A Military Leviathan Has Emerged as America’s 51st and Most Powerful State

By William J. Astore / TomDispatch Mar 25, 2016 A military increasingly divorced from ordinary Americans blends soldiers with privatized mercenaries, empowers commanders to cash in on retirement and wields a quasi-missionary imperial force in at least 135 countries. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Business Booms in the Executive Protection Industry

Staff / Truthdig Aug 13, 2011 A rising number of celebrities, corporate executives and other people with great wealth and status are paying big bucks for personal protection forces. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Passing the Bloodstained Buck

Staff / Truthdig Dec 18, 2010 The mercenary firm formerly known as Blackwater has argued in court that the company’s private contractors who killed 17 Iraqis in Baghdad in 2007 should not be held accountable. Why? It’s Washington’s fault, they claim, as Blackwater fighters were acting as employees of the U.S. government at the time. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

More Hot Water for Blackwater

Staff / Truthdig Apr 17, 2010 Once-esteemed (by the government, at least) mercenary corporation Blackwater is in some hot legal water after the company's former president and four other former employees were slapped with federal charges over the alleged stockpiling of automatic weapons. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Terror-Industrial Complex

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Feb 8, 2010 The conviction of the Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui in New York last week of trying to kill American military officers and FBI agents illustrates that the greatest danger to our security comes not from al-Qaida but the thousands of shadowy mercenaries, kidnappers, killers and torturers our government employs around the globe.The greatest danger to our security comes not from al-Qaida but the thousands of shadowy mercenaries, kidnappers, killers and torturers our government employs around the globe. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Blackwater’s CIA Connection

Staff / Truthdig Dec 11, 2009 Reports are coming out that mercenaries from Blackwater Worldwide played central roles in some of the CIA’s most sensitive missions, including clandestine raids and the transport of detainees. Many guards claimed that Blackwater's participation was so routine that the lines between military and contractor were blurred. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Number of Private Security Contractors Increases

Staff / Truthdig Jun 2, 2009 President Obama railed against the reliance on private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan during his campaign, but new Pentagon statistics reveal their number has steadily grown since he took office, increasing 23 percent in Iraq and 29 percent in Afghanistan in the second quarter of 2009. "Blackwater" author Jeremy Scahill investigates. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Cat Shit One’: Blackwater Bunnies at War?

Staff / Truthdig Apr 8, 2009 Uh, so we're not completely sure what to make of this trailer for the Japanese animated series "Cat Shit One" (?!), which features a specialized squad of mercenary sniper rabbits duking it out in the desert with turban-clad camels. Don't be fooled by the cute-and-fluffy tail action -- these bunnies are killing machines. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Immunity Issue Snags U.S.-Iraq Agreement

Staff / Truthdig Sep 19, 2008 We tearfully regret to inform you that an agreement that would legally extend the US imperial occupation of Iraq is at risk of falling apart, as Iraqi officials continue to make the audacious demand that U soldiers and mercenaries be subject to Iraqi law for crimes committed outside the scope of military operations. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Blackwater Plans to Back Away From Security Biz

Staff / Truthdig Jul 23, 2008 Stung by lawsuits, protests, government audits, criminal charges and negative media attention, executives from the mercenary firm Blackwater Worldwide say providing security in Iraq and elsewhere has become a drain on the company's future and will be gradually all but phased out. However, there are no immediate plans to end the contract with the State Department which became so controversial after the company's agents went on a deadly shooting spree in Baghdad last year. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Real Operation to ‘Rescue’ Ingrid Betancourt

Staff / Truthdig Jul 9, 2008 The July 2nd rescue of French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and U.S. mercenaries employed by the Northrop Grumman Corp. was heralded as a dramatic victory over the anti-imperial FARC guerrilla forces in Colombia. The real story may be significantly less daring. The mainstream media's heroic rescue narrative is being contradicted by claims that a $20-million ransom payment was made. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Private Contractors in Iraq to Lose Immunity

Staff / Truthdig Jul 2, 2008 The folks at Blackwater and other private security outfits in Iraq encountered a dramatic setback Wednesday after an Iraqi minister announced that private guards will no longer be given immunity from U.S military and Iraqi law, ending more than five years of unregulated mercenary violence in the country. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )