Abstract:
Governments have greatly expanded their outsourcing activities over the last twenty years. A
review of the various types of outsourcing is presented, along with the political implications
associated with each. The paper then concentrates on the expansion of outsourcing associated
with the Iraq war. A significant amount of the expenditure for that war is allocated to
contractors to the US military for work to be undertaken in Iraq. This pushes the boundaries of
what has normally been considered solely a government responsibility. Drawing upon the
literature of US defence outsourcing, a model, termed the ‘iron triangle’ has been developed to
assist in analysis of US defence spending on private provision of goods and services.
