[16] The only government regulation of PMCs comes through the State Department, which handles their export licensing in much the same manner as it would a crate of guns, says a State Department spokeswoman.
[17] The largest US company, Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI) in Alexandria, Va., made a name for itself by training the Croatian Army near the end of the Yugoslav wars. It was viewed as the brains behind the army's most successful campaign, Operation Storm, although MPRI denied that. It also worked in Bosnia, including a mission to prevent cross-border arms transfers.
[18] The firm's employees are never armed, but, military experts say, knowledge and training are often just as valuable as fire-power in most armed conflicts.
[19] "No one has ever carried a gun while at MPRI," says Harry Soyster, a company spokesman who is a retired lieutenant general and a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. "Sure, it gets in the way of business every now and then, but that's all right."
[16]国务院一位女发言人说，唯一一个有关私营军事公司的政府规定是由国务院批准下达的，按照该规定，办理私营军事公司出口许可事宜的方式大体上与办理成箱枪支出口的方式相同。
[17]弗吉尼亚州亚历山德里亚的军事专业资源股份有限公司(MPRI)是美国最大的私营军事公司，该公司因在南斯拉夫战争即将结束时向克罗地亚军队提供训练而出名。人们认为，它是克军那次最成功战役－－“风暴行动”－－背后的智囊团，但军事专业资源股份有限公司对此予以否认。该公司还在波斯尼亚做过业务，包括一次阻止武器越境运送的任务。
[18]该公司的雇员从来都不配备武器，但军事专家们说，在大多数武装冲突中知识和训练经常与火力同等重要。
[19]公司的一位发言人哈里·索伊斯特是一位退役陆军中将，曾任国防情报局局长。他说：“军事专业资源股份有限公司的人从来不带枪。当然，有时这会妨碍做生意，不过这并不要紧。”
