Over the past decade the business of renting out private soldiers has grown from a specialised niche into a global trade, worth as much as $100 billion, according to the United Nations. When the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was torched in September, locals hired by Blue Mountain, a British firm, were on guard. When a few weeks later African Union forces kicked the Shabab, a terrorist group, out of Kismayo, Somalia, South African private soldiers gave them training and support. In Iraq and Afghanistan more than 20,000 private guards are employed by the American government.

The industry’s growth has been paid for by Western governments, keen to limit the political cost of military boots on the ground.

So what’s the next front?

More than 90% of the firm’s business to date has come from governments, but it thinks that in the future half of its customers could be corporate. Among the early adopters are energy firms and a hotel chain. By the end of the year Academi expects to have opened a new “several thousand acre” training site, probably in east Africa, to help meet the changing demand.

Add in for-profit prisons (we need more laws for people to break to create more prisoners!) and then war and police states are THE growth and employment area for the future! Until, as the article points out, China’s mercs take it all over for a lower price.



  1. rabid monkey says:

    Awesome! Maybe in the near future my favourite game “Red Faction” will come true after all.

  2. Phydeau says:

    Yeah, we’re going to have that one-world government someday… but it’ll be run by corporations.

  3. noname says:

    More republican legacy left overs in the wake of Bush

    Example “A” of the ethics of corporations!

    • Hyph3n says:

      Yes, this should be the scandal of Benghazi instead of this silly “when did you use the word terrorist” crap. Sadly, Repubs don’t want to touch it because it might implicate their party and (more importantly) their donors.

  4. Mextli says:

    When I was in Nigeria a major American corporation had constructed a small walled-in town for their workers. They even provided teachers from the U.K for the kids.

    I think they would be a good market for this service.

  5. B. Dog says:

    Is there nothing new under the sun?

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=WhRRWwH3Fro

  6. ROTFSP (Rolling On The Floor Shooting People) says:

    You can thank HOLLYWOOD for this shit.

    A typical idiots thought process may go something very similar to this: “OOOH! Glowing box (screen) magic! Me thinks all on glowing box (screen) good. Glowing box (screen) shows how things blowed up real good! Ooh. Ooh. Ooh. Eeh! Eeh! Eeh! Me gotta do what glowing box (screen) say. Me either have to fuck or destroy like glowing box (screen) say!

    If you doubt the mentality of these idiots then just look at what passes for entertainment. Try looking at fans of “American Idol” or “The Voice”. They’re almost indistinguishable from wrestling fans!

    So it is REALLY any wonder that armed security is now a trend when Hollywood glorifies murder and mayhem? I bet very soon we can expect another “reality show”too. What do you bet the show has a para-military name like “Team Seal” or “Green Liberators”? Or possibly a show called “Bull-Ette’s” where bikini clad women shoot middle eastern AK-47 toting bad guys. Wouldn’t YOU watch a show like that? (Don’t bullshit yourself.)

    See my point?!

  7. Dallas says:

    This works well because Teapublicans can wage war and not having those pesky caskets show up on TV and make the sheeple sad.

  8. Cap'nKangaroo says:

    Check out Blackwater’s (sorry, I mean Xe services, no, now its known as Academi) corporate chotskie site:

    http://academiproshop.com/

    I love the 5.56 and 7.62 key rings. Just the sort of swag any corporate highflyer would swoon for.

  9. Thank Bog that the Republican Party is dying quickly.

  10. sargasso_c says:

    I might be wrong but is running a mercenary army a crime?

  11. Somebody says:

    Re: the picture

    Now there’s a man who enjoys his work.


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