Second Prize: Contractors in Kandahar, eh? Canada’s ‘Real’ Commitment to Afghanistan

Abstract

This paper will examine the Canadian Force's growing utilization of private military firms on international operations, focusing primarily on the use of the Canadian Forces Contractor Augmentation Program (CANCAP) in Kabul from 2003-2005 and their current use at Kandahar Air Field (KAF). This paper will demonstrate that personnel reductions in the 1990's and a persistently high operational tempo have forced the Canadian Forces to increasingly rely on commercial support options on operations abroad. It is argued here that while the Canadian Forces' use of privately provided logistics functions has remained modest to date, the Canadian military will continue to accelerate the rate at which it relies on non-military support options. In particular, this paper will demonstrate that the personnel demands of the current mission in Afghanistan will require Canada to continue, if not increase, its reliance on private support options at KAF.