The Difference Between Contractor And Mercenary

The word "mercenary" may conjure up a ruthless gunman for hire if you base your knowledge

of this word on Hollywood films but in fact, the Latin meaning of the word literally meant only "person for hire" or "one who will do anything for money." The word has slowly evolved to what it is known as today.

The noun "mercenary" now carries such stigma that it is very rare to see it used in a non-military (or figuratively military) context.

Mercenaries came into being as early as 1500 A.D.

As early as the 1500s we see the word "mercenary" used to mean, "Hired soldier from another country." Mercenaries, soldiers who fight for pay in armed conflicts, usually in which their own nation is not involved, have been a fixture of warfare since Ancient Egypt.

More recently, mercenaries played a controversial role in several post-colonial wars and coups in sub-Saharan Africa in the 1960s and 1970s.

In 2001, the United Nations Mercenary Convention was ratified. It defines a mercenary based on certain criteria, which include that a mercenary is any person who is specially recruited to fight in an armed conflict, is motivated to participate by the desire of compensation, is not a resident or party to the conflict, and is recruited for overthrowing a Government.

The term mercenary is also used to describe armed civilian contractors working in foreign countries, and has the negative connotation of being a gun for hire. Because of the negative connotations, many contractors who are armed are now known as "contractor combatant;" a term made by Carter Andress, a US Department of Defense contractor. He defines the term as "a civilian who works in a war zone for a lawful belligerent in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, yet taking the place that in past history would be served by an armed soldier."

What differentiates a "contractor combatant" from a mercenary

The Geneva conventions define a mercenary as an illegal combatant working to gain monetary compensation and not a citizen of the conflicting party.

Some security contractors working in Afghanistan provide armed escorts or are contracted to defend military personnel, equipment and facilities. These are considered by many to be combatants since their role is to provide protection and defensive scrutiny.

According to rules, contractors can defend themselves, the ones they have been contracted to protect and any civilians under imminent threat.

Non-Combatant Contractors

Other contractors are not armed or contracted for engaging in conflicts. They are contracted to support the U.S. military by means other than under circumstances of being armed.

by: Joshua Watson

POST COMMENT

Empirical Literature And Litigation Manufacturing Cleaning And Chemical Products Review-how To Selling Cleaning Products Fashionable And Functional Coordinating Dog Collars And Leashes The Nissan Navara Features And Specifications Technical Development Pushing Up Jobs For Freshers In Delhi, Gurgaon And Noida Placement Papers Of Tcs And Infosys Provides Means For A Successful Recruitment Get Your Low Cost Taxi To And From Airport Importance Of Wipro, Ibm And Cts Placement Papers To Boost A Software Career How To Find Mu Sigma, Mphasis And Tech Mahindra Placement Papers To Make A Targeted Preparation Lighting Tricks For Home Lighting And Interior Design Kpit Cummins, Hcl And Accenture Placement Papers Acclimatise Students With Selection Patterns Project Management Certificate And Project Management Diploma Advance Your Career With Project M Extra Agency: Are They Of Any Use To Aspiring Actors Looking For Extra Work In Films And Tv?