Markets in the Making of Multilateral Military Interventions (4MI): International Organizations and Private Military and Security Companies

The contemporary proliferation of PMSCs is attracting considerable attention. In particular, their involvement in the military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan where they already outnumber US soldiers is controversially debated. The suggestion that local PMSCs hired by NATO forces to protect supply convoys have diverted funds to the Taliban has led to new criticisms of the industry. At the same time the case illustrates that there is very little known about the collaboration between international organizations and PMSCs. While there has been a growing literature on the outsourcing of military and security services by the US and the UK, research on whether and how international organizations use PMSCs has been largely theoretical or based on anecdotal evidence.

This project addresses this gap by examining the collaboration between the UN, NATO and the EU and major PMSCs in the four largest ongoing military interventions on land and sea:
(1) the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
(2) the NATO operation in Afghanistan,
(3) the EU intervention in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and
(4) their interconnected maritime operations against pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

The key question of the research is: When (and why) does the collaboration between international organizations and PMSCs in multilateral military operations impact negatively on the achievement of mission objectives? Assuming that negative effects are not only attributable to the companies, but also to the organizations that hire them, the project examines equally the practices of both actors. It investigates specifically how the distinct practices of international organizations and PMSCs in the areas of regulation, operation and representation shape their interaction and impact on the main objectives of military operations, such as the provision of a stable and secure environment and/or security sector reform. Building on the Theory of Practices and existing PMSC research, the project develops an innovative theoretical perspective to test and possibly revise three broad hypotheses on what kinds of practices may have negative consequences for each mission.

The relevance of this project is highlighted by the fact that international organizations and their member states are increasingly pressed to reconcile their ambitions and responsibilities for global security governance with smaller armed forces and financial resources. The need for an integration of civilian and military capabilities, including the use of PMSCs, has been put at the forefront by many Western governments, also in the UK. As a result the question of whether and under what circumstances the international collaboration with PMSCs has negative consequences is of increased importance. In future multilateral interventions policy makers, military planners and the public will have to consider carefully whether and how PMSCs may play a part.

This project makes a major contribution to national and international policy making by helping them to assess the implications. But the research also benefits international organizations and the private military and security industry. By analysing which practices are supportive or detrimental to their collaboration and the overarching security objectives of the mission, the project provides vital guidance for both actors. Finally, the project has major applications to global security governance. Its focus on the impacts of current organizational and corporate practices aims to improve the provision of security in and by multilateral military interventions. The research findings thus contribute to increasing security for international military and civilian staff as well as for the populations of the host nations, which are often among the most vulnerable.

The project benefits a broad range of public and business users. Since the UK Strategic Defence and Security Review (2010: 3) has identified the integration of civilian and military capabilities as a key strategy for conflict interventions the research is directly relevant to British policy makers. The project assists the government in its assessment of how the collaboration between international organizations and PMSCs affects its security objectives and policies as a major contributor to multilateral military operations. In addition, it advises policy makers on how the practices of PMSCs may be improved in order to answer public concerns about the UK as home state of a large PMSC industry. To achieve these aims the project provides the British government with new empirical data and analysis of the involvement and impact of PMSCs on multilateral military interventions. Importantly, its focus on the interaction between business and international organizational practices and how they shape the provision of security governance suggests new and creative solutions for improving the participation of PMSCs in military interventions, including but also going beyond national and international regulation.

The project is equally relevant to decision makers and planners in the UN, NATO and the EU as well as other international organizations involved in global security governance. Since the former have, until recently, hired PMSCs primarily to fill urgent operational requirements there is a lack of planning and knowledge with regard to the consequences. The research informs these organizations about the potential benefits and problems of this collaboration by identifying where the regulatory, operational and representation practices of PMSCs support or clash with their own and how this impacts on the realization of key mission objectives. It also supports international organizations in identifying best practices that enhance their interaction with PMSCs.

A third beneficiary are the national military contingents which carry out multilateral operations and interact directly with PMSCs. As a report by FINABEL (2008), the organization of the Chiefs of Staff of the Armies in Europe, suggests, military commanders are concerned about the wide variety of policies on PMSCs. The project helps to address these concerns by providing a comparative analysis of the regulatory and operational practices of the UN, NATO and the EU with regards to PMSCs. In addition, the research informs military leaders and planner about the distinct ways of thinking about and implementing security that characterize PMSCs and may impact on military interventions.

Finally, the project assists in making British PMSCs more successful in an increasingly competitive global market. The UK's security industry is the largest and most respected outside the US. Nevertheless, the downscaling of the interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan is forcing also British companies to search for new markets. The provision of services to international organizations and maritime operations has been identified as two areas for growth. So far, however, many international organizations have been reluctant to use PMSCs because of negative publicity and impacts on the ground. The project advises PMSCs on how they can improve their business practices in the areas of regulation, organization and representation. For this it has gained the support of ADS, the UK government's partner in the regulation of PMSCs, and the British Association of Private Security Companies (see letters of support). By reframing the issue of collaboration in terms of whether and what corporate practices undermine or support those of international organizations and their security objectives, the project suggests new ways of thinking about promoting their services that go beyond efficiency and effectiveness and give greater concern to their political, societal and security impacts in international interventions.