Defense or Offense? Carmola wants to know

Author: Joe Bergan

DynCorp. Blackwater. Janusian - While these names may be foreign to some Americans, they constitute the most influential companies currently serving on the front lines side by side with American troops. And these are just a handful of the hundreds of privately owned global security forces active around the globe.

The world of military defense is often nebulous territory, as C.A. Johnson Fellow in Political Philosophy Kateri Carmola is discovering as she begins writing a new book focusing on law, ethics and private contracting in warfare.

"In warfare, like sports, defensive is often very much offensive and it's often almost a paper thin line between what you call defensive and what you call offensive," says Carmola.

Private security companies are either privately or publicly-held entities that provide security services on a contractual basis for government agencies and larger corporations. However, this definition is not always so clear. A cursory glance at some of these corporations' websites reveals just how murky defining private security contracting can be. DynCorp's site maintains that they are "building on 60 years of innovation and trust," and technically, the company is a "multifaceted, global enterprise that provides innovative solutions to the diverse technology and professional services needs of government and commercial industry worldwide."

However, some are more direct. Blackwater's website proudly states that it is "not simply a 'private security company.' We are a professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping and stability operations firm who provides turnkey solutions."

Carmola describes such 'turnkey solutions' as "the most offensive, defensive security," adding that,"[Blackwater employees] have actually engaged in combat next to U.S. troops."

Carmola acknowledges that she is currently working on a very hot topic, but her path was not always so clear.

"I first came to the project because I was looking at the legal and ethical problems that first surfaced after 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan," she says. Researching Afghanistan, Carmola looked closely at the Northern Alliance. "I began becoming interested in what happens when we use what are called proxy forces, or indigenious forces that we are supporting with money, logistics or advice, who do not abide by the same relative standards of ethics," she says.

A student paper on "Executive Outcomes," an African-based security contractor, provided the necessary spark for Carmola's work. "Executive Outcomes" was a private company, therefore, a force that is neither indigenous nor governmental. With her draft due at the end of the summer, Carmola is in the midst of writing and researching exactly how these companies interact with the political science of war and law.

"These companies are like any corporate entity," says Carmola. The company may start small, using the same methods as the local baker or McDonalds with some start up money, and then either grow into or be absorbed by a larger corporate entity. "Sometimes they are privately funded, sometimes they go public."

"Right now, there are 25,000 - 30,000 armed security people in Iraq, just private security," she says. However, these companies are global in scope. These companies make money by obtaining contracts either from governments or other corporations to police and secure areas. In places such as the former Yugoslavia - "[The United States] does not have peacekeepers any more, we have DynCorp," said Carmola. With a real need for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, these ex-military types currently fill the shoes of old Military Police, in peacekeeping situations.

Carmola adds that the U.N. model of peacekeeping has come into question after the realization of the effectiveness of these armies-for-hire.

These contractors also affect more than peacekeeping and combat."There's a lot of insurance policy that has been woven into this business, through corporate kidnap and ransom insurance," says Carmola, as not only governments but also television networks need the security forces to obtain insurance. Carmola cites the American Broadcasting Company as a corporation that has contracted these services. If they don't have the security, the reporters lose their life insurance.

As the United States continues to be active in foreign combat, private security forces will continue to play a large role in foreign policy. "It has become a hot topic since I have been covering it," Carmola said about her book. Although you probably have never heard of Blackwater, if the United States government and Carmola's predictions are correct, you will definitely know them by name soon enough.