Also known as “private military contractors”, these companies are used by the armed services of various countries around the world to “fill in the gaps” where needed. With all the spotlight on the Wagner group, more and more details about their modus operandi and presence are coming to light, revealing just how powerful the mercenary organizations really are.
Wagner’s action revealed that modern mercenaries have a presence around the world fighting conflicts for governments reluctant to use their own troops or where foreign troops are unable or unwilling to go.
A typical example is that such an army of 5,000 heavily armed mercenaries replaced the official US forces in Iraq in 2012, while many more were recruited to protect private interests in the region.
In the following list we will see the largest mercenary groups today.
1. DynCorp International
DynCorp International was originally started as California Eastern Airways (CEA) by a small group of pilots who returned to the US from World War II. In 1961 CEA was renamed Dynalectron to reflect the company’s growth and diversification. In 1987, the name was shortened to DynCorp. Dyncorp was an American global service provider that provided services for the US military in many areas including Somalia, Angola, Colombia, Kosovo, Bolivia, Bosnia, Kuwait and Haiti.
Recently, DynCorp provided security for the interim president of Afghanistan and trained much of the police force of both Iraq and Afghanistan. The company was also hired to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery in Louisiana and neighboring areas. DynCorp provided services to the US government in aviation, logistics, operations, intelligence and training.
Over 96% of DynCorp’s $3 billion in annual revenue came from the US government. Amentum, formerly AECOM, bought DynCorp in late 2020. DynCorp’s average salary ranges from about $53,000 a year for an employee to $117,000 a year for a senior database manager.
2. CACI
Herb Karr and Harry Markowitz both left the RAND Corporation in 1962 and founded CACI with the goal of commercializing the SIMScript simulation programming language. CACI was originally an acronym for California Analysis Center, Incorporated. In 1967, it changed to Consolidated Analysis Center, Incorporated. Six years later, in 1973, the company only adopted the acronym CACI as its official name.
They then established a UK subsidiary, CACI Limited (UK) in 1975. CACI focuses primarily on professional services and information technology and serves a variety of US government agencies, including homeland security, healthcare, intelligence and of defence.
With annual revenues approaching $6.4 billion annually, it is actually one of the largest private military companies in the world. The average salary at CACI ranges from $39,200 per year for a clerk to $176,000 per year for a department manager.
3. Blue Hackle
Blue Hackle, LLC was founded in Great Britain in 2004 and became a wholly American company in 2011. Blue Hackle operates primarily in the Middle East, Southwest Asia and Africa. The company specializes in oil and gas insurance, static insurance, PSD insurance, and commercial and government contracts. The average salary for a Blue Hackle employee is $84,366 per year.
4. AKE Group
AKE Group was founded in 1991 and is still one of the largest private military companies in Europe. They employ a team of professionals who provide their clients with civil risk and security advice. The company helps organizations manage security and policy risks in emerging markets and challenging environments. Average salaries for the ACP Group were not available/accessible.
5. Andrews International
Andrews International was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1988. Initially focused on providing contract security services for Hollywood studios, the company evolved to fill its ranks with experienced law enforcement and military personnel. Andrews International was recently acquired by Allied Universal.
Although headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and Santa Ana, California, the company has offices in all 50 states, as well as the United Kingdom, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras and in Canada. The average salary for an Allied Universal employee is $33,500 per year.
6. AdvanFort
American private shipping company AdvanFort was founded in 2009 by Samir Farajallah. Their main focus is defense and homeland security products, services and technologies. AdvanFort is one of the few private military companies specializing in maritime security, with a strong presence in providing armed elements of the security fleet in high-risk environments.
AdvanFort is a signatory to the International Code of Conduct (ICoC) for Piracy Security Providers, certified by the International Maritime Law Enforcement Academy (IMLEA) and also a member of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI). The company maintains a fleet of offshore vessels that allow AdvanFort to operate outside the borders of a sovereign nation. Average salaries for Advanfort were not available/accessible, unfortunately.
7. Mission Essential
Mission Essential is a private military company founded by Army Special Forces veteran Greg Miller and Army veteran Chad Monnin. The two met at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio during training.
While it initially began providing linguists in Iraq, the company blossomed with a $703 million contract to provide linguists to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Mission Essential primarily serves intelligence and military customers. The average salary for a Mission Essential employee is $78,000 a year, with linguists being the highest paid with salaries of up to $121,000.
8. G4S
One of the largest private military companies in the UK, G4S is descended from Falck a security business founded by Marius Hogrefe in Copenhagen in 1901. In 2000 Group 4, a security company founded in 1960, merged with Falck to form Group 4 Falck, describing itself as “the world’s largest private security systems company”.
G4S, in its current form, was completed in 2004 when Group 4 Falck’s security business merged with Securicor to create Group 4 Securicor. The name was later changed to G4S. G4S’s core service is mainly manned security services. That is, they provide trained and vetted security officers.
In addition, G4S provides security systems such as CCTV, access control, fire detection, video analytics, building security system integration technology and intruder alarms. In addition to servicing two Australian private prisons, G4S is also responsible for the security of the Homey Airport perimeter, commonly known as Area 51. The average salary for a G4S employee is $42,000 a year.
9. MAG Aerospace
Founded in 2008 by Joe Fluent, MAG Aerospace specializes in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, training and technical support operations. As one of the only private military companies dedicated solely to aviation, this company logged 98,000 flight hours on five continents in 2017 alone. That same year, the company earned the #779 position in Inc. 5000.
MAG Aerospace is very active in Afghanistan. Most recently, they are helping the US military fight the Taliban in Afghanistan as part of Task Force ODIN. The average salary for a MAG Aerospace employee is $75,000 per year.
10. Vinnell Corp
Vinnell Corporation, also known as Vinnell Arabia, was originally founded as a contracting company in 1931 by Allan S. Vinnell. The company first became involved with the US military when it did construction for the US in Vietnam in the 1960s. In 2003, Vinnell Corporation was awarded the initial contract to recreate the New Iraqi Army from the US Department of Defense (DOD). The contract provided for nine battalions with the possibility of expanding the training to 27 battalions. The average salary for a Vinnell employee is $68,000 per year.
