Private Military Companies
Discussion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LaSD8oFBZE
I didn't know this was a thing.
Eye opening.
Have I been naive in never believing this existed?
I didn't know this was a thing.
Eye opening.
Have I been naive in never believing this existed?
Yes.
You don't remember the Blackwater scandal in Iraq, or the Sandline affair in Papua New Guinea (as well as the operations in Sierra Leone and later Liberia)?
https://www.securitydegreehub.com/most-powerful-pr...
You don't remember the Blackwater scandal in Iraq, or the Sandline affair in Papua New Guinea (as well as the operations in Sierra Leone and later Liberia)?
https://www.securitydegreehub.com/most-powerful-pr...
Ginetta G15 Girl said:
Yes.
You don't remember the Blackwater scandal in Iraq, or the Sandline affair in Papua New Guinea (as well as the operations in Sierra Leone and later Liberia)?
https://www.securitydegreehub.com/most-powerful-pr...
As a "man in the street" ,I have never heard of any of what you listed.You don't remember the Blackwater scandal in Iraq, or the Sandline affair in Papua New Guinea (as well as the operations in Sierra Leone and later Liberia)?
https://www.securitydegreehub.com/most-powerful-pr...
Pericoloso said:
Ginetta G15 Girl said:
Yes.
You don't remember the Blackwater scandal in Iraq, or the Sandline affair in Papua New Guinea (as well as the operations in Sierra Leone and later Liberia)?
https://www.securitydegreehub.com/most-powerful-pr...
As a "man in the street" ,I have never heard of any of what you listed.You don't remember the Blackwater scandal in Iraq, or the Sandline affair in Papua New Guinea (as well as the operations in Sierra Leone and later Liberia)?
https://www.securitydegreehub.com/most-powerful-pr...
Out of interest, how old are you? I’d be amazed if anyone over 30 with any kind of current affairs awareness hadn’t heard of Blackwater.
This is a good watch on the subject https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yCONEdFgWo
Baron von Teuchter said:
Pericoloso said:
Ginetta G15 Girl said:
Yes.
You don't remember the Blackwater scandal in Iraq, or the Sandline affair in Papua New Guinea (as well as the operations in Sierra Leone and later Liberia)?
https://www.securitydegreehub.com/most-powerful-pr...
As a "man in the street" ,I have never heard of any of what you listed.You don't remember the Blackwater scandal in Iraq, or the Sandline affair in Papua New Guinea (as well as the operations in Sierra Leone and later Liberia)?
https://www.securitydegreehub.com/most-powerful-pr...
Out of interest, how old are you? I’d be amazed if anyone over 30 with any kind of current affairs awareness hadn’t heard of Blackwater.
It’s a massive business, loads (and I mean loads!) of guys I served with left the forces in the last 10-15 years to get on it. IRAQ was the first one that everyone wanted to get then Afghan and more recently Anti Piracy.
The biggest problem it’s caused now in the industry is finding a decent CP job here in the UK. Markets flooded, jobs (good ones) are hard to find and the money’s dropped right down compared to what it was 10 years ago.
The biggest problem it’s caused now in the industry is finding a decent CP job here in the UK. Markets flooded, jobs (good ones) are hard to find and the money’s dropped right down compared to what it was 10 years ago.
Shadow Company is the other good documentary on this. Looks like it's free on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yCONEdFgWo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yCONEdFgWo
dazmanultra said:
Shadow Company is the other good documentary on this. Looks like it's free on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yCONEdFgWo
Shadow company haven't been the same since Riggs beat the shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yCONEdFgWo
t out of Mr JoshuaThe industry has more than its fair share of arse-hats, and a disproportionate amount of the arse-hats end up on YouTube, writing books and telling self-aggrandising tales of daring-do. Ho-ra.
Certainly in the early days of Iraq there was a fortune to be made as a contractor, that rapidly declined however as the in-fighting between the burgeoning companies dropped prices to gain contracts, doing this by hiring people who would work for far less than the established norm - South Africans, Nigerians, Eastern Europeans [no criticism of those guys except obviously quality dropped, but not their fault].
The guys that originally set up out there were also largely believers in their own publicity and a portion of the time operated completely inappropriately - relying on things they'd learned in Green Army without translating to the situation. Big aggressive 4x4 convoys bristling with guns and 'operators'...all blown to bits by IEDs on a daily basis...who'd a thunk eh?
The companies that set up there created a fortune for themselves - and fair play - it was a tough business environment with lots of contracts but lots of back-handers. Wild West. Things got slowly more regulated and the more exuberant activities tailed off to some extent though. Blackwater (now 'Academi' via 'Xe') was fking huge - they had one of the biggest training facilities in the US, but typical of the US mindset, were very 'dogs of war/warrior' etc bullst, which of course caught up with them eventually.
I'd never considered PMCs as proper 'Mercenaries' though, that is the preserve of organised fighting forces actively prosecuting war against an enemy rather than 'protecting' people. Maybe it's my generation, but look back at Spicer, Dennard, Mad Mike Hoare, Eeban Barlow (EO) and it's a different breed and a different job.
I've worked for a few of the main companies in the past - investigations, trainer and consultant mainly, but having a family I stayed in N Africa while a fair few colleagues went east, many ended up coming back as conditions (pay and leave wise) got worse, but there's a lot of competition now as everyone has 'done the course', but to be honest, the thinking process' are still way off really - looks good on youtube, nice certificate, but it's mainly penny-dreadful bullst in reality.
Ex-military can be a disadvantage a lot of the time as they can be blinkered and what I found is that most want to end up in Berkley Sq. wearing a whistle and flute with a copy of the Economist under their arm so concentrate on the Masters Degree/Management side of things, but don't have the wits to see and adapt to reality - they are cooks, not chefs - a 400 page evacuation plan looks impressive, but you only need 3 sides, the rest is puff on the day. Ooops - ranting....needless to say, a fair portion of the guys are actually spot on and had great savvy - I'm maybe looking at the further ends of the spectrum too hard!
Certainly in the early days of Iraq there was a fortune to be made as a contractor, that rapidly declined however as the in-fighting between the burgeoning companies dropped prices to gain contracts, doing this by hiring people who would work for far less than the established norm - South Africans, Nigerians, Eastern Europeans [no criticism of those guys except obviously quality dropped, but not their fault].
The guys that originally set up out there were also largely believers in their own publicity and a portion of the time operated completely inappropriately - relying on things they'd learned in Green Army without translating to the situation. Big aggressive 4x4 convoys bristling with guns and 'operators'...all blown to bits by IEDs on a daily basis...who'd a thunk eh?
The companies that set up there created a fortune for themselves - and fair play - it was a tough business environment with lots of contracts but lots of back-handers. Wild West. Things got slowly more regulated and the more exuberant activities tailed off to some extent though. Blackwater (now 'Academi' via 'Xe') was f
king huge - they had one of the biggest training facilities in the US, but typical of the US mindset, were very 'dogs of war/warrior' etc bullst, which of course caught up with them eventually.I'd never considered PMCs as proper 'Mercenaries' though, that is the preserve of organised fighting forces actively prosecuting war against an enemy rather than 'protecting' people. Maybe it's my generation, but look back at Spicer, Dennard, Mad Mike Hoare, Eeban Barlow (EO) and it's a different breed and a different job.
I've worked for a few of the main companies in the past - investigations, trainer and consultant mainly, but having a family I stayed in N Africa while a fair few colleagues went east, many ended up coming back as conditions (pay and leave wise) got worse, but there's a lot of competition now as everyone has 'done the course', but to be honest, the thinking process' are still way off really - looks good on youtube, nice certificate, but it's mainly penny-dreadful bulls
t in reality. Ex-military can be a disadvantage a lot of the time as they can be blinkered and what I found is that most want to end up in Berkley Sq. wearing a whistle and flute with a copy of the Economist under their arm so concentrate on the Masters Degree/Management side of things, but don't have the wits to see and adapt to reality - they are cooks, not chefs - a 400 page evacuation plan looks impressive, but you only need 3 sides, the rest is puff on the day. Ooops - ranting....needless to say, a fair portion of the guys are actually spot on and had great savvy - I'm maybe looking at the further ends of the spectrum too hard!
Edited by andy_s on Saturday 29th September 12:33
Didn't think it was this big but definitely aware and have heard of Blackwater (am in my 40s).
Have been aware of private bodyguards for decades, though, but that might be due to my background in martial arts. (Did consider it as a career briefly... but let's face it, I acknowledge I'm too much of a coward.
)
Have been aware of private bodyguards for decades, though, but that might be due to my background in martial arts. (Did consider it as a career briefly... but let's face it, I acknowledge I'm too much of a coward.
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