A Contractor Army

This Author has long been an advocate of return of the military draft. The Draft provides a far greater mix of skills (specifically a range of those skills). This mixture presents a vital element in Tactics affecting Command decision, with lowered expectation of immediate success in Mission achievement. This leads to Commander-level conservation of resources (they don't get their troops blown away on unaccomplishable Objectives). It alters Training procedure: the training is far more intense, but limited to direct necessary components of the military craft. Troops, on the other hand, feel heightened Paranoia from the existence of the Draft, even when they are Volunteers; the presence of unwilling Participants curbs Everyone's intent to be a hero, with expressed contempt for Mission achievement at the risk of Injury or Death.


How Should
the Army Use
Contractors on
the Battlefield?
Assessing Comparative Risk
in Sourcing Decisions
ISBN: 0-8330-3736-6
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2005/RAND_MG296.sum.pdf

This Work (the Author has only read the Summary) provides another approach, simply through the analysis of Risk in the use of Contractors on the Battlefield. The Summary (and likely the Book) is written in the academic bureaucratize with which One must have some experience to integrate the material, but defines a method by which a mix of Volunteer and Draft army could provide greater success to military endeavors.

This Author's Concept:

Army Recruitment and Training should be removed from the Military, and revert to Private Contractors, who will be granted a per head fee for the recruitment and training of Recruits in the basic military skills (supervised by military personnel). Secondary Training can also be contracted, not simply in military skills, but in Occupational skills needed by both Military and Private Sector. Young High School Graduates would get a Signing bonus for Training attendance, plus a low Wage equivalent to Minimum Wage, but with Housing, Food, Health Care, etc.--a prime source to save for College or setting up a private Household. The Recruits escape mandatory service in the Military, though they gain the equivalent Training at advantage to themselves.

This would not be a Pilot program for the Military. The Goal would be to train as many High School Graduates as possible in the basic military skills, as many as needed in the basic Occupational MOS skills, then contract with the Graduates of these Training facilities for specific Tours--whether at Home or Overseas deployment. Bonuses would be paid for Tour enlistment, and Wages would defined by MOS skill levels. The Military could utilize the Training process Score levels of Recruits in search for qualified applicants, and would be allowed to offer retension bonuses to active Touring soldiers. Troops would be making more mature and active decision in their participation, and less likely to accept bad Risk levels. The Military gains trained, more mature Troops at minimum Cost; also the possibility of a Military Draft of trained Personnel in case of need. lgl