Includes bibliographical references (p. 303-326) and index.

An era of corporate warriors? -- Privatized military history -- The privatized military industry distinguished -- Why security has been privatized -- The global industry of military services -- The privatized military industry classified -- The military provider firm : Executive Outcomes -- The military consultant firm : MPRI -- The military support firm : Brown & Root -- Contractual dilemmas -- Market dynamism and global disruptions -- Private firms and the civil-military balance -- Public ends, private military means? -- Morality and the privatized military firm -- Conclusions -- Appendix 1. PMFs on the Web -- Appendix 2. PMF contract.

"In this book, P.W. Singer provides the first account of the military services industry and its broader implications. The privatization of warfare allows startling new capabilities and efficiencies in the ways that war is carried out. At the same time, however, Singer finds that the entrance of the profit motive onto the battlefield raises a series of troubling questions - for democracy, for ethics, for management, for human rights, and for national security." -- Cover.