As President Obama escalates the presence of US troops in Afghanistan, the military may hire a private contractor to provide full-time security at dozens of bases there and protect vehicle convoys traveling in the country. The Army published a notice on July 10 notifying security contractors that it was considering a contract for “theater-wide” security. Robert Gates has called private contractors “vital” to supporting US bases in Afghanistan, contradicting earlier claims that he intended to decrease their presence in US military operations and despite continued controversy over the conduct of private contractors in Iraq.