The Book That Started It All
Search
Categories
Archives
-
Recent Posts
-
Isenberg Video
- Here and There with Dave Marash, February 3, 2015
- Sep. 2, 2014 Al Jazeera English segment on Blackwater trial - Comment by David Isenberg
- Jan 2, 2010, Al Jazzeera (English), re Judge Urbina’s dismissal of charges against Blackwater contractors
- June 28, 2010. heard in “Controversy over CIA Blackwater contract,” The World
- August 17, 2010, on C-Span III, speaks on private military contracting
- Examining the role of the military contractor
- Has the Privatization of National Security Gone Too Far? The Future of Military Contracting, November 14, 2008, 9:30-11:00am, New America Foundation
- David Isenberg on PressTV - US contractor with poor ratings hired again
- Outsourcing War and Peace – Video
Recent Comments
- Carolyn Meinel on THE LONG SHADOW OF THE SWORD-FOR-HIRE
- David Isenberg on THE DORSAI CLAUSE
- Carolyn Meinel on THE DORSAI CLAUSE
- Joseph Burwell on Former student blasts military school for private defense contractors
- Gomes Castro on Families of slain and injured sue Ericsson over claims it funded Middle East terror
Daily Archives: August 26, 2026
Outsourcing war: Holding Russia and its African partners accountable for Wagner’s crimes
Since 2017, Russian private military companies such as Wagner, and now its successor, Africa Corps, have become a fixture of Africa’s security landscape. These shadow armies have trained local troops, guarded oilfields and gold mines, and helped African strongmen cling to power. In return, Moscow has secured lucrative mining concessions and geopolitical influence across the continent. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Control, Legal, Outsourcing/Privatization, Russia
Tagged Africa, Control, Legal, Russia
Leave a comment
High Commissioner Türk: We need an effective international framework to regulate the activities of private military and security companies
High Commissioner Türk: We need an effective international framework to regulate the activities of private military and security companies 27 April 2026 Delivered by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker… You must be logged in to view this content. … Continue reading
As warfare becomes engineering, the era of the digital mercenary dawns
Private cyber firms will be allowed to take action against foreign threats under a new White House policy, another step into a future where tech developers are ever more closely entwined with military operations, which now evolve faster than governments can keep up.
Under the policy, announced Wednesday, the U.S. government will pay private cybersecurity companies to “manipulate,” “degrade,” “disrupt,” and “destroy” foreign adversary computer networks. The U.S. government historically reserves the right to take those sorts of actions, although they increasingly do so with help from front-line private workers.
Continue reading
Kenyan Mercenary Francis Ndarua Claims Viral Video Was Staged Amid Harsh Reality in Russia
Kenyan Mercenary Francis Ndarua Claims Viral Video Was Staged Amid Harsh Reality in Russia Posted Mon, 08/24/2026 @ 05:22pm By Mwakilishi 🕑 3 min read 56 views FacebookXLinkedInEmailWhatsAppCopy LinkShare Kenyan mercenary… You must be logged in to view this content. … Continue reading
Latin American Mercenaries Reportedly Suffer Heavy Losses in Ukraine
Latin American Mercenaries Reportedly Suffer Heavy Losses in Ukraine © North Atlantic Treaty Organization / www.nato.int Author: Dmitry Lukashev 00:42 25-08-2026 A Kharkov official says Latin American mercenaries fighting for Ukraine… You must be logged in to view this content. … Continue reading
Posted in Casualties, Latin America, Ukraine
Tagged Casualties, Latin America, Russia
Leave a comment
Wagner Group: Russian mercenary group
PMC (private military company) Wagner was created as a legal entity in Russia in December 2022, but the mercenary group’s activities predate its official founding by nearly a decade. Because Wagner has spent most of its existence in a gray area of plausible deniability, its origins and organizational structure are, by design, murky. The most credible account of the group’s creation involves Dmitry Utkin, a former GRU and Spetsnaz officer, and a short-lived mercenary company called the Slavonic Corps. The Slavonic Corps was formed in 2013 to provide support for the regime of Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian Civil War, but the unit was routed in its first engagement, a clash with fighters from the Islamic State (ISIL) outside Homs in October 2013. In early 2014 Utkin became associated with a GRU-backed mercenary company that drew at least part of its membership from the Slavonic Corps, and its name—Wagner—was reportedly derived from Utkin’s former radio call sign. Continue reading
Ossoff calls for answers from private military housing developer, continues investigations
“I have heard concerns from my constituents that Balfour Beatty Communities (BBC) is not preparing units in the time necessary for an incoming family to be able to move into upon their permanent change of station (PCS),” Sen. Ossoff reportedly wrote to CEO Jennifer Hill. “Servicemembers and their families give the greatest sacrifice for our Nation; we must ensure that we provide for them at home.” Continue reading
Posted in Companies, Outsourcing/Privatization
Tagged Companies, Outsourcing/Privatization
Leave a comment
Criminal links of South Africa’s private security companies also require scrutiny
Whether for good reasons or bad, many South Africans have been thrust into public prominence by appearing before the Madlanga Commission or Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee inquiries into political interference, and crime and corruption in the police and criminal justice system. Perhaps the most infamous of these is tender tycoon and criminal suspect Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala. Continue reading
Oklahoma Voice: Military contractor aircraft surveil Arizona’s southern border for undisclosed mission
Military contractor aircraft equipped with high-end surveillance gear has been flying along the United States southern border above Arizona, New Mexico and Texas for months. The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security won’t elaborate on what the aircraft are doing. Continue reading
Blackwater founder Erik Prince creates air defence venture with Kyiv
Erik Prince, the founder of the private military contractor Blackwater—which operates today under the name Academi—has established a new enterprise, Vectus Air Defense Systems, that applies a paid subscription model to its air defence systems.
According to a report by the Financial Times (FT), the new company will operate on an “air defence as a service” principle based on software subscriptions. Under multi-year contracts, it will design, install, and maintain multi-layered air defence systems.
Continue reading