Author Archives: David Isenberg

Apple sends out warnings to targets of mercenary spyware attacks

Published on by David Isenberg

Apple sends out warnings to targets of mercenary spyware attacks The company’s new support page tells recipients what they can do to protect their data. By Mariella Moon Aug. 14, 2026… You must be logged in to view this content. … Continue reading →

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HuaXin ZhongAn

Published on by David Isenberg

HXZA occupies an unusual position among Chinese private security companies (PSCs): it holds a rare state authorization for armed escort of merchant vessels, is the only Chinese security firm holding ISO/PAS 28000/28007 private maritime-security certification, and was the first Chinese and first East Asian PSC to obtain full certification from the International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA), the Geneva-based body that sets voluntary human-rights and use-of-force standards for the private security industry. Continue reading →

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Deborah D. Avant

Published on by David Isenberg

For PMSC company-profile work, her most durable contribution is the disaggregation of “control of force” into political, functional, and social dimensions — a framework that resists both the “mercenaries run wild” alarmism and the “contracting is just neutral efficiency” complacency that dominate popular treatments of the industry. Continue reading →

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THE LONG NIGHT AT THE BRASS LANTERN

Published on by David Isenberg

Two steps behind him, Tim Palast shuffled in like a man carrying the weight of every war he’d ever read about. Rumpled. Tired. The kind of tired that doesn’t sleep off. He’d written the book on private military companies, literally, and he’d spent years trying to warn people that the mercenary was back—just wearing a better tie this time.
They didn’t shake hands. In this business, you saved your grip for the things that mattered. Continue reading →

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Justifications, (Dis)Advantages and Implications of Designating Proxy Actor: The Case of the Wagner Group/Africa Corps

Published on by David Isenberg

Beyond Wagner Group: Africa Corps Broader Implications for Other State-sponsored Proxies and Regional Security Justifications, (Dis)Advantages and Implications of Designating Proxy Actor: The Case of the Wagner Group/Africa Corps Tanya Mehra… You must be logged in to view this content. … Continue reading →

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Decoding the Wagner Group: Analyzing the Role of Private Military Security Contractors in Russian Proxy Warfare

Published on by David Isenberg

Russian Military Reorganization, Modernization & The Market for Private Force Decoding the Wagner Group: Analyzing the Role of Private Military Security Contractors in Russian Proxy Warfare Candace Rondeaux New America 2019 You must be logged in to view this content. … Continue reading →

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Putin’s Not-So-Secret Mercenaries: Patronage, Geopolitics, and the Wagner Group

Published on by David Isenberg

An Improvised Imitation of a PMC Putin’s Not-So-Secret Mercenaries: Patronage, Geopolitics, and the Wagner Group Nathaniel Reynolds Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 2019   You must be logged in to view this content. Click here to subscribe  

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U.S. Army Opens Test Ranges To Private Companies For Weapons

Published on by David Isenberg

U.S. Army Opens Test Ranges To Private Companies For Weapons August 10, 2026 Jessica Mathews / Associated Press / News@whmi.com CAMP GRAYLING, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. Army said Friday that… You must be logged in to view this content. … Continue reading →

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Private Air Defense for Businesses—Problems and How to Solve Them

Published on by David Isenberg

Private Air Defense for Businesses—Problems and How to Solve Them 12 august, 2026, 11:00   A tower belonging to the private air defense company Carmine Sky, equipped with a Sky Sentinel… You must be logged in to view this content. … Continue reading →

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Russia Allows Private Security Firms to Use Firearms to Counter Drone Attacks

Published on by David Isenberg

Russia Allows Private Security Firms to Use Firearms to Counter Drone Attacks March 23, 2026 Alexander Reka / TASS President Vladimir Putin has signed a law allowing private security companies to… You must be logged in to view this content. … Continue reading →

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