Contract Security

This is more a reminder to myself. On occasion when I write about troop numbers, I've included contract security personnel in the total. At one time I remember (or think I remember) the number of 20,000 for these personnel.

Strategypage recently quoted the total contract personnel in Iraq as 20,000 which includes 6,000 security personnel.

So I don't know whether the 20,000 figure used to be right; whether reports mistakenly assumed all 20,000 were security; or whether (horrors) I'm simply remembering wrong.

In any case, 6,000 contract security personnel provide services in Iraq right now.