History of Mercenarism and the Framework for Operation of the U.S. Private Military Contractors: New Revelations for China

Abstract

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the USSR, the security functions of the country, which were traditionally considered as those that belonged to the state, are increasingly being transferred to the private sector. Private military contractors (PMCs) are rapidly developing and playing an increasingly important role in local wars and regional conflicts around the world. In this article, the author tried to reflect on two main topics: what were the origins and evolution of mercenarism and what activities do American PMCs conduct? To answer these questions, a deep study of the history of mercenarism and the functioning of US PMCs was carried out. As a result of research, we see that the corporate culture of US PMCs with the support of the government should be underestimated, although they still experience many difficulties in their development. Their experience needs to be studied and applied to solve many problems, in particular, to ensure the safety of the Chinese nationals and Chinese companies operating abroad.