New Publication Examines the Effects of Private Military and Security Companies

12 March 2025

Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) have long operated on the edges of conflict, providing everything from combat support to site protection and logistical services. However, a small subset — which this research calls the '1%' — has evolved into something more complex on the border of private enterprise, state-backed militias, and mercenaries.

Our latest research brief, The 1%: Doing Business With Proxy Military Companies, authored by Associate Researcher Robin van der Lugt, examines how these entities — termed 'proxy military companies' — have reshaped warfare, international law, and global stability. Unlike conventional PMSCs, these groups are not independent security contractors operating in competitive markets. Instead, they function as extensions of state power, conducting combat operations, hybrid warfare, and resource exploitation on behalf of authoritarian regimes.

The report highlights key actors in this space, including Russia’s now-rebranded Wagner Group, Türkiye’s SADAT, and UAE-backed combat surrogates. These entities operate with near-total impunity, exploiting legal loopholes and plausible deniability to evade accountability. The report asserts that their emergence represents more than just an evolution of private military forces; it signals a return to Cold War-style proxy warfare, where states outsource violence while avoiding direct responsibility. 

One risk, explains Erica Harper, Head of Research and Policy Studies at the Geneva Academy, is a lowering of the entry barriers to conflict. 'Part of the attractiveness of PMCs is that they can break rules that States can’t or shouldn’t. A rule free zone that is beyond the reach of international accountability interrupts the system’s ability to uphold peace and security. Left too long, this may spill over into a new normal around inter-State conduct at a time when the system lacks the robustness to self correct.'

Robin van der Lugt explains, 'Existing regulatory frameworks, such as the Montreux Document and the International Code of Conduct (ICoC), were designed to bring oversight to PMSCs operating in commercial markets. However, these guidelines fail to address state-sponsored entities whose actions are driven by geopolitical strategy rather than market forces. The result is a system ill-equipped to regulate modern PMSCs that act as covert arms of state policy rather than independent contractors.'

The paper argues for a critical reclassification of these entities, explaining that terms such as 'private military company' fail to capture their true nature, obscuring their direct ties to state interests. Instead, recognizing them as proxy military companies or contractual proxies more accurately reflects their role in contemporary conflicts and underscores the urgent need for new accountability mechanisms.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

disops News

Impact of digital disinformation unpacked in new research brief series

9 April 2025

Our new series of Research Briefs examine the impact of digital disinformation and potential solutions for its regulation

Read more

News

The Jean-Pictet Competition: Learning Beyond the Classroom

10 December 2024

Each year, the Geneva Academy sends a team of students to the Jean-Pictet Competition. Participating in this leading moot court is a life-changing experience and an integral part of our programmes.

Read more

Warzone Event

Advanced IHL Seminar for Academics and Policymakers

25-29 August 2025, 09:00-17:30

Co-hosted with the ICRC, this event aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research international humanitarian law, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates.

Read more

Event

Strengths and Challenges of Inter-State Applications Before the European Court of Human Rights

12 May 2025, 18:30-20:00

In this Geneva Academy Talk Judge Lətif Hüseynov will discuss the challenges of inter-State cases under the ECHR, especially amid rising conflict-related applications.

Read more

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Booklet Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

7-11 July 2025

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

Read more

Asian workers working at technology production factory with industrial machines Training

Business and Human Rights

19-23 May 2025

This training course will examine how the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have been utilized to advance the concept of business respect for human rights throughout the UN system, the impact of the Guiding Principles on other international organizations, as well as the impact of standards and guidance developed by these different bodies.

Read more

Project

The Lake Room Initiative (Space for Dialogue)

Started in February 2024

Read more

A destroyed camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Khor Abeche, South Darfur, Project

Understanding the Relationship between Conflict, Security and the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

Started in May 2023

This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.

Read more

Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

Read more

Cover Page of Research Brief Publication

War on Minorities’ Under the Guise of Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism

published on December 2024

Beatrice Meretti

Read more