On PMCs
Chirol asks about the future of Private Military Contractors.
I’ve actually been working on a paper on this topic, detailing one possible trajectory PMCs may evolve along. The paper will not be done for some time but this is the crux of my argument:
PMCs have traditionally offered services designed to meet the basic needs of the bottom most planks of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. But with the advent of 4GW they have a newfound interest in providing stability operations, which focus on the bottom two planks to a greater degree and travel further up the pyramid to more esoteric planks.
With the market in states set to explode as a result of the the nation state’s ability to provide even basic security services deteriorating, PMCs are positioning themselves to present alternatives to the standard state structure of today.
How this could play out:
Think primary loyalty driven individuals and groups ( Vermont’s 8% for example) reallocating their tax dollars to PMCs who will provide government platform services (with greater ROI) independent of territory – shooters to prevent the declining nation state’s forces from exerting their will, healthcare, transportation etc etc
Robb’s outlined this world before, I just say PMCs will seek to capitalize on their core competancy – which is having a competitive edge over the nation state due to their ability to bypass traditional state stumbling blocks such as entrenched bureaucracies, prolonged IT development cycles, and complex acquisition processes- and serve as a form of proto-market state.
-Shlok
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