Private sector, public wars : contractors in combat-- Afghanistan, Iraq, and future conflicts / James Jay Carafano.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [209]-225) and index.

Prologue: A Farewell to Arms -- Ch. 1. How We Got Here -- Ch. 2. Where We Are -- Ch. 3. How It Works -- Ch. 4. What It's Like -- Ch. 5. Why We Can't Go Back -- Ch. 6. Why We Hate -- Ch. 7. How We Have Changed -- Ch. 8. How We Make It Better -- Epilogue: The Future of War.

"Contractors are big business and a big part of war, with businesses taking upon themselves many tasks previously designated to the armed forces. By 2007, there were over 100,000 individuals working on U.S. contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan - versus about 160,000 U.S. combat troops. By some estimates, contractors account for some 40 percent of the costs of running operations." "This important work examines how that came to be, as well as answering a number of critical questions: How have Congress, public interest groups, and other parties dealt with the issue? How is the marketplace affecting the American way of war? What impact will this have on force structure? How will the growing involvement of the private sector influence such matters as the all-volunteer force and the procurement and maintenance of advanced warfighting systems?" "Understanding why the private sector has come to play such a prominent role in public wars requires tracing a story as torturous and, at times, mysterious as the search for the Holy Grail. It includes following a winding path from Medieval Tuscan hills, to England, to colonial America, to the sands of Iwo Jima and of Iraq, the mountains of Afghanistan, the corridors of Wall Street, and the halls of the Pentagon. At the end of the journey lies the unvarnished truth about contractors in combat. That is the story Private Sector, Public Wars means to tell."--BOOK JACKET.