In recent years, the U.S. military has grown increasingly dependent on private contractors. From servicing equipment to training indigenous forces to providing security, contractors are now deeply woven into the fabric of American warfare. In Iraq, there are now more private contractors than non-U.S. foreign forces.

How did contractors become such an important part of the U.S. defense mission? How is their rise affecting the way that the United States fights wars, in terms of strategy, operations, logistics, and ethics? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having contractors on the battlefield? What kind of reforms in the current system would serve America’s national interests?

These and other questions will be the subject of an AEI panel discussion. Participants include Deborah Avant, professor at George Washington University; Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater USA; John Hamre, president of CSIS and former deputy secretary of defense; and Dov Zakheim, vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, former under secretary of defense, and former chief financial officer for the Pentagon. AEI resident fellow Thomas Donnelly will moderate.