Pentagon Asserts Authority Over Contractors

Pentagon Asserts Authority Over Contractors

Five years into the Iraq War, the most heavily outsourced war in history, the Pentagon has issued a memorandum clearly giving authority of military commanders over the civilian contractors in their areas of operation. Until now, lines of authority have been unclear and local commanders often been frustrated with contractors with seemingly no accountability. A year and a half ago the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) was amended to extend jurisdiction to contractors serving alongside DoD personnel in a war or contingency operation, but the DoD did not issue guidelines on the amended code. In fact, no one seemed to notice the changes for several months until after the question was called by a 2006 Christmas shooting by a Blackwater armorer in the Baghdad Green Zone ...