Tags: Security, international security, Piracy, Organised crime, Outsourcing, Private security companies, International code of conduct

Private military and security forces, in various forms, have been around for as long as there has been war and insecurity.1 In the first and second centuries BC, Carthaginians used Numidian mercenaries, in the fifth century the Romans used Germanic mercenaries on their northern borders, the Byzantines hired the Spanish in the fourteenth century,2 the English used Prussian “Hessians” in the American War of Independence,3 and the Swiss Guard have been providing protective services to the Vatican since 1506. These forces were used by strong regional and local powers to safeguard or expand territory or other spheres of influence under their control.

Private Military and Security companies.pdf