[pav7en]

Hmm, mercenaries, 'soldiers of fortune', a very romantic concept. I'd like to be one, but then not.

Military training is tough and if the only thing you're fighting for is a paycheck, then you won't hang in there when it counts the most and hence are worth jackshit as a mercenary.

Most private armies worth anything consist of ex-soldiers of a republic. In essence these companies are subsidized by a/the republic's taxpayers.

So they are not a major threat to established governments, but still constitute a worrying trend. For if the world becomes sufficiently fucked, these will be the only dignified jobs left.

Hence, need to be regulated and monitored heavily by established governments. In no way should these emerge as alternates to democratic state power. As is modern democracies face an onslaught of challenges-look at freedom of expression. And I can only laugh at the ludicrousness of this term 'freedom of expression' if these private armies metastasize into something powerful.

[deepsun]

> if the only thing you're fighting for is a paycheck, then you won't hang in there when it counts the most and hence are worth jackshit as a mercenary.

Completely wrong. From what I heard from spec ops, professional soldiers are way better in fight. The main point, he said, is that outside people think that war needs courage, while really it's experience that matters. And proper supplies.

[pav7en]

You misunderstood me. Whom do you consider a truly professional soldier? In my view it's a marine, a SEAL, or another military member of a modern state. Heck even a Pakistan army soldier is a professional soldier.

So what drives these professional soldiers is not the paycheck, its the idea of patriotism or that they are upholding some set of values for their country, or the idea that they are protecting their country. That is what allows them to hang in there when it goes well beyond limits of human endurance.

Refer the marine campaign of Iwo Jima 'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima', where soldiers went for 3-4 months without adequate food, rest or even barely human conditions against a fanatical enemy. Or for that matter any campaign during the world war. Or any other war worth something for the parties involved.

And my point is you can't get such kind of men or women to fight for money as mercenaries. And if I'm paying for mercenaries I want people like the ones who fought Iwo Jima.

So, if you look at the recruiting for the private armies most of them are ex-soldiers of a nation-state's army.

After a while some guys come to view it as any other profession. And then probably start working for a private army.

But even then I'd be surprised if private armies would be able to hold up their own against national armies or even if their members expect to.

[pav7en]

Oh and courage, well it's nothing. War is all about working effectively with fear, that's why the emphasis on training, the more and more you train, the better you're able to keep fear as a background process and not panic.