Mercenaries the future of warfare?

[Steel God]

For certain there is a point at which it becomes cheaper to use professional services, and I certainly don't know where that point is, but the contract cost for some mercs/contractors to do a job has to be balanced against the full cost of the equivilant amount of professional troops. Those full costs cover everything from training, to medical benefits, to retirement and death benefits. With mercs or contractors it's flat fee arrangement, and for limited periods of time and/or limited objectives, I imagine could be quite a bargain for the agency who does the contracting.