Now, there is a new, perhaps even threatening, issue on the horizon for all of us. We have had private companies making the weapons of war, from guns to munitions to aircraft and more, for decades, both in the United States and, indeed, around the world. War is a big business, and it is a good business for the many, many companies that supply the instruments, materials, and weapons of war for governments all over the planet. In fact, war may be one of the biggest but often overlooked business sectors of all globally, as every nation’s defensive — and offensive — military capabilities depend not just on skilled military leaders and the rank and file of their military units. In reality, all military readiness today depends on a whole lot of “stuff” — and a whole lot of services — that can only be supplied by the private sector outside of countries like China and North Korea. Russia’s experience in the current War in Ukraine revealed just how much that nation’s military capacity relied on the mercenary capabilities of the Wagner Group, which, in many ways, led the Russian war effort there for months at a time.
David C. Wyld
