During the Iraq and Afghanistan wars the U.S. government has relied heavily on military contracting companies and their employees to carry out military missions in Middle East. Since 2001, high salaries and the call to serve the country have persuaded many people to take the risk of working in war zones. Yet the many individuals who have been injured while performing such duties now find themselves caught between their insurance companies and the U.S. Department of Labor, as they fight for the workers’ compensation and healthcare coverage they were promised. / text

International security, and particularly the threat of terrorist attacks, remains to be one of the most concerning and debated political topics a decade after the September 11th attacks. In particular, the newly elected Obama administration is at a point where they have a chance to reformulate their response to terrorist threats. Traditionally, the US government has resorted to a "hard" style approach of preventive measures and detention of terror suspects. Typically these measures are carried out by the US federal agencies themselves; however the use of civilians in the form of military contractors has become more popular in recent years. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia, an ally of the US has employed a radically different style in dealing with the threat of terrorism in their country. Their rehabilitation programs are part of an entire campaign that chooses a more human-based approach. This research analyzes the effectiveness of the Saudi Arabian program and the US non-governmental approaches to see if there are beneficial methods that can be adopted by the US in their traditional federal methods.

The United States Department of Defense spends billions of dollars annually on outsourcing functions to private contracted companies without knowing if their actions are effective. Guided by Feigenbaum, Henig, and Hamnett's theory of privatization and President Eisenhower's warnings of the impending military-industrial complex, the intent of this grounded theory study was to develop relevant theory regarding how the Department of Defense might accomplish missions through outsourcing during current and future fiscal constraints. This study sought to understand the perceived effectiveness of outsourcing Department of Defense functions through the perspectives of 2 employment groups directly affected by such outsourcing: federal employees and privately contracted employees. In this study, 24 federal employees and 20 privately contracted employees completed qualitative surveys about their perceptions of effectiveness in regards to outsourcing Department of Defense functions. Data were inductively analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding via constant comparison. Findings from this study generated a grounded theory, one positing that 2 distinct elements are important in outsourcing during fiscal constraint: well defined legal requirements and private sector technical expertise. Evidence from this study suggests that when these elements are in place, outsourced Department of Defense functions can progress, regardless of fiscal restrictions. The implications for social change include assisting political leaders with better decision making in support of effective national security policies, while providing good stewardship of tax payer funds.

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Private military and security companies (PMSCs) are established actors in the global militaryindustry. The adaptation to utilize PMSCs as a complement to national militaries has increased their importance significantly. PMSCs have gained attention due to similarities with outlawed mercenary activity, causing legal implications and difficulties regulating them. However, the risks that PMSC recruits experience are not addressed sufficiently. Thus, this study aims to scrutinize and analyze how PMSCs recruitment relates to risk, which risks exist for the recruits, and how the recruits’ origin affects risks. By developing the idea of Risk-Transfer War with the Global South and Global North concept, the study gains insight into how Risk-Transfer can beextended to the private military industry. The study shows that economic, physical, and political risks are present for PMSC recruits, and the recruits from the Global South are the most affectedby them. The globalized private military industry enables countries that utilize PMSCs which recruit from the Global South, to get a cheaper, more flexible workforce with fewer politicalimplications. However, the Global South recruits are paid less than their Northern colleagues, they are getting little to no recognition for their sacrifices while risking their lives for the secompanies in hopes of a better livelihood. By understanding PMSCs and their recruitmentprocesses better, we can adjust issues in current regulations.