The combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are in need of skilled civilian reinforcements. The Department of Defense is hiring hundreds of lawyers, engineers, interpreters, intelligence specialists and managers to support the operations in Afghanistan and the  Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. The jobs pay from $35,000-125,000 a year, plus travel and living expenses. Military veterans are preferred, as some of the jobs require travel into dangerous parts of both countries. The people being hired advice the new Iraqi and Afghan government on how best to handle many reconstruction tasks, as well as giving the Department of Defense people on the spot who can accurately report about what is actually happening, or not happening. The recruiting is done via a temporary Department of Defense organization; SOFIA (Support Our Friends in Iraq and Afghanistan). Their web site is at cpolwapp.belvoir.army.mil/sofia/. The U.S. Army is doing the actual hiring, for twelve month contracts.