Abstract
Public perception of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), or more colloquially mercenaries, is skewed and heavily influenced by pop culture [1]. PMSCs are not cowboys protecting a town from crime any more than they are the desperados terrorizing and extorting it. Rather, today, they are corporate entities acting on behalf of a state or another non-state actor (often NGOs or private corporations). The 21st century PMSC is more often involved in logistics, support and training than in actual combat. The combat that they do partake in is typically isolated or a defensive detail [2]. The notion that any given PMSC operates in place of a state army is a fallacy, as they serve to augment but not replace state forces. It should be noted, however, that the use of PMSCs in combat roles on behalf of smaller states and non-state actors is on the rise; and as the nature of war continues to evolve, the applications of PMSCs become increasingly consequential.
Keywords: Weapons, Military, Security, PMSC, Conflicts
By Matthew Sutherland
As PMSCs are increasingly seen more favourably by states and private actors, they have become more prevalent in conflicts around the globe. PMSCs not only augment the existing military capabilities of clients but outright replace isolated roles traditionally occupied by military personnel. From supply lines and logistics to small scale combat operations and everything in between, PMSCs have a role to play. PMSCs have been used increasingly not only by developing states but for some of the most established military powers, albeit for different reasons. Strong states typically (not exclusively) use PMSCs for ‘plausible deniability and economic reasons whereas developing states utilize them for their superior experience, firepower and training capabilities. Most notably, amongst major global powers, the United States (US) remains the most lucrative employer of the PMSC industry [3].
Similarly, Moscow is at the forefront of recent developments in the PMSC industry, leaning on Russian based companies to advance foreign policy goals without bearing the Russian flag, consequently offering the Kremlin a modicum of separation. The most notorious Russian PMSC, The Wagner Group, is known to be active in Ukraine and Libya amongst many other African and Middle Eastern countries [3]. Experts have noted that The Wagner Group “successfully enforces Putin’s foreign policy goals in areas where the Kremlin has direct interest” [4]. Indeed, The Wagner group was omnipresent in the Ukraine conflict and were used to secure oil fields in Syria [5].
As mentioned, Moscow is not the only superpower to lean on PMSCs. The US remains the foremost consumer of PMSC services. Key differences between Washington and Moscow in their use of PMSCs are transparency and the diversity of providers. Whereas The Wagner Group monopolizes the Russian PMSC industry and their use is denied by the Kremlin, the US has upwards of 200 PMSCs on varying contracts. These contracts, while not always public, are at least discussed throughout the branches of government. Often, statistics regarding the use of PMSCs are misleading. For example, a popular statement in the 21st century is that there are more PMSC employees active in the Middle East on behalf of the US than there are actual US soldiers [6]. While this may be factually correct, the PMSC numbers are made up of not only soldiers but logistics contractors employed by US Military contracts. “Contracting has become a new American way of war” [7] highlights the fact that the US is the biggest single consumer of PMSC services in the world. In fact, Washington spent over $160 billion USD on contractors from 2007-2012, four times the United Kingdom’s entire defence budget [7]. These contracts take the form mostly of logistics and support such as supply lines, base building and even laundry, but the proportion of contractors involved in combat, intelligence and security rise year by year. As the US continues to expand its use of PMSCs it is simultaneously normalizing the use of PMSCs for the rest of the world [8].
It is the combat capabilities and potential applications of PMSCs that are most consequential for world order and global conflicts. Contemporary conflicts have shifted from large “boots on the ground” conflicts toward fast, effective strikes, UAVs, and conflict involving non-state actors. Due to this shift, technologically advanced, experienced, and mobile PMSCs are more in demand than ever. This is particularly true for developing states that cannot rely on major military support from superpowers. Leaders of developing nations, like Mozambique, equate the use of PMSCs with ‘control’ over their given conflicts [9]. They are willing to shell out large sums, or stakes in local natural resources, for the superior firepower and combat capabilities PMSCs possess when compared to local militaries. Failure to deal with escalating violence from ISIS-linked insurgents in Mozambique’s northern region for over three years lead to the state turning to PMSCs in 2020 -- first to The Wagner Group and later to the South Africa based Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) [10]. Despite some technological disadvantages in comparison to other PMSCs, DAG has been largely effective in containing and pushing back the insurgents. This is inarguably due to their superior firepower, notably air superiority [11]. Furthermore, as with a majority of PMSC contracts with developing states DAG’s contract included an extensive training program for Mozambique’s armed forces [12]. This indicates that, for the most part, the PMSC industry helps to provide clients with the ability to stand on their own and reduce reliance not only on PMSCs but major powers as well, something that is incredibly important to consider about the PMSC industry. Similarly, the case of Boko Haram in Nigeria illustrates the positive aspects of the proliferation of PMSCs. Boko Haram, active since the early 2000s, began carrying out increasingly sophisticated terrorist attacks in 2009, culminating in 2014 with the much-publicized kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls in 2014 [13]. The Nigerian government was largely ineffective in dealing with Boko Haram as the extremist group rampaged throughout the northern regions of Nigeria causing tens of thousands of deaths and displacing millions [14]. In 2015, the Nigerian government turned to the PMSC industry and the results were striking; reinforcements arrived from South Africa in Hind helicopters and with superior firepower and tactics pushed Boko Haram out of Nigeria and further north, accomplishing in a matter of weeks what the Nigerian government could not in six years [15].
Yet, it is worth noting that at the time of publishing, both the insurgency in Mozambique and the activities of Boko Haram have found new life [16]. Both humanitarian crises have reemerged despite previous PMSC intervention -- the contracts of the PMSCs in Mozambique and Nigeria alike have today elapsed and are no longer active.
States are not the sole consumers of PMSC services. NGOs and private corporations utilize PMSC services regularly [17]. But, their use in this context is normally limited to protection services, humanitarian missions, freighter protection in the Gulf of Aden, or resource exploitation industries on the African continent. This aspect of the industry is currently relatively benign, aiming to protect the private actor in conflict zones. However, some have theorized that the potential further use of PMSCs by private actors could be much more expansive, and problematic [18].
“War is big business and where there is conflict, there are private military contractors who seek to reap the profits'' [19]. As modern conflicts continue to evolve, so does the role of the PMSC. Though these entities have been present in the global theatre since the days of the Old Testament, they have re-emerged in a significant way [20]. PMSCs are present in virtually every contemporary conflict and are becoming more integral. Today, they can be used to liberate or oppress, depending on who hires them, and they can and are used to help train and stabilize a government, combat extremism, and protect resources. While this article has illustrated the widespread nature of this phenomenon, the next and final article will seek to expand upon new uses, capabilities and markets of and for PMSCs.
Bibliography
[1] Isenberg, D. (2009) “Private Military Contractors and U.S. Grand Strategy”. International Peace Research Institute. P 7.
[2] Singer, P.W. (2007) “Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry.” Cornell University Press; Updated edition (November 26, 2007)
[3] McFate, S. (2018) “Mercenaries and War: Understanding Private Armies Today.” National Defense University Press. Accessed January 23, 2021. https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/2031922/mercenaries-and-war-understanding-private-armies-today/.
[4] Trad, R. (2021) “Moscow's mercenaries: How Russia is swelling the global market for private military companies” The New Arab. Accessed Feb 21st 2021. https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2021/2/17/how-russia-is-swelling-the-global-market-for-mercenaries
[5] McFate
[6] Prem, B. (2018) “Who Am I? The Blurring of the Private Military and Security Company (PMSC) Category” in Security Privatization. Oldrich Bures and Helena Carrapico, eds. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp51-79 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63010-6.
[7] McFate
[8] Ibid.
[9] Trad
[10] Simonson, B. (2021) “Mozambique and the Fight Against Insurgency” Global Risk Insights. Accessed Feb 21st, 2021. https://globalriskinsights.com/2021/02/too-many-mercenaries-in-mozambique/
[11] Ibid.
[12] Singer, p. 85
[13] Burke, J. and Isaac Abrak (2020) “Boko Haram claims responsibility for kidnapping hundreds of boys in Nigeria” The Guardian. Accessed Feb 21st 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/15/boko-haram-claims-responsibility-for-kidnapping-hundreds-of-boys-in-nigeria
[14] The Associated Press. (2015) “Nigeria's Boko Haram Kills 49 in Suicide Bombings” New York Times. Accessed Feb 21st 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20151121020206/http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/11/17/world/africa/ap-af-boko-haram.html?_r=0
[15] McFate
[16] Al Jazeera (2021) “Mozambique: Efforts continue to rescue civilians from Palma” Aljazeera. Accessed March 30th 2021. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/30/mozambique-efforts-to-rescue-civilians-from-palma-ongoing
AND Amnesty International (2021) “Nigeria: Boko Haram brutality against women and children needs urgent response - new research” Amnesty International. Accessed March 30th 2021.
[17] McFate
[18] Singer, p. 112; McFate; Prem, p. 66
[19] Simonson
[20] McFate
