Outsourcing pits mission vs. money

Nowhere does the battle over outsourcing rage more fiercely than in the halls of the Pentagon. The Defense Department is in the throes of a debate that could force it to cede its hegemony to commercial forces and its control over the tools needed to fight on distant battlefields.

Stark differences

"Business has many goals, but one is foremost: Make money," Kuzniar wrote. "Government likewise has many goals, but one is paramount: Spend money to ensure the well-being of its citizens." The interests of business and government are at significant odds.

Outsourcing is not a new phenomenon in America. Contractors provided support on battlefields as far back as the Revolutionary War. In fact, the Eisenhower administration fashioned U.S. policy so it would not impede business. President Eisenhower restricted the federal government from providing any product or service that could be procured from private enterprise through ordinary business channels. The work of government, he said, must be confined to tasks that it alone must perform.