CIAO DATE: 04/2011
March 2011
Danish Institute for International Studies
Military capacity is under pressure. It is increasingly restrained by financial restrictions, budget cuts and declining birth rates while at the same time the number of conflicts and demand for security are rising. Private military companies take over some of the burden, relieving soldiers from some of the tasks. For that reason the industry of private military and private military security is booming. But lessons from the counter-insurgency campaign in Iraq show that there are a number of problems which must be dealt with when outsourcing. The overall military strategy must be ensured even if daily on-the-ground military tasks are in fact being done by others than the military itself. And who is in charge and has jurisdiction over private companies when these fall outside the military chain of command?
Resource link: Weak International Response to the Use of Private Military Security Companies [PDF] - 119K