Privatization of Deadly Force: The Impact of Security Contractors on the Modern Battlefield

Abstract

In war, the use of force is an inherently governmental function that must be the responsibility of a legitimate military commander; therefore, private military companies (PMC) should not perform functions that use force on behalf of the state. The surge of private security contractors after the Cold War has largely been, and continues to be, ignored by the military leadership. Until the issue of use of deadly force by private security contractors in contingency operations is resolved, operational commanders must have the ability to hold them accountable.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA602895

Entities

People

  • Timothy R. Powledge

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cold War
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Marine Corps
  • Marine Corps Operations
  • Military Commanders
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Private Military Companies
  • Security
  • United States
  • United States Central Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies