Germany increasingly assigns private security companies during civil, police and military foreign operations. The German Federal Government thereby seeks to save money as well as to improve efficiency of these operations and to relieve the German Federal Armed Forces.
However, this practice bears certain risks: Elke Krahmann and Cornelius Friesendorf show in their HSFK-Report "Debatte vertagt? Militär- und Sicherheitsfirmen in deutschen Auslandseinsätzen" (The Debate Postponed? Military and Security Companies in German Foreign Operations) that the privatization of security services is insufficiently democratically controlled. Furthermore, it may increase instabilities in the countries of assignment and thus threaten the legitimacy of international representatives and institutions of guest countries.
The authors demand a public debate about pros and cons of private security companies as well as new laws to control companies and guarantee legal protection.
Prof Dr Elke Krahmann teaches at Brunel University London. Her current research focuses on the the privatization of security and its role in politics. From August 2010 to August 2011, she was guest researcher at PRIF.
This Report can be ordered at PRIF for EUR 6,- and is also available as free PDF download.