Private Military Force as strategy to counter hybrid threats

Date
2022-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Today, the international community faces a diffuse, shifting, and controversial set of security challenges. On the one hand, hybrid warfare creates both conceptual and strategic challenges, as various aspects of strategy constitute legally prohibited forms of intervention against hybrid threats. On the other hand, the partitions inherent in the modern strategic landscape can be described as decidedly anti-strategic; where the use of conventional military force is constantly being delegitimised, criticised, and in more extreme cases, criminalised. This has resulted in an increasing disconnect between the political intentions of states and the strategic effect of their armed forces, particularly when facing strategic problems characterised by hybridity. Although the employment of private military forces is almost universally condemned, these forces have often played crucial roles in conflicts, and today impact both the process and outcomes of conflicts due to the unique capabilities they offer. As such, this study researches the notion of private military force as strategy to counter hybrid threats. Underlying the aim of this research are the following questions: is the notion of private military force a strategic concept? Why employ private military force as strategy to counter hybrid threats and how to employ private military force as strategy to counter hybrid threats? The findings reached from this study suggest that if private military forces are theoretically and contextually coherent, scaled according to suggested internal and external constraints, and employed in pursuit of threats characterised by hybridity, then private military force as strategy to counter hybrid threats is a compelling notion. This study relies on unobtrusive, qualitative content analysis on secondary sources of literature. Data collection is systematic by means of thorough examination; it is evidence-based and presented in an unbiased manner. Literature sources include official publications, scholarly literature on the subject, books, and media reporting.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Westerse moondhede staar omvattende, veranderende, en kontroversiele veiligheidsuitdagings in die gesig. Aan die eenkant skep hibriede oorlogvoering konseptuele en strategiese uitdagings deurdat verskeie kompleksiteite van strategie dit wetlik en andersins onmoontlik maak om hibriede bedreigings effektief aan te spreek. Aan die anderkant kan die inherente verdeeldheid in die moderne strategiese landskap gesien word as bloot anti-strategies tot die mate dat die gebruik van konvensionele militere mag deurgaans ge-delegitimiseer, gekritiseer, en in meer kritieke gevalle, selfs gekriminaliseer word. Gevolglik is daar ʼn groterwordende ontkoppeling of ontknoping tussen die politieke doelstellings van Westerse state in die internasionale politiek en die strategiese effek van hul gewapende magte; veral wanneer komplekse strategiese probleme soos gekenmerk deur hibriditeite gekonfronteer word. Ten spyte van die feit dat die gebruik van privaat en gekontrakteerde vegters amper universeel veroordeel word, speel private militere magte tog dikwels ‘n uiters belangrike rol in konflik situasies, met ʼn beduidende impak op proses en uitkoms gefasiliteer deur die unieke vaardighede en vermoens wat hierdie magte aan ʼn staat bied. Gevolglik is daar ʼn behoefte om privaat militere magte se potensiele bydrae tot suksesvolle strategiese uitkomste teen hibriede bedreigings onder die die soeklig te plaas. Die onderliggende primere doelstellings van hierdie navorsingstudie onderskryf dus die volgende vrae: Waarom sou ʼn staat private militere magte gebruik om hibriede bedreigings af te weer? En hoe behoort ʼn staat privaat militere magte te gebruik om hibriede bedreings af te weer? Die studie maak gebruik van kwalitatiewe inhoudsanalise van die beskikbare literatuur oor privaat veiligheidsmagte om bogenoemde vrae te ondersoek. Die literatuuroorsig vir die studie fokus op amptelike en vakkundige publikasies, boeke, en media berigte. Die studie bevind dat private militere magte strategiese effektief teen hibriede bedreigings aangewend kan word indien privaat militere magte samehangend en kontekstueel in lyn met interne en eksterne beleidsbeperkings, en gefokus op die militere en politieke doelstellings van die staat, aangewend word.
Description
Thesis (MMil)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
Hybrid warfare, Safety measures, Private military companies, Landscaping, UCTD
Citation