Private military company

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A private military company (PMC) is a for-profit enterprise, usually a corporation or limited liability partnership, that provides specialized services and expertise related to activites usually associated exclusively with states, including defense, force protection and security. While PMCs often provide services to supplement operations involving official armed forces, they also are used to satisfy security tasks where no state actor is involved, such as personal security details. PMCs are especially concentrated in areas of low intensity conflict where deploying traditional armed forces might be too politically, diplomatically or economically risky.

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[edit] General terms

PMCs are also known as "private security companies" or "security contractors," although the latter term usually refers to individuals employed or contracted by PMCs. Services are mainly rendered for other business corporations, international and non-governmental organizations, and state forces. There is professional and academic disagreement about the exact range of services and/or activities the PMC (in both uses) provides, hence they are complex to define.[citation needed]

Private military companies are sometimes grouped into the general category of defense contractors. However, most defense contractors supply specialized hardware and perhaps also personnel to support and service that hardware, whereas PMCs supply personnel with specialized operational and tactical skills, which often include combat experience.

The 1949, Third Geneva Convention (GCIII) does not recognize the difference between defense contractors and PMCs; it defines a category called supply contractors. If the supply contractor has been issued with a valid identity card from the armed forces which they accompany, they are entitled to be treated as prisoners of war upon capture (GCIII Article 4.1.4). If, however, the contractor engages in combat, he/she can be classified as a mercenary by the captors under the 1997 Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions (Protocol I) Article 47.c, unless falling under an exemption to this clause in Article 47. If captured contractors are found to be mercenaries, they are an unlawful combatant and lose the right to prisoner of war status.

[edit] United States

The United States State Department employs several companies to provide support in danger zones that would be difficult for conventional U.S. forces. The military employs many of them as guards to extremely high ranking U.S. government officials in hot spots all around the world. The term most often refers to the two dozen U.S. firms that provide services for the Pentagon and indirectly assist in overseas theaters of operation. Some contractors have served in advisory roles that help train local militaries to fight more effectively instead of intervening directly. Much of the peacekeeper training the United States provides to African militaries is done by private firms, and with the increasing absence of Western military support to international peace operations, the private sector is commonly utilized to provide services to peace and stability operations from Haiti to Darfur.

The Center for Public Integrity reported that since 1994, the Defense Department entered into 3,601 contracts worth $300 billion with 12 U.S. based PMCs. Some view this as an inevitable cost cutting measure and responsible privatization of critical aspects of a military. However, many feel this is a troubling trend, since these private companies are not directly accountable to a legislative body and may cost more than providing the same functions within the military.

Another issue of concern has been the recent high-profile operation of various PMCs within the United States, specifically during the initial response after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Supporters are quick to point out the stabilizing influence that the operators these companies put into place in the first few days provided, whereas detractors have levied claims of abuse and unlawful activities. Neither side has provided much proof to back their claims, however, beyond anecdotal evidence.

Domestic operations are generally under the auspice of state or federal agencies such as the Department of Energy or the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense, and thus a greater level of oversight seems to exist. However, it remains to be seen whether this apparent oversight will create an environment that will preclude troublesome incidents. Regardless of the political or social ramifications, the business end of it is definitely increasing. Driven by increasingly greater fears of domestic terror attacks and civil unrest and disruption in the wake of disasters, more and more conventional security companies are moving into operations arenas that would fall within the definition of a PMC.

[edit] Issues regarding the role of PMCs

Nicholas von Hoffmann, writing in the June 2004 issue of Harper's (p.79-80), gives a brief but strong statement of the case against the growing role of military contractors to provide personnel on or near the front lines:

In theory, private contracting creates competitive pressure to reduce costs, but in practice the bidding process can be so opaque and distorted by favoritism that it becomes an empty formality... The financial savings have turned out to be highly debatable. The costs and attendant risks are not. The government's monopoly of violence -- its role as the guarantor of civil peace and the rule of law -- has been diluted by the new arrangements.

[edit] Responses at public appearances

On 5 December 2005, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld held a lecture dubbed "The Future of Iraq" at Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.[1] During a Q&A session afterwards he was asked a question by graduate student Kate Bateman regarding PMCs.

Bateman: "There are currently thousands of private military contractors in Iraq and you were just speaking of rules of engagement in regards to Iraqi personnel and US personnel. Could you speak to, since the private contractors are operating outside the Uniform Code of Military Justice, could you speak to what law or rules of engagement do govern their behaviour and whether there has been any study showing that it is cost-effective to have them in Iraq rather than US military personnel. Thank you."

Rumsfeld: "Thank you. It is clearly cost-effective to have contractors for a variety of things that military people need not do and that for whatever reason other civilian government people cannot be deployed to do. There are a lot of contractors. A growing number. They come from our country - but they come from all countries; and indeed sometimes the contracts are from our country, or another country, and they employ people from totally different countries; including Iraqis and people from neighbouring nations. And there are a lot of them and it's a growing number. And of course we've got to begin with the fact that, as you point out, they're not subject to the uniform code of military justice; we understand that. There are laws that govern the behaviour of Americans in that country - the Department of Justice oversees that. The [long hesitation] there is an issue that is current as to the extent to which they can or cannot carry weapons and that's an issue. It's also an issue of course with the Iraqis but, if you think about it, Iraq is a sovereign country, they have their laws and they're going to govern. The UN resolution and the Iraqi laws, as well as US procedures and laws, govern behaviour in that country depending on who the individual is and what he's doing, but I'm personally of the view that there are a lot of things that can be done on a short time basis by contractors that advantage the United States, and advantage other countries who also hire contractors. Any idea that we shouldn't have them I think would be unwise."

Just four months later on 10 April 2006, the President of the United States, George W. Bush, also gave a speech at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where he was apparently unprepared for the ubiquitous Ms. Bateman.

"Bateman: Thank you, Mr. President. It's an honor to have you here…My question is in regards to private military contractors. The Uniformed Code of Military Justice does not apply to these contractors in Iraq. I asked your Secretary of Defense a couple months ago what law governs their actions.

PRESIDENT: I was going to ask him. Go ahead. (Laughter.) Help. (Laughter.)

Bateman: I was hoping your answer might be a little more specific. (Laughter.) Mr. Rumsfeld answered that Iraq has its own domestic laws which he assumed applied to those private military contractors. However, Iraq is clearly not currently capable of enforcing its laws, much less against -- over our American military contractors…Mr. President, how do you propose to bring private military contractors under a system of law?

PRESIDENT: I appreciate that very much. I wasn't kidding -- (laughter.) I was going to -- I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, I've got an interesting question. (Laughter.) This is what delegation -- I don't mean to be dodging the question, although it's kind of convenient in this case, but never -- (laughter.) I really will -- I'm going to call the Secretary and say you brought up a very valid question, and what are we doing about it? That's how I work. I'm -- thanks. (Laughter.)"

For other perspectives consult a paper on "Legitimacy and Accountability of Private Military Companies"[2] and the journal of International Peace Operations Association. [3]

[edit] The International Peace Operations Association (IPOA)

The International Peace Operations Association (IPOA) is non-governmental trade association committed to promoting high operational and ethical standards of firms active in the Peace and Stability Industry; engaging in a constructive dialogue with policy-makers about the growing and positive contribution of these firms to the enhancement of international peace, development, and human security; and informing the concerned public about the activities and role of the industry. The IPOA was founded by former academic Doug Brooks in April 2001 and now has its own in-house journal, The Journal of International Peace Operations. [1]

[edit] Recruitment

In light of the above issues, some commentators have argued that there has been a recent exodus from many special forces across the globe towards these private military corporations. The United Kingdom Special Air Service[4][5], the United States Army Special Forces[6] and the Canadian Army's Joint Task Force 2[7] have allegedly been hit particularly hard. Military staff are lured by the fact that entry level positions with the various companies can pay up to $100,000 a year in some instances, or as high as $1000 a day(most are deployed for a year and a half), which is 2-3 times more than what an average special forces soldier is paid. However, this conventional wisdom has been disputed especially in the United States where GAO research has detected no noticeable exodus.[citation needed]

[edit] PMC activities in Iraq

Currently in Iraq there are thought to be at least 100,000 contractors working directly for the United States Department of Defense which is a tenfold increase in the use of private contractors for military operations since the Persian Gulf War, just over a decade earlier.[8]

[edit] Events involving PMCs in Iraq

  • Employees of private military company CACI were involved in the Iraq Abu Ghraib prison scandal in 2003, and 2004.
  • On March 31, 2004, four American private contractors belonging to the company Blackwater USA were ambushed and killed by guerillas as they drove through Fallujah. They were dragged from their car in one of the most violent attacks on U.S. citizens in the conflict. Following the attack, an angry mob mutilated and burned the bodies, dragging them through the streets before they were hung on a bridge. (See also: Operation Vigilant Resolve)
  • On March 28, 2005, 16 American contractors and three Iraqi aides from Zapata Engineering, under contract to the US Army Corps of Engineers to manage an ammunition storage depot, were detained following two incidents in which they allegedly fired upon U.S. Marine checkpoint. While later released, the civilian contractors have levied complaints of mistreatment against the Marines who detained them.
  • On October 27, 2005, a "trophy" video, complete with post-production Elvis music, appearing to show private military contractors in Baghdad shooting Iraqi civilians sparked two investigations after it was posted on the Internet. [9][10][11] The video has been linked unofficially to Aegis Defence Services. The man who is seen shooting vehicles on this video in Iraq was a South African employee of Aegis Victory team named Danny Heydenreycher. He served in the British military for 6 years. After the incident the regional director for Victory ROC tried to fire Heydenreycher, but the team threatened to resign if he did. As of December 2005, Aegis is conducting a formal inquiry into the issue, although some concerns on its impartiality have been raised.

[edit] PMC activities elsewhere

  • In 1999, an episode with DynCorp in Bosnia was particularly embarrassing for the U.S. military. A Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit was filed against DynCorp employees stationed in Bosnia, which found: "employees and supervisors from DynCorp were engaging in perverse, illegal and inhumane behavior and were purchasing illegal weapons, women, forged passports and participating in other immoral acts."
  • On April 5, 2005, Jamie Smith, CEO of SCG International Risk announced the expansion of services from the traditional roles of PMC's of protection and intelligence to military aviation support. SCG International Air would provide air support, medevac (medical evacuation), rotary and fixed-wing transportation, heavy-lift cargo, armed escort and executive air travel to "any location on earth." This marks a unique addition and expansion of services to rival the capabilities of some country's armies and air forces.
  • On March 27, 2006, J. Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater USA announced to attendees of a special operations exhibition in Jordan that his company could now provide a brigade-size force for low intensity conflicts. According to Black, "There is clear potential to conduct security operations at a fraction of the cost of NATO operations.[12]
  • In mid-May 2006, the Congolese police arrested 32 alleged mercenaries of different nationalities; 19 South Africans, 10 Nigerians and three Americans. Half of them work for a South African company named Omega Security Solutions and the Americans for AQMI Strategy Corp. The men were accused of plotting to overthrow the government but charges weren't pressed. The men were deported to their home countries.[13][14]

[edit] War crimes

Several of these private US military contractors have been accused of having been involved in committing war crimes such as the deaths of Iraqis during interrogation. There is no method of formally trying such people for war crimes. [15][16][17]

[edit] List of PMCs

[edit] U.S. companies

[edit] Non-U.S. companies

[edit] Trivia

[edit] In popular culture

  • In the video game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction the player plays as a mercenary working for a PMC known as "Executive Operations".
  • In the video game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, PMCs appear as the main antagonists.
  • In the video game Army of Two, the player characters are PMCs.
  • In the Tom Clancy video game series Splinter Cell, a character named Douglas Shetland is CEO and founder of a PMC named Displace International. Also in the multiplayer modes of Splinter Cell, there is another PMC named ARGUS, which unwittingly and constantly become contracted to terrorists.
  • In Final Fantasy VIII, the Gardens are essentially PMCs and the SeeDs are their mercenaries.
  • In the CBS show The Unit, the protagonist, Jonas Blane, is urged by his wife, Molly, to join a PMC. Molly Blane also freelances for a PMC.
  • In an episode of the TV series Kidnapped, aired on October 21, 2006, lead character Knapp posed as a job applicant to a PMC to gain access to its internal computer system. When discovered by the PMC's security, they detained him and attempted to transport him as a prisoner to Dubai, stating he now had "no future". In the same episode, an F.B.I. agent described PMCs as the kind of organization that "has Dick Cheney on their speed dial".
  • Episodes of the TV series Jericho feature appearances by members of a fictional PMC called Ravenwood Security.

[edit] Resources

Academic Publications


Non-Academic publications

[edit] References

  1. ^ Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to Speak at JHU SAIS, press release December 2, 2005
  2. ^ Private Military Companies: Legitimacy and Accountability, student paper by Paolo Nalin for McGill University.
  3. ^ Journal of International Peace Operations
  4. ^ Crisis as SAS men quit for lucrative Iraq jobs, The Daily Telegraph article dated 15/02/2005
  5. ^ Soldiers to be allowed a year off to go to Iraq to earn £500 a day as guards, The Daily Telegraph article dated 23/05/2004
  6. ^ $150,000 incentive to stay in US elite forces, The Daily Telegraph article dated 07/02/2005
  7. ^ Special forces get pay raise, National Post article dated August 26, 2006
  8. ^ Census Counts 100,000 Contractors in Iraq, Washington Post article dated December 5, 2006.
  9. ^ A movieclip containing the behaviour of alleged Aegis Defence Services driving in Iraq
  10. ^ 'Trophy' video exposes private security contractors shooting up Iraqi drivers, Daily Telegraph article from 26/11/2005.
  11. ^ Discussion on a blog about Aegis trophy video
  12. ^ "U.S. firm offers 'private armies' for low-intensity conflicts, WorldTribune article from March 29, 2006
  13. ^ Congo Holding 3 Americans in Alleged Coup Plot, Washington Post article from May 25, 2006
  14. ^ Congo Deports Nearly 3 Dozen Foreigners, Washington Post article from May 29, 2006.
  15. ^ Iraq: U.S. Prisoner Abuse Sparks Concerns Over War Crimes, Human Rights Watch report dated April 30, 2004.
  16. ^ Q&A: Private Military Contractors and the Law, Human Rights Watch report
  17. ^ Above Law, Above Decency, article originally published in Los Angeles Times May 2, 2004
  18. ^ Honduras: Iraq mercenaries recruited, blog off World War 4 Report
  19. ^ SkyLink Air and Logistic Support (USA) Inc., Center for Public Integrity report

[edit] External links

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Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links. Please remove this tag when this is done. This article has been tagged since December 2006. (talk)

[edit] Websites focusing on Private Military Companies

  • PrivateMilitary.org: a private, independent, non-profit initiative that offers people interested in Private Military Companies (PMCs) a selection of hyperlinks pointing at various firms, documents, organizations, and resources related to the PMC subject and debate. A free and open resource: no sign-in, log-in, or tracking.
  • The Spy Who Billed Me author R J Hillhouse's national security blog, focusing upon private military and intelligence corporations and other topics related to the outsourcing of the War on Terror.
  • International Peace Operations Association (IPOA). Lobby organization for PMC companies.
  • www.SecureAspects.com a forum and online magazine for people working in the High Risk Civilian Contractor or High Risk Security Contractor Business
  • www.CivilianContractorJobs.com a resource for people working as Civilian Contractors for PMC's, primarily used by those in non-security related careers
  • [2] Robert Young Pelton's article in Popular Mechanics about his month spent with Blackwater running Route Irish between the Green Zone and Baghdad International Airport.
  • PSD Training - A UK based training firm offering High Risk PSD Operator and PSD Team Leader courses, along with a 5 week close protection officer course.
  • "Making a Killing: The Business of War", Center for Public Integrity, October 2002.
  • PMC's Monitor Association an international association which advocates for tighter rules to monitor PMCs.
  • Tactical Firearms Training- Swiss based SET Operator firearms training company run by PSD Contractors
  • Sourcewatch - extensive list of international PMCs.

[edit] Selected items focusing on Iraq

[edit] Other sites

[edit] See also

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