Private Military Companies (PMC), an independent business that provides military services to substate entities, international organizations, and government agencies worldwide. In the modern era, the global security landscape has witnessed a remarkable transformation with the emergence and proliferation of PMCs. The acceleration of globalization played a pivotal role in propelling the PMC industry forward. As transnational actors, PMCs are not bound by traditional state-centric limitations and can easily navigate the complexities of an interconnected world. This adaptability made them attractive partners for governments and corporations alike, seeking flexible and cost-effective solutions for security and military tasks. The industry’s growth was also catalysed by the changing nature of warfare. Asymmetric conflicts and the rise of non-state actors made traditional military strategies less effective, prompting states to seek innovative approaches to achieve their objectives.
Pros of PMCs:
Specialized Expertise: PMCs often recruit individuals with extensive military or law enforcement backgrounds, providing clients with access to specialized skills and knowledge that may not be available within their own institutions.
Flexibility: PMCs offer flexibility in terms of contract durations, scope of services, and geographic locations. This adaptability makes them valuable for responding to rapidly changing security situations.
Cost-Effectiveness: Hiring PMCs can be more cost-effective than maintaining a standing military force, as clients only pay for the specific services required, avoiding the expenses associated with training, salaries, and equipment.
Reduced Political Liability: Governments can engage PMCs to conduct operations that might be politically sensitive or unpopular, thereby distancing themselves from direct involvement.
Quick Deployment: PMCs can be rapidly deployed to conflict zones or crisis areas, reducing response time compared to traditional military forces.
Innovative Technologies: PMCs often have access to cutting-edge technologies and equipment, enabling them to provide efficient and effective solutions to complex security challenges.
Non-State Actor Neutralization: PMCs can be employed to counter non-state actors, such as terrorist groups, without necessitating large-scale military interventions.
Cons of PMCs:
Accountability and Oversight Issues: PMCs operate in a legal and regulatory gray area, leading to concerns about accountability for human rights abuses, misconduct, and lack of proper oversight.
Ethical Dilemmas: The involvement of PMCs in combat and security operations raises ethical concerns about their motives, actions, and the potential for profit-driven decision-making.
Lack of Transparency: PMCs often operate in secrecy, leading to questions about the transparency of their operations and their relationships with governments and corporations.
Monopoly of Violence Challenge: The rise of PMCs challenges the traditional state monopoly on the legitimate use of force, potentially leading to destabilization and undermining international norms.
Potential for Mercenary Activities: The unclear distinction between legitimate security operations and mercenary activities can lead to exploitation of conflicts for profit, compromising the integrity of interventions.
Dependency Issues: Overreliance on PMCs might weaken a government’s ability to build and maintain a skilled and capable military force, impacting long-term security strategies.
Risk of Escalation: PMCs may lack the strategic understanding and long-term commitment that national military forces possess, potentially leading to situations that escalate conflicts.
Resources Needed by PMCs
Personnel: PMCs rely on a pool of highly skilled personnel with military, law enforcement, and specialized expertise. These individuals bring a wealth of experience to the table, enabling PMCs to operate effectively in diverse environments. Personnel include ex-soldiers, intelligence operatives, engineers, medics, and linguists, each contributing unique skills to missions.
Weapons and Equipment: Modern weaponry, communication systems, surveillance technology, and protective gear are crucial resources for PMC operations. The ability to access advanced equipment enhances the effectiveness and safety of personnel on the ground. PMCs invest in acquiring and maintaining cutting-edge tools that enable them to fulfill their missions efficiently.
Logistical Support: Logistical resources such as transportation, fuel, medical supplies, and infrastructure are vital for sustaining PMC operations. Efficient logistics ensure that personnel and equipment are deployed and supported in various environments, allowing PMCs to maintain operational readiness.
Training Facilities: PMCs require training facilities to prepare personnel for different types of missions. These facilities offer a controlled environment where personnel can enhance their combat skills, practice security protocols, and simulate real-world scenarios. Rigorous training contributes to the effectiveness and professionalism of PMC operations.
Legal and Regulatory Expertise: Given the complex legal and regulatory landscape, PMCs need access to legal advisors who are well-versed in international law, conflict regulations, and the legal implications of their actions. Legal experts guide PMCs to ensure their operations adhere to international norms and avoid potential liabilities.
How Do PMCs Work?
PMCs operate in a variety of environments and undertake a diverse range of missions including security, raids, logistics, assassinations and even training and combat support. PMCs provide security for individuals, facilities, and infrastructure. This can include providing bodyguards for VIPs, guarding embassies and other sensitive sites, and providing security for oil pipelines and other critical assets. They typically operate on a contractual basis where clients hire them specific services where the clients can vary from governments and international organizations to corporations and even individuals. They recruit personnel from diverse backgrounds but adhering to military or law enforcement history.
Being a compact group of individuals, PMCs generally invest heavily in capable personnel, training and equipment. They provide their employees with wide range of equipment and weaponry often on par with or even exceed in military standards. Planning execution conducted for PMC missions are based on the client’s requirements and objectives but often times venture into extreme high-risk areas, conflict zones and areas of political instability where national military can rage an all-out war. However they need to adhere to the international laws and regulations governing the use of force, violations of which can result in legal consequences for both the PMC and its employees. Logistics including transportation, supply chain, medical support and system maintenance to ensure smooth execution of missions are managed primarily by the PMCs themselves but might also involve the client’s resources. PMCs prioritize risk assessment and management to protect their personnel and clients which includes intelligence gathering, threat analysis, contingency planning and even a brutal mind of killing if things turn south.
Are The PMCs Worth The Call?
While the world revolves around some of the particular big names in this field, there are various PMCs which do work for the greater good and have set many benchmark examples.
Since the late 2000s, many PMCs have been hired to tackle the ever-problematic piracy issues in Somalia and neighbouring regions. Private shipping through Gulf of Aden is regulated by these groups and sometimes are even contacted to aid United Nations efforts. They are primarily hired to deter pirates from attacking the vessels and taking the crew members hostages. The PMCs coordinate with EU’s Atalanta and NATO’s Ocean Shield for security missions and between 2010 and 2015 there have been more 50 encounters with 1200+ detained pirates according to publicly available data.
According to 2009 Stoddard data, PMCs are also hired by various NGOs working in high-risk and dangerous areas working in private security domain. Many NGOs have sought such help in dangerous operating areas such as in Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan etc. PMCs hired in these fields have typically worked in guarding facilities/residences/project sites, physical security for premises, staff and management consulting staff, risk assessment, information services, standby security and for armed escorts.
In 1994-1995 South African-based PMC Executive Outcomes was working on behalf of the Angolan Government for controlling a guerrilla movement of Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone when an UN-brokered peace settlement went wrong.
In 2015, STTEP International (Specialize Tasks, Training, Equipment and Protection) worked to provide support Nigerian military to contain Boko Haram activities in Nigeria.
Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), a global PMC with clients even extending to US Department of Defense, was hired by both Croatia and Bosnia in 1995 where they were credited to train, equip and professionalize their national military and armed forces divisions.
Armed division of the prominent The HALO Trust is known for demining operations worldwide, making areas safe for local population and helping countries recover from conflicts. AdvanFort provides ship and vessel security to protect them from pirate raids in the Somalia Coast. Airlink facilitates rapid humanitarian response by airlifting relief supplies and personnel in disaster-stricken areas. British PMC Aegis Defense Services and their US counterpart Aegis Defense Services LLC. specializes in high-end security, military aid, training and consulting solutions and has done their part across various countries including Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Mozambique etc. DynCorp International supports border security and immigration control efforts in several countries, helping maintain law and order especially in the African nations. Paramount Group provides aerial surveillance to combat poaching and protect endangered wildlife in Africa. PAE has been involved in counter-drug operations in South America, helping reduce drug trafficking. Triple Canopy has worked with the UN to provide security and logistics support for peacekeeping missions.
The Pitch Black Dark Side – There are certainly a big bunch of names having highly skilled privately armed divisions working for the betterment in conflicted regions, disaster management, humanitarian aids etc. but the word PMC is stuck more to the piercing bullets of the military side and some of the big names in this industry are the reasons this domain has turned into such a hot topic. And of course, it is much darker with all the guns and gore involved.
The Wagner Group
The Wagner Group, also known as PMC Wagner or Wagner Private Military Company, is believed to have been founded in 2014 by Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian military officer with ties to Russia’s intelligence agencies and Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, a close confidant of Russian Prez Vladimir Putin – a clandestine mercenary organization that has gained notoriety in recent years for its involvement in various conflicts around the world. The Wagner Group’s activities have been the subject of significant controversy and international condemnation. Several Western governments, including the United States, have accused the organization of being a tool of the Russian government, used to advance Moscow’s interests in regions where it is involved. The Wagner Group was thought to have a force of between 4,000 and 6,000 fighters, mostly former Russian military personnel but by the end of 2022, many sources prompted the number to be between 20,000 and 50,000 mercenaries. The group is known for its use of heavy weapons and its willingness to engage in close-quarters combat. Wagner fighters have been accused of war crimes and human rights abuses, including the summary execution of civilians and prisoners of war.
Also Read, The Wagner Mutiny: Warning Alarm For Putin
The Wagner Group is believed to be funded by the Russian government, but it operates as a private company. This allows the Russian government to deny any official connection to the group’s activities. The Wagner Group has been used by the Russian government to achieve its foreign policy goals without having to put its own troops at risk. There have been evidences where it has been shown that Wagner has been used repeatedly as a proxy for Russian government, enabling the nation to play the card of plausible deniability for abroad military operations while also hiding the exact numbers of Russian casualties and participation in foreign interventions. In the civil wars in Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, and Mali, for example, Wagner has backed governments that are supportive of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. In Africa, it has provided regimes with security in return for handing over the rights to mine diamonds and gold to Russian firms. Wagner soldiers are suspected of killing, torturing, assaulting and robbing civilians as well as torturing and killing suspected deserters. The Moldovan Border Police said it had caught and deported a suspected member of the Wagner Group at Chisinau Airport in March 2023 amid claims alleging Russia was plotting the overthrow of the government of Moldova and a subsequent anti-government demonstration.
The Wagner Group has been involved in the conflict in Ukraine since 2014, when it was first deployed to support Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region. The group has been accused of war crimes and human rights abuses, including the summary execution of civilians and prisoners of war. In 2022, the Wagner Group was deployed to Ukraine again, this time to support the Russian invasion. The group has been involved in some of the heaviest fighting, and has been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. One of the well-documented cases of Wagner Group atrocities in Ukraine is the massacre in Bucha. In April 2022, after Russian troops withdrew from Bucha, Ukrainian authorities found the bodies of hundreds of civilians, many of whom had been shot execution-style. Some of the victims had their hands tied behind their backs. Wagner themselves have a very good set of armory, probably better than an average Russian infantryman but their limits have exceeded in the war since Russia has provided them many weapon systems of Russia’s arsenal including tanks, BM-21 Grads etc. Wagner was reportedly the main assault force in the Battle of Bakhmut, currently the longest and bloodiest battle in the Russo-Ukrainian War so far.
However due to the constant foreign support towards Ukraine in forms of monetary help, military training, ammunition and weapon systems, Russian forces have dealt great blows to themselves and Wagner is also a part of the damage conceived by Russia. According to BBC News, Russia had confirmed by names the death of 8261 PMC personnel which comprises mercenaries and previously held convicts recruited by PMCs Wagner and Redut. According to the US, around 9000 Wagner soldiers were killed and more than 20,000 have been wounded in the Ukraine war. Prigozhin who admitted as the leader of the Wagner Group in September 2022 incidentally started to openly criticize the Russian Defense Ministry for mishandling the war. He led the Wagner Group in an armed uprising on June 23, 2023, after charging the Defence Ministry with bombarding Wagner soldiers. Rostov-on-Don, a Russian city, was taken by Wagner forces as a Wagner convoy moved towards Moscow. The Wagner mutiny was put down the following day when it was agreed that they wouldn’t face legal action if they opted to either sign contracts with the Defence Ministry or leave for Belarus. On 23 August, 2023, an Embraer Legacy 600 Business Jet crashed in Tver Oblast, 100 km from Moscow which led to the death of 10 people including the Wagner leaders Prigozhin and Utkin. Western intelligence reported that an explosion likely caused the airplane to crash and Russia is still being suspected of carrying out sabotage in the accident.
Blackwater
Blackwater was founded in 1997 by Erik Prince as a private military training and security company. The company’s headquarters were initially located in North Carolina, USA. Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL, sought to provide specialized training to military and law enforcement personnel. Blackwater gained widespread recognition during the Iraq War, where it was contracted by the U.S. government for security and protection services. Blackwater’s personnel were often tasked with guarding high-profile individuals, such as American diplomats and officials. They were also contracted to provide security services in Afghanistan, where it played a role in protecting U.S. and allied personnel. However, its operations in Afghanistan did not receive as much scrutiny as those in Iraq. Beyond the Middle East, Blackwater expanded its services globally. It provided security and training to various clients, including governments, corporations, and NGOs. The company was known for its expertise in high-risk security operations.
Blackwater has coupled with US Department of Defense for simultaneous missions with US Marines, special forces etc. On March 31, 2004, Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah ambushed two SUVs, killing the four armed Blackwater contractors inside. In response, U.S. Marines attacked the city in Operation Vigilant Resolve, which became the famous first Battle of Fallujah. Blackwater had one of the best military training programmes when compared to private security companies especially due to the expertise the personnel carried from their Green Beret, Navy SEAL, DevGru days and even had a gun manufacturing unit which excelled on par with military standards.
The company’s involvement in Iraq was marred by several controversial incidents, including the infamous 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, where Blackwater contractors were accused of killing 17 Iraqi civilians and injuring 20 while escorting an US Embassy Convoy. This incident drew international condemnation and led to legal repercussions for some Blackwater personnel.
Four Blackwater personnel were prosecuted and found guilty in federal court in the United States in 2014. One was found guilty of murder, the other three of manslaughter, and all four were found guilty of firearms crimes. All four were controversially pardoned by President Donald Trump in December 2020.The pardons, according to U.N. experts, “violate U.S. obligations under international law and more broadly undermine humanitarian law and human rights at a global level”.
“Men taking bullets to protect the men who take all the credit, a tale of patriots whose names became known only when lawyers and politicians needed to blame somebody for something”
Erik Prince, ex-Navy SEAL, founder & former CEO of Blackwater (who has always been in the defensive of Blackwater’s operations and activities.
Blackwater faced legal challenges related to its operations, including accusations of excessive use of force, weapons smuggling, and violations of arms export laws. These legal issues further tarnished the company’s reputation. In an effort to distance itself from its tarnished image, Blackwater underwent multiple rebranding efforts. In 2009, it changed its name to “Xe Services LLC” and later rebranded as “Academi” in 2011. These name changes aimed to signify a shift toward more legitimate and ethical practices. In 2014, Academi merged with Triple Canopy to form Constellis Holdings which is its current form. The relationship between Blackwater and the United States Department of Defense (DoD) has been a highly intricate and often contentious one.
The love-hate dynamic between Blackwater and the DoD underscores the ethical and operational challenges associated with the use of private military companies. It also prompted critical discussions about the need for greater accountability and transparency in the PMC industry. While the DoD continued to engage with PMCs, it did so with a heightened awareness of the potential risks and controversies they could bring. Ultimately, the relationship between Blackwater and the DoD serves as a cautionary tale about the complex nature of outsourcing military and security functions to private entities. It highlights the importance of careful oversight, adherence to international laws and ethical standards, and ongoing evaluation of the role of PMCs in modern conflict zones and security operations.
The Formation of a New Breeding Ground ?
“Wanted: multilingual former soldiers willing to covertly head into Ukraine for the handsome sum of up to $2,000 (£1,523) per day – plus bonus – to help rescue families from an increasingly grim conflict.” –
This job advert is real, taken from an employment website, Silent Professionals, for those working in the private military and security industry. Contractors are being employed for between $30,000 and $6m to help remove individuals from Ukraine. The recruitment portal did not specify who it was advertising for but the higher amount refers to large groups of families that wish to go with all of their possessions.
And according to sources, demand is rising. Private contractors from the US and Europe said they are increasingly looking for opportunities within the heartbreaking war in Ukraine, including ‘extraction’ missions and logistical support. According to Robert Young Pelton, a Canadian-American author and authority on private military firms (PMCs), there is currently “a frenzy in the market” for private contractors in Ukraine. Analyzed by Aerospace & Defence News, they found that the value of the worldwide private military and security sector would rise from roughly $224 billion in 2020 to over $457 billion (£348 billion) in 2030.
However the situation is insanely dangerous and information war is menacing more than the facts. Former British soldier and a long time security contractor Orlando Wilson asserted that he finds most of the rhetoric around independent contractors in Ukraine to be “rubbish.” In Ukraine right now, he remarked, “I don’t see how people can operate, at least not privately.” “If you’re caught by either side or one of the militias, they’ll just take you as a spy and that’s it,” Mr. Wilson continued. Both the clients and the persons performing it wouldn’t be safe, according to the statement.
But there’s no doubt that the Ukrainian government has been actively appealing to foreign soldiers to join its forces since the conflict broke out in February. Visa restrictions were even lifted after hostilities began, and the process for granting volunteers Ukrainian nationality was made simpler. The following discussion will focus on the activities of “foreign fighters” or “volunteers” participating in the conflict because it is illegal in Ukraine to recruit or join PMCs. There are fundamentally different ideologies and ethical standards among foreign fighters, foreign legionnaires, PMCs, and mercenaries, despite the fact that both voluntary fighters and mercenary frequently have foreign nationalities and exacerbate the conflict by illegal acts.
The International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine (ILDU) – The International Legion of Defence of Ukraine is a military unit fighting with the Ukraine Armed Forces and it consists of foreign volunteers from at least 90 countries, selectively recruited on a contract basis formally until the end of martial law. It is the largest force in charge of enlisting foreign volunteers to fight for the Ukrainian army, and its main duty is to help Ukrainian Army units on the front lines during actual combat. The majority of its warriors are ex-military personnel from neighbouring post-Communist nations, but there are also a notable number of Western state soldiers. Some individuals join the Ukrainian Legion contractually through private recruitment via Silent Professionals, while others—mostly highly competent Western Army veterans—register with the organisation directly through Ukrainian Embassies. The latter are arguably somewhere in between foreign warriors and mercenaries. Some foreign combatants are paid from the Ukrainian national defence budget as a result of the mixed recruitment sources for soldiers, whilst contractual professionals are privately sponsored.
The Mozart Group – The Mozart Group was a private military company (PMC) that operated in Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The group was composed of Western volunteers with military experience and provided military training, civilian evacuations and rescue, and humanitarian aid distribution. It was co-founded in mid-March 2022 by Andrew Milburn, a retired U.S. Marine colonel Deputy Commander of Special Operations Command Central who also served as the head of Mozart Group, and Andrew Bain, also a former U.S. Marine colonel and a Ukraine-based businessman who became the CFO of the Group. It helped the Ukrainians and their military forces with military training, urban warfare, mine clearance, patrolling, civilian evacuation, reconnaissance, irregular warfare and special operations. The Mozart Group was initially funded by private donations, but it eventually ran out of money and disbanded in January – February 2023 as the group was plagued by a number of problems, including allegations of fraud, financial malfeasance and harassment.
Why India Won’t Walk The Path of Contracting PMCs Alongside The National Military In Conventional Warfare?
PMCs are non-existent in India. Indian businesses struggle to compete with PMCs for two main causes. First, there are regulations on gun ownership that allow people to possess weapons if they need them for self-defense or participate in shooting sports. The second reason is that resolving security threats has always been a top priority for the state. Its not the fact there’s not a spot of privatized and weapons-trained in India as they might just exist in any part of the 7th largest country of the world. There are indeed some private security companies with personnel trained to handle weapons. But that’s just it. No private firm of this domain in India have the legalities to wield a military-grade firearm for an ulterior motive let alone a rifle. And even the small security firms that exist are aptly defined as just ‘security’ companies. India doesn’t have any special-ops trained equivalent private military force and it is also highly unlikely that there will be a budding Blackwater any time in the near future of India.
India places a high value on its sovereignty and national security. The use of PMCs, which are private entities, could raise concerns about the potential erosion of state control over military and security matters. The Indian government prefers to rely on its own military forces and paramilitary organizations to safeguard its national interests. The use of PMCs can raise ethical and political concerns, both domestically and internationally. It may be viewed as a controversial practice that goes against India’s commitment to upholding international humanitarian law and respecting human rights. The use of PMCs can be a polarizing issue, and public opinion in India may not support the outsourcing of military functions to private entities. The government often considers public sentiment when making decisions related to national security. India operates in a complex regional security environment, with ongoing border disputes and regional rivalries. In such a context, the government may be cautious about introducing additional actors, like PMCs, that could complicate regional dynamics.
