CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY DAREN BOWYER JUST WAR DOCTRINE

4.4.1 PMCs
A characteristic of contemporary warfare already noted is an increased involvement of
civilians and, thus, a blurring of traditional boundaries between combatant and non-
combatant, between soldier and civilian. Either through deliberate targeting, use as
shields or simply as a result of the increasing urbanisation of warfare, the civilian
population is now a significant part of the terrain of conflict. Beyond this there is an
ever-increasing range of civilian contractors working in support of the military in an
array of posts that seems to be bringing them interminably closer to actual combat. The
UK, for example, now has Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts for transportation
of heavy armoured vehicles and the ownership, delivery and maintenance – including in
operational theatres – of engineer plant equipment. It must be recognised as a serious
challenge to the concept of warrior’s honour, that we increasingly see on the modern
battlefield those whose motivation is neither duty to country nor personal honour, but
financial reward.
A related trend that can be seen is the increased significance of profit as a motive in
contemporary conflicts. Whilst there have always been those able and ready to turn
warfare to their own financial advantage, today, particularly in those wars resulting
from the failure of states, the economic motive has for many become an object in itself.
If financial gain for some has been a concomitant of ‘old’ wars, it has become a central
focus in ‘new’ ones. New wars demonstrate a commercialization/privatisation that
replaces political and patriotic motivation with financial. 146 Conflict provides the
environment in which opportunistic warlords can gain enormous commercial benefit
through drug and human trafficking as well as the more conventional trade in arms. 147
The nature of the economy generated by the new wars also dictates their character.
Because they rely upon ‘exploitative forms of financing … …. (which) depends on an
atmosphere of insecurity, (there is) a vested interest in perpetuating violence.’ 148
PMCs are, then, but one aspect of this appearance (or more properly, enlargement) of
the profit motive on the battlefield, and one that intersects with the tendency for
increased civilianization. Their emergence as a significant phenomenon can be traced
302