Teleservice Sociedade de Segurança e Serviços Lda, is the largest private security company in Angola . It counts many international oil companies among its clients including the state-owned Sonangol group .
67-771: Teleservice was founded in 1993 as a private military company charged with protecting the Angolan mining and oil sectors during the Angolan Civil War . It was a partnership between several former Angolan military leaders; Joaquim Duarte da Costa David , former director of Sonangol; and Gray Security Services Ltd , a South African security firm with connections to the mercenary company Executive Outcomes , which operated in Angola until December 31, 1998, when South African citizens were banned from participating in foreign conflicts . The officers involved included: In 1995,
134-568: A war zone may be considered unlawful combatants in reference to a concept that is outlined in the Geneva Conventions and explicitly stated by the 2006 American Military Commissions Act . Private military companies carry out many missions and jobs. Some examples have included military aviation repair in East Africa, close protection for Afghan President Hamid Karzai and piloting reconnaissance airplanes and helicopters as
201-675: A ceasefire was declared. At the same time, Stirling was cultivating his contacts in the Iranian government and exploring the chances of obtaining work in Africa . The company eventually operated in Zambia and in Sierra Leone , providing training teams and advising on security matters. Stirling also organised deals to sell weapons and military personnel to other countries for various privatised foreign policy operations. Contracts were mainly with
268-516: A coherent and standardized framework from which to oversee such organizations and activities. Over the last decade there have been a number of initiatives to regulate the private security industry. These include the ISO/PAS 28007:2012 Guidelines for Private Maritime Security Companies and the ANSI / ASIS PSC.1 and PSC.4 standards. Founded in 1955, American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS)
335-567: A collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature to forcibly reduce the illegal poaching and smuggling of elephant tusks in various countries of Southern Africa . Other groups formed by ex-SAS servicemen were established in the 1970s and '80s, including Control Risks Group and Defence Systems, providing military consultation and training. In 1989, the United Nations Mercenary Convention banning
402-715: A larger part of it through activities on board trading ships, this could be a low estimate. PMC presence in Somalia is an example of two violent non-state actors at sea engaged in combat with each other. On April 5, 2005, Jamie Smith, CEO of SCG International Risk announced the expansion of services from the traditional roles of PMCs of protection and intelligence to military aviation support. SCG International Air would provide air support, medevac (medical evacuation), rotary and fixed-wing transportation, heavy-lift cargo , armed escort, and executive air travel to "any location on earth." That marked an expansion of services to rival
469-643: A part of Plan Colombia . According to a 2003 study, the industry was then earning over $ 100 billion a year. According to a 2008 study by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence , private contractors make up 29% of the workforce in the United States Intelligence Community and cost the equivalent of 49% of their personnel budgets. Modern PMCs trace their origins back to a group of ex- SAS veterans in 1965 who, under
536-694: A pivotal moment for private military companies at sea and directly led to the first contract between Blackwater and the US military. Blackwater, and private military contractors in general, became notorious in the 21st century after their usage by the United States government in the American occupation of Iraq . Since the late 2000s, PMCs have become increasingly involved in anti-piracy measures in Somalia and other regions. PMCs remain active in this region, mainly providing security for private shipping through
603-650: Is a private company providing armed combat or security services for financial gain. PMCs refer to their personnel as " security contractors " or " private military contractors ". The services and expertise offered by PMCs are typically similar to those of governmental security , military , or police but most often on a smaller scale. PMCs often provide services to train or supplement official armed forces in service of governments, but they can also be employed by private companies to provide bodyguards for key staff or protection of company premises, especially in hostile territories. However, contractors that use armed force in
670-620: Is a society of individual security professionals dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals by developing educational programs and materials. ASIS is an ANSI -accredited Standards Developing Organization, and within ASIS, the ASIS Commission on Standards and Guidelines works with national and international standards-setting organizations and industry representatives to develop voluntary standards and guidelines for security professionals. With funding from
737-571: Is often found in former Eastern Bloc countries to differentiate from former state-owned enterprises , but it may be used anywhere in contrast to a state-owned or a collectively owned company. In the United States , a privately held company refers to a business entity owned by private stakeholders, investors, or company founders, and its shares are not available for public purchase on stock exchanges. That contrasts with public companies, whose shares are publicly traded, which allows investing by
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#1732772914398804-665: The Corporations Act 2001 requires publicly traded companies to file certain documents relating to their annual general meeting with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). There is a similar requirement for large proprietary companies, which are required to lodge Form 388H to the ASIC containing their financial report. In the United States, private companies are held to different accounting auditing standards than public companies, overseen by
871-575: The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . In total, they have activities in 34 different countries. Russian PMCs are involved in oil and mining operations in 19 countries in Africa. By the end of 2012, the number of contractors who had died in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait had reached 3,000. Scholars have studied whether contractor deaths have an effect on the public's "casualty sensitivity" when substituted for military fatalities. Casualty sensitivity refers to
938-773: The British Special Air Service , the US Special Operations Forces and the Canadian Joint Task Force 2 . The Center for Public Integrity reported that since 1994, the Defense Department entered into 3,601 contracts worth $ 300 billion with twelve US-based PMCs, specifically during the initial response after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans . Domestic operations are generally under
1005-478: The Corporations Act 2001 limits a privately held company to 50 non-employee shareholders. A privately owned enterprise is a commercial enterprise owned by private investors, shareholders or owners (usually collectively , but they can be owned by a single individual ), and is in contrast to state institutions, such as publicly owned enterprises and government agencies . Private enterprises comprise
1072-604: The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in widespread international operations, there has also been a move within the PSC and contingency contracting industries to call for accountability and to implement a code of ethics for the retention of services and operations of such service providers. Existing credible accountability initiatives form a skeleton for governing the conduct of contractors, but much remains to be fleshed out to form
1139-511: The Gulf States and involved weapons supply and training. The company was also linked with a failed attempt to overthrow Colonel Muammar Gaddafi from power in Libya in 1971. Woodhouse resigned as Director of Operations after a series of disagreements and Stirling himself ceased to take an active part in 1972. Stirling also founded KAS International (aka KAS Enterprises) and was involved in
1206-612: The Gulf of Aden and at times contracting to aid UN efforts . PMCs were hired to deter pirates from attacking vessels and taking the shipping crew and their transport hostage. While a large variety of international naval missions with the same goals such as the EU's Atalanta , NATO's Ocean Shield , and Combined Task Force 150 are and were active in this region, it is still necessary for the shipping companies to have security personnel on deck. Due to their decentralized nature, it can be difficult for
1273-597: The Iraq War "; founder Erik Prince sold the company and departed soon thereafter. The Russian Wagner Group have been deployed in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , fighting alongside the Russian Armed Forces since early 2022. In February 2023 it was reported that Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree which allowed Gazprom to launch "a mercenary army". Several other mercenary groups have been in evidence, such as "Redut" and
1340-579: The Montreux Document on Private Military and Security Companies , detailing international legal obligations and specific recommendations related to PSC services procurement practices and operational oversight, as well as clarifying the obligations of states pertaining to the hiring of such entities during armed conflicts. As of December 2018, fifty-four states had signed the Montreux Document. As revealed in 2009 by Stoddard et al. ,
1407-764: The Myre Seadiver was arrested in October 2012 while in Nigeria. Oleg Krinitsyn heads the RSB-Group , reportedly in 2013 Russia's largest PMC. The Moscovite MSG was the focus of attention in 2013 for its failed and bloody Syrian involvement. It contracted employees through the Slavonic Corps shell company owned by Vadim Gusev and based in Hong Kong to work for the régime of Bashar al-Assad , but
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#17327729143981474-742: The Persian Gulf , from operating mess halls to providing security. They supplied armed guards at a US Army base in Qatar , and they used live ammunition to train soldiers at Camp Doha in Kuwait . They maintained an array of weapons systems vital to the invasion of Iraq. They also provided bodyguards for VIPs, guard installations, and escort supply convoys from Kuwait. All these resources were called upon constantly. In 2010, several Blackwater PMC employees "were indicted on unlawful killing charges in connection with their work as US government contractors during
1541-558: The Persian Gulf War , just over a decade earlier. The prevalence of PMCs led to the foundation of trade group the Private Security Company Association of Iraq . In Iraq, the issue of accountability , especially in the case of contractors carrying weapons, was a sensitive one. Iraqi laws do not hold over contractors. On 5 December 2005, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld justified
1608-699: The State Duma to consider the legalization of PMCs, although owners of Russian PMCs have claimed that because Russia inherited its legal system from the Byzantine Empire , anything that is not explicitly prohibited is allowed. The Syrian gains of ISIS in 2012 caused the Russian contingent to hire PMCs from the Moran Security Group (MSG) headed by Alexey Badikov , Slavonic Corps , Patriot PMC and Vega PMC . The MSG crew aboard
1675-859: The company's stock is offered, owned, traded or exchanged privately, also known as " over-the-counter ". Related terms are unlisted organisation , unquoted company and private equity . Private companies are often less well-known than their publicly traded counterparts but still have major importance in the world's economy . For example, in 2008, the 441 largest private companies in the United States accounted for $ 1.8 trillion in revenues and employed 6.2 million people, according to Forbes . Separately, all non-government-owned companies are considered private enterprises . That meaning includes both publicly traded and privately held companies since their investors are individuals. Private ownership of productive assets differs from state ownership or collective ownership (as in worker-owned companies). This usage
1742-663: The private company limited by shares in the United Kingdom (abbreviated Ltd ) or unlimited company and the proprietary limited company (abbreviated Pty Ltd ) or unlimited proprietary company (abbreviated Pty ) in South Africa and Australia . In India , private companies are registered by the Registrar of Companies , which is under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs . Indian private companies must contain
1809-408: The private sector of an economy. An economic system that 1) contains a large private sector where privately run businesses are the backbone of the economy, and 2) a business surplus is controlled by the owners, is referred to as capitalism . This contrasts with socialism , where the industry is owned by the state or by all of the community in common. The act of taking assets into the private sector
1876-570: The American mission to the UN office in Geneva (UNOG) said that "Accusations that US government-contracted security guards, of whatever nationality, are mercenaries is inaccurate." An observer noted that the difficulty in separating private from public troops means that legal proceedings against these violent non-state actors can be complicated, and stated that contracted combatants carry the legitimacy of
1943-692: The Divisão Marítima da TELESERVICE was created to perform security operations in rivers and offshore. In 2002, Teleservice transitioned from a PMC to a civilian security company with a pivot away from armed security services. As of October 2024, Teleservice employs more than 5,000 Angolans. In 2011, Angolan journalist and anti-corruption activist Rafael Marques published Diamantes de Sangue: Corrupção e Tortura em Angola (Blood Diamonds: Corruption and Torture in Angola), an exposé alleging severe human rights violations by personnel of Teleservice,
2010-511: The FAA, and other private security companies protecting the operations of the diamond mining companies in the provinces of Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul . The exposé included more than five hundred reports of massacres , murders, rapes, mutilations, extortion, corpse desecration, organ removal, beatings, torture, slavery, and similar abuses. França, de Matos, Luís Faceira, António Faceira, Neto, Lara, Mackenzie, da Silva, and Dias were all named both in
2077-545: The Interior Ângelo de Veiga Barros and Head of State Intelligence and Security Services Eduardo Filomeno Barber Leiro Octavio did recognize the existence of the human rights violations and material damages included in Marques's report. After an open statement by over 30 jewelers and press freedom and human rights NGOs in support of Marques, the charges against him were dropped under the provision that Diamantes de Sangue
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2144-585: The Iraqi government still had no authority over private security firms contracted by the US government. In 2007, the Uniform Code of Military Justice was amended to allow for prosecution of military contractors who are deployed in a " declared war or a contingency operation." After the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq , the US State Department is reportedly planning to more than double
2211-686: The Private Company Counsel division of the Financial Accounting Standards Board . Researching private companies and private companies' financials in the United States can involve contacting the secretary of state for the U.S. state of incorporation (or for LLC or partnership, state of formation), or using specialized private company databases such as Dun & Bradstreet . Other companies, like Sageworks , provide aggregated data on privately held companies, segmented by industry code. By contrast, in
2278-555: The Russian Federation, at undermining its security, at creating armed units, and at instigating social, racial, national and religious strife shall be prohibited." In addition, it has been illegal since at least the 1996 edition under Article 359 of the Russian criminal code to recruit, train or finance a mercenary. Also the use of him in an armed conflict or hostilities shall be punished. Eeben Barlow apparently brought
2345-709: The Slavonic Corps fiasco, the Wagner Group PMC made its appearance on the scene. Near the end of 2014, Wagner was given the instructional role of local Basharite militias. Prior to September 2015, the PMCs were Russia's only pseudo-military presence in Syria. Wagner and Moran both contributed in 2014 to the Russian War in Donbass ; Wagner is known to have fought in Syria since late 2015. One manner of payment to
2412-420: The UN or other international organizations to provide effective oversight over what happens on the seas. Whereas the UN showed that, between 2010 and 2015, there were over fifty encounters between the national sovereign navies that participated in the missions, resulting in over 1,200 detained pirates, only one PMC published information over this period. Since the PMCs are so much more active in this area, covering
2479-463: The US Department of Defense, the ASIS Commission on Standards is currently promulgating four sets of standards for private security companies. Private company A privately held company (or simply a private company ) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in their respective listed markets. Instead,
2546-575: The US, so they tend to look for private contractors who will have a fiduciary obligation to them. In 2012, were published the ISO/PAS 28007:2012 Guidelines for Private Maritime Security Companies . In December 2006, there were estimated to be at least 100,000 contractors working directly for the United States Department of Defense in Iraq which was a tenfold increase in the use of private contractors for military operations since
2613-502: The United Kingdom, all incorporated companies are registered centrally with Companies House . Privately held companies also sometimes have restrictions on how many shareholders they may have. For example, the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 , section 12(g), limits a privately held company, generally, to fewer than 2000 shareholders, and the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940 , requires registration of investment companies that have more than 100 holders. In Australia, section 113 of
2680-605: The United States but not generally in the United Kingdom , the term is also extended to partnerships , sole proprietorships or business trusts . Each of those categories may have additional requirements and restrictions that may impact reporting requirements, income tax liabilities, governmental obligations, employee relations, marketing opportunities, and other business obligations and decisions. In many countries, there are forms of organization that are restricted to and are commonly used by private companies, for example,
2747-410: The ability of NGOs to claim neutrality, leading to increased risk. Moreover, outsourcing may not necessarily lead to lower costs, and the cost of middlemen may result in more poorly paid and poorly trained personnel, who turn over frequently and cannot adequately perform the job. Finally, NGOs have obligations beyond strictly legal liability that include political, ethical and reputational implications: If
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2814-709: The auspice of state or federal agencies such as the Department of Energy or the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense. Driven by increasing fears of domestic terror attacks and civil unrest and disruption in the wake of disasters, more conventional security companies are moving into operations arenas that would fall within the definition of a PMC. The United States State Department also employs several companies to provide support in danger zones that would be difficult for conventional US forces. The October 2000 USS Cole bombing proved
2881-688: The capabilities of some countries' armies and air forces. In 2007, the American Uniform Code of Military Justice was amended to allow for prosecution of military contractors deployed in a " declared war or a contingency operation ." In 2008, the International Committee of the Red Cross , the Swiss government , and contributors from private security companies and the civil society/ NGO sector developed and proposed
2948-421: The challenges of deteriorating security environments; and administrative costs of managing security in-house and potential to outsource the liability. However, it has been argued that outsourcing security leaves NGOs reliant on contractors and unable to develop their own security thinking and make their own decisions. Perceived association of PSPs with state security, police or military services in turn compromises
3015-434: The charges, as he felt the report was well-researched and credible. In 2015, following Marques's receipt of an international journalism award, the generals pressed twenty-four charges of defamation against him in Angola, with a potential prison time of nine years and a fine in excess of $ 1,200,000. He was convicted of one, and given a six-month sentence deferred by two years, however Angolan authorities including Minister of
3082-738: The defence ministry would coordinate and that participation in armed conflicts would only be with their permission." In February 2023, it was reported that Gazprom would form a PMC of its own called Fakel . The law "On the Security of Fuel and Energy Facilities" appears now to state that companies in this field "may be granted the right to establish a private security organisation". The organisation Molfar has investigated 37 private military companies in Russia, and found that all of them are or have been connected to Kremlin. Most of them are also funded by Kremlin. More than half of them are participating in
3149-558: The general public. In countries with public trading markets, a privately held business is generally taken to mean one whose ownership shares or interests are not publicly traded. Often, privately held companies are owned by the company founders or their families and heirs or by a small group of investors. Sometimes, employees also hold shares in private companies. Most small businesses are privately held. Subsidiaries and joint ventures of publicly traded companies (for example, General Motors ' Saturn Corporation ), unless shares in
3216-407: The group is from 25% of the proceeds from captured and secured oil and gas infrastructure in Syria. In January 2018, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said of PMC employees that legislation was needed to "protect these people", while Duma member Mikhail Yemelyanov authored a bill to do just that "because private military companies are legal in many countries"; continuing: "We wrote in the bill that
3283-696: The idea of PMCs to Russia in 2010; there he gave an invited talk to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum , as well as presented the PMC concept to representatives of the General Staff of the AFRF . At the time he proposed forming PMCs from retired military personnel and contractors. The existence of Russian PMCs seems to go as far back as 2011, when the Syrian Civil War kicked off and violent unrest
3350-489: The immediate erosion of customer and stakeholder confidence in the event of financial duress. Further, with limited reporting requirements and shareholder expectations, private firms are afforded a greater operational flexibility by being able to focus on long-term growth rather than quarterly earnings. In addition, private company executives may steer their ships without shareholder approval, which allows them to take significant action without delays. In Australia, Part 2E of
3417-424: The inverse relationship between military deaths and public support for a sustained military engagement. Contractor deaths may account for nearly 30% of total US battlefield losses since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In October 2007, the United Nations released a two-year study that reported that, although hired as "security guards", private contractors performed military duties. A spokesman for
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#17327729143983484-449: The larger corporations included Vinnell and Military Professional Resources Inc. in the United States ; G4S and Keeni-Meeny Services in the United Kingdom ; and Lordan-Levdan in Israel and Executive Outcomes in South Africa . Some commentators have argued that there was an exodus from many special operations forces across the globe towards these private military corporations. Units that were allegedly severely affected included
3551-626: The latter failed "to fulfill their financial obligations, which caused problems with the housing and feeding of the fighters from Slavonic Corps." Meanwhile, 100 of the 267 men hired in spring 2013 by Slavonic Corps perished in October 2013 in a firefight with ISIS . Out of the ashes of the Slavonic Corps was born the Wagner Group . Two recruiters for the Slavonic Corps were ultimately jailed in October 2014 for their violation of Article 359. They faced up to eight years imprisonment but were convicted for three. Regular squad members were reportedly unpaid and faced no prosecution in Russia. Not long after
3618-400: The leadership of the founder of the SAS, David Stirling and John Woodhouse , founded WatchGuard International (formerly with offices in Sloane Street before moving to South Audley Street in Mayfair ) as a private company that could be contracted out for security and military purposes. The company's first assignment was to go to Yemen to report on the state of the royalist forces when
3685-409: The ministerial-affiliated "Patriot" group. The Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993, and entered into force on 25 December 1993. Article 13.5 reads: "The establishment and activities of public associations whose goals and activities are aimed at the forcible changing of the basis of the constitutional order and at violating the integrity of
3752-464: The number of its private security guards, up to as many as 7,000. Defending five fortified compounds across the country, the security contractors would operate radars to warn of enemy rocket attacks, search for roadside bombs, fly reconnaissance drones and even staff quick reaction forces to aid civilians in distress. Its helicopter fleet, which will be piloted by contractors, will grow from 17 to 29. PMCs supplied support to US military bases throughout
3819-466: The organisation's responsibility to prevent and mitigate any possible negative outcomes is better achieved through in-house security, it is argued, this should be their choice. The result is that many NGOs are not open about their use of PSPs and researchers at the Overseas Development Institute have found that sometimes statements at NGOs central headquarters contradict those given by local staff. This prevents informative knowledge sharing and debate on
3886-474: The report and in a criminal complaint then filed by Marques. In December of that year, over 18,000 people in the region, including 3,000 in the town of Cafunfo, took place in political demonstrations demanding the withdrawal of Teleservice. Teleservice withdrew in March 2012. The generals named in the report tried to press charges in 2013 in Portugal , where Diamantes de Sangue was published by Tinta da China, for defamation . The attorney general there dismissed
3953-425: The state that hires them. Demands for specific PSC services have grown to record levels in recent decades, and private firms' capabilities now include an array of services that are vital to the success of on-the-ground war fighting as well as other more traditional stability operations and contingency contracting. While past calls for corporate responsibility have heralded successes such as the Kimberley Process and
4020-428: The subject needed to improve NGO decisions regarding this issue, though there have been some notable exceptions; namely, the Afghanistan NGO Security Office and the NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq. The private security contractor fulfills many different needs in the private and public sectors. While some nations rely heavily on the input of governments of such nations as the United States, other countries do not trust
4087-637: The subsidiary itself are traded directly, have characteristics of both privately held companies and publicly traded companies. Such companies are usually subject to the same reporting requirements as privately held companies, but their assets, liabilities, and activities are also including the reports of their parent companies , as are required by the accountancy and securities industry rules relating to groups of companies. Private companies may be called corporations , limited companies , limited liability companies , unlimited companies , or other names, depending on where and how they are organized and structured. In
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#17327729143984154-409: The use of mercenaries was initiated and entered into force on 20 October 2001. As of August 2021, the convention had been ratified by 37 states, and signed but not ratified by 9 states. Dramatic growth in the number and size of PMCs occurred at the end of the Cold War . The exodus of over 6 million military personnel from Western militaries in the 1990s expanded the recruiting pool for PMCs. Some of
4221-435: The use of PMCs in Iraq on the basis that they were cost effective and useful on the ground. He also affirmed that they were not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice . Two days before he left Iraq, L. Paul Bremer signed " Order 17 " giving all Americans associated with the CPA and the American government immunity from Iraqi law. A July 2007 report from the American Congressional Research Service indicates that
4288-503: The use of private security contractors by NGOs in dangerous regions is a highly sensitive subject. Quite often, the contractors hired are local companies and mostly are unarmed personnel guarding facilities; only rarely are international contractors or mobile armed security personnel used. Many NGOs have sought the services of private security contractors in dangerous areas of operation, such as Afghanistan , Somalia and Sudan , due to lack of knowledge, skills, and time to adequately meet
4355-579: The word Private Limited at the end of their names. Privately held companies generally have fewer or less comprehensive reporting requirements and obligations for transparency , via annual reports, etc. than publicly traded companies do. For example, in the United States, privately held companies are not generally required to publish their financial statements . By not being required to disclose details about their operations and financial outlook, private companies are not forced to disclose information that may potentially be valuable to competitors and so can avoid
4422-433: Was felt in Libya before Muammar Gaddafi was eliminated in October. Russians had big investments in both of these countries. State-owned enterprise Rostec and its subsidiaries Rosboronexport and Technopromexport , as well as privately owned StroyTransGaz (STG) and Tatneft have billions of dollars invested in international affairs and like to hire from the Russian PMC sector. In 2012, Vladimir Putin suggested to
4489-519: Was not to be reprinted. Teleservice offers a variety of security-related services, including providing security for oil rigs and other offshore facilities, industrial security, property security, cash-in-transit services, VIP and personal security escorts , and security risk assessment and management services. Teleservice is or has been employed by the following clients: Private military company A private military company ( PMC ) or private military and security company ( PMSC )
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