Congressional Research Service (CRS)

See the following -

Defense Contractors Vastly Outnumber Troops In Afghanistan

Bob Brewin | Nextgov | May 30, 2013

For every U.S. service member serving in Afghanistan, there are 1.6 Defense contractors on the ground (and on the payroll) in supporting roles. Contractors make up 62 percent of the force there -- 108,000 versus 65,700 troops, watchdog agency reports reveal. Read More »

Pentagon Spent Over $4 Billion On Mental Health Treatment Between 2007 And 2012

Bob Brewin | Nextgov | August 22, 2013

The Congressional Research Service just put a price tag on the mental health costs of the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: about $4.5 billion between 2007 and 2012. The Defense Department spent $958 million on mental health treatment in 2012, roughly double the $468 million it spent in 2007. Read More »

Veterans Still Face Disproportionate Unemployment

Geoff Whiting | FierceGovernment | November 8, 2012

Despite fedeal assistance programs amounting to $12 billion during the last fiscal, veterans who served after Sept. 2001 are disproportionately unemployed, says the Congressional Research Report. A large reason for that may be the relative youth of the recent veteran population, the report says. Read More »