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Making the War in Iraq Palatable at Home - Part 2

by susie dow

Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 05:01:52 PM EST

Promoted - standingup

Everyone is talking about the number of troops in Iraq. But let's look at some hard data that illustrates not just the American troops in the military branches of service, but includes the numbers of contractors as well.

Join me below the fold to look at how these numbers have changed since March 2003.

This is an update of an earlier commentary from June 23, 2006. Making the War in Iraq Palatable at Home

commentary :: :: :: buzz-it!

Troop Numbers

For the purposes of this review, I am relying on data from the Brookings Institute, The Iraq Index. The most recent Iraq Index report is December 14, 2006. (PDF) see page 20 - Troops US & Coalition

Contractor Numbers

The last time we looked at numbers, the May 30, 2006 Iraq Index Report included data on contractors on page 15. Unfortunately, the latest report no longer tracks contractors.

However, the Washington Post reported data from a survey for CENTCOM on the number of contractors in Iraq as of this summer. The reported number does NOT include subcontractors.

May 2003

150,000 US troops
23,000 coalition troops
173,000 troops
11,000 contractors
184,000 personnel

May 2004

138,000 US troops
24,000 coalition troops
162,000 troops
18,000 contractors
180,000 personnel

May 2005

138,000 US troops
23,000 coalition troops
161,000 troops
30,000 contractors as of Dec 2004
191,000 personnel

In June 2005, PBS estimated 110,000-140,000 contractors in Iraq with an additional 15,000 Iraqis under contract to guard the oil infrastructure. Of the contractors, 50,000 were employed by KBR who administers the LOGCAPIII contract for the US Army.

Actual numbers of contractors based on an extensive survey would not be reported by CENTCOM until December 2006.

June 2006

132,000 US troops (down 6,000 since Jan)
20,000 coalition troops
152,000 troops
50,000 contractors (employed by KBR, see ref above)
202,000 personnel

December 2006

140,000 US troops
18,000 coalition troops
158,000 troops (decrease of 3,200 since October)
100,000 contractors*
258,000 personnel

References:

The Iraq Index, Michael E. O'Hanlon and Nina Kamp, December 14, 2006, Brookings Institute

The Iraq Index, Michael E. O'Hanlon and Nina Kamp, May 30, 2006, Brookings Institute

*Renae Merle, Census Counts 100,000 Contractors in Iraq
Civilian Number, Duties Are Issues, Washington Post, Tuesday, December 5, 2006; Page D01

Ann Scott Tyson, Rumsfeld Called for Change in War Plan, Washington Post, Sunday, December 3, 2006; Page A01

Coalition troop numbers from Iraq Weekly Status Report, Department of State. Accessed at http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rpt/iraqstatus/

Making the War in Iraq Palatable at Home - Part 2 | 5 comments (5 topical, 0 hidden)

Do They Report Who The Contractors Are? (5.00 / 1) (#1)

It is a really important picture, I think.

I got a card from a friend who retired from the service. Within months he had gotten hired again doing something pretty similar to before through one of the usual corp. suspects. Another person I know has a brother who was in the same situation. Came to the end of the period they signed up for, got rehired for the same type of work for the service but through a contractor.

It is only two cases, and anecdotal, but the security/intell world is kind of staffed that way too. Is it like putting these corporations on a liquidity IV, or are we just privatizing warfare? Has the 'coalition' become a public-private partnership? Are other countries providing contractors too?

by Chris White on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 08:10:03 PM EST

Foreign recruits for contractors (5.00 / 2) (#3)

There are definitely people who are not US citizens working as contractors in Iraq, including a certain number who were tricked into working there:

For an $1,800 fee, the recruiter promised to get the two young south Indian men jobs as butchers on a military base in Kuwait... Within days, the brothers said, they and their friends found themselves on an American military base in northern Iraq working for a Saudi subcontractor of Kellogg, Brown & Root, or KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton. They said their supervisor, who had taken their passports in Kuwait, told them they were obligated to work on the base for six months and could not leave.

Just what fraction of contractors working in Iraq are US citizens, and what fraction are from other countries (let alone US allies vs non-allies) is something I'm not at all clear on.

by silence on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 08:28:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

: KBR (5.00 / 2) (#5)

KBR has extensive experience with LOGCAP from its work in Bosnia. As a result, a very large number of KBR's workers in Iraq are actually Bosnian, Serbian, etc. Whether they are classified as contractors, employees, subcontractors etc, I don't know.

by susie dow on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 01:44:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

So before the 20,000 troop surge (5.00 / 2) (#2)

we've gone from 184,000 total number of personel in Iraq in May 2003 to 268,000 total in December of 2006 -- already an increase of 84,000 boots on the ground.

Am I interpreting these numbers correctly, Susie?

by Cho on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 08:18:56 PM EST

: Surge (5.00 / 3) (#4)

The numbers of bodies on the ground have pretty much been steadily increasing since 2003...
I don't know where the DOD are planning on getting fresh bodies from unless they're thinking they can bring in private military or pay foreign allies to send in more bodies. The only other remaining alternatives are a draft or compulsory service.
[Why do I say there are no more places to get fresh bodies from? They've hired a Bosnian to replace the cook for a fresh American troop to hand a gun to. Using contractors is allowing DOD to cycle their limited troop numbers in and out of Iraq faster.]

by susie dow on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 01:38:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]