Abstract: This article examines the socio-political and economic circumstances of emergence of private military corporations, linked to the collapse of the bipolar system and growth in the number of local and international conflicts. The authors highlight the advantages, disadvantages, and debatable aspects of the large-scale recruitment of private contractors for military operations. A special attention is given to the analysis of consequences of large-scale recruitment of private military forces for the military profession: loss of monopoly on professional knowledge, autonomy, corporate foundation, and transformation of professional ethics. The article analyzes a wide range of international publications that reflect the foreign experience of recruiting private military corporations for military operations. The authors conclude that despite such attributes of the private contractors as flexibility in usage of specific tools of force for achieving military-political goals, as well as lack of direct public and international criticism for using unpopular military measures, the large recruitment of private business for executing military functions is not always effective. In addition to that, the authors point put the threat to national security should the government functions be turned over to the private sector.