Contractors now approach a 1:1 ratio on the modern battlefield since the Bosnia War. In 1992, contractor use was the choice of last resort, now contractors are a viable and necessary option on the battlefield. The steady decrease of military logistics and a military cultural shift on contracting have created readiness and experience challenges for our future logistics leaders. The purpose of this research is to cover how private military companies have grown and became integral in our logistics structure in the past twenty years and how that relates to impacts on military readiness. The study used the elements of logistics, namely distribution, supply, field services, transportation, maintenance, and general engineering services as a measure of operational logistics performance in Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The research found that contracting operational logistics since the advent of LOGCAP in 1992 has steadily decreased the use of military logistics at the operational level due to technology advances, military force caps, and overreliance. In summation, contracting private military companies have caused capability and readiness effects on operational logistics that have created gaps in the Army's logistics structure, thus affecting how the United States Army conducts future conflicts.

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