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Contractors have approached a 1:1 ratio with military personnel on the modern battlefield since the Bosnia War. In 1992, contractor use was the choice of last resort, but now contractors are a viable and necessary option on the battlefield. The steady decrease in military logistics and a military cultural shift regarding contracting have created readiness and experience challenges for our future logistics leaders. The purpose of this research is to determine how private military companies became so integral to our logistics structure over the past 20 years, and how our dependence on contractor logistics impacts military readiness. The study used the elements of logistics - - distribution, supply, field services, transportation, maintenance, and general engineering services -- as measures of operational logistics performance in Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The research found that contracted 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 with private military companies has 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.