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Private Military Companies ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANIES Peter BENICSÁK Abstract: As a result of decreasing ability of various countries to counter internal violence in emerging states after the end of the Cold War, these states rely more and more on private military companies (PMC) to maintain security. These forces make profit as business enterprises offering military advice as well as providing fighting capabilities. This approach differs from the traditional method and requires attention from regular forces to learn and identify lessons from PMCs. There have been suggestions during the last few years that PMCs could provide services in peacekeeping missions for the UN to replace the fear and fatigue of member states to involve government forces in increasingly dangerous operations. What is the difference between a private military contractor and a trained regular soldier? Keywords: Private Military Companies (PMC), Outsourcing 1. Introduction illegal combatants. According to Private Military Companies (PMC) estimates this market has reached the provide security and military services level of 100 million US dollars by taking over certain tasks, usually annually. covered by regular forces based on 2. History governmental and/or private contracts. By the end of the Cold War, the old The picture is obviously more supporting/supported political and sophisticated, as we can see below. military relations transformed, Members of these organizations are therefore, more and more third world usually named as mercenaries, but at the countries were left alone without same time their companies call them reliable and effective military support, contractors and/or security experts; creating serious gaps in their defense meanwhile their business is considered and security systems. Most of the as private security sector. Hiring powerful western countries decreased contractors is getting more and more their defense budget, and because of accepted in the international that tons and tons of weaponry appeared environment, which is not without on the world markets. Since the illegal historical background. markets were involved in this change, If we have a look at the working weapons that are more sophisticated methods and workflows of regular were made available for almost anyone forces and compare it with PMCs, we who was able to provide the necessary can recognize significant differences, financial means to obtain them. The especially in their sizes. In most of the only question was the know-how to cases, these companies are able to maintain and use such high-tech provide various basic services and equipment. In parallel with this special services as well, such as transformation, few western countries guarding facilities, protecting key changed their approach towards regular personnel, transporting sensitive armies, security services and outsourced material and so on. Any kind of service some activities. First steps were already provided by PMCs that includes taken during the Vietnam War in the combating, using attacking force and/or 70s by using civilian transportations to weaponry is considered illegal activity deploy troops to the field and military and the perpetrators are considered contractors to provide various 7 equipment. Later on by searching for - Changed international security more competitive solutions on the situation after the Cold War; market, outsourcing became a flexible - More liberal international trading and cost effective solution for most methods and policies; western powers. - Outsourced classic State roles in There are three main recognizable various fields, including reasons of the increased activity of privatization. Private Military Firms, which are the following: 3. Benefits Table 1 Benefits and costs of Private Military Companies There are many benefits relevant to experience, and deploy them to security provided by private firms. The a particular arena. most obvious benefit is flexibility; 4. Recruitment and training without the political and bureaucratic During the ‘90s the market was working lead time required for decision making via informal channels, but nowadays it processes to mobilize forces (police, is already official and mostly and/or military), PMCs are able to move transparent, but not without difficulties forces and conduct wide variety of tasks and serious issues. One of the well- as required. Deployment and known events is related to one repatriation can happen with the same Blackwater employee, who shot one of timing, just after the decision is made to the presidential guards in Iraq. This deploy and right after the task is done. person was immediately removed from The other easy to recognize benefit is the company, but not more than three the ability to provide specialized forces. months later he was working for another These companies recruit from databases one in Kuwait. It happened this way of mostly retired military and police because such contractors are needed in personnel, already trained and several hotspots of the world without experienced, but mainly not eligible for having a unified database to keep their state service anymore. This makes it personal records and make their easier for them to hire people with activities transparent indeed. In the particular experience. USA, it is the responsibility of the So, for instance, a PSC can specifically companies to find out the employees recruit retired MPs, civil affairs officers background, which is usually close to and Special Forces personnel. PSCs can impossible, especially if someone also recruit personnel with particular comes from a post-conflict country to skills (in language or area expertise) or work in another post-conflict area. particular experience (establishing order Most of the contractors are from the after civil war). It is much harder for military or police, mainly retired special national military organizations to find forces members or workers with special those kinds of specific skills and expertise. A large amount of these 8 workers are from the United States and former employer already train most of other Western countries, such as UK, them. France and Belgium. As is visible on the above table, on a PMCs recruit at international level, so political level, PMCs are less risky, are able to bring in representation from since the casualities are not considered countries like Nepal, Kosovo, South as state relates losses; therefore PMCs Africa and elsewhere. The third benefit can get into more dangerous tasks than is a better understanding of the regular forces in general. environment of any area of the world by For instance the US Army is mostly providing experts from neighboring outsourcing its logistical services, countries. reaching higher effectiveness and Training needs of such experts are very efficiency, without keeping a large close to zero, since their state and/or regular force to stay prepared for “what if” cases. Contracted security services International services Local providers in Humanitarian operations Facility guarding (no arms) 29% 77% Physical security services 31% 55% Security advising 37% 9% Security trainings 41% 4% Risk and threat analysis 36% 7% Information services 26% 12% Facility guarding (armed) 17% 14% Fixed security services 13% 16% Mobil armed escort 9% 13% Table 2 Contracted security services 5. Acceptance of industry’s legitimacy companies registered in US, are Private security and military companies members of the IPOA, which in 2005 are willing to present themselves as adopted a specific Code of Conduct respectable bodies in the often- written mostly by INGOs, in which its complicated post-Cold War world members agreed to respect international order. If the private military and humanitarian law: “In all their security company industry is to become operations, Signatories will respect the a sustainable competitor to national dignity of all human beings and strictly armed forces, corporate strategy adhere to all relevant international laws suggests that it must gain acceptance and protocols on human rights. They and legitimacy for respecting will take every practicable measure to international humanitarian law. This minimize loss of life and destruction of industry has a powerful incentive to property. identify and may ‘‘blacklist’’ firms Signatories agree to follow all rules of within its midst that violate international humanitarian law and international law, although it is not in human rights law that are applicable as practice yet. well as all relevant international Although this incentive has yet to protocols and conventions, including manifest itself fully in practice, it is a but not limited to: possibility. Leading private security and - Universal Declaration of Human military companies, including Rights (1948); 9 - Geneva Conventions (1949); This is an area for more study. There - Protocols Additional to the are not yet many good studies of Geneva Conventions (1977); comparative cost in different kinds of - Protocol on the Use of Toxic and settings. But one should not assume that Chemical Weapons (1979) on privatizing saves money and in this case Voluntary Principles on Security life. and Human Rights (2000)”. The second practical issue is reliability. 6. Costs and Risks If the government does try to minimize The costs and risks could be divided costs, it may take into account quality into obvious categories: practical and with a lower priority, hiring a company political. PSCs may be more expensive that can deploy fewer personnel or than military forces-particularly under
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