A private Military Company (PMC) is an independent corporation that offers services and expertise that are similar to those of governmental security, military or police forces on a smaller scale. Other than individuals, they are also hired by the national or international governments to assist the armed forces.
They specialize in providing combat and protection forces, ranging from small-scale training missions to providing combat units composed of up to several hundred highly trained soldiers equipped with powerful weapons platforms, including tanks and attack helicopters.
They are sometimes colloquially referred to as 'mercenaries', but the term doesn't justify the duties they perform.
First Modern PMC
A group of ex-SAS veterans, under the leadership of Sir David Stirling and John Woodhouse, founded the first modern PMC, WatchGuard International, in 1965 that could be contracted out for security and military purposes.
The company's first assignment was to go to Yemen to report the state of the royalist forces when a cease-fire was declared. The company eventually operated in Zambia and in Sierra Leone, providing training teams and advice on security matters. The company also sold weapons and military personnel to other countries for various privatised operations.
Sir David Stirling also founded KAS International and also collaborated with the World Wide Fund for Nature to forcibly reduce the illegal poaching and smuggling of elephant tusks in various countries of Southern Africa.
Rise of PMCs post World War-II
In medieval times, mercenaries were used by kings to fight wars but the actual rise of mercenaries took place post World War II when large companies did not want to be involved directly in the conflict of smaller countries.
Other groups were also formed by ex-SAS veterans during 1970-80, including Control Risks Group and Defence Systems to provide military training and consultation.
Dramatic growth in the number and size of PMCs occurred at the end of the Cold War. The Cold War was followed by the eruption of numerous small wars, especially in Africa where a number of PMCs, including Sandline International (United Kingdom) and Executive Outcomes (South Africa), made their name.
Initially, the PMCs operations were covert but in the 1990s, their operations were extensively covered by Media. Media also highlighted several PMCs such as Executive Outcomes, Sandline International and DynCorp International.
Classification of PMCs
1- Military Support Firms: They provide technical support to their clients. They do not directly participate in the planning, execution, etc. of military operations.
2- Military Consulting Firms: These are the most common types of PMCs and offer training, operational planning, organization of armed forces, etc. to their clients.
3- Military Provider Firms: They are hired to fight active battles on behalf of their clients. Furthermore, they play a humanitarian role during the conflict, if requested by the clients.
High-value projects of PMCs
PMCs came into the limelight in the 1990s when they were involved in numerous high-value projects. A few of them are mentioned below:
1- The Croatia Government hired US PMC, MPRI, to professionalize its national army.
2- The Angolan Government hired South African PMC, Executive Outcomes, to fight off the rebels.
3- Britain hired a British PMC, Sandline International, to restore peace in Sierra Leone.
Highly Controversial Nature of PMCs
Due to their highly controversial nature, the United Nations Mercenary Convention has banned the use of mercenaries in armed conflict since 2001. The services provided by the PMCs are considered mercenary activities. However, the US rejected the notion of PMC activities as mercenary, and along with other countries with sizeable military forces, including China and Russia, did not ratify the convention.
Also, the PMC personnel and support services cannot be easily distinguished from state or national military forces, allowing states or countries to carry out otherwise criminal warfare activities while holding PMCs accountable for those crimes. For instance, PMCs operating in Africa are held responsible for abuses of human rights.
Furthermore, even though they are hired by the national governments, they can also be working for the rebels simultaneously. The increasing financial powers and lobbying by the PMCs have made them massively influential.
Positive roles played by PMCs
1- They play significant roles in enforcing peace and order in unstabilised zones. For instance, In Angola, the legitimate government was attacked by the UNITA rebels, thereby creating a civil war in the country. Later, the Angola Government hired Executive Outcomes to bring rebels under control.
2- PMCs are also used by the countries to promote and execute the interest in foreign countries. For instance, the US with the help of MPRI brought Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina under its military zone.
3- They also play important roles in peacemaking in post-conflict zones as they are well equipped and organized and can be quickly deployed in such regions.
4- PMCs play a supportive role for the UN agencies in gathering intelligence and provide critical leads of conflict zones.
5- They also play logistical and humanitarian roles in conflict regions.
Is PMC a western concept?
Initially, it was alleged that the concept of PMCs is entirely western, however, however, the emergence of non-western PMCs belied this assumption.
In the 21st century, non-western PMCs came into the limelight. For instance, Turkey's SADAT Group, Russia's WAGNER Group and Slavonic Group, Peru's Defion Group, and South Africa's Executive Outcomes.
Among these, Russia's WAGNER Group is one of the most prominent PMCs in the world. Unlike western countries, which hire PMCs to cut down their military cost, Russia used this PMC to serve its foreign policy objectives. For instance, Russia's Crimea peninsula annexation, where it hired a PMC, Little Green Men' to militarise the Crimea region, gaining a strategic upper hand.
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