ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the concepts of professions as well as the military as a profession. It draws upon Samuel Huntington's and others' explorations of the attributes of a professional military, and argues that, according to these conditions, the military is a profession. The chapter contrasts these conditions of the professional military with those of privatized military. It also argues that, although there are many similarities, and perhaps some conditions overlap, the professional military is distinct from private security companies (PSCs) and private military companies (PMCs). Armed contractors, while perhaps professional in some sense, are not members of a profession. The chapter explores these distinctions to demonstrate how PSCs and PMCs broadly are incompatible with professional militaries and how they pose a serious challenge to the military as a profession. An erosion of the society's military profession affects the civil-military relationships of that society.
