LEADER 04442nam 2200673 a 450 001 9910220152703321 005 20230725025143.0 010 $a1-282-94050-3 010 $a9786612940507 010 $a0-8330-5075-3 035 $a(CKB)2670000000047956 035 $a(EBL)618718 035 $a(OCoLC)676695801 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000419609 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11267904 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000419609 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10383982 035 $a(PQKB)11278622 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL618718 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10425078 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC618718 035 $a(EXLCZ)992670000000047956 100 $a20100409d2010 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 00$aHired guns$b[electronic resource] $eviews about armed contractors in Operation Iraqi Freedom /$fSarah K. Cotton ... [et al.] 210 $aSanta Monica, CA $cRAND$d2010 215 $a1 online resource (143 p.) 300 $aDescription based upon print version of record. 311 $a0-8330-4982-8 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references. 327 $aIntroduction -- Private military and security contractors are not a new phenomenon : a brief history of military privatization -- Do private security contractors have a negative impact on military retention and morale? -- Have private security contractors had an adverse effect on local Iraqis' perceptions of the entire occupying force because of the legal impunity with which they operated in Iraq prior to 2009? -- Is there a relative lack of unit cohesion and systematic coordination between private security contractors and the military? -- Do private security contractors play a valuable supporting role to the U.S. military as a force multiplier? -- Do private security contractors provide skills and services that the Armed Forces lack? -- Do private security contractors provide vital surge capacity and critical security services? -- Summary of findings and policy recommendations. 330 $aThe use of armed private security contractors (PSCs) in the Iraq war has been unprecedented. Not only government agencies but also journalists, reconstruction contractors, and nongovernmental organizations frequently view them as a logical choice to fill their security needs, yet there have been a number of reports of PSCs committing serious, and sometimes fatal, abuses of power in Iraq. This study uses a systematic, empirically based survey of opinions of U.S. military and State Department personnel on the ground in Iraq to shed light on the following questions: To what extent are armed PSCs perceived to be imposing costs on the U.S. military effort? If so, are those costs tempered by positive contributions? How has the use of PSCs affected U.S. military operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom? While the military personnel did report some incidents of unnecessarily threatening, arrogant, or belligerent contractor behavior, the survey results indicate that neither the U.S. military nor State Department personnel appear to perceive PSCs to be "running wild" in Iraq. Moreover, respondents tended to consider PSCs a force multiplier rather than an additional strain on military troops, but both military and State Department respondents held mixed views regarding the contribution of armed contractors to U.S. foreign policy objectives. 606 $aPostwar reconstruction$zIraq$xEvaluation 606 $aPrivate military companies$zIraq$xEvaluation 606 $aPrivate security services$zIraq$xEvaluation 606 $aGovernment contractors$zIraq$xEvaluation 606 $aContracting out$zIraq$xEvaluation 606 $aGovernment contractors$zUnited States$xEvaluation 606 $aContracting out$zUnited States$xEvaluation 615 0$aPostwar reconstruction$xEvaluation. 615 0$aPrivate military companies$xEvaluation. 615 0$aPrivate security services$xEvaluation. 615 0$aGovernment contractors$xEvaluation. 615 0$aContracting out$xEvaluation. 615 0$aGovernment contractors$xEvaluation. 615 0$aContracting out$xEvaluation. 676 $a956.7044/31 701 $aCotton$b Sarah K$0924633 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910220152703321 996 $aHired guns$92075494 997 $aUNINA