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Topic: Military companies


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In the News (Sat 19 Dec 09)

  
  Company (military unit) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100-200 soldiers.
In the United States military, infantry companies are usually made up of three rifle platoons and a heavy weapons platoon; tank companies are usually made up of three tank platoons and a command element.
A notable exception is The Royal Canadian Regiment which names its companies sequentially throughout the regiment from the Duke of Edinburgh's Company (instead of A Company) in the 1st Battalion to Z Company in the 4th Battalion.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Company_(military_unit)   (572 words)

  
 Humanitarian Practice Network   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
While it is clear that private military companies and their employees, as well as the states that hire them, are responsible for any violations of international humanitarian law which may be committed, in practice mechanisms for holding them accountable, and if necessary bringing these companies and their employees to justice, often do not exist.
Companies and their staff may have been granted immunity from prosecution before the courts of the countries where they work, or courts may not be operating because of the conflict.
This dialogue with the private military sector will be complemented by a parallel dialogue with the state entities directly linked to the phenomenon, because they hire private military contractors, because they benefit from their services, or because they are the state where the companies are registered.
www.odihpn.org /report.asp?ID=2675   (1984 words)

  
 Corporate Research E-Letter No. 30: Private Military Companies   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Private military companies have to be registered with the U.S. government and must apply for a license with the U.S State Department in order to export their services abroad, under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) Law.
Private military companies, while not technically fitting the definition of mercenaries under Article 47 of the Geneva Convention (i.e., persons recruited for armed conflict by or in a country other than their own and motivated solely by personal gain), in reality, are often no different from mercenaries.
As employees of a company, rather than the U.S. government/military, the accused were able to avoid trial by a military court.
www.corp-research.org /dec02.htm   (1497 words)

  
 Private Military Companies
The private military company is no longer a small company built by a few veteran soldiers, it is now big business.
Halliburton is a private military company which specializes in energy and infrastructure.
Vinnell Corporation, is a private military company which is a recognized leader in facilities operation and maintenance, military training, educational and vocational training, and logistics support in the United States and overseas.
www.fortliberty.org /private-military-companies.shtml   (1444 words)

  
 Soldiers of Good Fortune
Private military companies supply bodyguards for the president of Afghanistan, construct detention camps to hold suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, and pilot armed reconnaissance planes and helicopter gunships to eradicate coca crops in Colombia.
Private military companies emphasize their patriotism and expertise, positioning themselves as a sort of corporate battalion staffed by ex-soldiers who remain eager to serve their country.
There are no such restrictions on for-profit companies, though, and since the late 1990s, the United States has paid private military companies an estimated $1.2 billion, both to eradicate coca crops and to help the Colombian army put down rebels who use the drug trade to finance their insurgency.
www.motherjones.com /news/feature/2003/05/ma_365_01.html   (4289 words)

  
 Private Military Corporations - SourceWatch
Private military corporations, private military firms, private military companies, military services providers, the privatized military industry are all attempts to label the phenomena of private companies offering services on the world market that have normally been duties of national military forces.
The single largest issue introduced by the evolution of military services by the private sector is the degree to which corporations are now transcending the power of governments, rising as an influential variable within international and regional diplomacy, and redefining sovereignty in the 21st century.
Companies are developing to meet the security needs of cities and companies subject to terrorist or other attacks on shipments.
www.sourcewatch.org /wiki.phtml?title=Private_Military_Corporations   (3901 words)

  
 International Peace Operations Association   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
While there is general acceptance for the use of private security companies to protect mines and oil facilities in areas of armed conflict, it is ironic that protecting people is a concept still jealously reserved for state militaries.
Western governments' reluctance to use their own capable militaries for humanitarian interventions or international peace operations in even the direst of circumstances has played into the hands of warlords and dictators while allowing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
The downside is that companies passing through ITAR are assumed to have the tacit endorsement of the U.S. government for their activities.
www.ipoaonline.org /news/Brookspaper.htm   (2008 words)

  
 In Focus: Privatizing Military Training
British companies were involved in the Middle East and Africa in the 1950s and 1960s, and the U.S. hired companies to train the Vietnamese forces in the 1960s.
Because military training is today a larger part of American foreign policy and because more of this training is being privatized, the implications of privatizing training must be considered carefully.
Finally, the companies themselves are liberally sprinkled with retired military officers, leaving military attaches to, in some instances, oversee their former bosses, perhaps hampering careful supervision.
www.lightparty.com /Politics/ForeignPolicy/FPIP-5-17.html   (2456 words)

  
 Foreign Policy In Focus | Policy Brief | Privatizing Military Training
Although private military companies have long performed covert and unsavory tasks, today’s PMCs are seeking to polish their image as legitimate firms.
Military training is said to further U.S. contact with other countries, to aid in the spread of democracy and good civil-military relations, and to enhance specific U.S. strategic concerns.
British companies were involved in the Middle East and Africa in the 1950s and 1960s, and the U.S. contracted companies to train Vietnamese forces in the 1960s.
www.fpif.org /briefs/vol7/v7n06miltrain_body.html   (2711 words)

  
 What are PMCs? - Private Military Companies @ PRIVATEFORCES.COM - PMC - Links - Ressources   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Private military firms are an outgrowth of the age-old practice of mercenary warfare.
Military provider firms, also commonly known as “private military companies” or “PMCs,” offer direct tactical military assistance to clients, including serving in front-line combat.
For example, advice from MPRI (Military Professional Resources Incorporated), a firm based in Alexandria, Virginia, is generally credited with turning the ill-trained Croat militia into a professional-like army that carried out the highly successful “Operation Storm” in 1995 in which Croat soldiers captured the Serbian-held region of Krajina.
www.privateforces.com /index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&It...   (425 words)

  
 Private Military Armies
Though the development of states hiring "companies" to preform the tasks that were once the domain of govrenments may seem new, in fact the outsourcing of private military armies states has a long history dating back to ancient times in the Greek, Roman and Chineses civilizations.
The demand for military assistance from unstable regimes has coincided with the major powers disengagment from the same regions because they no longer find it in their strategic interests and are incapable of fighting low intensity conflicts.
The dilemma to hire or not to hire private military companies is likely to persist as states fragment, ethnic and civil wars break out and weak and emerging states lack the ability to raise and maintain national armies that provide for their own security.
newarkwww.rutgers.edu /global/sanchez.htm   (2817 words)

  
 Mercenary / Private Military Companies (PMCs)
The cases that attract most attention are those where a government employs a private military company to help it in a conflict — as the governments of Sierra Leone and Angola have done.
The cost of employing private military companies for certain functions in UN operations could be much lower than that of national armed forces.
One of the reasons for considering the option of a licensing regime is that it may be desirable to distinguish between reputable and disreputable private sector operators, to encourage and support the former while, as far as possible, eliminating the latter.
www.globalsecurity.org /military/world/para/mercenary.htm   (952 words)

  
 Citizen Works - Private Military Companies
Such is the perverse logic behind private military companies (PMCs) like Dyncorp and MPRI, which provide support and combat services directly to the Pentagon.
The result is that private military companies add an extra layer of secrecy to military activities.
Two of the dominant private military companies are Dyncorp Inc. and Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI).
www.citizenworks.org /corp/pmc.php   (280 words)

  
 Peacekeeper and Military Troop Training and Private Military Companies - Global Policy Forum - Security Council
A spokesman from a private military company insists that his company’s “special constabulary force” could have quickly captured Liberian President Charles Taylor and spared the country from recent bloodshed.
Private Military Companies (PMCs) are often considered as “immoral profiteers.” Contrary to the negative image however, PMCs are increasingly taking on the appearance of corporate consulting firm, according to a controversial perspective.
It calls itself a “private military company” and says it offers “military expertise in conflict resolution.” Many governments consider this and other mercenary companies as an alternative to UN peacekeeping.
www.globalpolicy.org /security/peacekpg/reform/training.htm   (1684 words)

  
 Pakistan Times | Top Story: 'World being ruled by private military companies'
In its place are entrepreneurs, selling arms or military expertise and support, and companies, whose drilling and mining in some of the hottest spots often prolong conflict and instability.
Additionally, the military downsizing that followed the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union flooded the market with surplus arms and trained soldiers looking for a job.
These companies do not present the underbelly of war commerce and, indeed, their supporters argue that PMCs save lives and bolster security, all while being more cost-efficient than national militaries or international peacekeeping operations.
www.pakistantimes.net /2005/02/24/top9.htm   (515 words)

  
 The American Voice 2004 - Issues and Allegations - Military Privatization
Conservatives argue that employing the military for non-combat operations weakens the military by distracting from its core mission of fighting wars abroad.
Conservatives argue the military should not be used in actions that are not fundamental to national security, such as drug interdiction and nation building.
Liberals say private military companies fill a demand for security that would otherwise be met by increasing the number of U.S. troops deployed, or by convincing allies to send troops.
www.americanvoice2004.org /privatization/militarypriv.html   (3548 words)

  
 frontline: private warriors: interviews: doug brooks | PBS
Now, you didn't have big companies like Halliburton back in 1776, but there were small firms and individuals who did the stuff, and of course merchant ships, which are a larger sort of company.
In this interview, he describes how the U.S. military's use of private contractors has evolved since George Washington's era and explains that the industry's role in Iraq is proportionally greater because in addition to providing security, it is supporting both the military's logistical needs and Iraq's reconstruction needs.
The military is about a third smaller now than it was at the end of the Cold War, and yet I would argue it's much more effective.
www.pbs.org /wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/warriors/interviews/brooks.html   (5512 words)

  
 Military Contractors   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Even the U.S. military has become one of the prime clients of the industry, with private firms now providing the logistics of every major U.S. military deployment, maintaining such strategic weapons systems as the B-2 stealth bomber and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle, and taking over the ROTC programs in over 200 American universities.
The growth of these companies over the past decade is attributable to several factors: a trend toward outsourcing in business and government, the overextension of the U.S. military, and the increased frequency of conflict in a post-Cold War world.
Military contractors involved in abuses: "Sixteen of the 44 incidents of abuse the Army's latest reports say happened at Abu Ghraib involved private contractors outside the domain of both the U.S. military and the U.S. government.
www.topsy.org /contractors.html   (3144 words)

  
 The Pentagon's Private Corps
Yeoman found that private military companies were playing a key role in preparing the war with Iraq, supplying essential support to military bases in the Gulf, operating mess halls and delivering meals, providing security and maintaining weapons systems.
Critics say the use of private companies introduces a host of problems, stemming above all from the fact that private companies are not as accountable as military personnel.
Operating outside the bounds of military command and justice, employees of private companies, if they feel an environment is too dangerous, are under no obligation to put themselves at risk.
www.motherjones.com /news/update/2003/10/we_597_01.html   (1349 words)

  
 Soldiers of Good Fortune   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Many are staffed with retired military officers who are well connected at the Pentagon—putting them in a prime position to influence government policy and drive more business to their firms.
Because the Geneva Convention expressly bans the use of mercenaries—individual soldiers of fortune who fight solely for personal gain—private military companies are careful to distance themselves from any associations with such hired guns.
In most cases, private military companies can legally withdraw their employees if faced with danger in a combat zone—an escape clause that worries many military officials.
www.barryyeoman.com /articles/soldiersfortune.html   (4077 words)

  
 Project Censored Media democracy in action
Any function that can be provided by the private sector is not a core government function.” The U.S. military has contracted with private military companies on everything from kitchen and laundry duty to domestic recruiting efforts.
Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) is a subsidiary of Halliburton, the energy company formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney.
Whereas it used to take 120-180 days to deploy private companies to foreign military bases, a 72-hour notice is now all that is required.
www.projectcensored.org /publications/2004/20.html   (773 words)

  
 CorpWatch : WORLD: Private Military Companies Seek a Image Change   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
The business of war is being progressively privatised around the world and Iraq has helped lift the veil of mystery that surrounds the private military industry.
companies are involved on the battlefield more than ever.
Companies providing those services are reaping big windfalls.
www.warprofiteers.com /article.php?id=11725   (660 words)

  
 Welcome to PrivateMilitary.org (The Private Military Companies Weblink!)   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Privatization of security and military outsourcing trends are established features of the post-Cold War world.
PMCs are legally established enterprises that profit from the offering of military and security-related expertise that used to be considered the preserve of the state.
by consolidating a representative sample of the growing number of hyperlinks that point out at sources and aspects of the PMC subject, is a key source of information for those interested in the Private Military Company.
www.privatemilitary.org   (102 words)

  
 Iraq Business News : Converting military companies to produce civil products
Ministry of Industry and Minerals is considering the conversion of production in former military industrialization companies to civil production.
The general director of development and industrial research staff said that they are working on submitting civil projects to those companies, which were producing weapons.
These companies will implement water purification and filtering projects in addition to some sewerage water projects.
www.iraqdirectory.com /files/articles/article098.htm   (91 words)

  
 NakedWife virus hits U.S. military, companies | CNET News.com
Four different antivirus software companies have reported that at least 68 organizations have computers infected by the virus.
"At the onset, (those infected were) strictly military," said Patrick Nolan, an antivirus researcher with McAfee's Antivirus Emergency Research Team, adding that three of the 18 organizations so far infected with the virus were part of the U.S. military.
Computer services company Computer Associates said 10 of its corporate customers had also reported infections but would not discuss whether any customers were military.
news.com.com /2009-1001-253651.html   (584 words)

  
 EEG News: Uneasy Alliance: Military, Game Companies Struggle
The interesting take-away is that some are wondering if game companies are using government funding to develop commercially viable software that can be used in games sold to the public, while providing sub-standard tools to the military.
For years, of course, government funding has helped technology advancements happen (thank you Internet) -- but that has mainly happened through research labs and other places that are more familiar, and accountable, to bureaucratic organizations.
It's likely that the relationship between the military and Hollywood/game companies will deteriorate rather quickly since neither side likely has realistic expectations about what the other will provide.
weblogs.variety.com /eeg_news/2005/02/uneasy_alliance.html   (231 words)

  
 CorpWatch : WORLD: Private Military Companies Operate in 100 Nations   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
CorpWatch : WORLD: Private Military Companies Operate in 100 Nations
WORLD: Private Military Companies Operate in 100 Nations
At least 90 Private Military Companies are involved in the business of war and killing innocent people by operating in 110 countries worldwide, says a report by journalist Nasir Mahmood.
www.corpwatch.org /article.php?id=11902   (557 words)

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