Private Military and Security Companies and States

"In this timely and thought-provoking work, Christopher Spearin provides important new insight into the normative, technological and strategic factors that help shape the use of private military and security companies on land, at sea and in the air. The analysis increases our understanding of these commercial actors and the ways in which their past, present and future remains intimately linked to states and the organisation, control, and deployment of military force. This is a significant addition to research in this field and will appeal to students, scholars and policy makers alike."

- Joakim Berndtsson, Associate Professor, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

This book identifies and explains the functional and ideational boundaries regarding what states and Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) both do and possess regarding land power, sea power, and air power. Whereas the mercenaries, privateers, and chartered companies of years past heldsimilar characteristics to state military forces, the PMSCs of today are dissimilar for two reasons: a conventional forces norm amongst states and a state proclivity towards the offensive. These factors reveal both the limitations of and the possibilities for contemporary security privatization. This volume is ideal for civilian and military practitioners and students wishing to develop a detailed understanding of what the private military and security industry has to offer and why it is structured the way it is.