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The military sector hasn’t always been dominated by conventional armed forces. There has been evidence of paid mercenaries found as far back as the 6th century BC when Ancient Greek tyrants would hire bodyguards from other city states. The trend seemingly died out over the first half of the 20th century but has seen a resurgence in the 21st century. In 2003, at the start of the Iraq war there were 10 U.S. Military personnel for every private contractor but by 2007 there were more private contractors than conventional soldiers.

This Adam Smith Institute webinar explores the world of private military companies, looking at the role they play, how to regulate them when they act beyond their powers, and the direction of travel in the field.

In this webinar we will be joined by:

Joe Bradshaw, Research Associate at the Adam Smith Institute (host)
Alexander Stronell from the International Institute of Strategic Studies
Andrew Farquhar, Managing Director at GardaWorld
Dr Andreas Krieg from the School of Security Studies at King’s College London