Abstract
From an obscure sector synonymous with mercenaryism, the private
military and security industry has grown to become a significant
complementing instrument in military operations. This rise has brought
with it considerable attention. Researchers have examined the role of
private military and security companies in international relations as
well as the history of these companies, and, above all, the legal
implications of their use in place of military organizations. As
research progresses, a significant gap has become clear. Only a handful
of studies have addressed the complex of issues associated with
contractors’ demographics and lived experience. This paper sheds some
light over this lacuna, examining contractors’ demographics using
descriptive statistics from an original dataset of American and British
contractors who died in Iraq between the years 2003-2016. The paper
augments our understanding of an important population of post-Fordist
contracted workforce, those peripheral workers supplementing military
activity in high-risk occupations with uncertain long-term outcomes.