Combatant commanders may soon be directed to provide protection and intelligence to civilian employees of private firms supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as non-combat situations, according to legislation recently approved by the House. The House Armed Services Committee's fiscal year 2006 defense authorization bill, passed by the House May 25, includes a provision -- Title XVI -- dubbed the "Contractors on the Battlefield Regulatory Act," which also calls on the top brass to maintain a detailed database...
