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Private Military Contractors

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioMilitares privados: beneficios vs política publica

Peter W. Singer, September 2008, Política Exterior

Peter Singer dissects issued involving private military contractors in Iraq. (Spanish) Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, U.S. Military, Defense Strategy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioMilitary Contractors in Afghanistan

Vanda Felbab-Brown, September 10, 2008, Federal News Radio

Vanda Felbab-Brown joined Federal News Radio to discuss the use of private military contractors in Afganistan. Read More

Private Military Contractors, Afghanistan, U.S. Military, South Asia

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioOutsourcing the Fight

Peter W. Singer, June 05, 2008, Forbes

Peter W. Singer writes about the increased reliance on and the weaknesses of private military contractors. He believes that the U.S. military needs to re-assess which jobs are appropriate to outsource and which are not as well as increase regulation in the contractor market. Read More

Private Military Contractors, Defense, U.S. Military, U.S. Department of Defense, Revolution in Military Affairs

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioContracting Out Iraqi Army Advising

Peter W. Singer, May 12, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Peter Singer writes that the Pentagon is now seeking to hire contractors that will train and advise Iraq's army. He believes this task, determined as "essential to our successful war effort," should not be outsourced and that the military should learn from contracting mistakes of the past. Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, Defense, U.S. Military, U.S. Department of Defense

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBlackwater: The Roger Clemens of War

Peter W. Singer, December 14, 2007, Wired.com

Peter Singer discusses a lawsuit against Blackwater USA that claims employees in the field have used steroids and other "judgment-altering substances." Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, Defense, U.S. Military, Revolution in Military Affairs

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioOutlook: Break the Blackwater Habit

Peter W. Singer, October 08, 2007, Washington Post Online

Peter Singer answers readers' questions online regarding his Washington Post article listing the myriad ways he sees military outsourcing hampering U.S. efforts in Iraq. Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, Defense, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Military

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioSure, He's Got Guns for Hire. But They're Just Not Worth It.

Peter W. Singer, October 07, 2007, The Washington Post

Peter Singer advises Defense Secretary Gates that, "on balance, for all the important jobs that contractors are doing, Blackwater and its kin have harmed, rather than helped, our troops' counterinsurgency efforts." Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, Defense Strategy, U.S. Military

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBlackwater Hearings Ain't No Superbad

Peter W. Singer, October 03, 2007, Wired

Peter Singer discusses his perceptions of the October 2 Congressional hearings on private security contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, Afghanistan, Middle East, Defense Strategy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Dark Truth about Blackwater

Peter W. Singer, October 02, 2007, Salon.com

Outsourcing the war to private military contractors such as Blackwater has shattered the United States' moral authority and its ability to win wars like that in Iraq. Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, U.S. Military

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioSeven Questions: The Hired Guns of Iraq

Peter W. Singer, October 2007, Foreign Policy Web Exclusive

Peter Singer discusses why he believes the Blackwater Scandal won’t prompt the U.S. to stop outsourcing their wars. Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, U.S. Military, National Security, Revolution in Military Affairs

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioCan't Win with 'Em, Can't Go to War Without 'Em: Six Questions for P.W. Singer

Peter W. Singer, September 30, 2007, Harper's Magazine

Peter W. Singer discusses private security contractors in Iraq, concluding that they are actually undermining the American military’s achievement of its declared objectives in a counterinsurgency operation in Iraq. Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, Defense Strategy, U.S. Military

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioCan't Win with 'Em, Can't Go To War without 'Em: Private Military Contractors and Counterinsurgency

Peter W. Singer, September 2007, The Brookings Institution

Can't Win with 'Em, Can't Go To War without 'Em: Private Military Contractors and CounterinsurgencyPeter W. Singer says that the use of private military contractors appears to have harmed, rather than helped, the counterinsurgency efforts of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, U.S. Military, Defense Strategy, Revolution in Military Affairs

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBanned In Baghdad: Reactions to the Blackwater License Being Pulled

Peter W. Singer, September 17, 2007, Wired Blog Network

Peter W. Singer argues that “when it comes to military outsourcing: We dealt these cards to ourselves.” Read More

Private Military Contractors, Iraq, Middle East, Defense, Islamic World

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioFrequently Asked Questions on the UCMJ Change and its Applicability to Private Military Contractors

Peter W. Singer, January 12, 2007, The Brookings Institution

Question and Answer by Peter W. Singer (1/12/07) Read More

Private Military Contractors, Defense, U.S. Military

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Law Catches Up to Private Militaries, Embeds

Peter W. Singer, January 04, 2007, DefenseTech

Article by Peter W. Singer, DefenseTech (1/4/07) Read More

Private Military Contractors, Defense, U.S. Military

Featured Experts

Peter W. Singer

Peter W. Singer

Director, 21st Century Defense Initiative

Peter W. Singer is the director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative and a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings. Singer’s research focuses on three core issues: the future of war, current U.S. defense needs and future priorities, and the future of the U.S. defense system. Singer lectures frequently to U.S. military audiences and is the author of several books and articles, including Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century.
Read More

Vanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown

Fellow, Foreign Policy

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is a security studies professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Read More

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