What are private military companies and contractors?

Private military companies provide armed combat, security services, training, and logistical support to governments and private clients. The industry encompasses a wide range of services resembling state military and police operations, sometimes operating in hostile environments. Contractors have also formed a substantial portion of personnel and budgets within national intelligence and defense frameworks.

What we know

• Private military companies provide armed combat and security services, and their personnel are referred to as security contractors or private military contractors. [3]
• Private military companies carry out diverse missions, such as military aviation repair, close protection for officials, and piloting reconnaissance aircraft. [3]
• Contractors have assumed a massive on-the-ground presence during conflicts, nearly matching the total number of military personnel in Afghanistan. [4]
• Private contractors made up 29 percent of the workforce in the United States Intelligence Community according to a 2008 study. [3]

Still open

• Whether the term private military company is merely an euphemism used by mercenaries and soldiers of fortune remains a subject of different perspectives.

Where to go next

• how we knowHow do the Geneva Conventions treat military contractors?
• a case in pointWhat specific missions did PMCs undertake in Colombia?
• the bigger pictureHow does defense contracting work in the United States?
• whenHow did the ratio of contractors to troops change from the Gulf War to the Iraq War?
• compared withHow do private military companies differ from traditional defense contractors?
• an unexpected connectionWhy did Pentagon spending on contractors surpass diplomacy budgets?Over twice as much money was spent with five major defense companies than on diplomacy and international assistance during a recent four-year period.

Sources

• [1]list of private military contractors (Wikidata Q6634953) · CC0 1.0
• [2]List of private military contractors · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Private military company · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]List of defense contractors · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of United States defense contractors · CC BY-SA 4.0