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The use of private contractors in peace support operations may involve a large variety of services. However, there is a conspicuous lack of information and transparency in general regarding the number of PMC personnel employed, the tasks they perform and the sums of money that are at stake. The employment of private military companies can be looked at from three different perspectives, the economic, the military-operational and the legal (as well as ethical) perspective. In the recently published report Employing Private Military Companies two recommendations are made. First, the Dutch government is advised to make the level of its political ambitions with regard to participation in peace support operations dependent on the structural capacity of the armed forces, including basic logistics. Second, the government is urged to provide as much information as possible concerning all relevant aspects of the employment of private companies that render services to the Dutch armed forces in operational areas. Finally, the government is urged to raise the whole issue in the ESDP discussions of the European Union. Adapted from the source document.

AbstractThe use of private contractors in peace support operations may involve a large variety of services. However, there is a conspicuous lack of information and transparency in general regarding the number of PMC personnel employed, the tasks they perform and the sums of money that are at stake. The employment of private military companies can be looked at from three different perspectives, the economic, the military-operational and the legal (as well as ethical) perspective. In the recently published report Employing Private Military Companies two recommendations are made. First, the Dutch government is advised to make the level of its political ambitions with regard to participation in peace support operations dependent on the structural capacity of the armed forces, including basic logistics. Second, the government is urged to provide as much information as possible concerning all relevant aspects of the employment of private companies that render services to the Dutch armed forces in operational areas. Finally, the government is urged to raise the whole issue in the ESDP discussions of the European Union.

The article analyses the role of the Netherlands in the Atlantic Alliance over the past decades in the wider context of small power strategies. The main thrust of the argument is that small states can apply balancing strategies not only to protect their security in the central system of rivalling great powers but also to defend their interests in subordinate domains where middle powers may play a prominent part. The particular case is a clear instance of a small state using alliances to link objectives at different levels of political action. Thus, the Netherlands, while taking advantage of its reputation as a faithful ally in NATO, has sought to draw on the support of the United States in order to forestall attempts at domination by larger regional powers in Western Europe, first and foremost France. The contention is made that the Dutch have been successful in pursuance of their strategy. The final part discusses the impact on the Dutch position of recent post-Cold War developments and the dynamics of European integration. One of the options available in the arsenal of small power strategies would be a switch by the Netherlands from the postwar balancing policies along with the USA to a future posture of `bandwagoning' with its most powerful European partner, i.e. Germany.