The Evolving Private Military Sector: A Survey

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: "Because they remain uncategorized by any formal measure, the exact number of PMFs [private military firms] that have entered the market is difficult to establish and it most definitely remains in constant flux. The global number is estimated to be in the mid-hundreds." (Singer, 2003, p. 79) The purpose of this research is to help the US Department of Defense and other government security communities better understand the evolving PM (private military) sector (Avant, 2005; Jager & Kummel, 2007; Singer, 2003). We anticipate our readers will be government agents, members of the international community, or others who wish to make informed decisions regarding the use of PMFs. This report discusses a beginning step in establishing a long-term program of research on the PM sector at NPS. It is expected that knowledge about the sector will be built incrementally through a series of individual studies; no one study will provide a complete picture of the relevant features of the sector. However, we believe a good starting point is to develop quantitative data about the industry, which this report attempts to do. We suggest three reasons why this is an appropriate place to begin.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 23, 2008
Accession Number
ADA494001

Entities

People

  • Brian Hudgens
  • Nick Dew

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Business Administration
  • Cold War
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Management Personnel
  • New York
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Private Military Companies
  • Public Policy
  • Students
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Systems Analysis and Design