David Isenberg is the author of "Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq" from Praeger Security International publishers. While his work is hardly flattering to the Pentagon and its extra-national corporations that perform the work he describes, the Journal of the International Peace Operations Association (which has a board of directors that includes representatives from several security contractors) has published a review of David's book. The review takes issue with some of the author's work, but only regarding lesser issues, explains Straus Military Reform Project Director Winslow Wheeler.

David has specialized in the issues surrounding these contractors for several years. In a recent study, he found how integral they are to the wars and occupations the executive branch and Congress have selected to start and support. (See a recent description in David's previous report on U.S. contractors overseas.) Such themes are also explored in "Shadow Force," which is important reading to understand the mechanisms that enable U.S. national security policy in Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever else the nation's national security elite choose to take us in the future.
 
Find a copy of "Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq" at Amazon.com.

Find the new review of this book by the Journal of International Peace Operations here and below.

Journal of International Peace Operations (The Publication of IPOA)

Vol. 5, No. 3

November/December 2009

PeaceOps.com

Cyril Magnon-Pujo

A Shadowy Business

A Review of David Isenberg's Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq 

David Isenberg, "Shadow Force. Private Security Contractors in Iraq"

Praeger Security International, Westport, 2009. 

SHADOW Force - Private Security Contractors in Iraq (2009), the first book published by David Isenberg, certainly does not represent his first research on the topic. A tireless analyst of the stability operations industry since the 1990s, in this book Isenberg offers the results of years of research. The extensive references and documentation on which the book is built confirm the credibility and expert reputation he has gained over the years. In Shadow Force, Isenberg analyzes the security element of contractor business in the Iraq intervention. He focuses on the players involved and the accountability issues for which the industry is often criticized. With the aspiration of furthering the private security contractor debate, described as a "tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury," the author tries to distance himself from fashionable positions frequently taken on the subject.

Centered on the Iraqi experience, this book reinforces the impression that private security issues are largely attached to this specific intervention- at least in the United States. One acknowledges that this operation placed the stability operations industry in the spotlight due to the U.S. government's unexpectedly high reliance on private support, which was due mainly to poor initial planning and a strong reluctance to send sufficient regular ground troops. 

Starting from this point, Isenberg provides a detailed overview of the local situation with striking precision and figures. First, he outlines the origin and path of what he calls the "re-emergence of an old phenomenon," explaining the long-term U.S. policy of military outsourcing and its often controversial nature. The author then examines the consequences of such a strategy during Operation Iraqi Freedom. If the reader can forgive a lack of global perspective, Isenberg does cover a number of key aspects of military outsourcing, starting with the traditional issue of contract value and then extending his analysis to the salary question, in which the pay gap between military and private contractors is described as a myth, a conclusion backed by convincing figures. 

By examining PSC employees, Isenberg presents both the advantages and disadvantages of the industry's utilization of highly skilled former Special Forces in contrast to Third Country Nationals, about which he expresses concern because of problems with the recruitment and vetting process that may occur. Interestingly, the emphasis then turns to the critical and indeed "unglamorous" aspect of contractors' insurance. The insurance issue is considered a "hidden cost" of the Iraq war, partly due to the functioning of the Defense Base Act system, which apparently allows for frequent overcharging practices. This critical view on contingency contractors' employment, however, neglects the critical issue related to the local national employees that make up the bulk of the contracting force.

Isenberg's description of the Iraqi contractors' situation continues with a detailed overview of the "kings of the private security landscape," highlighting the most significant contractors involved in Iraq. Overall, this section is fairly informative on the diversity of employers, structures and activities, the complexity of which often prevent analysts from developing a one-size-fits-all study. This also gives the reader an idea of the achievements and problems encountered by contractors and employers during their missions.

The author then draws a bigger picture and addresses the major question surrounding PSCs in contingency operations: accountability. The passionate debate around private security support has led to significant misconceptions. Isenberg indirectly encapsulates the confusion by recalling all the laws potentially constraining contractor behavior. Yet for Isenberg, the problem seems to lie beyond the written procedures, in implementation and the actors' intentions. A long discussion of the Abu Ghraib scandal, involving two private companies (CACI and Titan) providing unarmed translators and interrogators to the Iraqi prison, illustrates this tension between theory and practice, eventually questioning the efficiency of oversight and accountability. By placing the issue in context, Isenberg emphasizes that such incidents remain rare - especially when compared to similar issues involving the military - and offers several ways to strengthen the current control over security contractors, such as legal procedures and economic leverages.

Isenberg's attempts to offer a fair view of the security contractors in Iraq by avoiding judgments and conclusions should be emphasized. His arguments appear to be balanced and he does not hesitate to take views opposing the common conventional wisdom. Yet, one has to wonder why there is so much of a focus on the accountability issue - a frequent concern expressed to the industry - but no sections looking at the successes or advantages contingency contractors continue to bring to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Moreover, the book suffers from weak structure and analysis, despite the volume of valid questions it raises and accurate facts included. Too often the arguments from different sides are presented with few conclusions drawn. This is surprising considering the valuable amount of information brought by Isenberg to the study of security contractors over the years. 

Isenberg's proclaimed ambition of fairness is also damaged by a terminology issue. Indeed, amidst sensible debate in the industry, it would be a mistake to underestimate the value of semantics. Knowing that, Isenberg still utilizes the label 'PMC' (Private Military Contractor) while admitting he only speaks about 'PSCs' (Private Security Contractor). Although this may be a matter of convenience, it nevertheless highlights the larger problem of industry categorization. That Isenberg continues to stick to the eye-catching, but misleading terminology of PMC undermines his attempt at a balanced analysis.

Shadow Force also implicitly introduces the question of the media in the industry. Indeed, as Isenberg initiates the accountability issue with the symbolic Abu Ghraib scandal and the Blackwater Nissour Square shootings in September 2007, the issue of the media's role in the emergence and progression of the security contractor debate becomes visible. It is a worthwhile topic and the author takes note of the role and power of controversy and public opinion in those affairs. Focused on the Iraqi security contracting situation according to a U.S. point of view, one cannot ignore the role of public opinion in a debate which has taken on a new dimension under the new administration.

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