The Evolving Contingency Contracting Market PKSOI Papers | Page 16

for timely responses to peacekeeping operations. In
an effort to enhance their responsiveness, these organizations identified processes that can be contracted
away from the headquarters to allow those dedicated
personnel to focus on oversight and policy rather than
remote logistics, as exemplified by their shift toward
utilizing new regional contracted logistics hubs in recent years.15
Speed is often of the essence in humanitarian
emergencies and peacekeeping operations, and the
private sector has proven its ability to deploy in a fraction of the time it takes governments and militaries
to mobilize. Private firms do require contracts, but in
practice these can be drawn up with relative speed, or
prepared ahead of time to allow a rapid deployment
into the field. The ability to move quickly is of critical importance in situations where entities like the UN
typically take upwards of eight months to mobilize.
A great deal of research has reinforced the fact that
early intervention in post-disaster and other complex
environments save lives, but this private sector capacity has been underutilized in practice.
Institutional Memory and Impartiality
It is interesting to note that private firms specializing in contingency operations often have stronger
institutional memory through consistent employment
of individuals than many of the supported militaries. This expertise comes from doing similar tasks
over many years and in many locations, or from being able to hire individuals with the most relevant and
extensive backgrounds. Most militaries rotate their
personnel through stability operations postings in six
to twelve month schedules, thus inherently limiting
their experience potential.
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