• Harper's Magazine:  http://www.harpers.org/

A Failing Grade for Contractor Oversight. Presidential candidate Barack Obama stated, (PDF) “We cannot win a fight for hearts and minds when we outsource critical missions to unaccountable contractors.” But there is little evidence of material change on this issue from President Obama. By Scott Horton, September 16, 2010: click here

Providing Accountability for Private Military Contractors: Testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on June 19, 2007. My name is Scott Horton. I am an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School where I teach the law of armed conflict and commercial law courses. ...By Scott Horton (transcript), June 19, 2007: click here

Sending in the Praetorian Guard. Most Americans know that America has 160,000-plus soldiers in Iraq today; fewer know that this number is cruising upwards and will top 200,000 before the summer ends. By Scott Horton, May 28, 2007: click here

Meet the Counterterrorism-Industrial Complex. Last week I wrote about the steady flow of CIA employees to Blackwater USA, the private security contractor with major operations in Iraq. Yesterday's Los Angeles Times took a broader look at the revolving door between intelligence agencies and the private sector. By Ken Silverstein, September 19, 2006: click here

Six Questions for Robert Young Pelton. In Iraq alone (about half Iraqi and half expatriates) private military contracting is now a $100 billion industry. I recently asked him a series of questions about the origins of the industry, where it's headed, and how contractors have performed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Questions by Ken Silverstein, 7 September 2006: click here

Report. Licensed to kill. Shadowing our government's favorite arms dealer. By Ken Silverstein, May 2000 issue, pp. 52-66.

• The Journal of International Peace Operations and other publications by the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA) are available at the IPOA PAGE.

 

• Maritime Executive. http://www.maritime-executive.com/

The Development and Regulation of Private Maritime Security. Private maritime security operations, which are now industry commonplace, are indeed regulated and checked via multiple channels. November 24, 2014: TEXT | PICTURE

Into the Blue: Rethinking Maritime Security Insights from an ESRC sponsored Ideaslab on Maritime Security at Cardiff University, 26-27 June 2014. The maritime is increasingly being securitized. The African Union, the UK as well as the EU have developed maritime security strategies. Also rising powers such as India and China are building up their naval and maritime administration capacities. July 11, 2014: TEXT | PICTURE

Report: Maritime Security Market to Grow by $5 Billion in 5 Years: Marex. It is forecast that the global maritime security market to grow from $12.55 billion in 2013 to $19.48 billion in 2018, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.2% from 2013 to 2018. December 6, 2013: TEXT | PICTURE

Private Maritime Security Companies and Concerns for the Near Future. The international maritime security community celebrates one year without successful hijackings in the West Indian Ocean, but the tactical advantage is stemming from the deployment of private armed escorts onboard merchant vessels. By Ioannis Chapsos (Special to Piracy Daily) June 4, 2013: TEXT

 

• Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/

Security Contractors: Riding Shotgun With Our Shadow Army In Iraq. They've given me a machine gun and 180 rounds of ammo, and told me not to pee for six hours. By Nir Rosen, 24 April 2007: click here

Are We Better Off: Contracts With America. Never before have private companies done so much of the government's work, from homeland security to rebuilding Iraq. So who's making sure the public gets its money's worth? Why, contractors, of course. By Michael Scherer, May 2004: click here

The Pentagon's Private Corps. From Gaza to Iraq, military contractors are taking over more and more jobs from the military - a practice that is proving wildly profitable and terribly perilous. By Julian Brookes, 22 October 2003: http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2003/43/we_597_01.html

Interactive Feature: The World According to Halliburton: http://www.motherjones.com/news/featurex/2003/28/we_455_01.html

Soldiers of Good Fortune. At a camp in North Carolina, a private firm called Blackwater USA is training the U.S. Navy to fight terrorists, taking the place of military officers who used to fill such roles. By Barry Yeoman, May/June 2003 Issue: http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2003/05/ma_365_01.html

More news items focusing on the Blackwater family of companies available at our BLACKWATER NEWS page

The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/

Harvey Weinstein’s Army of Spies. The firms that Weinstein hired included Kroll, which is one of the world's largest corporate-intelligence companies, and Black Cube, an enterprise run largely by former officers of Mossad and other Israeli intelligence agencies. By Ronan Farrow, November 6, 2017: TEXT

Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/

Taliban Didn't Win in Afghanistan, the Defense Contractors Did | Opinion. By Saqib Qureshi, Newsweek, August 20, 2021: TEXT

A Former Mercenary Proposes a Pentagon Makeover. Erik Prince has a plan for how to remake the Pentagon and fight wars, small and large, cheaper and more efficiently—and there are people in Washington who think he’s right. By Kristina Shevory, December 2, 2014: TEXT | PICTURE

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)

Private U.S. Contractors Part of the ‘Kill Chain’ in East Africa Anti-Terrorist Operations. Now an investigation by OCCRP reveals that the U.S. military has been using the Kenyan base as a launchpad for surveillance aircraft supporting airstrikes in neighboring Somalia, with civilian contractors playing a pivotal role by providing intelligence on targets. OCCRP, August 14, 2020: MULTIMEDIA

Policy Review: http://www.policyreview.org/

Peacekeepers, Inc. By Peter W. Singer. June 2003: http://www.policyreview.org/jun03/singer.html

• Popular Mechanics. http://www.popularmechanics.com/

After the Cyber Attack on Lockheed Martin, What's the Future of RSA SecurID? The recent cyber attacks on Lockheed Martin and other large defense contractors have many security experts worried, particularly because the attack relied on a vulnerability in RSA's SecurID, the current gold standard in computer security. By By Sharon Weinberger, June 3, 2011: click here

Crunching the Numbers on Mercenaries vs Soldiers. Five Blackwater Worldwide security guards were charged with manslaughter today, fueling debates about the use of private security forces in war zones. But controversies aside, are contractors even worth the money? By Joe Pappalardo, October 1, 2009: click here

4 Fronts for Pirate-Navy Battles as Pirate Attacks Continue. Somali pirates, once a disorganized group of bandits, have fast become a major international threat. On Monday a group of pirates boarded and captured one of their biggest prizes to date--a Saudi oil tanker carrying two million barrels of oil. By David Axe, October 1, 2009: click here

• The Progressive: http://www.progressive.org/

Mercenaries in Kosovo, by Wayne Madsen. August 1999: http://www.progressive.org/toc9908.htm

Mercenaries Inc.: How a U.S. Company Props Up the House of Saud. By William D. Hartung, April 1996: http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0513-06.htm

• Salon.com. Founded in 1995, Salon is a progressive news site covering three core areas (Politics, Arts, Life): http://www.salon.com/

Afghanistan Arrests British Contractors With Guns. Two British nationals along with their Afghan colleagues from Garda World private security company operating in Kabul have been detained for alleged offences involving illegal weapons. By Ahmad Massieh Neshad and Kay Johnson , January 5, 2012: click here

Hundreds of Afghanistan contractor deaths go unreported. Congressional report estimates Afghanistan death rate more than four times greater than for U.S. troops. By Justin Elliott, July 15, 2010: click here

Fears of a corporate police state. From private prisons to warrantless searches, the government is working with corporations to trample your rights. By David Sirota, June 2, 2011: click here

Outsourcing the war [In Iraq]. With more private contractors dying and disappearing in Iraq, some begin to question the rules of engagement. By Peter W. Singer, April 16, 2004: click here

Sex-slave whistle-blowers vindicated. DynCorp, a private military powerhouse, fired two employees who complained that colleagues were involved in Bosnian forced-prostitution rings. The employees went to court -- and won. By Robert Capps, August 6, 2002: click here

• Slate.com

The Military-Industrial Complex Will Be Just Fine Without Afghanistan. Defense contractors made a lot less money than you’d think from the 20-year war. By Fred Kaplan, Slate, August 19, 2021: TEXT

• Security Focus. Welcome to the online version of the official magazine for the Security Industry in Southern Africa. Now in its 22nd year of publication, the magazine has a proven track record and is recognised throughout Africa and internationally: http://www.secpub.co.za/sf.htm

• Soldier of Fortune. It focuses on news and adventure based on firsthand reports from all over the world. Our commitment to presenting the facts in their entirety set us apart from mainstream news sources: http://www.sofmag.com/

• Time:  http://www.time.com/time/

Private Prisons Lock Up Thousands Of Americans With Almost No Oversight. Donald Trump’s presidency has quickly been a boon to its business. Within months of taking office, Trump ramped up the private sector’s role in building more immigrant detention centers. By Lauren-Brooke Eisen, Time, November 8, 2017: TEXT

America's Other Army. By Brian Bennett, 29 October 2007: click here

Victims of an Outsourced War. By Brian Bennett, 15 March 2007: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1599682,00.html

Report: Govt. Wastes Millions In Iraq. By AP/Hope Yen and Pauline Jelinek, 31 January 2007: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1583724,00.html

Idle Hands for Export. Thousands of Fijians are leaving home to work in Iraq and Kuwait. Their exodus could transform the country. By Elizabeth Keenan and Suva, 1 February 2005: http://www.time.com/time/pacific/magazine/article/0,13673,503050207-1023453,00.html

Dire Straits. Ships that pass through some of the busiest waterways in Asia are often the target of pirates. Is a terrorist attack next? By Simon Elegant and Kuala Sepetang, 29 November 2004: http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501041206-832306,00.html

When Private Armies Take to the Front Lines. The security contractors killed in Fallujah represented a little known reality of the war in Iraq. By Michael Duffy, vol. 163, no. 15, 12 April 2004: http://www.sandline.com/hotlinks/Time-Private_armies.html

Soldiers for Sale. The Cold War is over, but with demand for military muscle stronger than ever around the world, hired guns are going corporate. By Adam Zagorin, vol. 149, no. 21, 26 may 1997: http://www.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/1997/int/970526/business.soldiers_for_.html

• USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/

Private security contractors' role grows in Iraq. By Jim Michaels, 3 September 2007: click here

Growing list of wounded spurs questions about veterans' care. These are America's war wounded, a toll that has received less attention than the 3,500 troops killed in Iraq. By Chris O'Meara, AP, 23 June 2007: click here

Timeline of U.S. casualties in Iraq: click here

• US News Report:  http://www.usnews.com/

Road With a Bad Rep. The Army got the bad guys off Baghdad's airport route. Now, about the good guys. By Julian E. Barnes, 28 February 2005: click here

America's secret armies. A swarn of private contractors bedevils the U.S. military. By Linda Robinson, 11 April 2002: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/archive/021104/20021104023164_brief.php

Have gun, will prop up regime Are military `consultants' a force for peace or mercenaries gunning for Africa's diamonds? By Kevin Whitelaw, 20 January 1997: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/archive/970120/19970120006003_brief.php

Want peacekeepers with spine? Hire the world's fiercest mercenaries. By Jonah Blank, 30 December 1996: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/archive/961230/19961230035180_brief.php

• Vanity Fair: http://www.vanityfair.com/

Meet G4S, the Contractors Who Go Where Governments and Armies Can’t—or Won’t. With operations in 120 countries and more than 620,000 employees, G4S has become the third-largest private employer in the world, after Walmart and the Taiwanese manufacturing conglomerate Foxconn.: By William Langewiesche, April 2014: TEXT | PICTURES

Blackwater Still Making Ripples. Blackwater may have changed its name in an attempt at a P.R. makeover—the company is now cryptically called Xe—but that has not quite helped it stay under the radar, as founder Erik Prince surely hoped it would. Quite the contrary. By Christopher Bateman, January 7, 2010: click here

More news items focusing on the Blackwater family of companies available at our BLACKWATER NEWS page

Billions over Baghdad. Between April 2003 and June 2004, $12 billion in U.S. currency was shipped from the Federal Reserve to Baghdad, where it was dispensed by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Some of the cash went to pay for projects and keep ministries afloat, but, incredibly, at least $9 billion has gone missing. Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, October 2007: click here

Iraq's Mercenary King. As a former C.I.A. agent, the author knows how mercenaries work: in the shadows. But how did a notorious former British officer, Tim Spicer, come to coordinate the second-largest army in Iraq—the tens of thousands of private security contractors? By Robert Baer, April 2007 : click here

Washington's $8 Billion Shadow. Mega-contractors such as Halliburton and Bechtel supply the government with brawn. But the biggest, most powerful of the "body shops"—SAIC, which employs 44,000 people and took in $8 billion last year—sells brainpower, including a lot of the "expertise" behind the Iraq war. By Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, March 2007: click here

• The Washington Quarterly: http://www.twq.com/

Modernizing the Geneva Conventions. By Renée de Nevers, Spring 2006: http://www.twq.com/06spring/docs/06spring_denevers.pdf

Weak States and Global Threats: Fact or Fiction? By Stewart Patrick, Spring 2006: http://www.twq.com/06spring/docs/06spring_patrick.pdf

Sierra Leone: The State that Came Back from the Dead. By Michael Chege, Summer 2002: http://www.twq.com/02summer/chege.pdf

A New Concept of Business. By John J. Maresca, Spring 2000: http://www.twq.com/spring00/mareska.htm