Nick-PMCs

The Growth of PMCs, Post 9/11

September 11, 2001. This is the date all Americans remember as when the World Trade Centers in New York were attacked. The result of this attack ended with 2,752 American civilians dead, and many more wounded. This was the first time there was a direct attack on U.S soil since Pearl Harbor. In retaliation of the attack, the United States launched a war which has lasted more than 10 years. This war has officially taken place in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and has cost the United States billions upon billions of dollars in military spending alone. It is estimated by Time.com that as of today, the U.S. spends close to 700 Billion dollars a year just on the military. Also due to the prolonged war, the military has grown significantly, creating thousands of jobs in both the military, and in outside areas which cover military technology development.  The Time article also states, that due to the change in focus on counter terrorism, the military has shifted its focus from large unit tactics, to that of more unconventional warfare, which is the specialty of special operations forces. The article reads, “Special operations forces – nimble with the latest technology America and its allies can produce – grew from 45,000 on 9/11 to more than 60,000 today.” The threat of terrorism has also increased the need for personal security details, for both high value personnel individuals, and instillations. While these tasks fall under the prevue of Special Operations Forces, the increased demand has lead the U.S. government to seek outside help, specifically in the private sector. This help was obtained from Private Military Companies, otherwise known as PMC’s.  PMC’s provide a variety of services that aid in the military effort, while not actually being in the military, though a majority of the contractors have been in the military previously themselves. Throughout this blog I will be constantly using the terms PMC and contractor. For reference, PMC refers to the different Private Military Companies, while contractor refers to an individual within that company. In the rest of this blog post, I’m going to discuss what a PMC actually is, the history of their use, and the growth of Private Military Contracting jobs post 9/11.

 According the work.chron.com, “Private contractors are employed in war zones and other dangerous areas to perform a wide variety of specialized jobs, including repair and maintenance of infrastructure and pipeline equipment. Other contractors provide armed security for truck convoys carrying supplies between military bases, serve as guards for corporate headquarters and government buildings and provide personal protection for politicians and other leading figures. Private military contractors are normally employed only in defensive roles and are only expected to engage in combat if attacked. They are not generally used for offensive military operations, so the term "mercenary" may not be strictly appropriate for what they do.” As you can see, PMCs provide a wide variety of services for the military, which in turn allows the military to focus its own efforts in other areas. At the end of this quotation, it states that the term mercenary may not be appropriate for PMCs due to the jobs they provide. While this is mostly true, in essence they are very similar. When you think of a mercenary, you often think of a hired gun in an offensive role, who may not act under the same conduct as a military unit would, which often has a negative connotation. But like stated in the previous quote, PMCs provide services generally in a defensive role, and are not tasked with killing certain individuals. Mercenaries will also generally serve who is ever the highest bidder, this is an area where PMCs also differ. PMCs are corporations that do not serve whomever it pleases. Let’s take the PMC Academi (formerly Backwater International) as an example. According to academi.com, they are a U.S. based company, who serves the U.S. and its allies. So unlike a mercenary, Academi which is a PMC, will not serve another country hostile to the United States for the right price. Despite the differences between mercenaries and PMCs, the fact that they are both essentially nonmilitary hired guns, they are very similar. Because of this, several PMCs have gotten some heat from the media, and public eye due to this fact. Despite my focus on U.S. based PMCs, and their growth since 9/11, PMCs are really a global phenomenon. Most notably, South Africa’s use of PMCs to stabilize politically sensitive areas has sort of blurred the line between mercenaries, and these companies. Sometimes countries will hire companies to take control of sensitive problem areas, where sending in an actual military might be unideal. This is an example of when these companies are used in an aggressive role, though it is unusual. Examples like this is what makes people question the use of these companies.  Despite some of the heat PMCs get, that doesn’t change the fact that the use of these companies has grown considerable over the years. Let’s take a look at the history of modern PMCs, and how they have grown considerably after 9/11 until present day.

In today’s day and age, most, if not all of the conflicts stated are caused by non-state orientated threats, otherwise known as terrorist groups. With the threat of large military invasions largely nonexistent, security and prevention has been key. An article from idsa.in shows just how prominent the use of PMCs is today, “The PMC is an industry that is growing with some estimating annual contracts in the $10-$20 billion range. Though this growth has been a worldwide phenomenon, the United States, Great Britain, along with countries like South Africa, account for over 70% of the world’s market for their services. While the use of civilian contract personnel providing mostly logistical services during operations has been a common affair in armies all over the world, what has been, however, a more significant development in the post-2001 counter-insurgency operations is the extensive use of armed contract personnel to conduct military missions such as security operations and training of personnel in combat zones.” The growth of these companies has created thousands of jobs listed in the aforementioned post. Though this blog post isn’t about the growth of actual military jobs post 9/11, it does play a significant role in the growth of PMC’s. As I have stated previously in my introductory paragraph, the military has grown significantly since the attacks, and as a result, the personnel count has increased. After a soldier is finished with his or her tour of duty, often those people are left looking for a job. Private Military Companies are often one of the top choices for veteran soldiers looking for an occupation where they can apply their skills. This is especially true for soldiers in the special operations communities, though there are plenty of other jobs available for those without these skill sets in these companies. Police officer, and firefighting jobs are also popular choices for veterans, but for those looking to directly apply their skills, PMCs are often the obvious choice. On reason however, that a veteran might not pick a job as a PMC, is the fact that there is a chance that they would be sent overseas again. This is often a deterrent to those who would like to spend more time with their families.  One factor though, that attracts people to work for PMCs, is the pay. The amount of money even the lowest paid contractor makes, is often much greater than any servicemen would make. It is reported that contractors make between $400-$800 dollars a day, and making between $180,000 to $200,000 a year. The amount a single contractor makes is dependent on the position taken, experience, and how long that contractor has been in the company, similar to any other business. The reason why these contractors are paid so much more than servicemen, is because of the fact that they are civilians, and the dangerous areas in which they work. This acts as an incentive for civilians to take these jobs. Previously I stated that PMCs typically hired prior military for their positions, while this is typically true, it isn’t always the case. For jobs that require employees to operate in combat roles, PMCs may hire prior law enforcement, or people with extensive tactical training for these positions. For more conventional positions like cooks, or engineers, nearly any civilian can take these positions. Despite the dangers involved with this line of work, the growth of this industry has suggested people are more than willing to take the risk.

As I have stated before, there are risks that revolve around being a PMC. 

This photo was taken outside Fallujah Iraq in 2004. On March 31, 2004, Iraqi insurgents ambushed two SUVs killing the four contractors riding inside. After the attack, the bodies of the contractors were hung on a nearby bridge as a display. In response, U.S. Marines launched an attack on the city, which became the first all-out battle in the city. Like I stated before, people often refer to PMCs simply as mercenaries or guns for hire, implying that these contractors are only fighting for money, but I’d like to argue the contrary. I believe that the men and women employed by these PMCs are putting themselves in harm’s way to defend their country, just like any other service men or women, not to mention that the majority of these contractors have served in the military before. You can think of this, as them extending their service to their country. Also if you argue that they are only doing this for money, who would do anything if they weren’t being paid? I guarantee you, that if our service men and women weren’t being paid, they would not be fighting. Anyone who decides to apply their skills to defend their country should be recognized as such. In this time of conflict, more and more people are rising up to help out where there country needs them, and sometimes, pay the ultimate price as a result.