Private military contractor

Private military contractors (or PMCs), are companies that provide logistics and combat services directly for the military. The term most often refers to the two dozen firms in the United States that provide services directly to The Pentagon and assist in overseas theaters of operation. The Center for Public Integrity reported that since 1994, the Defence Department entered into 3,601 contracts worth $300 billion with 12 U.S. based PMCs.

Some view this as an inevitable cost cutting measure and responsible privatization of critical aspects of the military. However, many feel this is a troubling trend, since these private companies are not directly accountable to Congress. An episode with DynCorp in Bosnia was particularly embarrassing for the U.S. military.

Among the companies in the United States mentioned as PMCs:

• DynCorp
• Kellogg, Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton
• Military Professional Resources
• Carlyle Group, a private military investor

See also: arms trade

External Links

• Corporate Warriors: The Rise and Ramifications of the Privatized Military Industry, by Peter W. Singer, John M. Olin Post-doctoral Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings Institution, Winter 2001-2002. ISBN 0801441145
• Making a Killing: The Business of War, an extensive report by the Center for Public Integrity