When asked why private security contractors are important to the U.S. military, a former U.S. Army specialist responded, "It's the additional feeling of security. Strength in numbers. The United States government will not deploy more troops overseas, but it will hire these private companies to help us” (Ruohenen). Habib Moody, a student at Yale University, is the author of “Soldiers for Rent.” In this article written for The New Atlantis, Moody argues that the government should not hire corporations to fight war on behalf of our soldiers. At one point in the article he says that by hiring private companies to fight, we are “degrading such a noble calling.” In other words, by making civilians work alongside the military, we are degrading the work of soldiers. He generates complaints and describes why he believes there is a lack of oversight and regulation over overseas contractors. For this reason, entrepreneurs go unpunished and escape war crimes. While I agree with Moody that there is an excess of government military contracts, the presence of private companies overseas is very beneficial to our government. Without these contracts, the number of U.S. military personnel would have to more than double, resulting in higher government spending than contractors charge. Private military companies or PMCs have a long history of participating in wars on behalf of the United States. time now. Deborah Kidwell is an assistant professor of military history and has done extensive research on PMCs. She says it in her book “Public War, Private Combat? The United States and Private Military Companies” that PMCs were used as early as the American Revolution. During the revolution, companies were hired for ways...... middle of paper ...... army you can afford: the United States, international law, and the private military industry. Boston University International LawJournal Spring 2010: 181-218.Academic OneFile.Hartung, William D. “Privatizing war.” Bulletin of Atomic Scientists 60.2 (2004):78+. OneFile Academic. Internet. March 19, 2014Karp, Jonathan. “Contractors in war zone face legal front; Private companies like Blackwater could be held responsible for losses incurred during military tasks. Wall Street Journal March 8, 2007, Eastern Edition ed. ProQuest. March 4, 2014 Kidwell, Deborah C. Public war, private fight? The United States and private military companies. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2011. GoogleScholar. Internet. March 13, 2014. Moody, Habib. “Soldiers for Hire.” The New Atlantis 17 (2007): 122-27. Internet. 2014. Ruohenen, Thomas. Personal interview. March 19. 2014.