Logistics for Hire: The Outsourcing of the Iraq War by the U.S. military: How do American Private Military Contractors recruit, manage, and integrate Third-Country Nationals employed in non-combat roles during the War in Iraq.

The U.S. military has undergone a profound shift since the end of the Cold War. This shift has largely coincided with the neoliberal and privatisation wave following the 1980s. Following this shift, PMCs were able to predominate, and contracts awarded by the government to PMCs allowed them to rapidly expand. Said expansion was also helped by the growing U.S. military budgets post 9/11, and to the big contracts awarded by the U.S. government to companies like KBR. In search for cheap labour, PMCs started to look at migrant labour from lesser developed countries to cater for these contracts. By tying into existing migrant networks, like those in the Gulf States and South-East Asia, PMCs were able to attract large quantities of labour. Most migrants left to Iraq because of economic incentives such as a high salary. The ability to earn a relatively good salary and therefore provides a good future for families back home. In addition, the offshoring of migrants resulted in substandard...Show moreThe U.S. military has undergone a profound shift since the end of the Cold War. This shift has largely coincided with the neoliberal and privatisation wave following the 1980s. Following this shift, PMCs were able to predominate, and contracts awarded by the government to PMCs allowed them to rapidly expand. Said expansion was also helped by the growing U.S. military budgets post 9/11, and to the big contracts awarded by the U.S. government to companies like KBR. In search for cheap labour, PMCs started to look at migrant labour from lesser developed countries to cater for these contracts. By tying into existing migrant networks, like those in the Gulf States and South-East Asia, PMCs were able to attract large quantities of labour. Most migrants left to Iraq because of economic incentives such as a high salary. The ability to earn a relatively good salary and therefore provides a good future for families back home. In addition, the offshoring of migrants resulted in substandard legal rights for TCNs which left many to fall into a legal grey zone where neither U.S. or local labour laws applied.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

Logistics for Hire: The Outsourcing of the Iraq War by the U.S. military: How do American Private Military Contractors recruit, manage, and integrate Third-Country Nationals employed in non-combat roles during the War in Iraq.