Let’s also acknowledge another fact; namely, that this situation is not going to change anytime soon.
So rather than engage in futile debates about getting rid of such dependence we should be focusing on solving problems in the current government-contractor relationship. At this point in time it should be uncontroversial for both supporters and critics of private contractors to say that they have done many things well and some things not so well. After all, as the saying goes, only God is perfect and the last time I checked nobody was saying private contractors were the Supreme Deity.
With that in mind let’s take a look at a just released report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq (SIGIR).
This report, titled “Applying Iraq’s Hard Lessons to the Reform of Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations” elaborates on the key conclusions of its February, 2009, lessons-learned report “Hard Lessons: The Story of Iraq Reconstruction.”
The report contains a number of specific recommendations, including one to establish a new entity that would be accountable for planning and executing stability and reconstruction operations (SRO). Private military contractors have long claimed that they can bring unique expertise and experience to such an area. Certainly, ongoing relief efforts in Haiti give them the latest opportunity to make their case.
Looking at private contractors past performance in Iraq the SIGIR report notes past
problems: