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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become one of the most polarising topics and eye-catching terms in our contemporary lexicon; seen as either a paragon of modern technology or as a harbinger of humankind’s technological doom, depending on who you ask. From pocket AIs such as Siri to self educating AIs in Silicon Valley, AI has permeated into virtually all facets of life.
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
Today, Private Military and Security Companies (PMSC) represent a growing and neglected topic in international security. Currently, various forms of PMSCs are known to be active in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Belarus, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, and were also instrumental in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Furthermore, PMSCs are active in non-traditional roles such as the Cartel Wars in Mexico, the Gulf of Aden protecting freighters from Somali pirates, and, beyond these more obvious examples, PMSCs have taken on support roles for standing militaries.
