Security Companies: Shadow Soldiers in Iraq.

Reports on the role of private security companies in the U.S. military occupation of Iraq, and claims that the line between professional troops and private commandos is becoming increasingly blurred. Report that the U.S. military is relying on private security companies to perform crucial jobs once entrusted to the military, including guarding reconstruction projects, escorting supply convoys through hostile territory, and defending key locations; Numbers of private security guards in Iraq; Cost to the U.S. government of hiring the companies; Report that Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld questioning the extensive use of private contractors in Iraq; Claim that U.S. authorities had underestimated the need for security in Iraq; Details of the companies working in Iraq; Analysis of the risks involved in relying on private contractors instead of military personnel.