Institute of Mercenary in Conflict: Historical Experience and Modernity

In recent years, the popularity of the word mercenary and the acronym PMCs (private military company) has increased in scientific and public discourses, which a number of experts associate with the changing world order. The article seeks to identify the reasons for the use of mercenary military force by international actors. The author proceeds from the fact that the fundamental reasons of the mercenary-customer partnership, remain unchanged and are not subject to changes occurring both within States and in the international system. These reasons originate from the imperfections of the military apparatus, which are referred to in the article as "flaws". The author identifies 3 levels of flaws: political, organizational and executive. The political level represents the risks associated with the use of military force for the decision-maker. Hired military force is used to hedge such risks. Problems of the organizational level can be seen in various features of the preparation of a military operation and are often associated with the limitations or slowness of the bureaucratic apparatus. The advantage of a private contractor is greater flexibility. Executive-level problems stem from the inefficiency of the armed forces in carrying out specific combat tasks. Mercenaries often have unique skills and embrace innovations faster than the public sector. Despite the fact that more specific reasons for the use of mercenary military force may depend on the characteristics of the historical period and the political system, the three-level classification of flaws is applicable both over the entire time period and in the vast majority of spheres, including cyberspace.

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