Political Aspects of the Privatization of the Military Services Sector in Western Countries (Using the Example of the Functioning of PMCs)

The article analyzes the key political factors of the evolution of the privatization of military services in Western government practice, including the United States and European states. The elements of domestic policy, the mechanisms of functioning of the elites, as well as the peculiarities of public opinion are considered. The most important reasons for the appearance and development of such factors in the context of changes in the socio-political paradigm of the development of American and Western European society are identified and specified. Key trends in the privatization of military services in recent years have been analyzed, including the desire of states to develop private military companies as a tool for applying force. The hypothesis of the study highlights the consideration of the privatization of the military sphere as one of the key tools for realizing the interests of states in the context of hybrid conflicts and the complication of the international situation, which is confirmed by the results of the study. According to the author, the key factors of such processes are changes in public consciousness and perception of wars, the attractiveness of commercialization of services, as well as the need to form alternative sources of projection of the power of the state.