Department of Defense Contractor and Troop
February 22, 2021
Levels in Afghanistan and Iraq: 2007-2020
Heidi M. Peters
Throughout its history, the Department of Defense (DOD) has relied on contractors to support a
Analyst in U.S. Defense
wide range of military operations. Operations over the last thirty years have highlighted the
Acquisition Policy
critical role that contractors play in supporting U.S. troops—both in terms of the number of

contractors and the types of work they perform. During recent U.S. military operations in Iraq
and Afghanistan, contractors often accounted for 50% or more of the total DOD presence in-

country.
For the fourth quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2020, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported 43,809 contractor
personnel working for DOD within its area of responsibility, which included 27,388 individuals located in Afghanistan, Iraq,
and Syria. From FY2011 to FY2019, obligations for all DOD-funded contracts performed within the Iraq, Syria, and
Afghanistan areas of operation totaled approximately $187 billion in FY2021 dollars.
In late 2017, the DOD stopped reporting the number of U.S. military personnel deployed in support of operations in
Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria as part of its quarterly manpower reports and in other official releases. These data remain
withheld.
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Department of Defense Contractor and Troop Levels in Afghanistan and Iraq: 2007-2020

Introduction
This report provides general background information and data for Congress on the levels of
Department of Defense (DOD) military servicemembers and DOD-funded 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, see CRS Report R43074, Department of
Defense’s Use of Contractors to Support Military Operations: Background, Analysis, and Issues
for Congress, by Heidi M. Peters.
The Role of Contractors in Military Operations
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. military servicemembers, both in terms of the number of contractors and
the type of work they perform. During recent U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan,
contractors frequently averaged 50% or more of the total DOD presence in-country.
Definition: Defense Contractors
Tracking Contractors During
The Code of Federal Regulations defines a defense
Contingency Operations
contractor as “any individual, firm, corporation,
partnership, or other legal non-federal entity that
Since 2008, U.S. Central Command
enters into a contract directly with the DOD to furnish
(USCENTCOM) has published quarterly
services, supplies, or construction.”1
contractor census reports that provide
Within the defense policy community, the term
contractor is commonly used in two different contexts.
aggregated data – including elements such as
The word can describe the private companies with
mission category and nationality – on
which DOD contracts to obtain goods and services. It
contractors employed through DOD-funded
can also describe individuals hired by DOD – usually
contracts who are physically located within
through private companies, which are also considered
the USCENTCOM area of responsibility.
contractors in the previous context – to perform
2
specific tasks. The term contractor does not refer to
Analysts and observers have previously raised
military servicemembers, civilian DOD career
employees, or civilian political appointees.
questions about the reliability of the data
This report uses contractor to describe individual
gathered by DOD regarding the number of
contractors hired through DOD-funded contracts.
contractors it employs in theater in support of
These individuals may provide a wide range of services
military operations.3 DOD officials, however,
to the DOD, including transportation, construction,
have stated that since 2009, the Department
base support, intelligence analysis, translation,
has implemented a variety of mechanisms to
interpretation, and private security support.
improve the reliability of contractor data it

1 See 32 C.F.R. 158.3, “Definitions;” see also DOD Instruction 3020.41, Operational Contract Support (OCS), August
31, 2018, p. 48, at https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/302041p.pdf.
2 DOD policymakers and experts define area of responsibility as the “geographical area associated with a combatant
command within which a geographic combatant commander has authority to plan and conduct operations.”
USCENTCOM’s area of responsibility includes Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the
United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran, Turkmenistan, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan. See CRS In Focus IF11428, United States Central Command, by Kathleen J. McInnis and
Brendan W. McGarry.
3 See, for example, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Iraq and Afghanistan: DOD, State and USAID Face
Continued Challenges in Tracking Contracts, Assistance Instruments, and Associated Personnel, GAO-11-1, October
1, 2010.
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gathers. Those improvements include modifications to information technology and data collection
systems, such as the joint Synchronized Predeployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT)
database; updates and changes to related departmental policies; and changes in “leadership
emphasis” within DOD and the combatant commands.4
For the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, U.S. Central Command reported 43,809
contractor personnel working for DOD within its area of responsibility, which included 27,388
individuals located in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria (see Figure 1 and Figure 2).
From FY2011 to FY2019, obligations for all DOD-funded contracts performed within the Iraq
and Afghanistan areas of operation totaled approximately $187 billion in FY2021 dollars (see
Table 5).5
Force Management Levels for Deployed U.S. Armed Forces
Force management levels, sometimes also described as troop caps, troop ceilings, or force
manning levels, have historically been used by the United States to establish bounds on the
number of military personnel that may be deployed in a country or region.
The executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government have used force management
levels to guide the execution of certain overseas U.S. military operations, as well as the associated
presence of DOD personnel. During the 1980s, for example, Congress used provisions within
annual appropriations legislation to establish force management levels limiting the number of
active duty U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe.6 The Obama Administration used force
management levels to manage its drawdown of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, and to
manage the U.S. military presence in Iraq and Syria under Operation Inherent Resolve.7 The
Trump Administration reportedly delegated the authority to establish force management levels for
Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria to the Secretary of Defense.8 It remains unclear how the Biden
Administration will establish and adjust force management levels for ongoing and future military
operations—however, Congress, as discussed in this report’s overview of “U.S. Armed Forces

4 Email correspondence with DOD official, received by CRS on September 7, 2016.
5 Iraq areas of operation are defined by CRS as Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab
Emirates, Oman, and Jordan. Afghanistan areas of operation are defined by CRS as Afghanistan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. See “Analytical Methodology” for a discussion of
how these areas of operation were defined and related caveats.
6 See for example Section 799A of P.L. 97-377, enacted December 21, 1982. This provision was enacted in the larger
context of congressional debate at the time regarding the perception that the United States’ NATO allies should assume
a greater percentage of the mutual defense investment burden.
7 Established force management levels may be adjusted in response to operational needs or changing circumstances
within a country or region, such as the Obama Administration’s decision in July 2016 to maintain approximately 8,400
troops in Afghanistan through January 2017. See White House Office of the Press Secretary, “Statement by the
President on Afghanistan,” July 6, 2016, available at https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/07/
06/statement-president-afghanistan.
8 See Luis Martinez, “Trump Gives Pentagon Authority to Set Troop Levels in Syria and Iraq,” ABC News, April 26,
2017; Jim Garamone, “President Gives Mattis Authority to Set U.S. Troop Strength in Afghanistan,” Defense Media
Activity, June 14, 2017; and U.S. Department of Defense Press Release, “Statement by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis
on Afghanistan Troop Levels,” June 14, 2017. In a March 30, 2017, Los Angeles Times article, a DOD spokesperson
reportedly noted that “[i]n order to maintain tactical surprise, ensure operational security and force protection, the
coalition will not routinely announce or confirm information about the capabilities, force numbers, locations, or
movement of forces in or out of Iraq and Syria.”
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and DOD-Funded Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan” has placed some limitations on
adjustments to force management levels in Afghanistan.
In August 2017, the DOD announced that it was revising its force management level accounting
and reporting practices for Afghanistan to also include U.S. Armed Forces personnel in-country
for short-duration missions, personnel in a temporary duty status, personnel assigned to combat
support agencies, and forces assigned to the material recovery element and the Resolute Support
sustainment brigade in reported totals.9 Some observers noted that not accounting for these
personnel categories in reported force management levels prior to August 2017 might have
misrepresented the actual number of U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan during that period.10
In late 2017, the DOD stopped reporting the number of U.S. military personnel deployed in
support of operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria as part of its quarterly manpower reports and
in other official releases. Some DOD officials asserted that withholding this data provided an
additional layer of operational security for deployed U.S. forces. Then-Secretary of Defense
James Mattis contended that providing public access to detailed deployment data could
potentially allow U.S. adversaries to “take advantage of that kind of data, seeing trends at certain
times of the year, and what they can expect in the future.”11 Other observers viewed the
withdrawal of this information as part of a pattern of decreased “transparency” by DOD under the
Trump Administration.12
These data remained withheld during the Trump Administration, leading to criticism from some
observers and Members of Congress.13 Under the Biden Administration, it remains unclear if
DOD will resume reporting the number of U.S. military personnel deployed in support of ongoing
or future military operations.
DOD Usage of Contractors During Ongoing Military Operations
Some observers and experts argued that external “resource limits” of force management levels
may have increased DOD’s “reliance on…contractor and temporary duty personnel” to
effectively execute ongoing military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.14 In February

9 See U.S. Department of Defense, Press Operations, “Department of Defense Afghanistan Force Management Level
Accounting and Reporting Practices Briefing by Pentagon Chief Spokesperson White and Joint Staff Director
Lieutenant General McKenzie in the Pentagon Briefing Room,” transcript, August 30, 2017.
10 See Wesley Morgan, “Pentagon Finally Comes Clean on Afghanistan Troop Levels,” Politico, August 30, 2017; see
also Alex Horton, “The Pentagon Struggles to Provide Accurate Numbers for Deployed Troops,” The Washington Post,
November 27, 2017.
11 See remarks, the Honorable James N. Mattis, during U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services, The
Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the Department of Defense, full committee
hearing, 115th Cong., 2nd sess., April 8, 2018. See also David Welna, “Pentagon Questioned Over Blackout On War
Zone Troop Numbers,” NPR Morning Edition, July 3, 2018, and Tara Copp, “Pentagon Strips Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria
Troop Numbers From Web,” MilitaryTimes, April 9, 2018.
12 Loren DeJonge Schulman and Alice Friend, “The Pentagon’s Transparency Problem: Why Accurate Troop Levels
Are So Hard to Find,” Foreign Affairs, May 2, 2018.
13 CRS October 26, 2018, correspondence with DOD officials; David Welna, “Pentagon Questioned over Blackout on
War Zone Troop Numbers,” NPR, July 3, 2018; and Tara Copp, “Pentagon strips Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria troop
numbers from web,” Military Times, April 9, 2018.
14 See for example the statement as delivered and the prepared statement of Cary Russell, Director, Defense
Capabilities and Management, GAO, “Overseas Contingency Operations: Observations on the Use of Force
Management Levels in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria,” before the U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services,
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Force Management Levels in Iraq and Afghanistan: Readiness and
Strategic Considerations, 114th Cong., 2nd sess., December 1, 2016.
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2017, U.S. Army General John Nicholson, then Commander of the NATO Resolute Support
Mission and United States Forces–Afghanistan, testified before the Senate Armed Services
Committee that DOD had to “substitute contractors for soldiers in order to meet the force
manning levels” in Afghanistan.15 While the drawdown of U.S. forces contributed to a
demonstrable increase in the ratio of contractors to uniformed servicemembers in Afghanistan
between 2012 and 2017, it is difficult to assess if the increased ratio supported General
Nicholson’s assertion.
The House-passed version of the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, H.R.
2810) contained a provision (Section 923) that would have expressed the sense of Congress that
the DOD should discourage the practice of substituting contractor personnel for available
members of the Armed Forces when a unit deploys to Afghanistan. This section also would have
required the Secretary of Defense to provide a related briefing to the congressional defense
committees. A similar provision was not included in the Senate amendment to H.R. 2810. While
the House receded in conference, the conferees directed the Secretary of Defense to provide a
briefing detailing steps taken by DOD to revise deployment guidelines to ensure readiness, unit
cohesion, and maintenance were prioritized, as well as the Secretary of Defense’s plan to
establish a policy to avoid the practice of directly substituting contractor personnel for U.S.
military personnel when practicable in the future.
Concern about DOD’s use of contractors in contingency operations predates the recent usage of
force management levels. For example, the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and
Afghanistan, in its 2011 final report to Congress, expressed its view that operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan between FY2002 and FY2011 had led to an “unhealthy over-reliance” on contractors
by DOD, Department of State, and USAID.16
Private Security Contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq
In Iraq and Afghanistan, armed and unarmed private security contractors have been used by DOD
to provide services such as protecting fixed locations; guarding traveling convoys; providing
security escorts; and training police and military personnel. The number of private security
contractor employees working for DOD in Iraq and Afghanistan has fluctuated significantly over
time, and is dependent on a variety of factors, including current force management levels in-
country and U.S. operational needs.
Since 2008, the presence of DOD-funded private security contractors peaked in Afghanistan in
2012 at more than 28,000 individuals and in Iraq in 2009 at more than 15,000 individuals. For the
fourth quarter of FY2020, DOD reported 4,164 DOD-funded private security contractors in
Afghanistan, with 1,813 categorized as armed private security contractors (see Table 2). DOD
reported 96 DOD-funded security contractor personnel in Iraq and Syria during the same period,
none of whom were identified as armed private security contractors (see Table 4).

15 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Armed Services, Situation in Afghanistan, 115th Cong., 1st sess., February 9,
2017. This concern was also echoed in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations in December 2016, and in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee’s
Subcommittee on Readiness on March 8, 2017.
16 Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, “Transforming Wartime Contracting: Controlling
Costs, Reducing Risks,” final report of the Commission to Congress, August 2011, pp. 18-21. Available at
https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/cwc/20110929213922/http://www.wartimecontracting.gov/docs/
CWC_FinalReport-highres.pdf.
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U.S. Armed Forces and DOD-Funded Contractor
Personnel in Afghanistan
As of the fourth quarter of FY2020, 22,562 DOD-funded contractor personnel were located in
Afghanistan (see Table 1).17 Approximately 35% of DOD’s reported individual contractors were
U.S. citizens (7,856), approximately 43% were third-country nationals (9,639), and roughly 22%
were local nationals (5,067). Of the 22,562 DOD contractor personnel, about 8% were armed
private security contractors (1,813).
On November 17, 2020, Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announced, “we will
implement President Trump's orders to continue our repositioning of forces from” Afghanistan,
and that the number of U.S. forces there would reach 2,500 by January 15, 2021.18 As of
December 2020, there were reportedly approximately 4,000 U.S. troop in Afghanistan, with the
level “dropping quickly” to meet the 2,500 level by mid-January.19 Section 1215 of the FY2021
NDAA (H.R. 6395; P.L. 116-238) established a limitation on the use of FY2020 and FY2021
DOD funds to make any change to the total number of U.S. Armed Forces deployed to
Afghanistan that would result in (1) the reduction of the total number of deployed forces below
4,000 (or the total number deployed as of the date of the FY2021 NDAA’s enactment); or (2) the
reduction of the total number of deployed forces below 2,000. This limitation could be lifted upon
the Secretary of Defense’s submission to Congress of a report containing a number of specified
elements, such as a risk assessment for the reduction in deployed forces and an assessment of the
impact of U.S. troop reductions on counterterrorism, Afghan military capabilities, the NATO-led
training mission, and other U.S. policy priorities. The President may waive the reporting
requirement with the submission of a written determination that such a waiver is in U.S. national
security interests, together with a “detailed explanation” of how it furthers those interests.

17 See Department of Defense, Contractor Support of U.S. Operations in the USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility,
October 2020, at https://www.acq.osd.mil/log/PS/.CENTCOM_reports.html/FY20_4Q_5A_Oct2020.pdf.
18 Department of Defense, “Acting Secretary Miller Announces Troop Levels in Afghanistan and Iraq,” transcript,
November 17, 2020, available at https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2418641/acting-
secretary-miller-announces-troop-levels-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/. For further discussion of U.S. operations in
Afghanistan under Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS), which includes the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, see
CRS Report R45122, Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy: In Brief, by Clayton Thomas.
19 Hope Hodge Seck, “In First, NATO Forces Now Outnumber US Troops in Afghanistan,” Military.com, December
21, 2020, available at https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/12/21/first-nato-forces-now-outnumber-us-troops-
afghanistan.html.
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Figure 1. U.S. Armed Forces and DOD-Funded Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan
Q4 FY2007-Q4 FY2020

Source: Created by CRS. Contractor levels drawn from USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports; U.S. Armed Forces levels through Q4 FY2017 drawn
from “Boots on the Ground” monthly reports to Congress.
Notes: DOD began releasing data on contractors in USCENTCOM in Q4 FY2007. U.S. Armed Forces levels from FY2007 to FY2017 included all active and reserve
component personnel. After FY2017, DOD began withholding U.S. Armed Forces levels from public release.

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Table 1. U.S. Armed Forces and DOD-Funded Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan
(Q4 FY2007-Q4 FY2020)
Contractors
Quarter (Q) and
U.S. Armed Forces
Fiscal Year (FY)
U.S. National
Foreign and Host
Country National
Total Contractors
Contractors
Contractors
Q4 FY2007
24,056
3,387
26,086
29,473
Q1 FY2008
24,780
5,153
31,367
36,520
Q2 FY2008
28,650
4,220
48,116
52,336
Q3 FY2008
33,902
4,724
36,508
41,232
Q4 FY2008
33,450
5,405
62,847
68,252
Q1 FY2009
32,500
5,960
65,795
71,755
Q2 FY2009
38,350
9,378
58,819
68,197
Q3 FY2009
55,100
10,036
62,932
73,968a
Q4 FY2009
62,300
9,322
94,779
104,101
Q1 FY2010
69,000
10,016
97,276
107,292
Q2 FY2010
79,100
16,081
96,011
112,092
Q3 FY2010
93,800
19,103
88,376
107,479
Q4 FY2010
96,600
20,874
49,725
70,599
Q1 FY2011
96,900
19,381
68,102
87,483
Q2 FY2011
99,800
20,413
69,926
90,339
Q3 FY2011
98,900
23,294
69,824
93,118
Q4 FY2011
98,200
23,190
78,599
101,789
Q1 FY2012
94,100
25,287
88,204
113,491
Q2 FY2012
88,200
34,765
82,462
117,227
Q3 FY2012
85,600
30,568
83,168
113,736
Q4 FY2012
76,500
31,814
77,750
109,564
Q1 FY2013
65,800
33,444
76,960
110,404
Q2 FY2013
65,700
33,107
74,689
107,796
Q3 FY2013
61,300
32,442
69,413
101,855
Q4 FY2013
55,800
27,188
58,340
85,528
Q1 FY2014
43,300
23,763
54,373
78,136
Q2 FY2014
33,200
20,865
40,587
61,452
Q3 FY2014
31,400
17,404
34,085
51,489
Q4 FY2014
27,800
17,477
27,872
45,349
Q1 FY2015
10,600
14,222
25,387
39,609
Q2 FY2015
9,100
12,033
18,787
30,820
Q3 FY2015
9,060
10,019
18,912
28,931
Q4 FY2015
9,100
10,347
19,864
30,211
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Contractors
Quarter (Q) and
U.S. Armed Forces
Fiscal Year (FY)
U.S. National
Foreign and Host
Country National
Total Contractors
Contractors
Contractors
Q1 FY2016
8,930
10,151
20,304
30,455
Q2 FY2016
8,730
9,640
18,986
28,626
Q3 FY2016
9,365
8,837
17,598
26,435
Q4 FY2016
9,800
9,142
16,055
25,197
Q1 FY2017
9,200
9,474
16,548
26,022
Q2 FY2017
8,400
9,522
15,378
24,900
Q3 FY2017
8,300
9,436
14,089
23,525
Q4 FY2017
11,100b
9,418
14,241
23,659
Q1 FY2018
Not Available
10,189
15,854
26,043
Q2 FY2018
Not Available
10,891
15,756
26,647
Q3 FY2018
Not Available
10,128
16,794
26,922
Q4 FY2018
Not Available
10,989
14,250
25,239
Q1 FY2019
Not Available
11,606
17,783
29,389
Q2 FY2019
Not Available
12,247
18,314
30,561
Q3 FY2019
Not Available
10,648
16,809
27,457
Q4 FY2019
Not Available
10,750
13,452
24,202
Q1 FY2020
Not Available
10,530
16,015
26,545
Q2 FY2020
Not Available
10,711
16,930
27,641
Q3 FY2020
Not Available
9,776
15,874
25,650
Q4 FY2020
Not Available
7,856
14,706
22,562
Sources: Contractor levels drawn from USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports; U.S. Armed
Forces levels through Q4 FY2017 drawn from “Boots on the Ground” monthly reports to Congress.
Note: DOD began releasing data on contractors in USCENTCOM in Q4 FY2007. U.S. Armed Forces levels
from FY2007 to FY2017 included all active and reserve component personnel. After FY2017, DOD began
withholding U.S. U.S. Armed Forces levels from public release.
a. DOD-reported total; note that for Q3 FY2009, DOD reported 10,036 contractors who were U.S. citizens;
11,806 contractors who were third country nationals; and 51,126 contractors who were local/host country
nationals. The source of the discrepancy between the DOD-reported total and the sum of the reported
contractor country of origin categorizations (73,968 vs. 72,968) is unclear.
b. In August 2017, DOD revised its force management level accounting and reporting practices for Afghanistan
to include U.S. Armed Forces personnel in-country for short-duration missions, personnel in a temporary
duty status, personnel assigned to combat support agencies, and forces assigned to the material recovery
element and the Resolute Support sustainment brigade in reported totals. See U.S. Department of Defense,
Press Operations, “Department of Defense Afghanistan Force Management Level Accounting and Reporting
Practices Briefing by Pentagon Chief Spokesperson White and Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General
McKenzie in the Pentagon Briefing Room,” transcript, August 30, 2017.

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Table 2. U.S. Armed Forces and DOD-Funded Private Security Contractor Personnel
in Afghanistan
(Q2 FY2008-Q4 FY2020)
Contractors
Quarter (Q) and
Foreign and Host
Fiscal Year (FY)
U.S. Armed Forces
U.S. National
Total Private
Private Security
Country National
Security
Private Security
Contractors
Contractors
Contractorsa
Q2 FY2008
28,650
167
6,815
6,982
Q3 FY2008
33,902
5
3,532
3,537
Q4 FY2008
33,450
9
3,838
3,847
Q1 FY2009
32,500
15
3,674
3,689
Q2 FY2009
38,350
17
4,356
4,373
Q3 FY2009
55,100
19
5,179
5,198
Q4 FY2009
62,300
76
11,347
11,423
Q1 FY2010
69,000
114
14,325
14,439
Q2 FY2010
79,100
140
16,593
16,733
Q3 FY2010
93,800
152
17,780
17,932
Q4 FY2010
96,600
197
18,672
18,869
Q1 FY2011
96,900
250
18,669
18,919
Q2 FY2011
99,800
250
18,721
18,971
Q3 FY2011
98,900
693
14,612
15,305
Q4 FY2011
98,200
603
20,941
21,544
Q1 FY2012
94,100
570
19,805
20,375
Q2 FY2012
88,200
519
26,093
26,612
Q3 FY2012
85,600
480
28,206
28,686
Q4 FY2012
76,500
2,014
16,850
18,914b
Q1 FY2013
65,800
2,094
17,320
19,414
Q2 FY2013
65,700
1,378
16,615
17,993
Q3 FY2013
61,300
873
15,345
16,218
Q4 FY2013
55,800
844
13,212
14,056
Q1 FY2014
43,300
1,007
10,325
11,332
Q2 FY2014
33,200
641
4,950
5,591
Q3 FY2014
31,400
424
2,753
3,177
Q4 FY2014
27,800
252
2,220
2,472
Q1 FY2015
10,600
317
1,194
1,511
Q2 FY2015
9,100
398
1,127
1,525
Q3 FY2015
9,060
421
1,358
1,779
Q4 FY2015
9,100
312
1,343
1,655
Q1 FY2016
8,930
176
907
1,083
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Contractors
Quarter (Q) and
U.S. Armed Forces
Foreign and Host
Fiscal Year (FY)
U.S. National
Total Private
Private Security
Country National
Security
Private Security
Contractors
Contractors
Contractorsa
Q2 FY2016
8,730
125
747
872
Q3 FY2016
9,365
174
848
1,022
Q4 FY2016
9,800
145
668
813
Q1 FY2017
9,200
473
1,249
1,722
Q2 FY2017
8,400
436
1,380
1,816
Q3 FY2017
8,300
449
1,246
1,695
Q4 FY2017
11,100
493
1,336
1,829
Q1 FY2018
Not Available
426
1,441
1,867
Q2 FY2018
Not Available
416
1,516
1,932
Q3 FY2018
Not Available
746
1,256
2,002
Q4 FY2018
Not Available
364
2,033
2,397
Q1 FY2019
Not Available
432
2,415
2,847
Q2 FY2019
Not Available
612
1,955
2,567
Q3 FY2019
Not Available
608
2,031
2,639
Q4 FY2019
Not Available
688
2,196
2,884
Q1 FY2020
Not Available
728
2,289
3,017
Q2 FY2020
Not Available
739
2,234
2,973
Q3 FY2020
Not Available
649
1,788
2,437
Q4 FY2020
Not Available
456
1,357
1,813
Sources: Contractor levels drawn from USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports; U.S. Armed
Forces levels through Q4 FY2017 drawn from “Boots on the Ground” monthly reports to Congress.
Notes: DOD began releasing data on private security contractor personnel levels within Afghanistan in Q2
FY2008. U.S. Armed Forces levels from FY2007 to FY2017 included all active and reserve component personnel.
After FY2017, DOD began withholding U.S. U.S. Armed Forces levels from public release.
a. Includes most subcontractors and service contractors, armed and unarmed, hired by prime contractors
under DOD contracts.
b. DOD-reported total; note that for Q4 FY2012, DOD reported 2,014 private security contractors who
were U.S. citizens; 1,437 private security contractors who were third country nationals; and 15,413 private
security contractors who were local/host country nationals. The source of the discrepancy between the
DOD-reported total and the sum of the reported private security contractor country of origin
categorizations (18,914 vs. 18,864) is unclear.

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U.S. Armed Forces and DOD-Funded Contractor
Personnel in Iraq (2007-) and Syria (2018-)
DOD ceased publicly reporting numbers of DOD contractor personnel working in Iraq in
December 2013, following the conclusion of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq (Operation Iraqi
Freedom and Operation New Dawn), 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. In the second quarter of FY2018, DOD began reporting a
combined total of contractor personnel physically located in Iraq and Syria. As of FY2020, DOD
reports the quarterly number of contractors with a mission category of “security” in Iraq and
Syria, but does not identify any individuals within this category as specifically armed private
security contractors.
As of the fourth quarter of FY2020, DOD reported it had 4,826 contractor personnel in Iraq and
Syria (see Table 3). Approximately 53% of DOD’s reported individual contractors were U.S.
citizens (2,558), approximately 34% were third-country nationals (1,632); and roughly 13% were
local/host-country nationals (636).20
As of December 2020 observers and analysts estimated the number of U.S. Armed Forces
personnel in Iraq to be approximately 3,000.21 Reports in late 2020 indicated the Trump
Administration intended to drawdown in-country U.S. forces to 2,500 by January 15, 2021.22

20 See Department of Defense, Contractor Support of U.S. Operations in the USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility,
October 2020, at https://www.acq.osd.mil/log/PS/.CENTCOM_reports.html/FY20_4Q_5A_Oct2020.pdf.
21 Jim Garamone, “U.S. Will Draw Down Forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Acting Secretary Says,” Defense News,
November 17, 2020, available at https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2418416/us-will-draw-down-
forces-in-afghanistan-iraq-acting-secretary-says/.
22 Ibid.; For further discussion of the U.S. and its coalition partners' efforts to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
under OIR, see CRS Report RL33487, Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response, coordinated by Carla E.
Humud and CRS In Focus IF10404, Iraq and U.S. Policy, by Christopher M. Blanchard
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Figure 2. U.S. Armed Forces and DOD-Funded Contractor Personnel in Iraq (2007-) and Syria (2018-)
(Q4 F72007-Q1 FY2014; Q1 FY2015-Q4 FY2020)

Source: Contractor levels drawn from USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports and depicts the number of DOD-funded armed private security
contractors as a subset of all reported DOD-funded contractors; U.S. Armed Forces levels from Q4 FY2007-Q1 FY2012 drawn from “Boots on the Ground” monthly
reports to Congress. U.S. Armed Forces levels for Q1 FY2015-Q1 FY2017 drawn from White House semiannual “War Powers Resolution Report” to Congress.
Notes: DOD began releasing data on DOD-funded private security contractor personnel in USCENTCOM in Q1 FY2008, and ceased reporting data on DOD-funded
private security contractor personnel in Iraq in Q4 FY2013. Between Q1 FY2014 and Q4 FY2014, no data on any DOD-funded contractor personnel in Iraq was
released. In Q2 FY2018, DOD began reporting a combined total of contractor personnel physically located in Iraq and Syria. U.S. Armed Forces levels for Q4 FY2007-
Q1 FY2012 included all active and reserve component personnel. Fol owing the conclusion of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq in 2011, the “Boots on the Ground”
reports ceased providing separate force levels for Iraq. Beginning in 2014, in support of U.S. military operations against the Islamic State, additional U.S. military personnel
were deployed to Iraq. See Table 3 for further discussion of recent U.S. Armed Forces and contractor levels in Iraq.

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Table 3. U.S. Armed Forces and DOD-Funded Contractor Personnel in Iraq (2007-)
and Syria (2018-)
(Q4 FY2007-Q1 FY2014; Q1 FY2015-Q4 FY2020)
Contractors
Quarter (Q) and
U.S. Armed
Fiscal Year (FY)
Forces
U.S. National
Foreign and Host
Contractors
Country National
Total Contractors
Contractors
Q4 FY2007
165,607
26,869
127,956
154,825
Q1 FY2008
161,783
31,325
132,266
163,591
Q2 FY2008
159,700
29,351
120,027
149,378
Q3 FY2008
153,300
29,611
132,817
162,428
Q4 FY2008
146,900
28,045
135,401
163,446
Q1 FY2009
148,500
39,262
108,788
148,050
Q2 FY2009
141,300
36,061
96,549
132,610
Q3 FY2009
134,500
31,541
88,165
119,706
Q4 FY2009
129,200
29,944
83,787
113,731
Q1 FY2010
114,300
27,843
72,192
100,035
Q2 FY2010
95,900
24,719
70,742
95,461
Q3 FY2010
88,320
22,761
56,860
79,621
Q4 FY2010
48,410
20,981
53,125
74,106
Q1 FY2011
47,305
19,943
51,199
71,142
Q2 FY2011
45,660
18,393
45,860
64,253
Q3 FY2011
46,010
18,900
43,789
62,689
Q4 FY2011
44,755
16,054
36,583
52,637
Q1 FY2012
11,445
11,237
12,649
23,886a
Q2 FY2012
—
3,260
7,707
10,967a
Q3 FY2012
—
2,493
4,843
7,336a
Q4 FY2012
—
2,314
6,686
9,000a
Q1 FY2013
—
2,356
6,093
8,449a
Q2 FY2013
—
2,125
5,780
7,905a
Q3 FY2013
—
1,898
5,837
7,735a
Q4 FY2013
—
1,626
4,998
6,624a
Q1 FY2014
—
820
2,414
3,234a
No Data on Contractors Released by DOD from Q2 FY2014-Q4 FY2014
Q1 FY2015
Up to 3,100b
No Data Available
No Data Available
250 (est.)
Q2 FY2015
Up to 3,100b
No Data Available
No Data Available
600 (est.)
Q3 FY2015
Up to 3,550c
1,140
209
1,349
Q4 FY2015
Up to 3,550c
1,098
305
1,403
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Contractors
Quarter (Q) and
U.S. Armed
Fiscal Year (FY)
Forces
U.S. National
Foreign and Host
Contractors
Country National
Total Contractors
Contractors
Q1 FY2016
Up to 3,550d
1,392
636
2,028
Q2 FY2016
Up to 3,550d
1,564
1,055
2,619
Q3 FY2016
Up to 4,087e
1,605
880
2,485
Q4 FY2016
Up to 4,087e
1,823
1,169
2,992
Q1 FY2017
Up to 5,262f
2,035
1,557
3,592
Q2 FY2017
Up to 5,262f
2,149
1,206
3,795
Q3 FY2017
Up to 5,262g
2,424
2,061
4,485
Q4 FY2017
Up to 5,262g
2,644
1,965
4,609
Q1 FY2018
Not Availableh
2,767
2,160
4,927
DOD-Funded Contractor Personnel in Iraq and Syria
Q2 FY2018
Not Available
2,869
2,639
5,508
Q3 FY2018
Not Available
2,651
2,672
5,323
Q4 FY2018
Not Available
3,086
3,232
6,318
Q1 FY2019
Not Available
2,850
3,370
6,220
Q2 FY2019
Not Available
3,362
3,567
6,929
Q3 FY2019
Not Available
3,229
4,246
7,475
Q4 FY2019
Not Available
3,152
4,003
7,155
Q1 FY2020
Not Available
2,903
3,683
6,586
Q2 FY2020
Not Available
2,679
3,609
6,288
Q3 FY2020
Not Available
2,938
3,613
6,551
Q4 FY2020
Not Available
2,558
2,268
4,826
Sources: U.S. Armed Forces levels from Q4 FY2007-Q1 FY2012 are drawn from the DOD’s “Boots on the
Ground” monthly reports to Congress, and include all active and reserve component personnel. Force levels for
Q1 FY2015-Q4 FY2017 are drawn from the White House’s semiannual “War Powers Resolution Report” to
Congress and are force management levels. All listed contractor levels are drawn from USCENTCOM Quarterly
Contractor Census Reports.
Notes: DOD began releasing data on contractors in USCENTCOM in the second half of 2007, and initially
ceased reporting data on DOD contractor personnel in Iraq in December 2013.
Fol owing the conclusion of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, the “Boots on the Ground” 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 support of U.S. military operations against
the Islamic State, 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.
In Q1 FY2015, DOD resumed releasing data on DOD-funded contractor personnel in Iraq. As the “Boots on
the Ground” reports did not provide OIR force levels, CRS used the force management levels for Iraq reported
biannually by the White House between December 2014 and June 2017, beginning with the December 2014 “Six
Month Consolidated War Powers Resolution Report” and ending with the June 2017 “Supplemental
Consolidated War Powers Resolution Report,” to provide an indication of the number of U.S. forces estimated
to be in Iraq during that period. As of December 2017, the “Supplemental Consolidated War Powers Resolution
Report” no longer provides current force management levels for Iraq or Syria.
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As of Q2 FY2018, DOD reported a combined total of DOD-funded contractor personnel physically located in
Iraq and Syria.
a. DOD reported that DOD-funded contractors in Iraq from Q1 FY2012 through Q1 FY2014 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.obamawhitehouse.archives.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.obamawhitehouse.archives.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://obamawhitehouse.archives.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://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-
press-office/2016/06/13/letter-president-war-powers-resolution.
f.
Force Management Level for Iraq, as reported by the White House Office of the Press Secretary, “Letter
from the President—Supplemental 6-month War Powers Letter,” December 5, 2016, at
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/12/05/letter-president-supplemental-6-month-
war-powers-letter.
g. Force Management Level for Iraq, as reported by the White House, “Letter from the President to the
Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate,” June 6, 2017, at
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/text-letter-president-speaker-house-
representatives-president-pro-tempore-senate/.
h. Beginning in December 2017, the “Supplemental Consolidated War Powers Resolution Reports” no longer
provide current force management levels for Iraq or Syria. See for example “Letter from the President to
the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate,” December 11,
2017, at https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/text-letter-president-speaker-house-
representatives-president-pro-tempore-senate-2/.

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Table 4. U.S. Armed Forces and Private Security Contractors in Iraq
(Q1 FY2008-Q4 FY2013)
Contractors
Quarter (Q) and
U.S. Armed
Foreign and Host
Fiscal Year (FY)
Forces
U.S. National
Country National
Total Private
Private Security
Security
Contractors
Private Security
Contractorsa
Contractors
Q1 FY2008
161,783
830
9,122
9,952
Q2 FY2008
159,700
515
6,744
7,259
Q3 FY2008
153,300
1,540
6,164
7,704
Q4 FY2008
146,900
886b
9,560
10,446
Q1 FY2009
148,500
727b
7,974
8,701
Q2 FY2009
141,300
681
12,261
12,942
Q3 FY2009
134,500
802
14,477
15,279
Q4 FY2009
129,200
670
12,014
12,684
Q1 FY2010
114,300
776
10,319
11,095
Q2 FY2010
95,900
1,081
10,529
11,610
Q3 FY2010
88,320
1,030
10,383
11,413
Q4 FY2010
48,410
1,017
10,611
11,628
Q1 FY2011
47,305
791
7,536
8,327
Q2 FY2011
45,660
917
8,290
9,207
Q3 FY2011
46,010
935
9,479
10,414
Q4 FY2011
44,755
844
8,710
9,554
Q1 FY2012
11,445
751
8,244
8,995
Q2 FY2012
—
288
3,289
3,577
Q3 FY2012
—
116
2,291
2,407
Q4 FY2012
—
102
2,014
2,116
Q1 FY2013
—
235
2,046
2,281
Q2 FY2013
—
259
2,100
2,359
Q3 FY2013
—
217
1,931
2,148
Q4 FY2013
—
147
2,262
2,409
Sources: Contractor levels drawn from USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census Reports; U.S. Armed
Forces levels from Q1 FY2008-Q1 FY2012 drawn from “Boots on the Ground” monthly reports to Congress.
Notes: DOD began releasing data on DOD-funded private security contractor personnel levels in
USCENTCOM in Q1 FY2008, and ceased reporting data on DOD-funded private security contractor personnel
in Iraq in Q4 FY2013. See Table 3 for further discussion of recent U.S. Armed Forces and contractor levels in
Iraq.
a. DOD reported that DOD-funded 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 Q1 FY2009 also included private security
contractor personnel from NATO partner and ally countries in the reported totals of U.S. private security
contractor personnel.
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Table 5. DOD Contract Obligations in Iraq and Afghanistan Areas of Operations (AO)
(FY2011-FY2019; in millions of FY2021 dollars)

Country
FY2011
FY2012
FY2013
FY2014
FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
Total
Iraq
$5,589
$460
$592
$85
$273
$753
$2,472
$2,759
$1,153
$14,135
Bahrain
$567
$364
$960
$230
$608
$743
$871
$775
$551
$5,667
Kuwait
$4,336
$2,845
$3,420
$1,962
$2,181
$1,972
$4,497
$4,909
$2,230
$28,351
Qatar
$915
$948
$470
$191
$359
$279
$1,062
$2,272
$564
$7,060
Ira
q

AO
Saudi Arabia
$337
$620
$1,048
$1,366
$2,269
$1,125
$2,086
$1,924
$1,382
$12,156

Turkey
$203
$312
$209
$201
$222
$265
$417
$390
$156
$2,375
United Arab
$1,157
$1,598
$2,578
$1,913
$1,430
$1,574
$2,852
$2,938
$1,095
$17,134
Emirates
Oman
$155
$234
$249
$116
$136
$135
$154
$9
$27
$1,213
Jordan
$44
$59
$193
$183
$222
$204
$321
$411
$208
$1,845
Total, Iraq AO
$13,301
$7,439
$9,717
$6,246
$7,699
$7,050
$14,732
$16,385
$7,366
$89,936
Afghanistan
$19,848
$21,326
$16,377
$6,818
$3,592
$2,361
$6,718
$7,755
$4,351
$89,145
Kazakhstan
$82
$85
$102
$63
$85
$38
$72
$93
$23
$642
A
fgha
Kyrgyzstan
$987
$2,164
$2,202
$745
($2)
($7)
($11)
$2
$4
$6,082
ni

sta
Pakistan
$71
$17
($4)
$26
$114
$58
$124
$97
$49
$552
n
AO
Tajikistan
$4
$10
$10
$8
$8
$0
$12
$5
($1)
$55

Turkmenistan
$12
$5
$15
$2
$0
$0
($1)
$0
$0
$32
Uzbekistan
$18
$26
$21
$24
$35
$12
$19
$0
$0
$155
Total, Afghanistan AO
$21,020
$23,633
$18,722
$7,685
$3,831
$2,462
$6,931
$7,951
$4,427
$96,663
Total, Iraq and
$34,322
$31,072
$28,440
$13,931
$11,530
$9,512
$21,664
$24,336
$11,793
$186,599
Afghanistan AOs
Sources: beta.SAM.gov Data Bank, as of January 28, 2021 for FY2011-FY2020 data; CRS adjustments for inflation using deflators for converting into FY2021 dol ars
derived from Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptrol er), Department of Defense, National Defense Budget Estimates for FY2021, “Department of Defense
Deflators–TOA By Category ‘Total Non-Pay,’” Table 5-5, pp. 60-61, April 2020.
Notes: Numbers may not add due to rounding. See “Analytical Methodology” for additional discussion of CRS methodology in assembling this data table.
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Analytical Methodology
U.S. Armed Forces and Private Security Contractor Personnel in
Afghanistan and Iraq
Various factors may affect the exact number of U.S. Armed Forces personnel indicated to be
located in a given location at a given point in time by the Department of Defense in official
reports and other releases. Differences in methodological practices – such as which categories of
personnel are included or excluded – may result in differences in the U.S. Armed Forces
personnel totals provided through official sources.
Afghanistan
Reported U.S. Armed Forces levels from the fourth quarter of FY2007 through the fourth quarter
of FY2017 were drawn from the DOD’s “Boots on the Ground” monthly reports to Congress as
provided to CRS, and included all active and reserve component personnel. After FY2017, DOD
began withholding U.S. Armed Forces levels in Afghanistan from public release. Under the Biden
Administration, it remains unclear if DOD will resume reporting the number of U.S. military
personnel deployed in support of military operations in Afghanistan.
All listed contractor levels are drawn from the USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census
Reports, which provide data on contractors in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility going
forward from the second half of 2007.
Iraq
Reported U.S. Armed Forces levels from the fourth quarter of FY2007 through the first quarter of
FY2012 were drawn from the DOD’s “Boots on the Ground” monthly reports to Congress as
provided to CRS, and included all active and reserve component personnel.
U.S. Armed Forces levels for the first quarter of FY2015 through the fourth quarter of FY2017
were drawn from the White House’s semiannual “War Powers Resolution Report” to Congress
and represent force management levels. As noted in the previous discussion of “Force
Management Levels for Deployed U.S. Armed Forces” force management levels provide an
upper bound on the number of military personnel that may be deployed in a country or region,
and may not represent the actual number of personnel in country during the depicted period. CRS
used the force management levels for Iraq reported biannually by the White House between
December 2014 and June 2017, beginning with the December 2014 “Six Month Consolidated
War Powers Resolution Report” and ending with the June 2017 “Supplemental Consolidated War
Powers Resolution Report,” to provide an indication of the number of U.S. forces estimated to be
in Iraq during that period. As of December 2017, the “War Powers Resolution Reports” released
by the Trump Administration no longer provided current force management levels for Iraq or
Syria. Under the Biden Administration, it remains unclear if DOD will resume reporting the
number of U.S. military personnel deployed in support of ongoing or future military operations
through the “War Powers Resolution Reports” or other official releases.
All listed contractor levels are drawn from the USCENTCOM Quarterly Contractor Census
Reports. DOD began releasing data on contractors in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility in
the second half of 2007, and ceased reporting data on DOD contractor personnel specifically
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Department of Defense Contractor and Troop Levels in Afghanistan and Iraq: 2007-2020

located in Iraq in December 2013. In the first quarter of FY2015, DOD resumed releasing data on
DOD-funded contractor personnel specifically located in Iraq.
Obligations within the Iraq and Afghanistan Areas of Operations
As used in the context of U.S. military operations, an area of operation can be understood as an
“operational area defined by a commander for land and maritime forces that should be large
enough to accomplish their missions and protect their forces.”23 For the purposes of this analysis,
CRS has defined the Iraq area of operation as Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey,
the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Jordan. CRS further defined the Afghan area of operation
as Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In
2008, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published a report that tracked the U.S.
government's obligations in the Iraqi area of operation from FY2005 through FY2007 using
Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG) data that considered most
countries bordering Iraq, with the exception of Iran, to be part of the Iraqi area of operations.24
CRS replicated CBO's methodology for defining the Iraq areas of operation for the purposes of
this data analysis, and used a similar methodology in determining the approximate value of
annual contract obligations in the Afghanistan areas of operation. Note that there may be overlap
between each area of operation—for example, U.S. Air Force personnel stationed at Al Udeid Air
Base in Qatar may support U.S. military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Use of beta.SAM.gov Data Bank
Obligations occur when agencies enter into contracts with vendors, employ personnel, or
otherwise commit to expending appropriated funds. Many government policymakers and
procurement experts monitor money obligated on prime federal contracts through the publicly
accessible beta.SAM.gov Data Bank reporting tool (as of October 17, 2020, FPDS-NG data is
now only available through beta.SAM.gov as part of an ongoing General Services Administration
effort to consolidate and simplify information sources and data input portals related to U.S.
government procurement). There is no public database that report federal contract outlays (i.e.,
payments made by the U.S. federal government) as comprehensively as the beta.SAM.gov Data
Bank provides access to obligations data.25 The beta.SAM.gov Data Bank reports the net amount
of funds obligated or deobligated (i.e., a downward adjustment of reported contract obligations
due to factors such as reductions in material prices or the termination of some portion of
contracted activities) by a contract transaction. If the net amount of a transaction is a
deobligation, the transaction will be represented as a negative amount in the beta.SAM.gov Data
Bank.
The data used by CRS allocates place of performance based on the principal contract place of
performance as identified by the beta.SAM.gov Data Bank. Because the beta.SAM.gov Data
Bank only allows one country to be listed as the place of performance, contracts listed as being
performed in one country can also involve substantial performance in other countries. As such,
activities undertaken primarily in other countries excluded from the defined Afghanistan and Iraq
areas of operation in support of U.S. military activities, such as contracted activities undertaken at

23 Joint Chiefs of Staff, “Joint Operations,” Joint Publication 3-0, January 17, 2017, incorporating change 1 of October
22, 2018, available at https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/jp3_0ch1.pdf.
24 CBO, Contractors' Support of U.S. Operations in Iraq, August 12, 2008, available at
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/41728.
25 Contracting officials must report most contract actions to FPDS-NG, as required by the Federal Acquisition
Regulation (FAR).
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USCENTCOM's headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, in support of U.S.
operations in Afghanistan, would not be included in this analysis.
Overview of beta.SAM.gov Data Bank Quality and Accuracy Issues
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), CRS, and other organizations have previously
raised concerns about the accuracy of procurement data retrieved from FPDS-NG. While public
access to government obligation data from FPDS-NG has been transitioned to the beta.SAM.gov
Data Bank, contracting officials must still use FPDS-NG to report and record most federal
procurement actions, making data retrieved through the beta.SAM.gov Data Bank subject to the
same concerns previously raised by GAO and other organizations.26
All data have imperfections and limitations. Understanding the limitations of government
procurement data—including knowing when, how, and to what extent to rely on data—can help
policymakers incorporate data from the beta.SAM.gov Data Bank more effectively into their
decision-making process. Data from the beta.SAM.gov Data Bank are best used to identify broad
trends and produce rough estimates, or to gather information about specific contracts. Caution is
warranted when decision makers use data from the beta.SAM.gov Data Bank to develop policy or
otherwise draw conclusions. In some cases, the data themselves may not be reliable. In other
instances, a query for particular data may return results that differ, depending on the parameters
and timing of the analysis. Updates to “data, including new actions, modifications, and
corrections are made on a regular basis,” which could result in changes to “data ... for current
and/or prior fiscal years.”27 All DOD data available through the beta.SAM.gov Data Bank are also
subject to a 90-day availability delay for non-DOD users. Nevertheless, some observers say that
despite their shortcomings, the data available through the beta.SAM.gov Data Bank are
substantially more comprehensive than what is available on government procurement activities in
most other countries in the world.

Author Information

Heidi M. Peters

Analyst in U.S. Defense Acquisition Policy

Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to Visual Information Specialist Amber Wilhelm and Applications Developer Khalid
Khasawinah for technical assistance in preparing this report.

26 For more information, see Appendix A, “FPDS Background, Accuracy Issues, and Future Plans” to the CRS Report
R44010, Defense Acquisitions: How and Where DOD Spends Its Contracting Dollars for an overview of known issues
associated with FPDS-NG data prior to the transition to beta.SAM.gov, including accuracy, completeness, and
timeliness of the contract award data.
27 See FPDS.gov, “DoD Data Availability,” available at https://www.fpds.gov/common/html/dodDataAvailability.html.
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Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
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under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not
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copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

Congressional Research Service
R44116 · VERSION 14 · UPDATED
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