XL Report: Private Armies

RussiaToday
July 08, 2009
As the Iraqi government threatens to expel all foreign mercenaries following the Blackwater shootout, the role of private military contractors is once again in the spotlight. There's no denying that the rise of the private military contractor is transforming the way we wage war. They earn four times more than regular soldiers, act with impunity and - in Iraq - outnumber all non-US soldiers combined. Private Armies follows the training and deployment of these men. From skidding around a race track, practicing escaping from kidnappers, to dodging bullets in Baghdad, its an eye-opening look at life as a private soldier.