In the 1990s, we observed an increasing use of private military and security companies (PMSCs) in a number of conflicts. Depending on the circumstances, these companies were hired by governments, private corporations, and humanitarian agencies to provide a variety of security and military services. These services include combat and operational support; military advice and training; weapons procurement and logistical support; security services, intelligence gathering, and crime prevention. In a conflict environment, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the two types of companies. Private military companies are associated with activities similar to a military force, whereas private security companies are primarily tasked with protecting …show more content…
First, whether PMSCs are involved in peacekeeping operations or other roles of supporting the military, they are often viewed negatively as individuals waging war for profit rather than patriotism. In contrast to NATO forces who are not typically seen as siding with one side or the other but rather they embody the higher interests of the nations of the world as a whole. The circumstances could be different with PMSCs as they may have ties (financial or otherwise) with numerous countries. These relationships might make them appear more vulnerable to outside political influences and driven by monetary gains. The questioning of outside influences is a significant issue that cannot be ignored especially not in the context of peacekeeping operations. The mission of peacebuilding is to restore confidence in the state's authority and requires a comprehension of the possible ramifications resulting from the conflict. As a result, PMSCs may not be adequately qualified to implement activities inherent to peacekeeping and peacebuilding such as cease-fire monitoring, troop disarmament or election …show more content…
Governments have failed to enact suitable legislation (Murianki 2010, np). The law regulating mercenaries is inapplicable to private military companies and questions what legal rules and principles do apply to PMSCs' conduct. The issues of liability not only emerge from the absence of laws that apply to mercenaries but the inability or unwillingness of states to deal with PMSCs. As a result, no clear guidelines govern PMSCs' conduct or status. The states have left it to the companies to hold their employees accountable in cases of abuse and to ensure they respect the fundamental norms of international law. The absence of accountability complicates the use of private military contractors as
A third character, the Ambassador Gilbert MacWhite, is a patriotic diplomat who lives up to many of the SOF Imperatives, but fails at one. His intent is admirable and the Ambassador realizes the actions required to combat the communist threat. One of the SOF Imperatives that he abides by is to ensure the legitimacy and credibility of Special Operations. ADRP 3-05 defines this as “legitimacy is the most crucial factor in developing and maintaining internal and international support. The United States cannot sustain its assistance to a foreign power without this legitimacy.” The publication also elaborates that decisions and actions that comply with U.S. and international laws foster legitimacy and credibility. This concept ties into several
...in technology and tactics have made Special Forces units more reliable. For example, the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and the incident with the Somali pirates of the coast of Somalia show the capabilities of today’s Special Forces. The author asserts that, in the future the United States will shift away from major combat operations. These large engagements have proven to be costly in lives and treasure. For that reason, she infers that the US Military will choose the “go small, go long” model for future engagements in the Middle East. Special operation forces are uniquely suited for this model. Their conspicuous nature and low cost make them politically and strategically ideal. The author also suggests that future large scale operations may look like the conflicts in Libya and Somalia rather than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Peacekeeping and Peacemaking." Reading and Remembrance . N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. . (tags: none | edit tags)
middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Pbs.com, (n.d.) -. Frontline, Contractors, High Risk Contracting Business, Private Warrior. Retrieved November 7, 2013 from http://www.pbs.com. Web.archive.org.
National Security Agency/Central Security Service The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) was established in November 1952 to provide a cryptologic organization for the civilian and military leaders of the United States and to provide them with timely information. The National Security Agency (NSA) coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to produce foreign intelligence information and protect United States information systems through two main missions, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Information Assurance (IA). The Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) mission uses cryptologic machines to break foreign codes to find out what they know and what they are doing. The biggest accomplishment publicly known was when they broke the Japanese military code in World War II and learned that Japan had plans of invading Midway Island.
The general topic for this literature review will be an examination of the Department of Defense and the National Guard in terms of Homeland Security. The areas of Homeland Defense and Civil Support will be primary subsections of Homeland Security which will be reviewed. For purposes of defining a time period none of the literature reviewed will be prior to September 11, 2001. The reasoning for this being to examine Homeland Defense using literature pertaining to 9/11 and the Boston Marathon Bombing, and Civil Support using literature pertaining to Hurricane Katrina.
... failures of these nations as well as their responsibility to affect resolution of this conflict by adopting smarter policy.
The Iraqi shooting by Blackwater guards was not only extremely unethical. This decision impacted public impressions of all private security companies operating overseas. The Blackwater guards felt untouchable because they had the backing of the State Department, which included almost no rules. “Many U.S. and Iraqi officials and industry representatives said they came to see Blackwater as untouchable, ...
There are still issues with the post-Gaddafi Libya however there are numerous ways of fixing these problems. The main problems that need to be fixed are the security sector and the private sector. In order to fix the security sector, the government needs to employ the National Guard to h...
As a result, private military companies are a necessary and important contingency plan for operations that would occur in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Dogru, p.13, 2010) Contracting private military companies and private security contractors are not without their issues. Management of these companies and contractors is a crucial issue for the government. One of the most significant challenges in dealing with private military companies is trying to regulate them.
Law enforcement uses several methods to solve all types of crimes. Having a variety of ways to help solve an investigation gives officials an advantage. If one method fails or isn’t helpful, there are several others they can rely on. For instance, if there are no physical witnesses to a crime, the criminal may have left a fingerprint at the crime scene. An individual’s fingerprint is unique, “no two persons have exactly the same arrangement of ridge patterns” (“Fingerprint ID”). Fingerprints of criminals and of civilians are collected and stored. Also, “People who apply for government jobs, jobs that handle confidential information, banking jobs, teaching jobs, law enforcement jobs, and any job that involves security issues can be fingerprinted” (“The First ID”). Fingerprints are processed within hours and minutes through the Integrated Automated Fingerprint ID System. This system was developed in 1991, and made it easier for different law enforcement agencies to store and share fingerprints.
Each country in the world has the ability to decide where they want to place their military. Doing so by taking strategic measures, the private sector has to sometimes work day and night with no breaks to ensure global security. For example, in the 1960s during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the entire private sector had to work for days on end to make sure that nothing drastic was going to happen to the country and even to the world. This does not just apply to the 1960s when it happens, but it applies to every single day and it is apart of the responsibility that comes with working in the private
Consequences of intervention can include the loss of lives from an otherwise uninvolved country, the spread of violence, and the possibility of inciting conflict over new problems, just to name a few (Lecture, 11/15/16). For example, John Mueller considers the potential negative consequences of intervention prove that they are insignificant to the cause of humanitarian intervention as a whole. Moreover, with intervention into ethnic conflicts, the outcome, no matter how positive, is overshadowed by a gross exaggeration of negative consequences (Mueller). In both Yugoslavia and Rwanda the solution, to Mueller appeared simple, a well ordered and structured militarized presence was all that was required to end the conflict (Mueller). If this is the case, when discussing whether or not intervention is necessary the political elite must not over-exaggerate the difficulty.
In order to protect national security interests as outlined in the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, the U.S. armed forces must rebalance and be capable of conducting operations across the spectrum of conflict in order to win against both a regular and irregular adversary, combating a wide scope of tactics and strategies ranging from terror tactics to full scale, multi-phased conflict against a peer or near peer by maximizing the capability of the force and nation. When comparing and contrasting U. S. military operations and capabilities with regard to regular versus irregular warfare, it is important to understand the definition of irregular and the spectrum of conflict. In recent history, the term “irregular warfare” has been used interchangeably with or alongside insurgency and counterinsurgency warfare. This usage and comparison is too narrow.... ...
...who have specialist knowledge, experiences, and skills in working on comprehensive peace processes can advise and leverage the support from other sectors of government on behalf of developing a sustainable outcome.