private military contractors

Ian Traynor of the Guardian takes a look at the increasing use of private military contractors by the US as evidenced in Iraq. Its a good overview of the players in the field. Read The privatisation of war

While reliable figures are difficult to come by and governmental accounting and monitoring of the contracts are notoriously shoddy, the US army estimates that of the $87bn (£50.2bn) earmarked this year for the broader Iraqi campaign, including central Asia and Afghanistan, one third of that, nearly $30bn, will be spent on contracts to private companies.