Silent surge in contractor 'armies'
Source: By Brad Knickerbocker, The Christian Science Monitor, July 18, 2007 edition
There are two coalition armies in Iraq: the official one, which fights the war, and the private one, which supports it.
This latter group of civilians drives dangerous truck convoys, cooks soldiers' meals, and guards facilities and important officials. They rival in size the US military force there, and thousands have become casualties of the conflict. If this experience is any indication, they may change the makeup of US military forces in future wars.