In 1st quarter FY 2017, USCENTCOM reported approximately 45,550 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects an increase of approximately 1,000 from the previous quarter.
This report updates DoD contractor personnel numbers and covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Freedom’s Sentinel), Iraq (Operation Inherent Resolve), and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).
DoD Contractor Personnel in the USCENTCOM AOR
Total Contractors
44,549 – USCENTCOM AOR
26,022 – Afghanistan Only
3,592 – Iraq Only
15,935 – Other USCENTCOM Locations
U.S. Citizens
17,971 – USCENTCOM AOR
9,474 – Afghanistan Only
2,035 – Iraq Only
6,462 – Other USCENTCOM Locations
Third Country Nationals
15,447 – USCENTCOM AOR
6,937 – Afghanistan Only
1,067 – Iraq Only
7,443- Other USCENTCOM Locations
Local/Host Country Nationals
10,131 – USCENTCOM AOR
9,611 – Afghanistan Only
490 – Iraq Only
30 – Other USCENTCOM Locations
Operation Inherent Resolve Contractor Posture
As of 1st quarter FY17, there were approximately 8,826 contractors supporting US government operations in Iraq. About 3,592 of those contractors are in support of DoD-funded contracts.
The distribution of contractors in Iraq by mission category are:
Base Support 564 (15.7%)
Commo Support 195 (5.4%)
Construction 388 (10.8%)
Logistics/Maintenance 1156 (32.2%)
Management/Administrative 194 (5.4%)
Other 75 (2.1%)
Security 370 (10.3%)
Training 22 (.6%)
Translator/Interpreter 377 (10.5%)
Transportation 244 (6.8%)
Total: 3,592
Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (Afghanistan) Summary*
In 1st quarter FY17 there were 26,022 DoD contractors in Afghanistan. The overall contractor footprint in Afghanistan increased by 3.3% from 4th quarter FY16.
Local nationals comprise 36.9% of total contractor force; 16,411 US/TCN remain to redeploy. A constant Force Management Level (FML) is leading to a relatively stable number of contractors. Security concerns may lead to a decrease in local national contract employees. Contractor footprint may increase with pending drawdown of FML if requirements are not reduced.
The distribution of contractors in Afghanistan by mission category are:
Base Support 2,7832 (10.7%)
Commo Support 875 (3.7%)
Construction 1,728 (6.6%)
Logistics/Maintenance 11,066 (42.56%)
Medical/Dental/Social Services 112 (.4%)
Management/Administrative 1,871 (7.2%)
Other 131 (.5%)
Security 3,405** (13.1%)
Training 927 (3.5%)
Translator/Interpreter 1,703 (6.4%)
Transportation 1,421 (5.4%)
Total: 26,022
*Includes Defense Logistics Agency, Army Materiel Command, Air Force External and Systems Support contracts, Special Operations Command and INSCOM.
**813 Armed Private Security Contractors
DoD Private Security Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan
These numbers include most subcontractors and service contractors hired by prime contractors under DoD contracts.
Total – 1,722
U.S. Citizens – 473
Third Country Nationals – 730
Local/Host Country Nationals – 519