The Russian-deployed Wagner Group mercenary organization in Ukraine is the best-known private military enterprise, however there are far more PMSCs. Like listed giants MPRI, Amentum, G4S or Haliburton. These companies offer a wide range of services such as personal and property security, rescue missions, reconnaissance, training and combat. The market for PMSCs is large and growing rapidly, writes Joachim in Clingendael Spectator.
Why hire a PMSC?
The number of PMSCs has grown strongly in recent years. In general, there are three reasons why a country or an organization uses a PMSC: efficiency, cost efficiency and relative invisibility. National militaries are increasingly grappling with shrinking budgets, combined with a growing number of tasks and a tighter labor market. The PMSC therefore not only compensates for staff or material shortages, but in many cases the company operates more efficiently and economically.
“PMSCs allow governments to hide the human costs of their involvement in external conflicts and to distance themselves from failures or wrongdoings”
Furthermore, according to Joachim, PMSCs “allow governments to hide the human cost of their involvement in foreign conflicts and distance themselves from failures or misdeeds”. The latter is timeless. While in the 1960s most South African mercenaries pulled chestnuts from the fire for the Belgian government in the violently disintegrating Congo, more recently the American government has eagerly used the commercial option.
In 2017, the US military in Afghanistan dwindled to 5,500 troops, but Washington hired 26,000 privately.
For example, Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan have reduced their militaries, at the same time they have been hiring more and more PMSCs: In 2017, the US military in Afghanistan was reduced to 5,500 soldiers, but Washington hired 26,000 privates. A nice bonus for hiring commercial militias: killed mercenaries are not included in your statistics. In Iraq, 4,464 American soldiers died, the 1,542 dead PMSC employees were not mentioned. Nor do the 887 deaths in Afghanistan add to the official 1,667 deaths in the United States.
Under the radar
No government flaunts the use of mercenaries, so most PMCs ideally work out of the eyes of the media. PMSCs also make extensive use of local subcontractors or so-called third-country nationals, which further increases the distance from the customer. According to Joachim, some 40,000 third-country nationals worked in Iraq and 30,000 in Afghanistan. Mostly from India, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Fiji or Bangladesh.
Gray area
Exact industry data is hard to come by, writes Joachim. According to her, the difference between “good” and “bad” players is difficult to interpret, also because a good faith PMSC can outsource activities to a dishonest subcontractor. While some players try to distinguish themselves with, for example, ethical codes that their field employees must abide by and corporate mission statements, there is no seal of approval for PMSCs.
It’s a legal gray area where there’s almost no oversight. Under the leadership of the Swiss government and the International Red Cross, the non-binding Montreux document was adopted in 2008. It calls for respect for human rights and human rights law by PMSCs active in conflict areas, but its non-binding nature gives this treaty little power.
keeper
According to Joachim, PMSCs have become “an integral part of 21st century warfare in the Western and non-Western world”. But more domestic and international regulation is needed to control the excesses of private security. This “to avoid and ensure that the contract between Russia and Wagner does not become a model for others”.
This article was created based on “Here to Stay: Wagner and the Private Security Industry” by Dr. Jutta Joachim, the article by FD “Russian mercenaries fly around the world”