In recent years, the U.S. military has grown increasingly dependent on private contractors. From servicing equipment to training indigenous forces to providing security, contractors are now deeply woven into the fabric of American warfare. In Iraq, there are now more private contractors than non-U.S. foreign forces.

How did contractors become...

The centralizing reforms that culminated in the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 did much to weld America's armed services into the preeminent military force of the late twentieth century.

Discussions of corporate governance today too often neglect important developments in how principals and agents interact.

In conclusion, let me just say, the challenges are different, the technologies will be different, the strategies must be different and, therefore, the structures have to be different.

Our military commitments demand substantial increases in defense spending.