The popular UK resource Listverse, specializing in the selection of various interesting facts on various topics, published a compilation “ten frightening facts about private military companies”.
“Private military companies are, in fact, the armies, which are not controlled by anyone, except their shareholders, and topics, who pay them the most, – He writes the resource. – As we move capitalism more and more of these private armies are distributed worldwide.
Let's see, what are they doing.
10. “Soldiers at a discount”
Private military companies can operate anywhere in the world. for example, challenge Internacional It is a company of Peru. At first, this fact does not make the alert, but if you recall, Peru has experienced a 20-year internal armed conflict, that ended in 2000 year, but its effects are still affected.
There are many men, raised in terms of the conflict and now they are trying to feed their families in the conditions of the country's poor economy. In this way, Defion Internacional can hire a staff just for 1000 USD per month . Of course, these people find a salary good enough, as the average salary in Peru (who manages to get a job) is only about 200 dollars a month.
Defion Internacional specializes in hazardous areas of security in the Middle East, It is also engaged in other activities, such as food supplies and medical services, English language training and insurance. The company has worked in Iraq under contract with the US Department of State, which means that the cooperation of these underfunded Peruvians with the US military. She also collaborated larger US private military company called Triple Canopy Inc, although the PMC has recently itself to recruit in Peru.
9. Private military companies guarding US officials abroad
known, what Triple Canopy , как и Challenge Internacional, draws for a small fee of soldiers from South America. However, this is just a small part of their business. But the PMC, founded by former US Special Forces, also working on contracts with the US government in Iraq. Among their employees – former Navy fighters, Rangers, employees of special operations forces and police.
Although the company specializes in security operations and maintenance, Triple Canopy has a number of very challenging missions, from those, that the charge of mercenary companies. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, this was the PMCs work in Iraq, involved in the protection and support of US officials and perform other duties, associated with a high risk. This company is so closely cooperates closely with the military, that it sometimes called “parallel army” U.S.A.
8. Rise of the German mercenaries
For many years, the Germans (which for obvious reasons we tried to conduct conflict-free life since the Second World War) harshly criticized the US private armies, causing problems in all areas of conflict in the world. but in 2007 , they received the alarming news: a former German officer Thomas Kaltegartner founded his own mercenary company.
Затем компания Kaltegärtner, Asgard led by Herman, adds gray hair German politicians, signing the agreement provision of security services Somali president to Solanyy Haladyda Abdynura Ahmad Darmana. It seemed, their mission – not less, than to restore security in the war-torn country.
It may not seem like such a bad thing, except for one: Busch,, is, is an samozvanыm President – one of the many Somali warlords, which approved it in that position, at the same time refusing to recognize the the authority of an official of the United Nations Organization appointed head of the transitional government of the country. One can only imagine, it may take “security services” for such a person and how he plans to “restore peace in the country”.
And now he has a lot of highly qualified German soldiers for the implementation of the plans.
7. unsuccessful advertising
Nowadays, private military companies are very interested in maintaining a positive, professional reputation. Finally, in the information age is to understand, that each of the companies will eventually find their way in the world. A striking example of a bright new approach to advertising is among the PMC Sandline International, the now defunct British company, closely associated with Aegis Defence, whose mercenaries have seen in various “hot spots”, eg, during the fighting in Sierra Leone and Papua New Guinea.
In Sandline was adviser and a public representative named Michael Grunberg, who gladly regaled media wisely korportativnoy information on trendy topics, as CEO. According Gruenberg, his company and a member of her horde of private soldiers are paid “community professionals with the principles of”. Sandline advertised itself so badly, that the whole book was about nney, which it criticized the company (Mercenaries: The African Security Dilemma). It PMCs answer by publishing a list of mass of enemies and do not respond to any serious charges.
6. Academy
“academics”, probably, It may seem like the most innocuous sounding name in this list, but do not be fooled: the company is actually a renamed the infamous Blackwater. The history of the atrocities still remembered by many and very often, have even entire websites, devoted exclusively to transfer their various dark deeds: is, for some time, they even participated in death squads CRU.
Academi name, which is used to 2011 of the year, It is the second title of this noisy PMCs, who tried to rehabilitate himself several years ago. After the first renaming it called XE Services, under this name it operated for only two years, until there was another “corporate restructuring”. While this strategy, looks like, working, as their new name soon became also cause negative. The company was forced to admit at least 17 federal criminal charges and to pay millions of dollars for fined. It is not excluded, that the question of time, when they will have to come up with even less “dangerous” name. Although their reputation at the moment, probably, no name, which could mitigate the negative image.
5. Executive Outcomes
second five “MA” horrific scale private armed forces have opened Executive Outcomes , known to many as the EO. This South African company has been seen in most African war zones, Where, as they say, She played a major role. Mercenaries of the PMCs were seen in Sierra Leone, Angola, Uganda, Botswana, Zambia, Ethiopia, Namibia, Lesotho and, of course, in South Africa. Although they officially declare, that their only mission is to peacemaking, they are suspected in a number of shady dealings, from the machinations of oil companies from Sierra Leone and ending diamond deals with the jewelry giant De Beers.
The company is known for, that is focused on the work in resource-rich countries. It often restores and provides control over gold, oil and diamond regions, before you pay attention to other issues. deposits often quietly under the control of the owners of the PMC. As they say the owners EO owned gold mines in Uganda, oil rigs in Ethiopia and many other profitable enterprises in different countries, where they were involved in the work.
4. The case of Jamie Leigh Jones
AT 2007 by Jamie Lee Jones, employees of private military contractor Halliburton / KBR, He claimed, that her raped several colleagues. This event marked the beginning of its struggle against private military company. This PE employer Jones decided to hide, locking it in a shipping container without food or water for 24 hours. This was followed by notice of dismissal in the case of, if she left Iraq to seek medical care.
Not surprising, Jones sued. However, the trial proved problematic. Work KBR contract provided, Jones claims to have been considered without a jury, judges, public records or transcripts, that it is extremely difficult for show, there was anything, or not. Finally, after 15 months of highly publicized struggle, Jones was allowed to bring to justice the CBD. when it, finally, received for consideration 2011 year, KBR leadership has selected evidence, which completely been ignored by the media. Next there was a manipulation Jones, change in its presentation of events. One of these changes include approval of the severance of the pectoral muscle, as well as about the damage to the breast. But the court affirmed, she “It failed to attract a single witness from Iraq”, who could confirm her words about chest injury. reported, that according to the instructions, departure from Iraq, she was required to wear a very heavy bulletproof jacket, but that, according to doctors, it would literally be clothed with these injuries. Finally, case fell apart, although the court understood the rightness Jones.
although we, perhaps, We will never know for sure, what happened to Jones, and why it has entered into dubious employment contract with KBR, which forbids staff insist on sexual abuse in court. After the incident, the US administration adopted an amendment the bill on the defense appropriations, that prevented the government to deal with companies, with this article in its labor contracts, so the CBD as a result was forced to change it.
3. “Trofeynoe video”
AT 2005 year has been extended “trofeynoe video”, which presumably Scottish or Irish men accidentally fired on Iraqi civilians. The video was uploaded on the company website, unofficially associated with Aegis Defense Services – PMC, which, by the way, It uses both Scots, and Irish. This incident caused considerable resonance in the media, became an occasion of discussion of conduct of war in Iraq. At that time, the country had more than 25 000 private security contractors. They caused mass hatred, We had a reputation zlotsnyh offenders, implicated in the killing of civilians. But none of them have never been prosecuted for their actions to the court, because the local law enforcement agencies was specifically forbidden to attract these individuals to justice.
Despite isolated case video publishing, This state of emergency has been no exception. After careful analysis of existing material, employees of the Criminal Investigation Department of the US Army finally came to the conclusion, they will not work accuse anyone. meanwhile, Aegis Defense carefully conducts its own internal investigation of such incidents. But none of the incident, the investigation material was not published for public information.
2. Founder of PMC David Stirling
Although mercenary armies were more or less since the inception of the war, the creation of modern private military companies usually attributed Colonel David Stirling.
Stirling was the Scottish Lerddom and military to the bone, as the saying goes: before doing business, that is associated with the mercenaries, he created a structure, as SAS, which is one of the elite special force units in the world.
After, Stirling left the army after the Second World War, he moved to Africa and founded a society for the promotion of racial harmony. However, fate has chosen for him another way . He soon created a Watchguard International Ltd., commercial company, who helped train the security division for a number of Arab and African countries. Watchguard, established in 1960, generally considered first modern private military company.
1. Sex trade
DynCorp – one of the most powerful private military companies in the world, with most of its turnover of several billion dollars comes directly from the US government. Unfortunately, known, that the code of conduct for employees of the company leaves much to be desired, to put it mildly.
In the late 1990s, two Bosnians (independently each other on the other) claimed, that employees of DynCorp, stationed in Bosnia, regularly abused civilians . according to the charges, DynCorp men having sex with minors, and even sold civilians each other as slaves.
The company management reacted immediately to these horrific news… exposing both the applicants' house fire. One of them, in particular, Katherine Bolkovats, He faced serious difficulties before firing: despite, she opened brothels and bars Network, where the abducted women were forced to entertain peacekeepers, her attempts to report a problem with the authorities constantly sabotaged, she even threatened her with murder.
However, Catherine persisted. She is, together with another civilian, DynCorp still attracted to court. The company lost both courts, and the antics of her staff were so painted Media, that Hollywood even filmed sensational picture history Bolkovats.
