can destabilize a region, kill a lot of people and damage a country reputation for decades). * This can be also be liked to the fact that contractors have an incentive to have their contract extended ie not ending a war quickly but pouring gas on the fire. In my opinion, privatizing wars is really dangerous. War is a kind of violence that only a state should be able wage and preferably with a lot of checks from outside (UN) and within (governments, public opinion, votes and laws).