Private Military Companies in Australia's Areas of Interest

Private Military Companies reports

A 29 page report on Private Military Companies has been released this month by Tim Robertson and Christiaan Durrant from ATACs.

You can download the report here.

Overview

The last seven years has seen a substantial increase in the use of private military companies (PMCs) around the world to provide security training, logistics support and armed security.

They are increasingly interacting with the Australian Defence Force, Australian businesses and non-government organisations (NGOs).

The agenda is no longer about the merits of PMCs. It is now about how does the Australian Government, ADF, Government Agencies and Australian businesses and NGOs effectively work with PMCs strategically and operationally, and how to best protect the interests of all parties.

Forum Objectives

This Forum aims to:

• Contribute to the development of the defence white paper and national security strategy by identifying the role and implications of PMCs
• Identify the extent to which outsourcing of traditional military and government tasks has occurred to PMCs and the degree of dependence on PMC services for global security
• Identify the trends of PMC growth with implications for the structure and training of conventional armed forces
• Identify trends in the use of PMCs by industry, NGOs and government agencies
• Define the legal framework and regulation of Australian-related PMCs operating in foreign countries
• Identify the key initiatives and players in enhancing standards and regulations relevant to PMCs
• Determine if there is a need for an Australian association of PMCs to advance the interests of PMCs, government and clients

Key issues

• Lessons of PMC successes and challenges
• Impact of PMC growth on ADF and police retention
• Different roles for PMCs before, during and after a conflict
• Use of PMC in sensitive areas, eg interrogation and intelligence
• Use of PMC in Australia’s area of operation
• Cooperation between PMC and humanitarian organisations
• Legal status of PMC, and implications for humanitarian law, protection and accountability
• Relationship of PMC and Australia’s national interest
• PMC self-regulation
• Best-practice codes of practice and sanctions for PMCs
• Australian-related PMCs and their operations and capabilities