Eeben Barlow's Military and Security Blog

I wrote this piece in response to “Mark from Utah” who sent me a private mail lambasting both myself and STTEP. Unfortunately, he has ye...

Many folks have written to me asking what my thoughts on the UN’s actions in Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) are. I am no specialist on that cou...

I am very pleased to have contact with so many students who, as part of their studies, are (hopefully) looking at positive PMC involvement i...

I have, of late, been wondering if the debate about PMCs is not superfluous. I ask this question because I wonder just how “private” the ma...

It seems that the private military industry has become a prime target of negative media reporting and that many so-called “specialist journa...

I was recently invited to partake in a discussion on the Privatisation of War at De Balie in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This discussion was...

I read a recent posting on Jake’s very informative blog (www.privatemilitaryherald.com) that was titled “Misconduct by US embassy guards in ...

I continue to be amazed at the amount of time, energy and money expended on the theory and practice of “peacekeeping” in conflict zones on t...

In my previous posting I had a brief look at the Intelligence Cycle, a process many speak of but often neglect. This process can be likened ...

The term “intelligence” is both misunderstood - and abused - by many. Essentially, in the military sense, it is an in-depth knowledge of the...

Living in South Africa, I watch with morbid fascination at how the US and China are racing to recapture Africa – the US with AFRICOM and Chi...

The Private Military Company (PMC) will always find itself under attack from certain segments of the media. Whereas some of the attacks will...

I have always advocated the use of a Private Military Company (PMC) or a Private Security Company (PSC) above that of the UN or a foreign ar...

Speaking to a friend of mine a while ago, I was somewhat taken aback when he intimated that he had a good chuckle whenever he was sent to do...