Security Contractors

Private military companies refer to their active staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and prefer themselves to be known as private military corporations, private military firms, private security providers or military service providers. Private Military Companies refer to their business generally as the private military industry, in order to avoid the negative stigma often associated with mercenaries.

The services and expertise offered by PMCs are typically similar to those of governmental military or police forces, although, on a smaller scale. While PMCs often provide services to train or supplement official armed forces in service of governments, they can also be employed by private companies to provide bodyguards for key staff or protection of company premises, especially in hostile territories. 

Private military companies carry out many different missions and jobs. These include things such as supplying bodyguards to the Afghan president and piloting reconnaissance airplanes and helicopters. They are also licensed by the United States Department of State, they contract with foreign governments, training soldiers and reorganizing military forces in many countries.  The PMC industry is estimated to be worth over $100 billion a year.

Discharged military personnel make up the majority of Western contractors. The boom of the private security industry that took place in the 1990s can be traced back to the over 6 million military personnel that were discharged in that decade. Post Cold War military reduction has also expanded the recruiting pool for PMCs. In some cases, entire elite units, such as the South African 32nd Reconnaissance Battalion, (the Recces) and the former Soviet “Alfa” unit have been reorganized into private military companies.

Some commentators have argued that there has been a recent exodus from many special operations forces across the globe towards these private military corporations. Units that have allegedly been severely affected include The British Special Air Service, (the SAS), the US Special Operations Forces  and the Canadian Joint Task Force 2. Finding work in the industry is not difficult for most former soldiers as their personal network of fellow and ex-soldiers is enough to keep them informed of available contracts.