How To Raise A Private Army: Mercenaries and International Law

When does a soldier become a mercenary? When does a private security company become a mercenary army? Although mercenaries are prohibited by international law, many state actors continue to rely on the availability of "guns for hire" as a means of pursuing their international interests without the entrenchment that official military involvement involves.
In this short film, Dr Chaloka Beyani talks about how shrinking military ranks has led to the rise of private security companies, and where these de facto "mercenary armies" fit within international law.
Dr Beyani is Senior Lecturer in International Law in the Law Department, a member of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights and Chair of its Advisory Board, and a member of the Centre for Climate Change at LSE. He is also the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons. He joined the Department of Law at LSE in 1996 and lectures in international law and human rights. He was formerly a Research Fellow at Wolfson college, Oxford, with Lectureships in Law at Exeter and St. Catherine's colleges, Oxford, and a Crown Prince of Jordan Fellow, Queen Elizabeth House, as part of the Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford.

[@ArchCone]

God I would love to have a private army

[@Nevadaskiies]

SKULLDOZER

[@Unknown-xf9kw]

Dude same maybe like metal gear solid peace Walker and metal gear solid v.

[@christostheocharides4689]

You will need one in the apocalypse.

[@wb8905]

Andrew Stapleton you'd need alot money to pay for equipment, contracts, transport, supplies etc.

[@ronaldmcgowan4220]

Militaires Sans Frontières I have a private army, you should join mine

[@treybrandon1969]

As long as I get paid

[@taiken9534]

You pay me well I fight for you good Seems fair enough for me

[@jeffreyperez4944]

You know what I've been thinking? Can millionaires or companies raise an army? Imagine a fracture on the way we see society in the world. Maybe as a result of a massive war or disaster. Could "free cities" emerge? A city under no government, ruled by companies or even a group of actors and singers with loads of money. This would make a good TV show or movie: the US government loosing control of some areas of the countries to millionaires. Mercenarie companies working for both governments and millionaires. Man I should go to sleep

[@Relax-ge2uf]

Yes they can already do have private security company and employ ex army and ex spec op guys recruit and train them to protect their corporations and companies

[@jackyjones8873]

Literally Fallout or Metro

[@soluslupus8138]

Id love to be a mercenary.

[@israelpoulard2902]

Solus Lupus has a mercenary when u died you're government deny u.lol ahahaha hired killer

[@Txtxtxxxxxxxxx]

.... Rgr tht. Who else clicked on this because you thought it was a STEP BY STEP plan to have a PMC??? Come on don't lie..LOL

[@pinkdiamantes6154]

We need an organization that can monitor police.

[@mrgentills]

Watch as we do that in South Africa!

[@Icouldntcomeupwithaname1212]

outer heaven

[@mememagician97]

"A Mercenary is someone who fights for money" isnt this what basically everyone in the army does?

[@charlescardonick7035]

No, cause they don't even get good pay

[@chidiee]

no armies fight for freedom

[@mememagician97]

URSS much?

[@chidiee]

+Sage Says no russian

[@robertodiablo3311]

But the amount of money they get 400k+... Plus they do some crazy shady stuff..

[@TheCherrykye]

If I owned my own army, I would own the world, I'll bring down government and I get a group of hackers to squeeze as much money as they can out of the 13 families mwahahahaha

[@IsrarTaj83]

Firstly, join the military of your respective countries and apply to join special forces after the minimum service. Secondly, after the special forces training has service has ended, join the french foreign legion. I think it's the only military that accepts foreigners, but I'm not sure. Thirdly, there is also a mercenary training school in South Africa.

[@alfred2453]

whats the school called?

[@IsrarTaj83]

@@alfred2453 I think it is called Executives Outcomes, but i'm not sure. I found the website on my old computer and keep getting blocked by my new computer, so I can't find the website.

[@anthonybockhart5291]

which companies are recruiting mercenaries?

[@taiken9534]

anthony bockhart depends ,which country are you from

[@dionisio9845]

@Bjorn Blood Born if you were to join what would you want to do (justice,crime) give me an example

[@sharkboi6164]

Alvarez XIII G4C is a good one, but they only do defense and security.

[@StarFox514]

If anyone is wondering what the song is at the beginning, its Ghost 32 by Nine Inch Nails

[@IshijimaKairo]

I may have the Metal Gear Brainrot because I sure do wanna form a PMC.

[@Icouldntcomeupwithaname1212]

Maybe that's the cure to male loneliness

[@veronicacaudillo1607]

how to raise army step:1 promise 20,000 people liberty. step :2 when finished taking land betray and turn country into dictatorship

[@adeadchannel4129]

Well either promise them liberty or money...depends if it's a poor country or an oppressed one.

[@silentwarrior6577]

Veronica Caudillo are you planning to do that lol

[@Unknown-xf9kw]

So how do u make a private army

[@kingstarnoah3101]

www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Paramilitary-Organization

[@TheMajorActual]

It's called, the "Law of Unintended Consequences": Most people, if they even think about the military in any context outside of a video game, assume that you don't need a great deal of brains to be a soldier...and that is true. It is also true that, professionally speaking, such persons are referred to as "cannon fodder". In an all-volunteer military, you have large numbers of people serving for upwards of 20-ish years or more, just as in a conventional civilian industry. These people have a highly specialized skillset, even in poor-quality armies. Along comes the "peace dividend" -- since there's no war on the horizon, let's "downsize" the military; while this does not usually mean "Hand out pink slips", it does mean, "I'm sorry, [[insert Staff NCO or officer with 10-12 years or more experience]], but reenlistment/promotion is not available for you, and you will be discharged by Date X. There's nothing wrong with =YOU=. YOU have performed very well, and we hate losing you, but other's numbers are just better than yours. Thank you for your service." And that highly-specialized skillset? Most of it only translates to civilian occupations poorly, if at all: knowing how to command a mechanized infantry company in combat may give you some great management skills, but not much of it applies to Camp Cubicle. What's the problem with this, you ask? The problem is that "war" (as in, "military conflict") isn't "over" -- it's just that your nation has chosen, for the moment, not to participate in War[s] X....But there are plenty of nations out there, who are more than happy to get 10+ years of serious military experience without having to pay for it: they may pay Captain Jones or CSM Smith 40%+ more than a local of comparable years "under the colors", but when Captain Jones and/or CSM Smith come from better/more efficient armies? That's a major cost savings for you, because you didn't have to pay for all the training that got that "contracted security specialist" to the point where you could hire them. As for "laws", you can pass laws all day long - just ask the US Congress - but eventually, someone will find an exploitable loophole. It doesn't matter how fine the line is -- what matters is that your "contracted security specialists" are on the other side of it...and when all sides of a conflict are hiring those "contracted security specialists" that you were so happy to be able to forcibly retire without a retirement package, and no skills other than how to more efficiently operate organizations designed to kill people and break things, wars tend to last a lot longer, and kill a WHOLE lot more people in the process. Smooth move, there, Ex-Lax.

[@muhdshuhairi609]

I have 14 or 15 Cats. I name them the "Royal Guard Of Macedonia"

[@kgb7454]

That is so fucking awful, throw them out

[@marktrusty8976]

How hard would it be to put a team together an go do this private security

[@Raj-wf6ln]

It is not easy you need some type of law inforcement or millitary experience if you have that it should be easier

[@rataca100]

It seems counter productive to try and limit mercenary a and then shrink your military resulting in you hiring mercenarys.

[@zusiphesikayi2390]

Mercenaries are often more effective than most militaries.

[@ianberur2354]

Hi LSE can I contact this guy??

[@lewisfinch8628]

I've started a private military company i just need more staff and a secure way to contact them

[@tariqimad2606]

METAL GEAR SOLID: MSF/DIAMOND DOGS QUESTION MARK lol

[@kingbyrd.1512]

"Kaz...I'm already a demon.."

[@Icouldntcomeupwithaname1212]

​@@kingbyrd.1512Outer heaven

[@FackemAll1985]

we could form one

[@Thathammercon]

Write that down kaz

[@anthonyharris3895]

How ever have the money

[@craftianhd5014]

MHM

[@asifrana6468]

Army law

[@americohagim1131]

Can someone send me a link to the Mercenary Prime? Are the mercenaries free shipping?

[@Olv_Matheus]

Sure angry Minecraft villager.

[@americohagim1131]

@@Olv_Matheus ok thx what’s the link please?

[@KingEdwardtheTurbulentNeill26]

If I had my own private army i would have a big fleet of Viking long boats as well as the Birrlin ship's which descendents of the Vikings long ship's which my clan used when they committed piracy, I would have some like they were in the past with sails and others modernized with modern day military weaponry so be able to protect ship's in the red sea or where ever they need protecting like against pirate's which they would be able to steal from the pirate's attacking a cargo ship. And i would have my own flag top left a Jacobite flag as my clan were part of the Jacobite rebellion, top right a raven banner with Celtic and Pictish and Viking designs to represent my clans and the history of the Isle of Barra. Bottom left corner of the flag would have a pirate skull and crossbones as my clan used to be pirate's and dedicate to Ruari the Turbulent and on the bottom left of the flag the great clan MacNeil of Barra crest and in the middle of the flag will have the clans motto and war cry Buaidh No Bas, which means victory or death in Scottish Gaelic or as well in Latin Vincere Vel Mori which means to conquer or die.

[@soluslupus8138]

Id love to be a mercenary. And

[@lemonade1007]

quite kid : interesting

[@Icouldntcomeupwithaname1212]

The man who sold the world

[@Travis-hb2bl]

Can I start one and it can be like a body guard 😂

[@Raj-wf6ln]

Yes

[@kingkk9]

the type I am is we get a call from our boss and me get what we need go get her done and get paid

[@mac1975]

We are not mercenary’s. They act beyond the law. We are legitimate security providers. Stop using the word mercenary. You are so far from reality.

[@alibreezy6541]

I WILL CREAT A PRIVATE ARMY AND UNITE ALL SOMALIS.

[@Clowntopia1]

Lol😂😂 ogaden will never be free

[@jeremiaharyeetey9877]

How did it go?

[@enochomondi]

@@jeremiaharyeetey9877 I'm here asking the same question lol

[@asifrana6468]

Xxx

[@stormstorm7396]

I WOULD LOVE TO START MY OWN ARMY FOR THE GOOD OF COLORED PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD MY DADS JAMAICAN MY MOMS AFRICAN AMERICAN AKA BLACK ORIGINAL NATIVE OF AMERICA

[@soluslupus8138]

Id love to be a mercenary.