The announcement of the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare FPS video game has brought the topic of Private Military Contractors (PMCs) at the forefront. In the past two or three years, the PMCs have managed to stay low in the public spotlight and avoided much controversy. But with this Vice documentary, it looks like that PMCs have grown bigger and more involved in security operations whether for governments and even private individuals in many parts of the world.

Previously, Vice and Call of Duty gave us a quick look at the documentary made by the former. "Superpower for Hire: Rise of the Private Military" was released to set the tone for COD: Advanced Warfare and here is the full documentary 15-minute documentary released last 24 July 2014.

There are worries of some people knowledgeable about PMCs and those who are in the industry itself of the growing power and capabilities of such companies that they can operate without being accountable to any government or even a supra-national organisation of nation-states, only accountable to themselves, their shareholders, and to their clients who usually pay top dollar to avail of their services.

Also, there is that extreme concern that the objectives of PMCs will be in conflict with that of governments and that one has to control the other in order to operate well. As one interviewee says at the end of the documentary, "I think the PMC of the future can manipulate governments. We're at a stage now that I think it can happen."

He's not kidding as these PMCs are mainly highly-trained military men who can tap their buddies through the old-boy networks in the militaries who may have already risen in the chain-of-command that they are in a position to influence national security policies.  Please do bear in mind that national security is not strictly defined along lines of military capabilities but also encompasses the political, economic, and diplomatic responsibilities required for a state to be viable.

PMCs are becoming large multinational companies rivaling Fortune 500 or FTSE 100 companies. Whist these companies wield a lot influence through their sheer wealth, these companies do not have one thing that the PMCs such XE (formerly Blackwater), G4S, and Aegis have--- highly trained military personnel who can help topple governments or protect their businesses of these multinational companies located in conflict areas.

The documentary leaves us something for us to ponder upon: "You have to wonder if the next superpower won't be a country, but a corporation." PMCs are here to stay, but how big are they allowed to grow, only governments can say that and if PMCs allow themselves to be closely regulated.