In 4th quarter FY 2016, USCENTCOM reported approximately 42,600 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 100 from the previous quarter.
This report updates DoD contractor personnel numbers and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces. It 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
42,592 – USCENTCOM AOR
25,197 – Afghanistan Only
2,992 – Iraq Only
14,403 – Other USCENTCOM Locations
U.S. Citizens
17,416 – USCENTCOM AOR
9,142 – Afghanistan Only
1,823 – Iraq Only
6,451 – Other USCENTCOM Locations
Third Country Nationals
14,476 – USCENTCOM AOR
5,816 – Afghanistan Only
737 – Iraq Only
7,923- Other USCENTCOM Locations
Local/Host Country Nationals
10,700 – USCENTCOM AOR
10,239 – Afghanistan Only
432 – Iraq Only
29 – Other USCENTCOM Locations
Operation Inherent Resolve Contractor Posture
As of 4th quarter FY 2016, there were approximately 7,700 contractors supporting US government operations in Iraq. About 2,992 of those contractors are in support of DoD-funded contracts.
The distribution of contractors in Iraq by mission category are:
Base Support 463 (15.5%)
Commo Support 150 (5%)
Construction 329 (11%)
Logistics/Maintenance 957 (32%)
Management/Administrative 151 (5%)
Other 60 (2%)
Security 239 (8%)
Training 21 (.7%)
Translator/Interpreter 418 (14%)
Transportation 194 (6.5%)
Total: 2,992
Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (Afghanistan) Summary*
In 4th quarter FY16 there were 25,197 DoD contractors in Afghanistan. The overall contractor footprint in Afghanistan decreased by 4.9% from 3rd quarter FY16.
Local nationals comprise 40.6% of total contractor force; 14,958 US/TCN remain to redeploy. A constant Force Management Level (FML) is leading to a relatively stable number of contractors. Contractor footprint may increase with pending drawdown of FML if requirements are not reduced.
Commo Support 942 (3.7%)
Construction 1,607 (6.4%)
Management/Administrative 1,824 (7.3%)
Other 397 (1.5%)
Security 3,053** (12.1%)
Training 889 (3.5%)
Translator/Interpreter 1,643 (6.5%)
Transportation 1,461 (5.8%)
**813 Armed Private Security Contractors