Contents

SIPRI Yearbook 2023

Contents
Preface
Abbreviations and conventions
SIPRI Yearbook online
Introduction
1. Introduction: International stability and human security in 2022
- I. Food and geopolitics
- II. Great power relations
- III. Arms control and nuclear non-proliferation
- IV. Climate change and environmental diplomacy
- V. The course of the war in Ukraine
- VI. Unanswered questions
Part I. Armed conflict and conflict management, 2022
2. Trends in armed conflict
- Overview
- I. Global and regional trends and developments in armed conflicts
- II. International conflict management and peace processes
- III. Table of armed conflicts active in 2022
3. Multilateral peace operations
- Overview
- I. Global trends and developments in peace operations
- II. Organizations conducting multilateral peace operations
- III. The way forward for multilateral peace operations
- IV. Table of multilateral peace operations, 2022
4. Private military and security companies in armed conflict
- Overview
- I. The global growth of private military and security companies: Trends, actors and issues of concern
- II. Private military and security companies in sub-Saharan Africa
- III. The current regulatory landscape for private military and security companies
Part II. Military spending and armaments, 2022
5. Military expenditure and arms production
- Overview
- I. Global developments in military expenditure, 2022
- II. Regional developments in military expenditure, 2022
- III. Arms-producing and military services companies, 2021
6. International arms transfers
- Overview
- I. Global trends in arms transfers, 2018–22
- II. Developments among the suppliers of major arms, 2018–22
- III. Developments among the recipients of major arms, 2018–22
7. World nuclear forces
- Overview
- I. United States nuclear forces
- II. Russian nuclear forces
- III. British nuclear forces
- IV. French nuclear forces
- V. Chinese nuclear forces
- VI. Indian nuclear forces
- VII. Pakistani nuclear forces
- VIII. North Korean nuclear forces
- IX. Israeli nuclear forces
- X. Global stocks and production of fissile materials, 2022
Part III. Non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, 2022
8. Nuclear disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation
- Overview
- I. Bilateral and multilateral nuclear arms control involving China, Russia and the United States
- II. The 10th review conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty
- III. The first meeting of states parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- IV. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear programme
- V. Attacks on nuclear installations in Ukraine and the response missions of the International Atomic Energy Agency
9. Chemical, biological and health security threats
- Overview
- I. Health security
- II. Biological weapon allegations
- III. Biological weapon disarmament and non-proliferation
- IV. Allegations of and reactions to chemical weapon use
- V. Chemical weapon control and disarmament
10. Conventional arms control and regulation of new weapon technologies
- I. The Russia–Ukraine War and conventional arms control in Europe
- II. Multilateral regulation of inhumane weapons and other conventional weapons of humanitarian concern
- III. Intergovernmental efforts to address the challenges posed by autonomous weapon systems
- IV. International transparency in arms procurement and military expenditure as confidence-building measures
- V. The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation
11. Space and cyberspace
- I. The space–cyber nexus
- II. Space attacks and cyberattacks in Ukraine
- III. Developments in space governance and the impact of the war in Ukraine
- IV. Developments in governance of cyberspace and the impact of the war in Ukraine
12. Dual-use and arms trade controls
- Overview
- I. The Arms Trade Treaty
- II. Multilateral arms embargoes
- III. The role and impact of multilateral trade restrictions on Russia and Belarus
- IV. The multilateral export control regimes
- V. Developments in the European Union’s dual-use and arms trade controls
Annexes
Annex A. Arms control and disarmament agreements
- I. Universal treaties
- II. Regional treaties
- III. Bilateral treaties
Annex B. International security cooperation bodies
- I. Bodies with a global focus or membership
- II. Bodies with a regional focus or membership
- III. Strategic trade control regimes
Annex C. Chronology 2022
About the authors

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SIPRI Yearbook 2023

4. Private military and security companies in armed conflict

Chapter:: 4. Private military and security companies in armed conflict
Source:: SIPRI Yearbook 2023
Author(s):: Ori Swed, Marina Caparini, Sorcha Macleod

The last 20 years have witnessed the rapid growth of private military and security companies (PMSCs). This chapter begins by presenting an overview of the trend and highlights the issues of concern, the key legal and definitional complexities, and efforts to date to map the proliferation of PMSCs (section I). There is no universally accepted, legally binding, standard definition of a PMSC and the sector often operates in a legal lacuna: the employees of PMSCs are not soldiers or civilians, nor can they usually be defined as mercenaries. The wars in Iraq (2003–11) and Afghanistan (2001–21) reshaped perceptions of the private military and security industry, with the massive deployment of contractors by the United States leading to new market opportunities across the globe.

Citation (MLA):: Swed, Ori, Marina Caparini, and Sorcha Macleod. "4. Private military and security companies in armed conflict." SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2025. <https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198890720/sipri-9780198890720-chapter-004.xml>.
Citation (APA):: Swed, O., Caparini, M., & Macleod, S. (2016). 4. Private military and security companies in armed conflict. In SIPRI, SIPRI Yearbook 2023: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 16 Feb. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198890720/sipri-9780198890720-chapter-004.xml
Citation (Chicago):: Swed, Ori, Marina Caparini, and Sorcha Macleod. "4. Private military and security companies in armed conflict." In SIPRI Yearbook 2023: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, SIPRI. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). Retrieved 16 Feb. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198890720/sipri-9780198890720-chapter-004.xml

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