Private Military Contractors: Difference between revisions

* In the 17th-19th centuries, many countries would downsize their militaries during peacetime, but keep the excess officers on "half pay": these officers were paid half of their normal wage as a retainer, but released from any duties and permitted to pursue a private profession. However, as most countries at this time were monarchies, and it was considered that they were members of the royal military, not that of a nation-state in a modern sense... it was considered acceptable for these officers to serve ''in the military of another country'' if a war should be in progress in which their own country was neutral. This would be similar to the "Hessian" situation, except that these officers were directly employed by the foreign country on an individual basis, without the involvement of their home country. The most famous examples are of German, Polish, and French officers who served with the Continental Army during the American War of Independence (such as the Marquis de la Fayette); there were also American officers who did this during the Napoleonic Wars and various European and American officers who did this in the post-1815 period in various wars of independence in Latin America.

* Early in World War I, many American civilian pilots joined the British and French air forces individually, while the United States remained neutral. They were generally organized into segregated units under British or French officers; in Britain, these were known as "Eagle Squadrons", and in the French case, the "Escadrille Lafayette" (Lafayette Squadron; the subject of the film ''Flyboys'').

 

{{reflist}}