Private Armies 

Introduction

Wars and conflicts cause bloodshed and destruction. The destruction that the war cause goes both ways. People who become victim they suffer and a lot of time fighters who participate in the wars they also go through PTSD and sleep disorders and ultimately go through mental health issues. Then who really benefit from wars? As much as this can be a complicated topic to talk about, one thing which is very simple to discuss is the private military contractors or the private armies.  Private armies are much more common in the world than people think. Private companies provide all kind of military support to the governments i.e. military troops training, weapons, technology, surveillance services etc. The Wagner group, which is Russian president Vladimir Putin’s private army, provides military service in conflict zones on behalf of the Russian government. It is distinct in a sense that it works closely with the Russian government. However there are many other private armies as well in other countries; they provide military services globally. These companies generate billions of dollars annually. G4S security, which is a British company, is the world’s largest private army by revenue. There are many private armies operating in the Untied States which make billions of dollars in profit for providing military support to the United State’s government. How it works is that these companies have to get business license to legally operate and adhere to the national country’s laws and the international laws. In theory these companies have to follow global ethical standards but it is highly controversial if the global ethical standards are followed or not. In this blog I will share with you some of the private armies which are operating in the United States. 

Triple Canopy

Triple Canopy is a private security company which provides military services and other services such as risk management to the United States’ government. It was founded by former US’s arm special operations personnel, former law enforcement officers, rangers and other special operations personnel. Some of its other staff members are industry analysts, asset managers, experts, and consultants. Triple Canopy is primarily known for providing security services in Iraq during the U.S's invasion of Iraq back in 2003; it got some attention in 2006 when one of its supervisors fired at a civilian vehicle in Iraq. Because of its secretive work it is not known for sure how much triple canopy makes, but it is not a secret that they do generate billions of dollars annually in profit from government contracts.

Academi- formerly known as Blackwater 

Blackwater was a private military contractor. It was founded by a former Navy Seal officer in December 1996. It was renamed to xe-services in 2009. In 2011 it was renamed again to Academi. In 2014, Academi merged with Triple Canopy and together they are called Constellis Company. 

In 2003, Blackwater received a contract of $21million dollars for providing services in Iraq and in 2004 it received $488 million dollars for providing services in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, and Israel. The company provided services of training military managers and law enforcement organizations. Blackwater gained some attention in 2007 when the company tried to open a military training center in a rural area near San Diego County, California. The residents in the nearby area feared the training center would put wildlife at risk by increasing the wildfire risk as well as would make noise pollution. In response to that Blackwater claimed there will be no explosive training that can cause potential wildfires. In 2007, a wildfire swept through the area which resulted in Blackwater withdrawing its training center in San Diego.  

The company again got attention in 2007 when employees of Blackwater killed civilians in Baghdad, Iraq which is also known as the Nisour Square massacre.  

Jorge Scientific Corporation 

Jorge Scientific Corporation has its headquarter in Arlington, Virginia with additional offices in other parts of the U.S.A and Afghanistan. The company provides intelligence services and technology as well as analysis and program management to the U.S's government. Jorge Scientific Corporation received a contract of $47 million dollars from the U.S government for providing services in Kabul, Afghanistan. It gained public attention in 2012 when a leaked video sent to ABC news showed it’s security managers heavily drinking vodka while a medical officer was under the influence of Ketamine. The video also showed that the key members of Jorge Scientific Corporation were either drunk or under the influence of drugs at the parties which were thrown almost everyday in Kabul. 

MAG Aerospace

Mag Aerospace is a private military contractor company in Fairfax, Virginia. It specializes in intelligence and surveillance and reconnaissance services operations and is active in Afghanistan. The company generates billions of dollars in profit from the government contracts. It is estimated that between 2015 to 2018 the company made more than $300 million dollars annually and had $20billion dollars in assets. 

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a private multi million dollar company. It provide services to the government in aerospace and defense technology. It also provide services in Aeronautical systems, mission and defense systems and space systems. It is one the world’s largest weapon manufacturer and military technology provider company. It generates billions of dollars annually from government contracts. 

Raytheon 

Raytheon is U.S’s major defense contractor company and once was the world's biggest producer of guided missiles. The company also provides military weapons. It is estimated Raytheon makes approximately $25billions annually from contracts. In 2007, Saudi Arabia signed worth billions of dollars deal with several American private companies including Raytheon. In 2020 Raytheon merged with United Technologies and in 2023 it renamed itself to RTX Corporation.