Contracting for Reform: The Challenges of Procuring Security Training and Advisory Services in Fragile Environments

Abstract

Scholarship on private military and security companies largely focuses on their regulation and oversight as security and reconstruction service providers. It gives scant attention, however, to their role as institutional reformers, advisors, and trainers. This article presents findings of an in-depth case study on the challenges of procuring advising and training services in Afghanistan. Sixty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with elite and mid-level officials embedded within the Afghan defense and interior ministries, national army, and national and local polices forces. We evaluate an existing contracting framework for the purchase and integration of complex products with this data and find that rules, relationship strategies, governance mechanisms, and mutual understanding are critical in security sector reform training and advising contracts. Reliance on the private sector to provide these services will likely remain high, thus, a sharp focus on mutually beneficial outcomes that retain flexibility and accountability is necessary over the long run.