CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY DAREN BOWYER JUST WAR DOCTRINE

Concerns remain, then, about the growth of this sector. Jackson 156 and Singer 157 point
to the following key difficulties with PMCs:
First and foremost the profit motive which clearly distinguishes PMCs from the
military; the incentives of PMCs do not necessarily align with government
interest and policy. Not least, they have a vested interest in continuing conflict.
There have also been occasions on which PMCs have abandoned contracts when
they have become too costly or dangerous;
Secondly, industry standards of self-regulation. Whilst, as noted above, it is
generally in the interests of the big players to ensure the quality and
professionalism of their staff, sometimes the speed of events leads to corner-
cutting. There is plenty of evidence of this having happened as recruiting
expanded exponentially to fill the market after the 2003 invasion and occupation
of Iraq;
The third issue, which is also one of PMCs’ attractions, is the lack of
democratic accountability of their actions, since they can be used as surrogates
when official government action would be politically unacceptable;
Fourth is the legal (and we might add, moral) grey area they create;
And, finally, there is the impact on the military profession itself. PMCs are a
challenge to the military profession’s ‘uniqueness’; potentially a draw for
trained – but financially disaffected – manpower; and, central to the argument of
this thesis, represent a challenge to the core values of the warrior code.
On the other hand, PMCs, operating to the laws of market forces, are clearly filling a
gap. It is a gap that many in the military may feel should never have been opened but it
is a gap that nevertheless exists. As governments have sought to outsource greater and
greater ranges of activity traditionally the preserve of the public sector, the military has
not been exempt. It seems most unlikely that this particular clock could ever be turned
back. The British Army today, and it is not alone, is struggling to recruit to
establishment. It is certainly not in a position, however much soldiers might wish that
it were, to return to uniform those many support services that have been civilianised and
contractorised over the last two decades. Indeed, the trend remains firmly in the other
direction.
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