The number of private security contractors working for the Defense Department in Afghanistan has more than tripled to about 19,000 since June 2009, according to a new congressional study.
The study found a steady increase in private security contractors — most of whom are Afghans — since the DOD started tracking the data in September 2007.
That trend accelerated markedly once President Obama took office, and the number of security contractors has increased at a faster rate even than the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
