Game Info // Story
THE PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANIES (PMCS)
As the era of the nation-state draws toward its end, the world of warfare is evolving rapidly. New challenges demand new solutions, sometimes with unpredictable outcomes.
For many years, state-sponsored militaries have struggled to maintain and modernize their forces. Increasing budget restrictions and difficulties in recruiting skilled personnel have led many countries to seek other solutions. More and more nations now rely increasingly on Private Military Companies (PMC) elite mercenary groups staffed with equally elite personnel - to support their field operations.
PMCs have proven to be excellent partners in respect to efficiency, skills, low prices, and reliability. Theyve been able to fulfill most of the mission normally handled by regular armies, without risking political fallout.
In time, these private military corps diversified their field of operations, from mere securing land objectives to motorized assault and counter-intelligence. It was not long before a few of these PMC secured enough resources to require being involved complete support air and sea-bound operations.
With each passing year, the PMCs expand their influence and scope of activity. Initially just consultants, they are now involved in surveillance, logistics, site security, and other essential roles. In order to keep the war machine going most of the PMC warranted firms dealing with other sources of income such as mining, oil extraction, airliners, goods manufacturing etc. Ensuring a steady flow of currency allowed these companies to operate a tighter game against their opposition. Each year, they come closer to serving as fully operational field units, and their services are so widely used theyre already essential. Pandoras Box has been opened. Theres no getting rid of the PMCs now.
THE REYKJAVIK ACCORDS
2012: The Reykjavik Accords are ratified by 191 countries, including the US and all the major powers.
They define and limit the role of PMCs in combat, as well as their new responsibilities in terms of human rights. The right of PMC units to serve in every aspect of military operations is now officially authorized: They can be engaged in full-scale forward operations.
The guidelines set down by the accords are simple. PMCs act as international and independent entities and must be contracted by a sovereign state to enter a conflict. They cannot target civilian populations. PMC operational units have the status of official combatants, and a PMC unit must use their own equipment to fulfill their missions.
As a consequence they are now fully authorized to purchase heavy equipment on the international armaments market (fighters, attackers, armored vehicles etc.) PMC units are now real private armies officially recognized by sovereign states. The war market has been deregulated: States lift all commercial restrictions to conventional weapons exchange with PMC units, so long as they respect the Reykjavik Accords. Within the limits of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is now up to each nation decide whom they wish to sell to and what they wish to sell. Most of the leading nations, including the United States, choose to sell only their older, outmoded equipment to the PMCs. A few, however, see the opportunity for quick profit, and make available even top of the line military hardware.
Turning PMC units into operational international armies is intended to decrease regional and international conflicts, better protect civilian populations and human rights, and intensify the international war on terror. PMCs are seen as the future of peace-keeping forces, and their lack of political entanglements and quick response times theoretically makes them excellent fast responders to crises and humanitarian missions.
A DARK FUTURE
During the 2012-2018 timeline, the global military power will gradually shift toward the PMCs as they grow more and more independent from their high power self-governed companies. From all the theatres of operations worldwide the South American episode was the main leverage of the PMC uprising. Near the end of 2016, before the arms threat would become obvious, the mere presence of these private companies already had a negative impact on the economy of all the sovereign states, sapping their initiative and response capabilities.
