Department of Defense
INSTRUCTION
NUMBER 3020.50 NUMBER 3020.50
July, 22, 2009 July, 22, 2009
Incorporating Change 1, August 1, 2011 Incorporating Change 1, August 1, 2011
USD(AT&L) USD(AT&L)
SUBJECT: Private Security Contractors (PSCs) Operating in Contingency Operations,
Humanitarian or Peace Operations, or Other Military Operations or Exercises
SUBJECT: Private Security Contractors (PSCs) Operating in Contingency Operations,
Humanitarian or Peace Operations, or Other Military Operations or Exercises
References: See Enclosure 1 References: See Enclosure 1
1. PURPOSE1. PURPOSE. Under the authority of DoD Directive 5134.01 and DoD Directive 3020.49
(References (a) and (b)), and pursuant to section 862 of the 2008 National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA) (Reference (c)) as amended by section 853 of the 2009 NDAA (Reference (d)) and
section 832 of the 2011 NDAA (Reference (e)), this Instruction establishes policy, assigns
responsibilities, and provides procedures for the regulation of the selection, accountability,
training, equipping, and conduct of personnel performing private security functions under a
covered contract during contingency operations, humanitarian or peace operations, or other
military operations or exercises. It also assigns responsibilities and establishes procedures for
incident reporting, use of and accountability for equipment, rules for the use of force, and a
process for administrative action or the removal, as appropriate, of PSCs and PSC personnel.
2. APPLICABILITY. This Instruction:
a. Applies to:
(1) OSD, the Military Departments, the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff and the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Office of the Inspector General of the
Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, and all other
organizational entities in the Department of Defense (hereafter referred to as the “DoD
Components”).
(2) Department of State and other U.S. Federal agencies insofar as it implements the
requirements of Reference (c) as amended. Specifically, in areas of operations which require
enhanced coordination of PSC and PSC personnel working for U.S. Government (U.S.G.)
agencies, the Secretary of Defense may designate such areas as areas of combat operations or
other significant military operations for the limited purposes of this Instruction. In such an
instance, the standards established in accordance with this Instruction would, in coordination
with the Secretary of State, expand from covering only DoD PSCs and PSC personnel to cover
