Private military company

A privately owned company that provides military or security services, including armed protection, training, logistics, and operational support.

Military contracting: The procurement of goods and services by armed forces through private suppliers. Private military companies operate through contracts for services governments or other clients would otherwise provide themselves.
Executive Outcomes: A South African private military company active in conflicts in Angola and Sierra Leone during the 1990s. Its combat operations made it a prominent example of a company directly involved in warfare.
Close protection: Personal security focused on protecting an individual from attack or abduction. Companies commonly contract armed teams to protect diplomats, executives, and officials.
Accountability for human rights violations: The legal and institutional responsibility for abuses of internationally protected rights. Company structures and cross-border contracts can complicate investigation and remedy after abuses.
National armed forces: A state's organized military services, established and maintained under public authority. Unlike private companies, national forces are formally integrated into state command and public budgets.
Mercenary: A person recruited to fight in an armed conflict for private gain, outside specified legal exceptions. The term is often applied to company personnel, but international law defines mercenaries narrowly.
Sandline International: A British private military company involved in operations and controversies in Papua New Guinea and Sierra Leone during the 1990s. The Sandline affair exposed political and legal tensions surrounding contracted military intervention.
Convoy security: Security measures used to protect vehicles and cargo moving through potentially hostile areas. Contractors have guarded supply convoys traveling through conflict zones.
Principal–agent problem: A conflict of interest that arises when an agent acts for a principal but has different incentives or information. Clients may struggle to monitor contractors whose incentives and operational knowledge differ from their own.
Private security company: A privately owned firm providing protective, investigative, or risk-management services. The label often emphasizes guarding and protection, while private military company can imply broader military support.

Linked from 8 pages