Challenges to Australia’s Control Over Its Use of Force

This chapter examines challenges to Australia’s control over its use of forceUse of force to draw out the major issues regarding accountabilityAccountability, regulatory gaps and transparencyTransparency problems raised by the use of PMSCs. The chapter draws upon the previous empirical chapters which argued that examining Australian PMSCs helps us to understand the changing nature of how Australia uses and controls its force. The chapter is structured around themes concerning Australia’s control and accountabilityAccountability over PMSCs. The first section will explore legislative control in terms of state control over the use of forceUse of force, while the second and third sections will examine the regulatory environment within which PMSCs operate to try and discern why PMSCs continue to operate with impunityImpunity. The fourth section will identify and analyse some of the major changes in civil-military relations that result from Australia’s use of PMSCs.