Troubled Waters: Exploring the Emerging Dynamics between Navies and Private Security Companies in Anti-piracy Operations

The return of piracy to the Indian Ocean in modern times has culminated in the resurgence of the private violence industry in the maritime domain. For the first time in modern history, the private military security industry will work alongside traditional navies on the field. The dynamics between the two major security actors in the anti-piracy operations make for an interesting study. This article argues that there exists much potential for fruitful engagement between the two actors: PMSCs and navies. At the moment, however, long-held prejudices, in conjunction with ambiguity in the role of PMSCs in the anti-piracy operations and lack of structural variables, presents a formidable barrier to future PMSCNavy interaction.