Two members from the private military company "Black Arrow" guard a satellite dish at Price Airfield during the Third Echelon Conspiracy.
A private military company or private military corporation (often shortened PMC) is a private company that provides armed security services. Private military companies are usually contracted and work similar to that of a military or police force, but usually for a smaller scale and can utilize their services for a number of operations and jobs. PMCs can work for a variety of organizations and people, from companies to even countries for a variety of different jobs and contracts. Individuals within a PMC are referred as private military contractors.
History[]
2006: Indonesian Crisis[]
Displace International, a successful PMC founded by former United States Marine Corps soldier Douglas Shetland, was operating in Indonesia during the rise of a guerrilla group called Darah Dan Doa, led by Suhadi Sadono. Sadono and his men had attacked the U.S. Embassy to East Dili and took a number of American prisoners, including Douglas Shetland. After Splinter Cell agent Sam Fisher's infiltration into the embassy, the embassy was secured by Delta Force. After the attack, Shetland aided Third Echelon by providing service of Displace International, even so much as tracking Sadono down and keeping tabs on him from a distance until Third Echelon could complete their objectives.
During the Indonesian Crisis in 2006, Suhadi Sadono had contracted Armed Guardian Services (ARGUS) to safeguard and protect five ND133 devices that were secured around the United States. A sub-branch within Third Echelon, Shadownet, was deployed to disarm the devices being guarded by the PMC.
2007: Cyber Attacks of 2007/Three Block War[]
In 2007, Displace International, led by CEO Douglas Shetland, operated heavily and cooperated with Third Echelon once again. Bruce Morgenholt, a computational theorist who was involved with Project Watson, was placed under protection by Displace International. A guerrilla group, the People's Voice, had killed Displace protection detail and kidnapped Bruce Morgenholt to a small lighthouse and Spanish colonial fort for interrogation. Displace cooperated with Third Echelon regarding Morgenholt's capture, and provided additional intelligence regarding the operation. Little did Third Echelon know that it was Displace International who hired Hugo Lacerda, the leader of the People's Voice, to interrogate Morgenholt for the Masse Kernels (which were researched during Project Watson.)
2011: Third Echelon Conspiracy[]
In 2011, there are two PMCs that were operating in the United States; Paladin Nine Security, led by Sam's old SEAL comrade, Victor Coste, and Black Arrow, led by businessman Lucius Galliard. Black Arrow was involved in a conspiracy about a top secret initiative, Third Echelon, currently led by Tom Reed, who planned to assassinate the President of the United States, Patricia Caldwell, for unwilling to cooperate with a mysterious group, Megiddo, and hiring Black Arrow as added force to execute the plan. During the conspiracy, Victor Coste was responsible for giving Sam the equipment and intelligence that he needed to investigate Black Arrow's activities with Third Echelon. In addition, Sam's old 3E colleague, Anna Grímsdóttir, asked Coste to retrieve his daughter, Sarah, to get her out of danger.
List of PMCs[]
Trivia[]
- Much of the PMCs featured in the Splinter Cell series seem to be American-based, or at least owned by an American. The ARGUS group is somewhat mysterious in that much of their background is largely unknown, while UPSILON has apparent ties to the Pentagon.
- In both Chaos Theory and Conviction, PMCs take the position as being the primary enemies that players will face through the game.
- Paladin Nine Security is the only PMC that allied with the players in Conviction and Blacklist.