diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
index eb121fc6c7a..6711213b5e5 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
@@ -120,6 +120,9 @@ Release 2.1.1-beta - UNRELEASED
     HADOOP-9906. Move HAZKUtil to o.a.h.util.ZKUtil and make inner-classes
     public (Karthik Kambatla via Sandy Ryza)
 
+    HADOOP-9918. Add addIfService to CompositeService (Karthik Kambatla via
+    Sandy Ryza)
+
   OPTIMIZATIONS
 
   BUG FIXES
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/service/CompositeService.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/service/CompositeService.java
index 476f79225d7..383a7a84148 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/service/CompositeService.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/service/CompositeService.java
@@ -64,6 +64,11 @@ public class CompositeService extends AbstractService {
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Add the passed {@link Service} to the list of services managed by this
+   * {@link CompositeService}
+   * @param service the {@link Service} to be added
+   */
   protected void addService(Service service) {
     if (LOG.isDebugEnabled()) {
       LOG.debug("Adding service " + service.getName());
@@ -73,6 +78,21 @@ public class CompositeService extends AbstractService {
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * If the passed object is an instance of {@link Service},
+   * add it to the list of services managed by this {@link CompositeService}
+   * @param object
+   * @return true if a service is added, false otherwise.
+   */
+  protected boolean addIfService(Object object) {
+    if (object instanceof Service) {
+      addService((Service) object);
+      return true;
+    } else {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+
   protected synchronized boolean removeService(Service service) {
     synchronized (serviceList) {
       return serviceList.add(service);
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/MRAppMaster.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/MRAppMaster.java
index b8038f55206..dd11ea6fb88 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/MRAppMaster.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/MRAppMaster.java
@@ -626,12 +626,6 @@ public class MRAppMaster extends CompositeService {
     }
   }
 
-  protected void addIfService(Object object) {
-    if (object instanceof Service) {
-      addService((Service) object);
-    }
-  }
-
   protected EventHandler<JobHistoryEvent> createJobHistoryHandler(
       AppContext context) {
     this.jobHistoryEventHandler = new JobHistoryEventHandler(context,
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/util/TestCompositeService.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/util/TestCompositeService.java
index 79189985710..34b77cd92bb 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/util/TestCompositeService.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/util/TestCompositeService.java
@@ -19,11 +19,14 @@
 package org.apache.hadoop.yarn.util;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
 
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
+import org.apache.hadoop.service.AbstractService;
 import org.apache.hadoop.service.BreakableService;
 import org.apache.hadoop.service.CompositeService;
 import org.apache.hadoop.service.Service;
@@ -314,6 +317,26 @@ public class TestCompositeService {
     composite.init(new Configuration());
     assertInState(STATE.INITED, child);
   }
+
+  @Test (timeout = 1000)
+  public void testAddIfService() {
+    CompositeService testService = new CompositeService("TestService") {
+      Service service;
+      @Override
+      public void serviceInit(Configuration conf) {
+        Integer notAService = new Integer(0);
+        assertFalse("Added an integer as a service",
+            addIfService(notAService));
+
+        service = new AbstractService("Service") {};
+        assertTrue("Unable to add a service", addIfService(service));
+      }
+    };
+
+    testService.init(new Configuration());
+    assertEquals("Incorrect number of services",
+        1, testService.getServices().size());
+  }
   
   public static class CompositeServiceAddingAChild extends CompositeService{
     Service child;
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/ContainerManagerImpl.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/ContainerManagerImpl.java
index f8a5ea28f24..4902836c14c 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/ContainerManagerImpl.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/ContainerManagerImpl.java
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.nodemanager.NMAuditLogger;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.nodemanager.NMAuditLogger.AuditConstants;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.nodemanager.NodeManager;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.nodemanager.NodeStatusUpdater;
-import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.nodemanager.NodeStatusUpdaterImpl;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.nodemanager.containermanager.application.Application;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.nodemanager.containermanager.application.ApplicationContainerInitEvent;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.nodemanager.containermanager.application.ApplicationEvent;
@@ -193,12 +192,6 @@ public class ContainerManagerImpl extends CompositeService implements
     super.serviceInit(conf);
   }
 
-  private void addIfService(Object object) {
-    if (object instanceof Service) {
-      addService((Service) object);
-    }
-  }
-
   protected LogHandler createLogHandler(Configuration conf, Context context,
       DeletionService deletionService) {
     if (conf.getBoolean(YarnConfiguration.LOG_AGGREGATION_ENABLED,
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/ResourceManager.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/ResourceManager.java
index 6ca5307bc53..c0b372a753c 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/ResourceManager.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/ResourceManager.java
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.security.SecurityUtil;
 import org.apache.hadoop.security.UserGroupInformation;
 import org.apache.hadoop.service.AbstractService;
 import org.apache.hadoop.service.CompositeService;
-import org.apache.hadoop.service.Service;
 import org.apache.hadoop.util.ExitUtil;
 import org.apache.hadoop.util.ReflectionUtils;
 import org.apache.hadoop.util.ShutdownHookManager;
@@ -302,12 +301,6 @@ public class ResourceManager extends CompositeService implements Recoverable {
     return new AsyncDispatcher();
   }
 
-  protected void addIfService(Object object) {
-    if (object instanceof Service) {
-      addService((Service) object);
-    }
-  }
-
   protected AMRMTokenSecretManager createAMRMTokenSecretManager(
       Configuration conf) {
     return new AMRMTokenSecretManager(conf);