Outsourcing War and Security

Abstract

The phrase outsourcing war has been used since the late 1990s to describe the trend toward the hiring of private military and security companies (PMSCs) by national governments to perform functions that previously had been assigned only to members of national military forces. These private companies, in turn, hire employees, usually on limited-term contracts, to carry out the missions that the companies have agreed to accomplish. PMSCs may undertake combat missions independently or in direct cooperation with deployed national military forces. They may be assigned to security missions in secret or to meet a highly visible demand, as in the case where the United States contributed private military contractors to the United Nations peacekeeping force in Kosovo in 1998. This was an early case in which privately contracted military employees were hired by one nation to function cooperatively with uniformed members of other national military forces. During the 20th century, private military forces had been considered a form of organized crime populated by mercenaries, a delinquent group at the fringes of the social order who traded in violence to advance the interests of anyone willing to pay them. By the beginning of the 21st century, however, the outsourcing of war and security functions to private companies had become commonplace, transforming the previously prevailing belief that only states had the right to wage war. States often deployed their militaries alongside PMSCs who were contracted to provide support to forces on the ground. In other cases, private companies would pay representatives of other private companies to defend their assets, such as oil fields or diamond mines. During this period at the turn of the 21st century, PMSCs came to be perceived as representatives of a legitimate industry. With this transformation, the nature of security and modern conflict changed as well. Private military and security companies became an important instrument in war-making and the projection of power.

China's Effort to Secure Strategic-Economic Project: Utilization of PSC to Secure Belt and Road Initiative

“…Source: Swed & Burland (2020) The decreasing conflict tensions in Iraq and Afghanistan then caused many PMSCs to experience mergers, acquisitions or bankruptcy due to shortages and decreasing demand in the industry. Nevertheless, the growth of the Private Military/Security Industry did not stop after the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistanbecause at that time, many parties became increasingly aware of security needs.…”

“…With open and contractual recruitment, most PMSCs utilize systematic outsourcing to then expand their services to other countries. Until finally, based on the work of Swed & Burland (2020), it can be seen that 81 countries in the world -around 41% of the total of all countries in the world -are PMSC headquarters. Most PMSCs are in the North-such as North America, Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.…”

“…This was due to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which then created a lot of demand. This conflict was a major turning point in the revival -even citing (Swed & Burland, 2020), the number of private militaries from the PMSC had double the size -around 400,000 people, compared to the total number of United States troops which only numbered around 200,000 people.…”

The Commercial Military Actor Database

“…Whereas the growth of the market accelerated in the 1990s, a substantial number of PMSCs existed in the 1980s—by the CMAD’s count, between one to five companies involved in 349 exchange events. Swed and Burland have recorded an even higher number of companies—from 10 to approximately 38—active in that decade (Swed and Burland 2020). In any case, it seems unjustified to consistently code PMSCs as being absent prior to 1990.…”

The Afghanistan War’s Legacy: The Reimagining of the Outsourcing of War and Security

“…The model displayed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars reintroduce outsourcing of security and military functions to the international system, inviting broader and novel usage of PMSCs in warfare. A review of the industry’s expansion underscores an increasing trend of utilizing PMSCs worldwide (Swed & Burland, 2020). We can expect to see this trend expanding further with contractors taking a pivotal part in future security planning and implementation.…”