From rescue operations to high-stake interventions, here are the 7 most effective private military
companies
Number 7 Northbridge Services Group Northbridge Services Group is a company based
in the Dominican Republic with branches in Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Northbridge has assisted law enforcement in operations involving terrorism, organized
crime and drug trafficking.
Staffed with former members of the British military as well as ex-operatives from the
armies of the US, France and South Africa.
Northbridge gained attention in 2003, when it conducted a rescue operation of 25 oil
workers who’d spent two weeks as hostages on Nigerian oil rigs.
That same year Northbridge offered to kidnap disgraced Liberian President Charles Taylor,
who’d been granted asylum in Nigeria at the time.
The fee for the service was placed at $4 million.
The offer was declined and the company was subsequently investigated by the FBI.
Number 6 Securitas AB This Stockholm-based security group employs
over 300,000 people in over 50 countries around the world.
Securitas AB’s range of services includes consulting, monitoring, investigation as well
as mobile patrolling and security guarding.
For its armored transit services the company uses special safe vehicles as well as a fleet
of bulletproof SUV’s.
Founded in 1934, it currently consists of three chief departments: Security Services
North America, Security Services Europe and Security Services Ibero-America.
While the company currently generates billions in revenue, a depot it operated in 2006, in
Tonbridge, Kent, was hit by the largest cash robbery in British history.
A coordinated attack targeted the depot’s manager and his family, who were abducted
and threatened.
The robbers also tied up 14 staff members and made off with the equivalent of over $66
million in cash from the depot.
Quiz Question Before we continue with our list, it’s time
for our quiz question.
Where does the “Securitas” name come from?
a.
Roman Goddess b.
Type of armor c.
Ancient Secret Service d.
Fortification Let us know what you think in the comments
section below and stay tuned to find out the right answer.
Number 5 Aegis Defense Services In May 2011, Aegis Defense Services and several
other companies replaced the US military’s air and ground operations in Baghdad, following
its retreat from the region.
That same year, Aegis received a contract worth almost half a billion dollars for security
services at the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Aegis Defense Services was under contract to the US Department of Defense to assist
with the reconstruction program in Iraq.
In this capacity the company facilitated intelligence sharing between reconstruction contractors
and security forces and maintained active awareness of all security operations.
Threats that reconstruction workers in Iraq routinely had to face include armed vandalism,
bombings, attacks and murders.
At least 1,395 workers on US-funded projects reportedly lost their lives between 2003 and
2009.
Like other companies on this list, Aegis is no stranger to controversy.
In October, 2005, a video emerged of private military contractors firing upon civilian
vehicles in Baghdad apparently with no discernible cause.
Aegis wouldn’t confirm that its contractors were involved but the man who posted the troubling
video was a disgruntled former Aegis employee.
Number 4 Triple Canopy Triple Canopy was founded in May 2003 by former
US Special Forces and Delta operators.
In 2014, the company merged with long-time rival Academi to form the Constellis Group.
Prior to the merger it employed over 5,000 people and boasted former Rangers, SEALs,
MARSOC Critical Skills Operators and other highly-trained personnel.
Triple Canopy is best known for its security services to the transitional government in
Iraq, following the US invasion of the country.
The company’s routinely active in war zones, which can lead to fatalities.
A bomb attack in 2005, in Basra, Iraq, claimed the lives of four Triple Canopy team members
along with 13 others.
Three operatives were killed in July 2010, following a rocket attack on Baghdad’s heavily
fortified Green Zone.
Number 3 DynCorp DynCorp started out as an aviation company
before expanding to include security, intelligence training and other services.
It has incorporated aviation into its private security operations and offers air support
to eliminate terrorism, strengthen law enforcement and reduce drug trafficking.
Most of its revenue, which amounts to several billion US dollars, stems from contracts with
the US federal governments.
DynCorp has been extremely prolific in securing defence contracts and has assisted the US
military in a number of engagements, including Kosovo, Kuwait, Bosnia, Bolivia, Columbia,
Somalia and others.
It also provided security for Afghanistan’s interim president, Hamid Karzai and training
to police forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
For all its extensive field of operations, DynCorp has also been involved in several
scandals.
A particularly notorious incident involved child sex trafficking in Bosnia.
In June, 2000, a special division of the FBI investigated the incident and DynCorp fired
5 employees who had a history of similar illegal activities.
Quiz Answer So, where does the Securitas name come from?
Founded just a few years prior to WWII, Securitas AB was named after a, the Roman goddess of
security and stability.
The three dots on its logo are meant to represent the company’s core values of “Integrity,
Vigilance and Helpfulness”.
Number 2 G4S Currently based in London, G4S was created
in 2004 through the merger of the British company Securicor and the Danish company 4
Falck.
G4S describes itself as “the world’s leading global security and outsourcing group”.
It’s a description that seems to fit, considering that it employs over 570,000 people and generates
close to $10 billion in revenue.
G4S is one of the largest private employers in the world, with operations in more than
90 countries.
Its core services include monitoring and response, security systems, manned security as well
as risk management and consulting services.
One of the most interesting aspects about G4S is that it’s believed to be the company
guarding Homey Airport, the secret United States Air Force Base, in the Nevada desert.
The perimeter is better known to the world as Area 51.
While there’s no official position on which company is guarding the base, leaked information
widely suggests that company to be G4S.
Therefore, if the Internet meme of “storming Area 51” does become a reality then those
trespassing would have to deal with highly-trained G4S personnel.
Number 1 Academi Formerly known as Blackwater, this American
private military company was founded in 1997 by retired NAVY Seal officer Erik Prince.
Academi’s main source of income are contracts with the US government and its fighters have
taken part in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
One of the company’s first assignments was protecting CIA headquarters and an additional
base that was tasked with the Osama Bin Laden manhunt.
For this contract, Academi provided 20 men who were given top secret clearance.
In August 2003, Academi received its first Iraq contract, worth an estimated $21 million.
Its task was protecting Paul Bremer, head of the US occupation in Iraq.
What followed was a 2-year umbrella contract with the State Department which earned it
around $488 million.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Academi dispatched a rescue team and a helicopter,
free of charge, to assist with relief operations.
Academi currently owns the largest training facility in the US, a 7,000-acre property
in North Carolina.
Historically, the company has been as effective as it’s been controversial.
Back when it was known as Blackwater, some of its employees were convicted in a scandal
which involved the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians and the injuring of 20 others in Baghdad.
The attack, known as the Nisour Square Massacre, was reportedly unprovoked and sparked outrage
in the country.
Thanks for watching!
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abroad?
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