Why did US hire Blackwater?

Blackwater USA was formed on December 26, 1996, by Al Clark and Erik Prince in North Carolina, to provide training support to military and law enforcement organizations. In explaining its purpose, Prince stated: "We are trying to do for the national security apparatus what FedEx did for the Postal Service."

How much does the US pay Blackwater?

How much does Blackwater Security in the United States pay? Average Blackwater Security hourly pay ranges from approximately $15.75 per hour for Security Officer to $17.49 per hour for Patrol Officer.

Why does the US use private military contractors?

PMCs often provide services to train or supplement official armed forces in service of governments, but they can also be employed by private companies to provide bodyguards for key staff or protection of company premises, especially in hostile territories.

How much did Blackwater contractors get paid?

Avg. Base Salary (USD)

Blackwater Security Systems pays an average salary of $3,248,289 and salaries range from a low of $2,857,655 to a high of $3,681,012. Individual salaries will, of course, vary depending on the job, department, location, as well as the individual skills and education of each employee.

Are Blackwater mercenaries legal?

Are Mercenaries Legal – the Geneva Convention. The 1989 International Convention made the recruitment, use, training, and financing of mercenaries illegal. It also forbids the recruitment of people to fight in an armed conflict or for private gain.

Inside the Private Military War Machine | System Error

What crimes did Blackwater commit?

In 2014, four Blackwater employees were tried and convicted in U.S. federal court; one of murder, and the other three of manslaughter and firearms charges; all four convicted were controversially pardoned by President Donald Trump in December 2020, in violation of international law.

What is the dark truth about Blackwater?

In 2007, Blackwater received widespread notoriety for the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, when a group of its employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians and injured 20. Four employees were convicted in the United States but later pardoned on December 22, 2020, by President Donald Trump.

Who is the highest paid military contractor?

Are private military contractors rich?

The average Private Military Contractor in the US makes $90,057. Private Military Contractors make the most in San Francisco, CA at $135,685, averaging total compensation 51% greater than the US average.

Do mercenaries still exist?

But, that old-world definition of a mercenary — those who will wage war on behalf of someone else in the name of profit — is still unfortunately relevant. These mercenaries are known as private military contractors (PMCs) today.

What is the largest PMC in the world?

And it itself consists of a large number of subsidiaries and divisions. Currently Blackwater (Xe Services LLC, Academi) is the largest organization of its kind in the world. The company has a headquarters located in North Carolina.

Does India have private military companies?

These infamous mercenaries, PMCs, generally refer to their business as the private military and their staff as security or private military contractors. The private force has come big business and global in compass. The request for force is growing at an intimidating rate.

Does the CIA use private contractors?

The CIA offers direct-hire jobs through its career portal; however, the agency frequently works with vetted US private security companies.

What exactly does Blackwater do?

During the war in Iraq, Blackwater was one of several private security companies use to guard officials, security guards, and military installations, train the Iraqi army and police forces, and provide other support for armed forces.

Does Blackwater have an air force?

Blackwater has another affiliate known as Presidential Airways which also has a number of registered aircraft. The Pumas were former Bundespolizei and were purchased from HELOG. EP Aviation is active in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Do US soldiers make a lot of money?

Base pay for a new enlistee comes out to $20,340 per year, but they'll earn more as they gain experience and rank. Most service members also receive allowances for housing, food, uniforms, and job-specific bonuses, many of which are not taxed.

Who made money from Iraq war?

Halliburton gained $39.5 billion in "federal contracts related to the Iraq war". Many individuals have asserted that there were profit motives for the Bush-Cheney administration to invade Iraq in 2003. Dick Cheney served as Halliburton's CEO from 1995 until 2000.

How much do CIA military contractors make?

Reliable and detailed statistics are hard to find, mostly because many private military contractors work for the CIA and all aspects of their agreements are confidential. Nevertheless, most contractors earn between $300 and $750 a day, or between $9,000 and $22,500 per month.

Are mercenaries legal?

The Geneva Conventions declare that mercenaries are not recognized as legitimate combatants and do not have to be granted the same legal protections as captured service personnel of the armed forces.

What is the highest paying job in the US military?

How much do Navy Seals make?

How much does a Navy Seal make? The average Navy Seal in the US makes $82,379. Navy Seals make the most in San Francisco, CA at $124,328, averaging total compensation 51% greater than the US average.

Who supplies the US military?

In 2021, Lockheed Martin was the world's largest arms-producing and military services company, with arms sales amounting to over 60 billion U.S. dollars. Arms sales constituted almost 90 percent of total company sales in that year. Raytheon and Boeing followed on the places behind.

How many soldiers did Blackwater have?

According to a book written on Blackwater in 2007, the facility had by then produced an army of 20,000 troops, 20 aircraft, a fleet of armored vehicles and trained war dogs. Most of those resources were shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan on U.S. government contracts.

Who were the Blackwater contractors killed in Iraq?

The ambush

The four armed contractors, Scott Helvenston, Jerry Zovko, Wesley Batalona, and Mike Teague, were killed and dragged from their vehicles. Their bodies were beaten and burned, with their charred corpses then dragged through the city streets before being hanged over a bridge crossing the Euphrates River.