Necessary Personal Qualities, Training, Private Military Companies

PMC is an abbreviation for the term “private military company" These organizations are military, they carry out the entire range of work associated with military clashes: they provide communications, security, can become participants in an armed conflict, and can also prepare or repair military equipment.

The only difference between a PMC and a national army is that it is not based on the compulsory conscription of privates and is not state-owned. The basis for recruiting for such a service is the contract method. Company employees enter service under a contract, which clearly states the amount for participation in actions in hot spots or for military support. Most often, foreigners join companies; for example, in Syria, the participants will not be Syrians.

On at the moment PMCs are gradually replacing regular armies. Employees of private companies are more motivated, but are not in any way interested in conflict from an ideological or political point of view; they cannot be disappointed and forced to flee by the destruction of their ideals. Mercenaries are more reliable, prepared and interested in military operations. Therefore, the practice of creating PMCs is spreading throughout the world and is beginning to affect even Russia.

The history of the creation of such armies

First private military organization appeared in England in the last century, in 1967. It was founded by an employee of Her Majesty's Army and was involved in military conflicts on Middle East and in Africa. Until now, these zones remain relevant, because clashes in them do not stop.

Gradually, companies began to appear in other countries. The most active growth has occurred since the 1990s, when conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq escalated. The number of private soldiers grew and in the 90s in Iraq they already accounted for 1% of all infantrymen. Developed countries such as the USA, Canada and many others have their own private companies. The question remains: when will they appear in Russia?

Find out: How to get into the special forces of the Russian Marine Corps, who serves there

Situation in Russia

At the moment, it is not yet officially allowed to open military companies in the Russian Federation, so there is actually no mercenary army in Russia. However, this does not stop some entrepreneurs: private organizations such as PMC Wagner, Tiger Top-Rent Security. They continue to operate on the territory of the Russian Federation, since they are mostly security and do not get involved in serious conflicts, but the trend of companies now is that they are gradually moving to a more aggressive level and are ready to show themselves in serious fire points.

Now a bill has been submitted to the State Duma for consideration, according to which Russia’s private armies can become completely legal. In this case, they will receive permission to conduct fighting and will become a full-fledged analogue of Western organizations. The issue should be resolved by the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin.

The public is concerned about this statement, because the presence of armed forces that obey any orders for money is scary. However, according to the bill, all armed activities will be regulated. Private armies simply will not have the opportunity to disturb the civil peace of the residents of the Russian Federation, since they will be redirected to other countries: to Iraq to guard oil pipelines or to Syria for military operations. This is a common practice - almost all PMCs operate in countries other than their homeland.

Activities Options

Commercial organizations are not only engaged in providing military support, they can also carry out other types of activities:

Find out: Which conscription is best to serve: autumn or spring?

In Russia, commercial armies perform any type of work, except for participation in hostilities.

How can I get there?

Russian mercenary army - how to get into its ranks? The procedure for joining a PMC is similar to the algorithm for contract service. A candidate who is attracted to a private army in Russia must provide guarantees and evidence of his military awareness. Typically, a pre-employment screening consists of:

• medical examination;
• training tests;
• psychological test.

According to historians, the first armies appeared during the time of Carthage and Ancient Rome. Militia and slave militia were replaced by professional mercenary soldiers. They received a salary for their work, and to maintain discipline, management resorted to physical coercion. Nowadays it is time for mercenary armies finest hour. This has become a business both for the creators of such formations and for the military themselves. How do you become a mercenary? What personal qualities and skills should the applicant have? This article will help answer these questions.

What are the advantages of private armies?

As experts say, mercenaries and private military companies (PMCs) can successfully earn money regardless of global agreements. For example, if on the territory of any country of movement regular armies other states are limited, then the PMC operates freely. A private army, having concluded a contract, goes to a foreign country and performs a wide range of tasks there. These may be security jobs, but most often professional mercenaries fight for one of the warring parties. They may also be recruited to overthrow political regime. If there was money, there would always be highly professional military personnel.

Various PMCs are suitable for those who, having visited “hot spots” and returned to civilian life, were unable to adapt to peaceful life. Questions about how to become a mercenary and what is required for this are also of interest to those who simply want to make money. This category of people is absolutely indifferent to whom they fight for.

About private military companies

According to experts, many PMCs work closely with the intelligence services of the United States and Great Britain, as well as other Western countries. With the help of mercenary armies, weapons are purchased and military specialists are trained. The basis of the military-industrial complex of the United States is made up of PMCs: mercenaries serve the army, participate in the development of new weapons and help government security services.

The very first such company, Vinnell Corporation, was created in America in 1931. During World War II, she defended the interests of the US Army. It also operated in Africa and the Middle East. The company was officially listed as a construction company. However, in addition to the construction of military facilities, employees were involved in combat operations and reconnaissance raids. Vinnell Corporation trained National Guard soldiers for Saudi Arabia, confronted the rebels in Mecca. Today, the tasks performed by PMCs are clearly divided. For example, oil facilities are guarded by Erinys Irag Limited and XE Services, and Kroll PMC soldiers accompany convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan. Caci supplies qualified military interpreters and KBR supplies the troops.

In Russia, PMCs appeared later. After the collapse of the USSR, many military specialists were laid off. Some were dissatisfied with low wages and general lack of employment. Industrial scale mercenarism acquired in the 90s. Nowadays, there are several PMCs operating in Russia, offering very specific services to customers. The most famous Russian private armies are Wagner PMCs, Tiger Rent Security, E.N.O.T. CORP, PMC MAR, Cossacks, Moran Security Group. “Soldiers of Fortune” are hired to guard facilities, escort cargo, train security forces, and also to fight pirates.

How do you become PMC mercenaries? About the requirements for the applicant

Is it possible for a random unemployed citizen or a pensioner who decides to improve his financial situation to become a mercenary? According to experts, of course, such a category cannot be included in PMCs. This work, not to mention the moral ones, requires special physical and psychological qualities. A potential PMC employee must meet the following requirements:

• Be no older than 45 years old. PMCs recruit young people from 25 years of age.
• The applicant must be at least 175 cm tall and in good physical shape.
• If you young man will be revealed bad habits(addiction to alcohol, drugs, medications, etc.), then he will be denied admission.

Anyone who wants to work for a PMC should be prepared that they can be sent to any climatic region.

About the moral side

Very often, the question of how people become mercenaries is asked by previously convicted citizens. According to experts, this category will definitely not become employees of PMCs. A person with an already expunged criminal record should not be a mercenary. A military man will also be denied entry if he is dismissed from the armed forces under a discreditable article.

Strict rules are due to the fact that such people, as psychologists are convinced, tend to disobey or violate discipline. If a young man has an impeccably clean reputation, but is related to terrorists, then he will not be accepted either.

About psychological criteria

The best mercenary is the one with a balanced psyche and resistance to stress. In addition, the “soldier of fortune” must be attentive, responsible and conscientious. Because not only his life, but also the success of the entire business will depend on how skillfully he copes with his responsibilities. No one will let him work carelessly. Since the PMCs are all adults and already psychologically formed people, they will not rehabilitate a careless fighter.

A private mercenary will have to work in very harsh conditions with physical and psychological stress. Therefore, if there are any diseases for which “straining” is contraindicated, then it is better not to go to a PMC. In addition to high endurance, a “soldier of fortune” must be able to adapt and quickly restore his strength.

Who is this work for?

According to experts, private military companies predominantly hire officers with extensive combat experience. Combat awards are welcome. Leaders of military operations also act out of turn.

This job is for those who have good preparation contract military personnel, military graduates educational institutions, reserve security forces, combat veterans and candidates with any unique military specialties. Taking into account the specifics of work in PMCs, preference is given to unmarried applicants.

Training

Of course, upon arriving at a PMC, a newcomer already has a certain military specialty and level of training. However, in modern world One specialty is not enough. For this reason, according to experts, even experienced military personnel are subject to retraining at the expense of a private company. Employees are trained in various classical and specialized disciplines, taking into account the characteristics of the country in which they will have to work. “Soldier of Fortune” is introduced to modern technology, information systems etc.

Instructors are taught to shoot from different types weapons, perform combat missions using vehicles (driving at night, avoiding collisions, driving along serpentine roads, transferring control, emergency braking and turning, preventing accidents, shooting while moving, etc.). In addition, mercenaries are taught how to destroy ambushes, escort and guard various cargo, and also work in extreme conditions.

Unlike foreign private military companies, Russian personnel are selected more carefully. According to experts, foreign PMCs are multinational, but only citizens of the Russian Federation can join Russian ones. Armies also differ in professional level fighters. Employees of foreign PMCs are trained by Western instructors. It is not uncommon for local residents to become mercenaries. There is no language barrier in communication between such “soldiers of fortune”; they know the area and customs well, and most importantly, they are not very demanding in terms of payment.

In conclusion

Since a private military company is a serious commercial structure, its management requires its employees to follow certain rules. For example, a “soldier of fortune” signs documents on the non-disclosure of various secrets and information about the employer. There is also a clause in the contract that states that the mercenary must obey his superiors. If the terms are violated by the employee, the employer unilaterally terminates the contract early. This will not do anything good for the “soldier of fortune”: he will not receive the promised money, and he will have to return home from the mission on his own.

Russia imposed on Ukraine unusual war, some incomprehensible individuals are fighting under the flags of the Russian Federation, calling themselves militias. It is difficult to understand the course of hostilities if you do not know some of the secrets of this “militia”. We tried to put together all the information about the terrorists, even that which is not in either the Russian or Ukrainian media.

How to become militants

Contract for terrorism

Mercenaries going to Donbass sign time-limited contracts. At the very beginning, when the military registration and enlistment offices of the Russian Federation had not yet started working, there were even weekly contracts. Like, go for a week, take a look, then, if everything goes well, stay longer.

But most contracts are for a period of one to three months. It is quite difficult to drive groups across the border; frequent changes in the composition of units have a bad effect on morale. But rotation is necessary, otherwise desertion begins. It is clear that those units that are in combat cannot carry out rotation. As well as units located in surrounded cities (now this is actually Gorlovka).

Call sign Motorola. Yesterday with a flag on the front line, and today with a cocktail on the beach in Yalta.

The vast majority of terrorists return to the ATO zone after a short rest. The militants are offered paid vacations in Crimea so that they do not have any thoughts of returning home. The second or third voyage to war raises the status of a fighter; he is already considered an “experienced veteran.”

Permanent composition

Militant groups also have a permanent composition that has not changed since the beginning of hostilities. These are commanders, military specialists from the GRU General Staff or the FSB (they operate undercover, even the terrorists themselves do not know even half of the military experts from the Russian Federation), socially unsettled elements (no home, family work in the Russian Federation), criminals who are wanted on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Commanders

Commanders of militant groups have completely different contracts. They receive their salary in an offshore account, and all conditions for retreat have been created for them. When Mozgovoy became too carried away with banditry and decided to overthrow Bolotov, giving all power in the Lugansk region to Efremov from the Party of Regions, he was urgently summoned to Moscow and reforged.

There they explained to him that an account of several million dollars somewhere in the Antilles, coupled with an offshore passport that gives the right to visa-free entry into almost any country in the world, is much better than the small cash that can be squeezed out of the local rich or received from the party of regions.

How much does one terrorist cost?

The magic formula of “one hundred dollars a day” formed the basis for hiring militants. For the majority of the population of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, such a salary was a pipe dream throughout their lives. It is clear that a good specialist knows his worth, so more expensive contracts will be awarded. Most of the "high quality" militias sold for amounts ranging from 100 to 300 units of US currency per day.

Due to the confusing financing schemes, there are no exact prices. A militant’s salary can be 20, 50, 100 or 200 dollars a day, just depending on what group he joined, who hired him, and for how long he agreed.

Treaty guarantees on terrorism

From the very beginning of the war, the main rule was established - no guarantees. The war is secret, no one should ever find evidence of direct participation of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the militant is not given any papers, although he signs a whole package of documents.

The command takes care of the leisure of the soldiers

Here is a non-disclosure obligation, a waiver of claims, and some other documents that would later allow the court to claim that he was not in the Donbass at that time, but somewhere in the Arctic Circle, extracting oil or panning for gold in Kolyma. He died there, the bears ate him and left nothing behind.

And it’s also convenient for the employer - the main payment occurs after the contract is completed. A “DPR militiaman” died and there is no need to pay anything. Those who send militants to eastern Ukraine are most interested in their physical destruction.

Cashiers from the FSB or other government organizations involved in paying salaries and bonuses, if the terrorist does not return, can keep at least part of his fee for themselves. Yes, even if a fighter returns from the front, part of his salary can be squeezed - after all, what will he prove? That he fought in the east?

Therefore, the entire giant machine involved in supplying militants and weapons to eastern Ukraine is extremely interested in the endless continuation of the conflict. The war allows people from the FSB and the Ministry of Defense to cut huge financial flows, which in peacetime go to all sorts of Olympics.

Three terrorist tankers

Labor disputes in terrorist organizations

Russian customers are accustomed to not paying extra for work. Therefore, many terrorists, when they find themselves in a combat zone, learn that $100 is a salary for a day of fighting, and since there is no fighting now, then for that day they will receive significantly less or nothing at all.

Other labor disputes also arise. After all, after some time in the existence of a militant detachment, it turns out that its members receive very different salaries. It’s okay when some local fights for pennies. And when Omsk or St. Petersburg residents, recruited by different organizations, meet, and in a personal conversation they find out that their salaries are very different.

To settle disputes and raise morale, advance payments are made in all units. Militants are given some cash from time to time. There is another reason here - the command is fighting in every possible way against looting, undermining the faith of the local population in all sorts of DPR and LPR.

Premium payments

Only highly qualified specialists - snipers, artillery computers, tank shooters, anti-aircraft gunners - receive stable and high bonuses. They do not have a very high salary (the same $100 a day or less), but a serious bonus for a killed Ukrainian soldier/damaged armored vehicle/captured heights.

But even here there are very different cases. Not all snipers receive bonuses. Some of them work for a “bare salary,” while locals may not receive a salary at all.

In some situations, a bonus is established for ordinary militants. Take the height - get 200 each or hold the position for a few more days. B lately when Ukrainian army is wedged deeper and deeper into the territory of the so-called “Novorossiya”, commanders are increasingly forced to offer and pay bonuses.

Terrorist division

Ordinary fighters are divided into three main types - “meat”, “fighters”, “specialists”. This is our terminology, different recruiters use different words to designate these types, but this is how they all divide their contingent.

"Specialists"

This category includes those who have a military specialty, no matter what it is. Russian troops, fighting in the east of Ukraine under the flags of all sorts of DPR, LPR, Novorossiya and so on, are in dire need of qualified military personnel. With the development of science and technology, all weapons have become more complex; to operate them effectively requires months, if not years of preparation.

Tank drivers and gunners, artillery computers and snipers, miners and sappers - these people need to be trained from several months to six months. But this is only if the “student” has basic knowledge (mathematics, physics, chemistry and other sciences) and sufficient level intelligence.

Of course, you can train an artillery gunner according to an accelerated program, taking the first “Donbass resident” who can count to more than one hundred. But in this case, one should not be surprised if the projectile hits a little in the wrong direction, deviating only a couple of kilometers from the target.

Problem positions

But the greatest value is not even tankers and artillerymen, but signalmen and commanders. Not the second one now World War, when the presence of one radio per company was considered normal, now it is necessary to coordinate the actions of armored vehicles and infantry, artillery and air defense (if we're talking about about militants).

If you distribute walkie-talkies to all the fighters, then defeat is inevitable - they will fill the air with screams and obscenities, shouting over each other. Therefore, it is necessary not only to distribute radios, but also to divide frequencies and channels, establish a communication order and determine call signs. Moreover, all this must be done in such a way that the enemy listening to the broadcast can extract as little information as possible from it.

And then there is electronic warfare (electronic warfare), radio reconnaissance and many, many other activities that require not only expensive, powerful equipment, but also professionals who know how to use it.

Comrade commanders

The most main problem terrorists is an acute shortage of junior officers. They have plenty of battalion group commanders, such as Leshy or Bosun. But we also need platoon commanders with the rank of lieutenant and company commanders with the rank of captain. And there are problems with this.

Every Russian officer who came to fight in Donbass wants to be the most important in the detachment; no one wants to become a junior commander. And there are not so many officers themselves. Please note that the war has been going on for almost six months, and everyone these armies still have neither officer shoulder straps nor officer ranks.

They even managed to figure out the medal, the banners were sewn, but the shoulder straps were tight. And this despite the fact that Girkin-Strelkov fancies himself a White Guard officer. Watch interviews with militants on their channels, you will not find a single junior officer there. There is a detachment commander, maybe even a chief of staff, but a platoon or company commander is a rarity.

"Action"

This category includes those recruits who have already taken part in hostilities. A soldier can be driven around training grounds for years and classrooms, you can give him a carload of shells and cartridges for target shooting. But nothing can replace him at school, where bullets and mines whistle overhead and can kill.

Neither “three squads out of turn,” nor the garrison guardhouse, nor even disciplinary battalion, do not have the same pedagogical effect as a bullet or shrapnel. Therefore, when in recruitment, participation in hostilities is valued higher than long-term contract service.

This category has one more remarkable property. “Militants” can easily torture and kill people. The sight of blood and the screams of the victim no longer cause such disgust in them; they had already seen and heard this in the previous war.

Terrorists are not born, terrorists are made

But if combat experience has already been acquired during the conflict in eastern Ukraine, then the fighter should not count on a serious increase in the contract. If you fought in Chechnya or Georgia, they will immediately offer you, say, $300. But if you “passed Slavyansk,” then you can be happy if your salary rises from $100 to $120.

"Meat"

It doesn’t matter whether you serve or not, whether you know how to disassemble a Kalashnikov assault rifle in 30 seconds or not, if you don’t fit into the first two categories, you will be cannon fodder. This is the most widespread category; the majority of those recruited both on the territory of the Russian Federation and in Ukraine fall into it.

It is clear that such fighters receive the lowest salaries. It is clear that no one is taking care of them. Sometimes the militia trains them, but in most cases they are given only basic skills - how to load and clean a machine gun, how to use a grenade, how to aim and shoot.

Recruiting squads

The first experience of military clashes showed that any terrorist squad must have fighters of all three categories. If a detachment is staffed only with “militants” and “specialists”, it is suitable for conducting complex combat operations. Experienced and intelligent people will not go on the attack unless they are completely confident of victory. They will not hold any line if the enemy outnumbers them and there is no possibility of retreat.

Therefore, military experts from the Russian Federation came up with the following formula for an “ideal battalion group” (terrorist detachment) – 60-70% “meat”, 30-25% “militants” and 5-10% “specialists”. This is exactly how they try to staff the detachments of all these Bezlers, Girkins, Leshys, and Mozgovs.

Recruiters' work

This is exactly how “orders” are drawn up for recruiters, no matter who they are - employees of military registration and enlistment offices in the Russian Federation, self-defense of Crimea, or agents on the territory of Ukraine. The only exception is “specialists”. Due to the acute shortage of people in this category, they are paid many times more and accepted in any quantity.

Some terrorists take painkillers before the battle begins

The reasons for the shortage are very simple - those who know how to organize communications at the battalion level or are able to calculate a ballistic trajectory in seconds have enough high level intelligence to understand the stupidity and futility of this war. These people, in most cases, are well-settled in life, they have families and jobs, they have no need to go to fight for some ephemeral republics.

Surely you have heard at least something about the French Foreign Legion. This legendary unit protects the interests of French citizens in all corners of the globe.

At the same time, it is staffed with thugs from all over the world, ready to break with the outside world and sell their lives personally to the President of France for at least 5 years. It is interesting that among the privates and sergeants of the Legion today, the majority are from Eastern Europe and the USSR.

Without a doubt

The Legion, whose soldiers and officers have not surrendered for more than 140 years, gives everyone who joins it a new name, biography, place and even year of birth.

The past does not exist for a legionnaire, and after 20 years of service, if he remains alive, he receives a substantial lifelong pension, which is paid even in Antarctica.

Join Foreign Legion Can men 17-39 years old. If you don't know the language, don't worry - they will teach you French. And there will be plenty of practice.

Mercenary activity is punishable by law in most countries, so selection points are located only in France. So, if your citizenship allows, come straight to Paris. More precisely: Paris 94120, Fontenay-sous-Bois - Fort de Nogent. Phone: 01 49 74 50 65. And definitely on Sunday or Tuesday. After all, on Mondays and Wednesdays, applicants are sent to the town of Aubagne, where the Legion command is located.

... and unnecessary words

If you get to the recruitment point, you will see a military unit. There is always a legionnaire at the entrance - approach him and remain silent. Be diligently silent, with feeling - otherwise he won’t let you in. Then he will ask about nationality and demand a passport.

After that, you will be taken inside, and then you will be searched and given a medical examination. This is the primary selection. For a while you will just get up at 5 am, make your bed, clean, help in the kitchen, carry something... For any offense or disobedience - push-ups or a slap on the wrist.

Before leaving for Aubagne, you will undergo another medical examination - a more comprehensive one. After the transfer, you will be searched even more thoroughly, and then you will be given clothes and toiletries.

Checking for lice

You'll have to work again in the Aubagne barracks, but it's even better for you - it's not so boring. But the main thing you came for is to pass three types of tests:

• Psychotechnical - for attentiveness and memory (it all depends on your quickness).
• Medical - medical examination and questions about injuries, illnesses (treat your teeth in advance).
• Physical - 2.8 km cross-country in 12 minutes (it is advisable to run as much as possible).

You will also undergo an interview where you will have to tell your entire biography. The main thing is to answer truthfully, quickly and clearly. The interview takes place in three stages. Moreover, each next one repeats the previous one - this is a test for lice.

Who needs to go out

Well, at the end they will all line up and shout out the names of those who passed the selection. As a rule, there are about twenty of them from the group. If you don't make it into this top twenty, get paid and get lost. They pay 25 euros for each day spent - not enough for a ticket home, but at least something. Maybe the next try will be more successful.

Well, if you are among the “lucky ones”, they immediately start chasing you. Cross-country, push-ups, swimming, push-ups... Then you take the oath and go to boot camp.

Mercenaries. Review of the most powerful mercenary armies.

Reading the well-known Berkem, we often came across mercenaries in the author’s text, or rather, not just mercenaries, but entire corporations providing everyone with enough money with the services of an entire army, well trained and equipped with the latest technology.

They all exist in real world, this review presents the best and most widespread of them. Those who fight for money... For the growing army of private contractors offering their military training to the highest bidders, things are looking up quickly.

Modern mercenaries are stationed in hot spots around the world for the benefit of governments that would not want to use their own troops there.

In addition to the fact that an army of 5 thousand heavily armed contract soldiers recently replaced the official American armed forces in Iraq, and many more have been recruited to protect private interests in the region, mercenaries are sent to many places that may surprise you.

With more than 620,000 employees, the publicly traded giant is the world's second-largest private employer (after Walmart). While some of its activities involve routine security at banks, prisons and airports, G4S also plays an important role in crisis areas literally all over the planet.

In 2008, G4S absorbed Armorgroup, whose 9,000-strong army guarded almost a third of all non-military supply convoys in Iraq (it was also notorious for its wild parties and the hiring of Afghan warlords).

However, the joint security group operates in more than 125 countries, including the most dangerous parts of Africa and Latin America, where it offers heavily armed security, mine clearance, and mine clearance services to government agencies and private companies. military intelligence and preparation.

Unity Resources Group

Website:

Australia's Unity Resources, with 1,200 staff worldwide, has been able to increase its presence in Iraq as the nation's armies withdraw. Its leadership includes veterans from Australia, the USA and the UK.

The private military firm is best known for its security work at the Australian embassy in Baghdad, where in 2010 it trained Chilean soldiers to man the gates and machine gun nests. Unity workers were also responsible for two controversial drive-by shootings in Iraq, one that killed an Australian professor and another that killed two women.

Outside of Iraq, Unity helped maintain security during parliamentary elections in Lebanon and evacuate private oil companies from crisis-ridden areas of Bahrain. The firm also operates throughout Africa, America and Europe.

Website: www.erinys.net/

Erinys also supported US State Department contracts in Iraq. Its largest recent years the mission included 16,000 security guards in 282 locations across the country, where they ensured the security of pipelines and other energy assets.

In addition, the group maintains a presence in Africa, which has traditionally been one of its interests. Erinyes was recently awarded two contracts in the Republic of Congo to provide security for major mining projects iron ore and gas.

Formerly owned by Hashmat Karzai, cousin Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Asia Security Group is a serious local force in the war-torn country. It employs about 600 security guards.

The private army, headquartered in Kabul, has received millions in contracts from the US military and is reportedly guarding supply convoys that pass through southern Afghanistan. Mercenaries from Asia Security Group were also recruited by DynCorp, an American contractor with a large presence in the region.

Website: www.dyn-intl.com/

DynCorp, based in Virginia, is one of eight private military companies specifically selected by the US State Department to remain in Iraq after the withdrawal of US military forces.

The huge group, which generates approximately $3.4 billion in revenue annually, is also active throughout Africa. Eastern Europe and Latin America, with more than 10 thousand employees. The firm earned a reputation for taking liberties with weapons when its soldiers fought rebel groups in Colombia in the early 2000s. Its troops were also involved in anti-drug operations in Peru, as well as peacekeeping missions in Somalia, Liberia and South Sudan.

Triple Canopy

Website: www.triplecanopy.com/

Another of the eight contractors hired to replace official US forces in Iraq. Triple Canopy has an estimated 1,800 employees in the country - mostly from Uganda and Peru - under contracts worth up to $1.5 billion.

According to the official conclusion, based on the results of the assessment of the company’s team in Iraq, this is “a well-trained, professional contingent with significant work experience.” Meanwhile, this PMC, whose name refers to the forest cover in the jungle under which its founding specialists were trained (“three-tier crown”; note mixednews), maintains another three thousand employees around the world.

Contracts in other parts of the world took Triple Canopy to Haiti, where it guarded the U.S. Embassy, ​​and to Israel, where its agents provided personal security services for the State Department.

Aegis Defense Services

Website: www.aegisworld.com/

Aegis provides armed personnel services to private clients, UN missions and the US government, especially in Iraq.

Its staff, estimated at 5,000, is also spread across offices in Afghanistan and Bahrain, where the contractor offers emergency response services, risk assessments and protects private oil interests.

Perhaps the private military company's greatest notoriety came from a 2005 video that allegedly showed Aegis officers shooting Iraqi civilians.