Peace Time: February 23, 2001

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With spare no expense attitude, the US has kept the American troops in the Balkans happy by sparing no expense to provide good food, housing and e-mail. Provision of these services has been contracted to civilian firms like Brown & Root. Over $2 billion has been spent on contractors since 1995 and the soldiers generally give the contractors high marks. But the contractors have cost plus contracts (they get nine percent over their costs) and every incentive to do as much as they can get away with. There is some evidence of overdoing it, but the troops dont seem to mind.