Private military company

Private military companies or PMCs are organizations that provide various military services. PMCs not only directly participate in battle, they also undertake a large variety of other military responsibilities, such as logistics, maintenance, and transport operations, acting as strategic and tactical advisers, and overseeing the training and education of local military assets. In order to comply with international laws, the position of PMCs is described as being different to that of mercenaries, and the term is often avoided due to the stigma associated with it. The hiring of mercenaries is a common practice in the history of armed conflict.

Origins
The modern PMC market developed with the end of the Cold War era, when a number of factors coincided to facilitate its rapid growth. With the end of the fifty-year standoff between the US and the USSR, conflict became more diffuse and disordered. Many of the economic and social tensions that were exploited to fuel Cold War competition in parts of the Third World remained acute. Many postcolonial client states of the two superpowers collapsed into internal conflict with the absence of their former backers, especially in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The breakdown of state control in a number of areas produced new civil and ethnic conflicts. This caused an increase of small-scale conflicts all around the world.

The collapse of state institutions weakened their powers relative to non-state actors, "pav[ing] the way for ethnic mobilization, transnational criminal activity, warlords, rebels, and paramilitaries". Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multinational corporations (MNCs) who sought to operate in these areas could not rely on the weakened state apparatus to protect their operations, encouraging them to look to other sources for localized protection and order.

The large-scale decommissioning of forces at the end of the Cold War, as was the case in past conflicts, produced a global pool of newly unemployed individuals whose careers during the Cold War left them with a predominantly military-oriented skillset. One estimate puts this worldwide number at approximately seven million soldiers; in the former Soviet bloc and South Africa, entire units were dismissed from duty, including elite special forces, and the US military shrank by a third from its wartime peak. This new pool of military human capital was complemented by the large-scale post-Cold War sale of surplus arms and materials, particularly in Russia and Eastern Europe. The growth in the global arms trade drove down prices on small arms — and even heavy weaponry — and made the instruments of warfare readily accessible to non-state actors.

PMCs predominantly operate in three battlespace zones: front-line command and combat operations; training and advisory programs; and logistical support services. It is considered more cost effective to contract PMCs than to increase national military budgets maintaining a national army, since it doesn't require spending on logistics, maintenance or buying state of the art weapons. Another advantage is that the PMC personnel that die in combat is not considered KIA, and thus are largely ignored by the public and the news media.

The war economy
As a result, PMC-spawned "surrogate wars" spread across the world since the end of the 20th century. Also known as the 21st century's "surrogate Cold War," the increase of regional conflict and demand for PMCs helped companies rake in a fortune and gradually increase their military power, while an exodus of retired soldiers infused them with years of experience. It is said that there were over 20,000 PMC personnel and over 60 PMC firms operating in Iraq as of the summer of 2004.

National militaries slowly weakened as their reliance on PMCs increased, with 60% of the world's armaments placed in the hands of private enterprise. Of the world's five biggest PMCs, two were located in the United States, with the other three located in France, Britain, and Russia. Their clients could be found mainly in America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. As a direct result, it also increased refugee rates as well as the hiring of child soldiers.

Profits from PMCs were infused back into the American economy, allowing the country to expand its own battlefield operations. US capital followed the US military wherever it went, leading to an expansion of American marketplaces. With war as the product, money flowed back into PMC hands, continuing the cycle. With mercenary wars where troops flock to the highest bidder, stable profit became the biggest concern, and the battlefield soon turned into another marketplace driven by greed. With many battlefields left in the hands of PMCs, and states concerned about their own security and profit, PMCs had become an essential entity on the world stage, thus giving birth to the so-called "war economy."

In tune with the war economy, numerous smaller and local scaled PMCs were also prevalent, such as in the Middle East, where private operators were hired as battlefield commanders and trainers for local militias. Most of these militiamen actually belonged to another PMC, where most of the local men turned to for employment out of desperation. The rebel army Solid Snake fought with in South America also managed to hire their own PMC for assistance.

By 2014, the five largest PMCs all worked under a single mother-company named Outer Heaven, which was in turn ultimately headed by Liquid Ocelot. Solid Snake initially thought they were the same as the mercenaries that he fought in the past when told of this, until Campbell told him otherwise. Logistically, technologically, and tactically advantaged, they were deployed all over the globe with the use of high-end technology on the battlefield, and could come in and out of any conflict with minimal casualties. Minor PMCs were also involved in the War Economy, such as those aiding the Middle Eastern militiamen and the South American rebels. The PMCs ended up crippled after the War Economy not only collapsed, but the Patriots' AI network also ended up destroyed along with SOP.

Revengence
At some point after 2014, the PMCs ended up changing their names to "Private Military and Security Companies," and were also involved in relief work for rebuilding a developing country that had underwent a massive civil war.

Praying Mantis
"A sense of duty when the risks run high"

- Praying Mantis slogan


 * Based in the UK.
 * Deployed in the Middle East, to fight the local militia soldiers.
 * Vehicles used include Strykers, Humvees, Gekkos, and Sliders

Pieuvre Armement
"Arms of the octopus, arms for your war"

- Pieuvre Armement slogan


 * Based in France.
 * Deployed in South America, fighting with the South American state army against the local guerilla soldiers.
 * lit. "Octopus Armaments"
 * Vehicles used include Strykers, Gekkos, and Sliders.

Raven Sword
"Never a shot in the dark"

- Raven Sword slogan


 * Based in the US.
 * Deployed in Eastern Europe, in efforts to root out the Paradise Lost Army, led by Big Mama.
 * Also deploy Humvees, Gekkos, and Sliders.

Werewolf
"Evolution reinvented"

- Werewolf slogan


 * Based in the US.
 * Deployed unmanned units to Shadow Moses Island to stop the progress of Solid Snake.

Otselotovaya Khvatka
"No peace without war"

- Otselotovaya Khvatka slogan


 * Based in Russia.
 * Оцелотовая Хватка, English: "Clawing Ocelot"
 * Vehicles used include Mikoyan MiG-29s, MiG-3s, and Hinds.

Middle Eastern militiamen

 * Based in the Middle East.
 * Fighting against a local regime.
 * Also deploys IFV BMP-3s, Ural transport trucks, and D9R Caterpillar armored bulldozers.

South American rebel soldiers

 * Based in South America.
 * Fighting against a local regime.
 * Also deploys Ural transport trucks and D9R Caterpillar armored bulldozers.

Behind the scenes
The Russian PMC Otselotovaya Khvatka can be seen in the TV commercials at the beginning of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, though it is not featured in the main game itself. Some fans previously believed that they were FROGS, due to the commercial featuring female soldiers, however, this is unlikely considering that the FROGS are Liquid Ocelot's personal unit.

Despite originating in different countries, the PMC soldiers in Metal Gear Solid 4 all speak with American accents. The PA announcers for Praying Mantis and Pieuvre Armement, however, do speak with articulate British and French accents, respectively.