OAGR 2155 - Private Military and Security Companies in Global Security

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) have become indispensable yet controversial actors in contemporary global security. Operating across conflict zones, fragile states, cyberspace, maritime routes, and urban environments, they blur traditional distinctions between public and private force, mercenarism and corporate service provision, and war and commerce.

This course offers a comprehensive examination of PMSCs from historical, legal, political, economic, and ethical perspectives. It explores the evolution of private force; the challenges of governing outsourced security; the role of PMSCs in armed conflict, humanitarian operations, corporate protection, and extractive economies; and the emergence of cyber mercenaries, autonomous systems, and AI-enabled private security.

Through critical scholarship, case studies, and interactive group work, students will analyse the implications of privatised security for sovereignty, human rights, global governance, and the future of warfare. The course combines theoretical insights with empirical cases from Africa, the Middle East, the Sahel, Ukraine, the Red Sea, and global maritime security.

Designed for students pursuing careers in international security, diplomacy, humanitarian affairs, corporate risk management, academic research or regulation, the course equips learners with the tools to critically evaluate one of the fastest-growing and least regulated sectors of global security governance.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

. Critically analyse the historical evolution and contemporary functions of PMSCs.

. Evaluate legal, regulatory, and accountability frameworks governing private force.

. Assess the role of PMSCs in conflict zones, urban security, and maritime environments.

. Examine the political economy of the global private security market and its labour dynamics.

. Interpret how PMSCs shape human rights outcomes and challenge traditional norms of warfare.

. Analyse emerging trends in cyber mercenarism, AI-enabled security, and autonomous warfare.

. Demonstrate advanced skills in evidence-based argumentation, critical thinking, and policy evaluation.

. Collaboratively solve complex problems through structured group work and case study analysis.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

This course equips students with key professional competencies relevant to careers in international security, diplomacy, humanitarian action, and corporate risk management. Students will develop:

. Analytical and critical thinking skills for assessing complex security environments.

. Policy-writing and briefing skills, including evidence-based recommendations.

. Risk assessment and strategic analysis relevant to state and non-state security actors.

. Ethical and legal reasoning related to the use of force and accountability.

. Teamwork and collaborative problem-solving, through structured group work each week.

. Professional communication and presentation skills for engaging diverse stakeholders.

. Research skills, including independent inquiry and the synthesis of academic and policy sources

Feedback is provided through weekly in-class discussions, comments on group activities, and written feedback on mid-term and final assessments. Individual guidance is available during online office hours and via email/whatsapp when needed..

Mid-term individual policy brief (30%, Week 6). Final research essay (40%, Week 12). Class participation including weekly group activities (30%).

. In-Class Presence: 2 hours/week (24 hours/semester)

. Online Learning Activities: 6 hours/semester

. Reading and Preparation for Class: 40 hours/semester

. Research and Preparation for Group Work: 30 hours/semester

. Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 50 hours/semester