Number Of Contractors Rising In Afghanistan

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December 02, 2009

Number Of Contractors Rising In Afghanistan

The Obama administration is increasing more than just troop levels in Afghanistan, according the Wall Street Journal. A Defense Department census shows that "the number of contractors increased about 40% between the end of June and the end of September, for a total of 104,101" present in Afghanistan.

Defense Department officials say this will allow U.S. troops to focus "on combating insurgents, not on the nuts and bolts" of maintaining a military presence abroad.

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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December 02, 2009