This report provides background information for Congress on the levels of Department of Defense (DOD) troop and contractor personnel deployed in support of prior and ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. For more information on DOD's use of contractor personnel to support military operations, see CRS Report R43074, Department of Defense's Use of Contractors to Support Military Operations: Background, Analysis, and Issues for Congress, by [author name scrubbed].
Throughout its history, DOD has relied on contractors to support a wide range of military operations. Operations over the past 30 years have highlighted the critical role that contractors play in supporting U.S. troops—both in terms of the number of contractors and the type of work being performed. During recent U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, contractors frequently averaged 50% or more of the total DOD presence in-country.
Definitions: Defense Contractors and Operational Contract Support DOD defines a defense contractor as "any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, or other legal non-federal entity that enters into a contract directly with the DOD to furnish services, supplies, or construction."1 Operational contract support, or the process of planning for and obtaining goods and services from commercial sources, is the main term used in DOD doctrine to describe the use of defense contractors to support military operations.2 This report uses contractor to describe individual service contractors and subcontractors, hired by prime contractors under DOD-funded contracts. These individuals may provide a wide range of services to the DOD, from transportation, construction, and base support, to intelligence analysis, translation/interpretation, and private security support. |
As of March 2016, there were approximately 28,600 DOD contractor personnel in Afghanistan, compared to 8,730 U.S. troops, with contract personnel representing approximately 77% of the total DOD presence in country.3 Of the 28,600 DOD contractor personnel, approximately 870, or about 3%, were private security contractors.
DOD ceased publicly reporting numbers of DOD contractor personnel working in Iraq in December 2013, following the conclusion of the U.S. combat mission, and the subsequent drawdown of DOD contractor personnel levels in Iraq.
In late 2014, in response in part to developing operations in the region, DOD reinitiated reporting broad estimates of DOD contractor personnel deployed in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). As the number of DOD contractor personnel in Iraq increased over the first six months of 2015, DOD resumed reporting exact numbers and primary mission categories of OIR contractor personnel in June 2015.
As of July 2016, there were approximately 2,500 DOD contractor personnel in Iraq, compared to a current force management level of 4,087 U.S. troops in Iraq, primarily deployed as part of a U.S.-led coalition advise-and-assist mission in support of the Government of Iraq.4 Contract personnel thus represented approximately 38% of the total estimated DOD presence in-country.
From FY2007 to FY2015, DOD obligations for contracts performed in the greater Iraq and Afghanistan areas of operation were approximately $220 billion in FY2017 dollars.5
A number of analysts have raised questions about the reliability of the data gathered by DOD regarding the contractors it employs in theater in support of military operations. For a discussion on the reliability of the following historical data, see CRS Report R40764, Department of Defense Contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq: Background and Analysis, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].
U.S. Armed Forces |
Total Contractors |
U.S. National Contractors |
Foreign and Host Country National Contractors |
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Q4 FY2007 |
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Q1 FY2008 |
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Q2 FY2008 |
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Q3 FY2008 |
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Q4 FY2008 |
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Q1 FY2009 |
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Q2 FY2009 |
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Q3 FY2009 |
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Q4 FY2009 |
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Q1 FY2010 |
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Q2 FY2010 |
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Q3 FY2010 |
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Q4 FY2010 |
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Q1 FY2011 |
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Q2 FY2011 |
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Q3 FY2011 |
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Q4 FY2011 |
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Q1 FY2012 |
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Q2 FY2012 |
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Q3 FY2012 |
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Q4 FY2012 |
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Q1 FY2013 |
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Q2 FY2013 |
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Q3 FY2013 |
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Q4 FY2013 |
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Q1 FY2014 |
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Q2 FY2014 |
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Q3 FY2014 |
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Q4 FY2014 |
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Q1 FY2015 |
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Q2 FY2015 |
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Q3 FY2015 |
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Q4 FY2015 |
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Q1 FY2016 |
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Q2 FY2016 |
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Q3 FY2016 |
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Sources: Contractor levels drawn from U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) Quarterly Contractor Census Reports; troop levels drawn from "Boots on the Ground" monthly reports to Congress.
Note: DOD did not begin releasing data on contractors in USCENTCOM until Q4 FY2007.
Table 2. U.S. Armed Forces and Private Security Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan
(Q2 FY2008-Q3 FY2016)
U.S. Armed Forces |
Total Private Security Contractorsa |
U.S. National Private Security Contractors |
Foreign and Host Country National Private Security Contractors |
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Q2 FY2008 |
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Q3 FY2008 |
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Q4 FY2008 |
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Q1 FY2009 |
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Q2 FY2009 |
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Q3 FY2009 |
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Q4 FY2009 |
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Q1 FY2010 |
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Q2 FY2010 |
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Q3 FY2010 |
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Q4 FY2010 |
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Q1 FY2011 |
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Q2 FY2011 |
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Q3 FY2011 |
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Q4 FY2011 |
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Q1 FY2012 |
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Q2 FY2012 |
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Q3 FY2012 |
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Q4 FY2012 |
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Q1 FY2013 |
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Q2 FY2013 |
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Q3 FY2013 |
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Q4 FY2013 |
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Q1 FY2014 |
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Q2 FY2014 |
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Q3 FY2014 |
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Q4 FY2014 |
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Q1 FY2015 |
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Q2 FY2015 |
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Q4 FY2015 |
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Q1 FY2016 |
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Q2 FY2016 |
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Q3 FY2016 |
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Sources: Contractor levels drawn from USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports; force levels drawn from "Boots on the Ground" monthly reports to Congress.
Notes: DOD did not begin releasing data on private security contractor personnel levels within Afghanistan until Q2 FY2008.
a. Includes most subcontractors and service contractors, armed and unarmed, hired by prime contractors under DOD contracts.
Table 3. U.S. Armed Forces and Contractor Personnel in Iraq
(Q4 F72007-Q1 FY2014; Q1 FY2015-Q3 FY2016)
U.S. Armed Forces |
Total Contractors |
U.S. National Contractors |
Foreign and Host Country National Contractors |
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Q4 FY2007 |
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Q1 FY2008 |
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Q2 FY2008 |
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Q3 FY2008 |
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Q4 FY2008 |
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Q1 FY2009 |
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Q2 FY2009 |
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Q3 FY2009 |
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Q4 FY2009 |
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Q1 FY2010 |
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Q2 FY2010 |
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Q3 FY2010 |
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Q4 FY2010 |
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Q1 FY2011 |
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Q2 FY2011 |
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Q3 FY2011 |
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Q4 FY2011 |
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Q1 FY2012 |
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Q2 FY2012 |
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Q3 FY2012 |
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Q4 FY2012 |
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Q1 FY2013 |
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Q2 FY2013 |
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Q3 FY2013 |
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Q4 FY2013 |
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Q1 FY2014 |
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No Data on Contractors Released by USCENTCOM from Q2 FY2014-Q4 FY2014 |
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Q1 FY2015 |
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Q2 FY2015 |
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Q3 FY2015 |
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Q4 FY2015 |
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Q1 FY2016 |
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Q2 FY2016 |
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Q3 FY2016 |
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Sources: Force levels from Q4 FY2007 to Q1FY2012 are drawn from the DOD's "Boots on the Ground" monthly reports to Congress. Force levels for Q1FY2015-Q2FY2016 are drawn from the White House's semiannual "War Powers Resolution Report" to Congress. All listed contractor levels are drawn from USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports.
Notes: DOD did not begin releasing data on contractors in USCENTCOM until the second half of 2007, and initially ceased reporting data on DOD contractor personnel in Iraq in December 2013. Following the conclusion of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, the "Boots on the Ground" monthly reports ceased providing separate force levels for Iraq. However, a residual U.S. force remained in county to provide embassy security and security cooperation assistance. Beginning in June 2014, in response to the military operations of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS/ISIL), additional U.S. military personnel were deployed to Iraq through OIR to advise and train Iraqi forces, serve as observers, and secure U.S. personnel and facilities. For further discussion of the U.S. and its coalition partners' efforts to combat the Islamic State, see CRS Report R43612, The Islamic State and U.S. Policy, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed], and CRS Report R44135, Coalition Contributions to Countering the Islamic State, by [author name scrubbed]. In Q1FY2015, USCENTCOM resumed releasing data on DOD contractor personnel in Iraq—as the "Boots on the Ground" reports do not currently provide OIR force levels, CRS is using the Force Management Levels for Iraq reported biannually by the White House, beginning with the December 2014 "Six Month Consolidated War Powers Resolution Report," to provide an indication of the current number of U.S. forces estimated to be in Iraq.
a. USCENTCOM reported that DOD contractors in Iraq from Q1FY2012 through Q1FY2014 were supporting both U.S. Mission Iraq and the Office of Security Cooperation Iraq.
b. Force Management Level for Iraq, as reported by The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, "Letter from the President—Six Month Consolidated War Powers Resolution Report," December 11, 2014, at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/12/11/letter-president-six-month-consolidated-war-powers-resolution-report.
c. Force Management Level for Iraq, as reported by The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, "Letter from the President—Six Month Consolidated War Powers Resolution Report," June 11, 2015, at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/06/11/letter-president-six-month-consolidated-war-powers-resolution-report.
d. Force Management Level for Iraq, as reported by The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, "Letter from the President—War Powers Resolution," December 11, 2015, at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/11/letter-president-war-powers-resolution.
e. Force Management Level for Iraq, as reported by The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, "Letter from the President—War Powers Resolution," June 13, 2016, at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/13/letter-president-war-powers-resolution.
U.S. Armed Forces |
Total Private Security Contractorsa |
U.S. National Private Security Contractors |
Foreign and Host Country National Private Security Contractors |
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Q1 FY2008 |
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Q2 FY2008 |
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Q3 FY2008 |
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Q4 FY2008 |
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Q1 FY2009 |
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Q2 FY2009 |
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Q3 FY2009 |
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Q4 FY2009 |
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Q1 FY2010 |
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Q2 FY2010 |
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Q3 FY2010 |
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Q4 FY2010 |
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Q1 FY2011 |
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Q2 FY2011 |
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Q3 FY2011 |
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Q4 FY2011 |
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Q1 FY2012 |
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Q2 FY2012 |
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Q3 FY2012 |
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Q4 FY2012 |
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Q1 FY2013 |
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Q2 FY2013 |
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Q3 FY2013 |
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Q4 FY2013 |
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Sources: Force levels from Q1 FY2008 to Q1FY2012 are drawn from the DOD's "Boots on the Ground" monthly reports to Congress. Contractor levels are drawn from USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports.
Notes: DOD did not begin releasing data on private security contractor personnel levels in USCENTCOM until Q1FY2008, and ceased reporting data on DOD-funded private security contractor personnel in Iraq in Q4 FY2013. As of Q3 FY2016, USCENTCOM has not resumed reporting data on DOD-funded private security personnel in Iraq. See Table 3 for further discussion of recent U.S. troop and contractor levels in Iraq.
a. USCENTCOM reported that DOD contractors in Iraq from December 2011 through December 2013 were supporting both U.S. Mission Iraq and the Office of Security Cooperation Iraq.
b. USCENTCOM Quarterly Census Reports from Q4 FY2008 and Q1FY2009 also included NATO coalition personnel in the reported totals of U.S. private security contractor personnel.
Table 5. DOD Contract Obligations in Iraq and Afghanistan Theaters of Operation
(FY2007-FY2015; in millions of FY2017 dollars)
FY2007 |
FY2008 |
FY2009 |
FY2010 |
FY2011 |
FY2012 |
FY2013 |
FY2014 |
FY2015 |
Total |
||
Iraq Theater |
Iraq |
$14,685.56 |
$17,987.49 |
$10,580.81 |
$7,878.74 |
$5,222.69 |
$617.71 |
$537.31 |
$77.62 |
$249.39 |
$57,587.93 |
Bahrain |
$588.93 |
$1,333.27 |
$2,190.98 |
$609.37 |
$526.26 |
$338.40 |
$883.97 |
$212.81 |
$551.41 |
$6,683.98 |
|
Kuwait |
$4,983.13 |
$4,934.01 |
$5,821.30 |
$5,050.40 |
$3,983.48 |
$2,612.30 |
$3,139.88 |
$1,793.63 |
$2,004.14 |
$32,318.13 |
|
Qatar |
$323.46 |
$469.24 |
$886.45 |
$351.45 |
$840.67 |
$870.86 |
$432.20 |
$175.28 |
$324.56 |
$4,349.61 |
|
Saudi Arabia |
$210.60 |
$375.76 |
$989.33 |
$806.44 |
$309.49 |
$570.03 |
$964.00 |
$1,255.52 |
$2,093.57 |
$5,481.17 |
|
Turkey |
$375.63 |
$192.94 |
$311.55 |
$142.84 |
$185.75 |
$286.12 |
$191.61 |
$184.99 |
$203.56 |
$1,871.42 |
|
UAE |
$261.33 |
$1,326.57 |
$305.78 |
$2,662.15 |
$1,060.54 |
$1,467.74 |
$2,281.36 |
$1,757.48 |
$1,306.55 |
$11,122.94 |
|
Oman |
$94.29 |
$107.54 |
$85.31 |
$125.88 |
$142.16 |
$214.68 |
$228.80 |
$106.60 |
$124.73 |
$1,105.28 |
|
Jordan |
$83.85 |
$92.30 |
$14.81 |
$13.77 |
$40.01 |
$54.17 |
$177.08 |
$168.23 |
$203.89 |
$644.21 |
|
Total Iraq Theater |
$21,606.77 |
$26,819.14 |
$21,186.33 |
$17,641.03 |
$12,311.04 |
$7,032.01 |
$8,836.20 |
$5,732.15 |
$6,842.88 |
$121,164.67 |
|
Afghanistan Theater |
Afghanistan |
$3,800.69 |
$6,893.02 |
$8,200.70 |
$13,079.75 |
$18,149.95 |
$19,426.34 |
$15,003.74 |
$6,176.47 |
$3,274.96 |
$90,730.66 |
Kazakhstan |
$6.06 |
$30.07 |
$48.07 |
$66.29 |
$75.27 |
$78.52 |
$93.56 |
$57.51 |
$67.42 |
$455.34 |
|
Kyrgyzstan |
$426.99 |
$20.29 |
$374.47 |
$134.14 |
$906.81 |
$1,988.82 |
$2,022.96 |
$684.07 |
-$1.85 |
$6,558.54 |
|
Pakistan |
$74.48 |
$234.86 |
$253.93 |
$179.50 |
$65.08 |
$17.30 |
-$3.65 |
$23.91 |
$74.88 |
$845.42 |
|
Tajikistan |
$0.00 |
$0.01 |
$1.09 |
$3.80 |
$3.55 |
$8.87 |
$9.25 |
$7.49 |
$6.99 |
$34.06 |
|
Turkmenistan |
$0.45 |
$19.30 |
$9.24 |
$24.21 |
$10.45 |
$4.44 |
$13.97 |
$1.48 |
$0.15 |
$83.54 |
|
Uzbekistan |
$13.94 |
$16.06 |
$9.90 |
$22.73 |
$16.44 |
$23.82 |
$19.09 |
$22.16 |
$32.22 |
$144.16 |
|
Total Afghanistan Theater |
$4,322.61 |
$7,213.62 |
$8,897.40 |
$13,510.41 |
$19,227.54 |
$21,548.12 |
$17,158.92 |
$6,973.08 |
$3,347.67 |
$98,851.71 |
|
Total Iraq and Afghanistan |
$25,929.39 |
$34,032.76 |
$30,083.73 |
$31,151.45 |
$31,538.59 |
$28,580.13 |
$25,995.11 |
$12,705.23 |
$10,190.55 |
$220,016.38 |
Sources: Federal Procurement Data System, as of June 30, 2016 for FY2007-FY2015 data; CRS adjustments for inflation using deflators for converting into FY2017 dollars derived from Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), Department of Defense, National Defense Budget Estimates for FY2017, "Department of Defense Deflators – TOA By Category 'Total Non-Pay,'" Table 5-5, p. 58-59, March 2016.
Notes: Numbers may not add due to rounding.
Author Contact Information
1. |
See Department of Defense Instruction 3020.41, Operational Contract Support (OCS), December 20, 2011, p.48, at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/302041p.pdf. |
2. |
See Joint Publication 4-10, Operational Contract Support, July 2014, p. 211, at http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp4_10.pdf. |
3. |
See Department of Defense, Contractor Support of U.S. Operations in the USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility to Include Iraq and Afghanistan, April 2016, at http://www.acq.osd.mil/log/PS/CENTCOM_reports.html; Boots on the Ground Report, March 2016. |
4. |
See Department of Defense, Contractor Support of U.S. Operations in the USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility to Include Iraq and Afghanistan, July 2016. As "Boots on the Ground" reports do not currently provide OIR force levels, CRS is using the force management level for Iraq reported biannually by the White House to provide an indication of the current number of U.S. forces estimated to be in Iraq. |
5. |
Iraqi areas of operation are defined by CRS as Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Jordan. Afghani areas of operation are defined by CRS as Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. |