Private Military Corporations

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the history and use of private military corporations (PMCs), which are private organizations that provide services that have traditionally been relegated to state defense and security forces. The paper gives a general overview of private military corporations and then discusses a potential research study which will include a qualitative review of relevant literature.

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

From the Paper:

"Another key piece of literature that will be explored is former Secretary of Defense William Cohen's remarks on his Defense Reform Initiative. Just as businesses in a variety of industries have needed to change in order to remain competitive, in 1997, it was determined that the Department of Defense also must look at changes to be more competitive. There was a realization that the once state of the art American DoD systems were now antiquated when comparing them to the business practices of the corporate world. And, for those systems that were developed specifically for the defense industry, it became clear that many never were up to the best business practices standard of private industry."

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 Paper # 92664 : "Private Military Corporations"
• Persuasive Essay # 113144 : "The Private Contractor"
• Term Paper # 144828 : "The Growing Privatization of War"

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