Editorial: Don’t assign civilians to front-line duties

Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 | 8:43 a.m.

Civilian contractors have long played a major role within the U.S. military. In the past, however, their presence in combat zones has been rare. Supplies were brought to the front by support commands whose members were bona fide troops who had undergone at least a few months of combat training. The war in Iraq is witnessing a radical departure from those days. The Pentagon in recent years has reduced the number of support commands in order to increase the number of combat divisions. Supply and support for the front-line troops is now increasingly the responsibility of private companies.

Writing in The New York Times, Brookings Institution fellow P.W. Singer last month criticized this trend, saying that in Iraq there is one private military worker for every 10 soldiers fighting the war (as opposed to one for every 100 troops in the Gulf War). Singer went on to point out that hired hands give the military more flexibility and some cost savings, but at a price. Quality assurance, poor training, overcharging and overbilling are all issues that are increasingly in evidence. The Army Times, a private newspaper, recently blasted the practice, saying the troops are receiving "nickel-and-dime" treatment. David Wood, a Newhouse News Service reporter, wrote earlier this month about soldiers in Iraq who had to go months without fresh food, regular showers, proper latrines and decent shelters -- all because private companies hired to provide the servi ces failed to show up.

We believe the experience in Iraq is all the evidence the Pentagon needs to concede that it can't serve and supply combat troops with contract employees who don't have to obey orders and who shrink from danger. Privatization may work in the mess hall back home, but combat situations call for real soldiers.