Private Military Corporations

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at private military corporations (PMCs). PMCs are private organizations that provide services that have traditionally been relegated to state defense and security forces. The paper discusses how these for-profit organizations provide all levels of defensive services up to and including armed forces with combat training. According to the paper, other corporations, non-governmental organizations and state forces are all entities that have employed the use of PMCs.

Contents:
General Overview
Identification of Relevant Literature
Key Research Questions
Methodology
Timeline

From the Paper:

"The United States has utilized PMCs for decades to augment their regular military forces, when supporting their national foreign policy as well as for security needs. Civilians from the private sector are employed in areas of active military operations. Because the use of PMCs has become more commonplace, oftentimes regular troops become dependent on the services that the PMC provides. This is feared, by some, to negatively impact American military effectiveness. However, given the current limitations to state sponsored military resources and manpower, it is highly likely that the United States will continue its extensive use of PMCs ."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Avant, Deborah. "Private Security Companies." New Political Economy 10(1) Mar 2005: 121-131.
• Chapter 13: Defense Reform Initiative. No date. Department of Defense. October 7, 2006 <http://www.dod.mil/execsec/adr1999/chap13.html>.
• Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Geneva. 12 August 1949. International Red Cross. October 7, 2006 < http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/FULL/375?OpenDocument>.
• Dokubo, Charles. "'An Army for Rent' Private Military Corporations and Civil Conflicts in Africa." Civil Wars 3(2) Summer 2000: 51-64.
• Evans, David. "Corporate Profit and Modern War." Peace Magazine (Jul/Sep 2005): 13. October 7, 2006 <http://www.peacemagazine.org/archive/v21n3p13.htm>.

More papers on Private Military Corporations:

• Research Proposal # 92687 : "Private Military Corporations"
• Persuasive Essay # 113144 : "The Private Contractor"
• Term Paper # 144828 : "The Growing Privatization of War"

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