Victory for Hire: Private Security Companies’ Impact on Military Effectiveness

At peak utilization, private security contractors (PSCs) constituted a larger occupying force in Iraq and Afghanistan than did U.S. troops. Yet, no book has so far assessed the impact of private security companies on military effectiveness. Filling that gap, Molly Dunigan reveals how the increasing tendency to outsource missions to PSCs has significant ramifications for both tactical and long-term strategic military effectiveness―and for the likelihood that the democracies that deploy PSCs will be victorious in warfare, both over the short- and long-term. She highlights some of the ongoing problems with deploying large numbers of private security contractors alongside the military, specifically identifying the deployment scenarios involving PSCs that are most likely to have either positive or negative implications for military effectiveness. She then provides detailed recommendations to alleviate these problems. Given the likelihood that the U.S. will continue to use PSCs in future contingencies, this book has real implications for the future of U.S. military and foreign policy.

Engineering & Transportation

Dunigan, Molly

Engineering

Stanford Security Studies

At peak utilization, private security contractors (PSCs) constituted a larger occupying force in Iraq and Afghanistan than did U.S. troops. Yet, no book has so far assessed the impact of private security companies on military effectiveness. Filling that gap, Molly Dunigan reveals how the increasing tendency to outsource missions to PSCs has significant ramifications for both tactical and long-term strategic military effectiveness―and for the likelihood that the democracies that deploy PSCs will be victorious in warfare, both over the short- and long-term. She highlights some of the ongoing problems with deploying large numbers of private security contractors alongside the military, specifically identifying the deployment scenarios involving PSCs that are most likely to have either positive or negative implications for military effectiveness. She then provides detailed recommendations to alleviate these problems. Given the likelihood that the U.S. will continue to use PSCs in future contingencies, this book has real implications for the future of U.S. military and foreign policy.

Stanford University Press

In response to the lack of a comprehensive tool to assess a country1s defense sector and its ability to counter a range of security threats, a RAND team developed the Defense Sector Assessment Rating Tool (DSART). The tool consists of six assessments to quantitatively and qualitatively determine a country's defense sector capabilities and potential areas for reform, and it is designed so that it can be adapted to a changing security environment.

Developing a Defense Sector Assessment Rating Tool (Technical Report)

History

Davis, Lynn E.

Schaefer, Agnes Gereben

Ratner, Ely

Goulka, Jeremiah

Military

RAND Corporation

Although irregular warfare includes a range of activities in which naval forces have played an integral role, there has been little examination of the characteristics or potential of such operations in maritime environments. An assessment of the maritime component of a series of historical and ongoing operations reveals that current notions of irregular warfare would benefit from increased recognition of potentialmaritime contributions.

Characterizing and Exploring the Implications of Maritime Irregular Warfare

Nichiporuk, Brian

DeLuca, Paul

Chalk, Peter

Hoffmann, Dick

Building on a 2010 RAND study of the 30 insurgencies begun and completed between 1978 and 2008, this study added 41 new cases to the data set, allowing comparisons across all 71 insurgencies begun and completed worldwide since World War II.

Paths to Victory: Lessons from Modern Insurgencies

Paul, Christopher

Clarke, Colin P.

Grill, Beth

In-depth case studies of 41 insurgencies since World War II break each conflict into phases and examine the trajectory that led to the outcome (insurgent win or counterinsurgent win). Detailed analysis of the findings, including those from an original set of 30 insurgencies (for a total of 71 historical cases), is available in the companion volume, Paths to Victory: Lessons from Modern Insurgencies.

Paths to Victory: Detailed Insurgency Case Studies

Deployed contractors may be exposed to the same stressors as military personnel. A RAND survey examined the mental and physical health of contractors, their deployment experiences, and their access to and use of health care resources.

Out of the Shadows: The Health and Well-Being of Private Contractors Working in Conflict Environments

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Mental Health

Growing concern about U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contracts for private-sector services led Congress to mandate the development of the DoD Inventory of Contracted Services to collect information on the activities performed under DoD services contracts. RAND was asked to conduct a review of the system’s data, congressional and other stakeholder needs, and whether these needs could be met by other databases.

A Review of Alternative Methods to Inventory Contracted Services in the Department of Defense

Cherney, Samantha

Camm, Frank

Mele, Judith D.

Grammich, Clifford A.

Moore, Nancy Y.

Peet, Evan D.

Szafran, Anita

Anticipating Flashpoints with Russia: Patterns and Drivers

Charap, Samuel

Demus, Alyssa

Chindea, Irina A.

Welch, Jonathan

Shostak, Melissa

Vest, Nathan

Johnson, Grant

Drennan, John J.

Zeigler, Sean M.

Fauerbach, Gregory Weider

Landgraf III, Walter F.

Americas

Gaining the Edge: Identifying and Leveraging Frameworks for Enabling Army Contributions to Competition (Research Report)

Politics & Social Sciences

ROBINSON, Eric

Rhoades, Ashley L.

Smith, Meagan L.

Evans, Sandra Kay

Grisé, Michelle

Politics & Government

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Books by Dunigan, Molly