History of Contracting Us During Conflict

In one form or another the military has relied on outside sources to support operations. Through outside assistance, the armies throughout history have benefited form the flexibility to perform other function and help to relieve the burden of work the Soldiers do, allowing Soldiers to concentrate their efforts on more battle related tasks. Contracts in the army are essential elements in fighting and winning wars.

Throughout history some things we have contracted for are mercenary support, logistical, medical, and engineering, just to name a few. A contract must consist of three elements: the offer, acceptance, (commonly referred to as the meeting of the minds), and most importantly consideration.

Contracts in war have been around as far back as the Crusades, when leaders negotiated for transportation to Egypt. “Boniface and the other leaders sent envoys to Venice, Genoa, and other city-states to negotiate a contract for transportation to Egypt, the object of their crusade.”[1]

The Ancient Egyptians sought and hired mercenaries from the Greek Islands to expel the Persians. Alexander the Great entered Egypt in 332 BCE, with the invitation and blessings of the Egyptians, to help them defeat and end the Persians’ second period of occupation [343–332 BC] of Egypt.[2] During the American Revolution First War for Independence “the British decided to use Hessian soldiers to fight against the colonists. Hessians were mostly German mercenaries who fought for anyone who paid them. The colonists feared these soldiers and hated Britain for using them.”[3] The British hired Hessians from the rank of prisoners and simply poor peasants who received little pay or a day’s worth of food.  

Napoleon knew the benefits of logistics and the use of contracted elements. His lead to his success in 1805 when the Russian supply system depended on the local population and Russia's Austrian allies. “Seventy percent of Russian supplies were provided by Austria. Without a sturdy...