Conflict+Management+in+Global+Politics+-+Private+Security+Companies

=The Role(s) and Impact of Private Security Contractors in Managing Global Conflicts= Brett G. - Ts'ui - Kristen

Background
A private security company is a profit-motivated organization that provides military services such as defence. Private security companies have been contracted to work as bodyguards for government officials, or to protect private and public organizations, especially those operating in zones of conflict. The term private security company is sometimes used interchangeably with the term private military company, however technically private military companies usually provide combat services rather than protection. (1) Even among people from the industry, the definition of PMC vs PCS has become muddled. As stated above, some people believe they can be used interchangeably whereas others assert their differences (2). It should be further noted that while PMCs tend to be purely for military and combat services, some PSCs also provide tactical services and risk assesment and other PSCs specialize only in risk assesment and tactical services. Private Military or, as they were most commonly known before, mercenaries have existed for hundreds of years and have been part of hundreds of major conflicts. Examples of this can be found during the Byzantine empire when Emperors had the Varangian Guard, a group of hired warriors to protect the emperor. (3) Nowadays, there is a now a difference between mercenaries and PMCs/PSCs. PMCs/PSCs are hired by government or organizations and are governed under strict laws. They work in conjunction with governments and sometimes provide tactical support for military operations. (4) The terms PMC and PSC become more prominent after the PMC Executive Outcomes has hired in 1995 by Captain Valentine Strasser after the UN did not send peacekeepers to the aid of Sierra Leone during its civil war. Executive Outcomes finally left 1997 due to international pressure but this operation boosted the popularity of PMCs and PSCs. (5) Sources:

1. Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform. []. Retrieved on Saturday, October 15th, 2011. 2. Private Military.org. http://www.privatemilitary.org/definition.html. Retrieved on Sunday, October 16th, 2011. 3. English Refugees in the Byzantine Armed Forces: The Varangian Guard and Anglo-Saxon Ethnic Consciousness. []. Retreieved on Sunday, October 16th, 2011. 4. The New Mercenaries and the Privatization of Conflict. []. Retrieved on Sunday, October 16th, 2011. 5. UN Peacekeeping Operations in Africa. []. Retrieved on Sunday, October 16th, 2011.

Current Deployments & Issues
Currently, the United States government has a large dependence on private security contractors through it's occupation of Iraq. According to the Congressional Research Service, PSCs "serve to protect individuals, transport convoys, forward operating bases buildings and other economic infrastructure, and are training Iraqi police and military personnel." (1) There are currently 20 PSCs/ PMCs hired by the United States to aid their military or protect members of the government and approximately 50 PMCs/PSCs overall operating in Iraq. (2) Recently PMCs have come under more and more scrutiny from the international community, especially the UN. The actions of these companies have been debated and discussed and it was determined by the human Rights Council of the UN that an open ended working group should be formed in order to research how a new Un resolution would, in the future, help to maintain the accountability of these groups. This new research body is due to meet for the first time in this year. (3) PMCs/PSCs are also currently hired by the United States government to aid with their "War on Drugs". The Defense Department hired Raytheon Technical Services Co, a subsidiary of Raytheon Co; Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp, Arinc Inc. and Blackwater USA (currently Xe Corp.) to aid with their counter-narcoterrorism operations. Of these five companies, Xe Corp. is a PMC. (4)

A list of PMCs and PSCs can be found here

Sources: 1. Congressional Research Service. []. Retrieved on Sunday, October 16th, 2011. 2.Private Security Contractors in Iraq: Background, Legal Status, and Other Issue. []. Retrieved Sunday, October 16th, 2011. 3. United Nations Human Rights. []. Retrieved Sunday, October 16th, 2011. 4. Washington Technology. []. Retrieved on Sunday, October 16th, 2011.

Evaluating the Role(s) of Private Security Contractors
When it comes to the evaluation of the role that Private Security Companies and Private military Companies play on the global stage, there are a few perspectives that must be explored. Chiefly, we must look at the accomplishments and the shortcomings of these groups when it comes to their operations, whether they be helping to manage a global conflict such as the operations of Xe corp. (formerly Blackwater) or even waging war on the war on drugs in South America. It is clear from examining these companies and their activities that, most of the time, their duties are geared toward the training of soldiers and the development of new training tactics as well as the development of new security tactics such as the detection of IED's. However there are companies that are contracted to act directly in a conflict one such example of this is XE Corporation. Xe was contracted by the American government during both the Iraq and the Afghanistan wars. Their main duties were securing and guarding fixed positions, a prominent example of this is tier guarding the republican palace after the American invasion of Iraq. Another prominent example of their activities in regards to securing individual safety, is the contracted protection of Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzi. These companies are made up of well trained, often ex-special forces soldiers and it is because of this that they generally achieve their mandate without issue. There are many issues that have been called to the attention of the international community, one of these is the apparent involvement of certain PMCs such as Xe corporation in both the torture and the arbitrary detainment of Iraqi nationals during the Americans invasion and subsequent occupation. The contractor Blackwater Security has raised significant controversy due to their involvement in a number of civilian deaths. In 2009, Blackwater employees in Afghanistan killed a man in a passing vehicle and a pedestrian, saying they felt that these passers-by posed a threat.(6) Incidents like this raise questions on the accountability of security contractors to the United States. Some also fear that incidents such as this will serve to worsen America's reputation in the countries where security contractors operate. The contractors involved were tried in the United States. Previous to 2007, military and security contractors were immune to military rules. Currently, if a contractor breaches military conduct, they will be held accountable in a military court. (7) When one can find such a broad range of positive and negative effects in one conflict it is clear that the issues surrounding these private military contractors is a much debated and contested issue. Despite this however the American government has awarded these companies countless contracts including a $250,000,000 contract for services in Afghanistan. Even with their deployment in conflict regions such as Afghanistan and Iraq it is important to highlight that one of the most important roles these companies offer is training. They train armies and intelligence groups all around the world because they offer expertise and the knowledge of how an American style fighting force works. (1)(2)(3)(4)

Another perspective that should be explored is the effectiveness of these companies in achieving their goals. For this, the actions of PMC Executive Outcomes in Sierra Leone can explored. As stated in the section Background (above), Executive Outcomes was hired to aid the government and was present in Sierra Leone from 1995 to 1997. According to Homeland 1, Executive Outcomes was more effective than the UN Peacekeepers at maintaining order in Sierra Leone. As seen in this table, it is clear that from the persepective of Homeland Security, the PMC Execitive Outcomes was much more effective. However, this opinion may be biased seeing as the United States is very much in favor of PMCs and PSCs.

Sources: > []. Retrieved on Sunday, October 16th, 2011.
 * 1) Private military.org [|http://www.privatemilitary.org] Retrieved Sunday October 16th
 * 2) Aegis Private Security and Risk Management [] Retrieved Sunday October 16th
 * 3) Global Reaserch.ca [] Retrieved Sunday October 16th
 * 4) United Nations Human Rights [|http://www.ohchr.org] Retrieved Sunday October 16th
 * 5) UN Peacekeeping Operations in Africa.
 * 1) New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/world/asia/15briefs-Blackwater.html?ref=privatemilitarycompanies. Retrieved on Sunday October 16th, 2011.
 * 2) The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/01/07/contractors_in_war_zones_lose_immunity/. Retrieved on Sunday October 16th, 2011.