Harnessing the Dogs of War: Using Private Military Companies at the Operational Level of War

Abstract

The current Western defense drawdown, coupled with constant crises in Europe, Africa, and Asia, presents a problem which also carries within it a potential solution. The US and its allies are likely to find themselves in a dilemma as they attempt to address both their mutual security obligations and emergent crises with a shrinking pool of combat forces. The release from service of tens of thousands of well-trained troops by these same states at a time of heightened chaos abroad provides both a challenge and an opportunity. The oversupply of these military veterans could either threaten stability or provide the U.S. the needed flexibility to both respond to emerging crises and meet multilateral security commitments. In short, The United States can employ properly managed private military forces as operational maneuver elements in a range of scenarios, up to and including conventional warfare.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 03, 2015
Accession Number
AD1178604

Entities

People

  • John D. Jordan

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Business Administration
  • Combat Forces
  • Combat Operations
  • Contracts
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Management Personnel
  • Manpower
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Private Military Companies
  • Supply Chain
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies