Irregular Warfare Initiative Fellow Pieter Zhao was featured on the Sea Control podcast from the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), discussing his article “Outsourcing Security at Sea—The Return of Private Maritime-Security Companies and Their Role in Twenty-First-Century Maritime Security.” The episode examines the expanding role of private maritime-security companies (PMSCs) in contemporary maritime security and the conditions under which these non-state actors provide services alongside traditional naval and state security efforts.
Zhao, a PhD researcher and junior lecturer at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, highlights how PMSCs have re-emerged as significant contributors to maritime security, challenging long-standing norms about the state’s monopoly on the use of force at sea and reflecting broader shifts in how maritime threats are addressed.
The episode draws on Zhao’s research published in the Naval War College Review and explores implications for maritime governance, irregular warfare at sea, and the evolving landscape of international maritime security.
Listen to the full episode here: https://cimsec.org/sea-control-588-outsourcing-security-at-sea-with-pieter-zhao/
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