Pentagon's reliance on contractors hurt US post 9/11, study says

A new study suggests that up to half of the $14 trillion spent by the Pentagon since 9/11 went to for-profit defense contractors, ABC News reports.

The study by Brown University’s Costs of War project and the Center for International Policy points to the dependence on contractors for war-zone duties as contributing to mission failures in Afghanistan in particular. Work carried out by US corporations contracted by the Defense Department included mission-crucial tasks such as training and equipping Afghan security forces, which collapsed in August as the Taliban took control of the country.