ABSTRACT
The Iraq War was a watershed event for a rapidly growing private security industry that today populates and defines postwar stabilization and reconstruction efforts. Doug Brooks, president of the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), the private security industry's trade organization, opined in a 2008 article that every military that expects to be relevant beyond its national borders in the future will be working with the private sector. Well-known commentator Robert Kaplan agrees: The idea of a large American military presence anywhere without contractors is now unthinkable. During World War II, contractor functions expanded to address the increasingly complex technical needs posed by maintenance of military aircraft, vehicles, and signal equipment. Reliance on contractors rose further during the Korean and Vietnam wars in support of weapons systems, establishing base camps and depots, and providing logistical functions. The end of the Cold War provided a vacuum in the market of security.
