私营军事公司的兴起(3)

[11] But the industry has been expanding for the past 10 years, and is thought to be worth several billion dollars. During the 1990s, PMCs trained militaries in some 42 countries. Analysts¹ estimate that there are as many as 20 legitimate² companies in the US, the largest of which claims to do about $ 25 million a year in overseas business.

[12] Smaller organizations, which sometimes provide overseas security, are thought to be more numerous, but are hard to track little more than a company president and a Rolodex full of names.

[13] While some of the companies, particularly those from South Africa and Britain, have been labeled "mercenaries" , and have indeed provided firepower for hire, the US firms have far better reputations, and often work hand-in-hand with the Pentagon. Their ranks include former four-star generals.

[14] In the US, the training services are sometimes paid out of the annual foreign aid bill, doled³ out to friendly or promising⁴ countries that may have unstable⁵ governments or militaries, such as Nigeria and Colombia. Other times, companies are hired directly by the host country and approved by the US.

[15] Advocates of PMCs say they are more cost-efficient than traditional military forces, although some critics question that.

[11]但这个产业在过去的10年里一直在扩大，其产值据认为已达几十亿美元。20世纪90年代，私营军事公司曾为约42个国家训练了军队。分析家们估计，美国这类合法公司有20家之多，其中最大的一家称，其一年的诲外业务量约达2500万美元。

[12]一些较小的机构有时也提供海外安全服务，据说这类公司数量更多，但却很难找到一公司小到只有一位公司经理和一个写满名字的花名册。

[13]某些公司一特别是那些南非和英国的公司--名称就叫"雇佣军"，他们确实是受雇佣提供火力支援的；而美国公司的名声要好得多，他们经常与五角大楼联手工作。他们的雇员中还有退役的四星将军。

[14]在美国，训练服务所需经费有时是由每年的援外法案拨款的，主要发放给友好国家或前途光明的国家，这些国家(如尼日利亚和哥伦比亚)的政府或军队可能不够稳定。有时也有经美国批准、由东道国直接雇佣这些公司的情况。

[15]私营军事公司的拥护者说，这类公司比传统的军队更划算，然而一些持批评态度的人士对此表示怀疑。

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

3 doled   

救济物( dole的过去式和过去分词 )； 失业救济金

参考例句：

• The food was doled out to the poor. 食品分发给了穷人。
• Sisco briskly doled out the United States positions on the key issues. 西斯科轻快地把美国在重大问题上的立场放了出去。

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。