Transforming war supply: Considerations and rationales behind contractor support to UK overseas military operations in the twenty-first century

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, policymakers and academics alike have examined in great detail every aspect of military operations apart from military contracting. This article surveys key issues that confront United Kingdom (UK) policymakers. It engages with and updates the secondary sources to explain the evolution, role, and implications of military outsourcing for UK overseas operations in the twenty-first century. It explores the politics, rationale, and consequences of outsourcing technical and support services to expeditionary operations. This article provides a framework for a discussion that is becoming increasingly urgent given the UK military's increasing dependence on military contractors to generate fighting and support capabilities on operations. It proceeds in two steps. First, it traces the evolution of military contracting, identifying the different political and economic drivers behind the decision to engage technical and support contractors on operations. Second, it discusses the future implications for the UK military of this decision.