Some have claimed that 'War is too important to be left to the
generals', but P. W. Singer asks 'What about the business
executives?' Breaking out of the guns-for-hire mold of
traditional mercenaries, corporations now sell skills and services
that until recently only state militaries possessed. Their products
range from trained commando teams to strategic advice from
generals.
This new 'Privatized Military Industry' encompasses
hundreds of companies, thousands of employees, and billions of
dollars in revenue. Whether as proxies or suppliers, such firms
have participated in wars in Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and Latin
America. More recently, they have become a key element in U.S.
military operations. Private corporations working for profit now
sway the course of national and international conflict, but the
consequences have been little explored.
In this book, Singer provides the first account of the military
services industry and its broader implications. Corporate Warriors
includes a description of how the business works, as well as
portraits of each of the basic types of companies: military
providers that offer troops for tactical operations; military
consultants that supply expert advice and training; and military
support companies that sell logistics, intelligence, and
engineering.
The privatization of warfare allows startling new capabilities and
efficiencies in the ways that war is carried out. At the same time,
however, Singer finds that the entrance of the profit motive onto
the battlefield raises a series of troubling questions - for
democracy, for ethics, for management, for human rights, and for
national security.
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