The Pros and Cons of Using Private Military and Security Firms

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has grown steadily since. The private military companies are extremely attractive to former military. Private military companies, security contractors and private military firms do provide so very useful functions and not all of them are paramilitary. Many private military companies such as DynCorp and Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR), a subsidiary of Halliburton, provide more services than just protection. Many functions performed by private military companies include logistical support, transportation, engineering, construction, skilled and unskilled laborers, maintenance, technical expertise and other paramilitary operations. (Kidwell, 2005) The government typically hires private security contractors to provide services that formally belonged to military forces such as the protection of high profile dignitaries and the guarding of military installations overseas. The proliferation of private military companies jumped significantly after the events of 9/11. The Bush Administration enacted a three-phase plan to increase the number of private contractors hired. The first phase in the hiring process was to try to release the military to fight the war on terrorism; the second phase was to allow commanders to focus their efforts on winning the war by outsourcing supplementary functions; third, it would support the President’s Management Agenda. 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 are a crucial issue for the government. One of the most significant challenges in d... ... middle of paper ... ...l/?ots783=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24- a6a8c7060233&lng=en&id=14077 Unknown. (n.d.). International code of conduct for private security service providers. Retrieved from http://www.icoc-psp.org/About_ICoC.html Avant, D. & Sigelman, L. (2010, May 28). Private security and democracy: Lessons from the us in iraq.Security Studies, 19(2), 230-265. Retrieved from http://psm.du.edu/media/documents/related_resources/01_avant_sigelman_private_securi ty_and_democracy.pdf Schooner, S. (2005, June). []. What are some advantages and disadvantages of hiring private contractors?., Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/warriors/faqs/ Elsea, J. K. Congressional Research Service , (2010).Private security contractors in iraq and afghanistan: Legal issues . Retrieved from Congressional Research Service website: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R40991.pdf

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