ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors review a brief history of private military and security companies (PMSC) and the theoretical basis for their arguments, and discuss the international relations literature on interactions between the domestic and international realms, as well as war studies literature on the changing nature of modern warfare. They highlight two issue areas of military-contractor co-deployment, which any effective PMSC regulation must address: the serious and sometimes fatal co-ordination difficulties that arise in co-deploying military and contractors, and the insufficiency of domestic and international attempts to address legal grey areas for contractors’ status on the battlefield. The proliferation of private military and security companies in the modern world is clearly a multi-faceted issue begging for analysis on many levels. The authors conclude by identifying existing gaps in regulation, and recommending a comprehensive programme of regulation that would combine domestic legal regulations with industry-wide standards and, eventually, international regulation or standards.
