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Summary: Contemporary Warfare, Expanding Markets
Review: Corporate Warriors is an exceptionally well written, well sourced book that will forever alter the way you view the present and future of American foriegn policy and of contemporary war on a global scale. It is a very balanced assesment of the privitization of war, which both exposes some very frightening aspects of the deal-making surrounding it's major players, yet demystifies other components and makes the case for a responsible, accountable use of these corporations. The lingering questions that one is left with at the end of its reading resonate with essential issues concerning globalized capitalism, namely its insatiable demand for the expansion and reinvention of its markets. Here, violence becomes a commodity and market economics come head to head with the social contract and moral conflicts unimagined just a few decades past.
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Summary: An intelligent, groundbreaking, & highly controversial book
Review: Most folks will automatically assume this is a book about the latest generation of mercenaries. While that's certainly an aspect of this industry, there's a far more surprising side to this story: Their role in the restoration of peace, and in the reconstruction of wartorn countries. Thus, private military firms (PMF's) are actually one of the 8 sectors of restorative development, often referred to as the global "restoration economy", which currently accounts for about $2 trillion annually. [Restorative development is defined as "socioeconomic revitalization based on restoration of the natural and built environments".] This shouldn't be so surprising, given that most of them come from engineering or construction roots. But, why the dichotomy of good and evil? It's simple, really: When PMF's are used to advance "new development" (such as exploiting someone else's natural resources, which often requires a "regime change"), they are often operating on "the dark side". When they are advancing "restorative development", they are usually the "good guys". The same dynamic can be found in the ordinary (non-PMF) civil engineering community. Corporate Warriors does a wonderful job of documenting this fast-growing, highly profitable "ancient" industry, which is experiencing a rebirth as a major global force after 3 centuries of slumber.
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Summary: a fascinating look at the dark underbelly of the military
Review: Singer is renowned as an expert in the privatization of the military, and has appeared regularly on major news programs like CNN, CNBC, and Nightline. He documents how private companies have taken on an increasingly large role in military operations and support, both on the battlefield and in logistical and support roles, and his study raises serious questions about the conflicts of interest that may occur when military operations become enmeshed in politics and profit motives.
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Summary: essential for our times
Review: Singer's categorizations of military assistance organizations confer clarity in a fragmented, heterogenous field of activity. When one thinks of quintessential 'government-provided' services, one thinks of education, prisons, policing, and the military. While privatization in the first three such areas has been studied extensively, Singer has provided here an essential overview and analysis of how privatization has unfolded, to a much greater extent than we may realize, in the military sphere. 5 stars- as readable as it is insightful.
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Summary: Messiah, Mercenary, or Menace?
Review: This book is an intelligent, extremely well researched look at the expanding global use of Private Military Firms (PMF's) in warfare. Singer gives a complete account of their evolution and re-introduction, illustrating how the end of the Cold War has given rise to thousands of PMF's with seemingly no end in sight. The belief that nation states hold absolute military control is quickly diminished as the author demonstrates how even the strongest of nations have out-sourced many key and in some cases, highly sensitive military industries once thought exclusively the charge of the government. The author contends that although useful and perhaps necessary in certain conflicts, PMF usage on the battlefield is on the sharp rise worldwide. As their availability increases, the number of internal conflicts in weaker nation states have also risen sharply. He sees a new pattern emerging as their easy accessibility means conflicts "are now more easily waged for economic control and resource exploitation." But it is profit not patriotism driving these firms who in many cases are linked to multinational corporate structures complete with CEO's, shareholders, and market share. The notion of engaging in warfare for ideological or patriotic allegiance is doubtful and unlikely, as the very nature of these firms require conflicts persist for their own survival to flourish. "Corporate Warriors" examines the good, the bad, to the ugly, and case studies past interventions some of which held remarkable positive outcomes, others which hold stark warnings for future implications, and still those where disgraceful accounts of lawlessness and moral ethics were completely abandoned. He discusses the almost non-existent public monitoring mechanisms to oversee possible conflicts in foreign policy and raises the issue of circumventing congressional oversight due to either current laws or offshore corporate links. The book discusses the paradox of mixing business with war and raises valid questions on legal, moral, and international accountability as even now firms with blemished histories in the Balkans have landed lucrative contracts in Afghanistan. Other firms who in the past often operated in the shadows, are seizing the window of opportunity opened as the "war on terror" gives off a sounding bell which is heard loud and clear throughout the industry .....their new meal ticket arriving on a platter.
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Summary: Every American Should Read This!
Review: This book should be essential reading for any class on American politics, ethics, or foreign policy. When I took military ethics at Texas A&M University, Manuel Davenport walked into class the first day and asked, "What is a military officer?" In unison, the class responded, "Managers of violence." As one of two 'nonregs' in the class, that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. In a piece Professor Davenport wrote in Army (May 1980), "Professionals or Hired Guns? Loyalties are the Difference," he noted the peculiar demands of the military profession and what sets it apart. To be a mercenary, a hired killer, is tantamount to being a paid murderer. That is not what the profession is about. For mercenaries, the client is a private entity, and loyalties are to the employer, not the nation, and certainly not humanity. To outsource our defense is to put it in the hands of people whose motive is profit, not the honor of public service, respect for the republic, or the protection of their the country and people they love. Dwight Eisenhower is surely spinning in his grave! Tragically, this is where we are going: we have outsourced our republic. The government no longer has a monopoly on the use of force, even in our own military operations. Now, private companies are calling the shots. We have even outsourced the ROTC, Bremer's personal guards, and much of our intelligence. Who is in charge? As the abuses in Iraq demonstrate, there is a reason to have military officers. If not, we would simply empty our prisons on the enemy and go home. Hiring mercenaries is the downfall of any republic. What will happen when the mercenaries out-gun the United States Army? Who will we turn to then? Brown & Root? Blackwater? What if our enemies outbid us? What if terrorist pay more? We're being sold out! Joe Adams, Ph.D.
Mississippi State University
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Summary: First Steps in Studies of Privatization
Review: Why does it take PW Singer to give us an accurate history of the Sierra Leone war and the role of private warriors? Why is he the first to inform us that ROTC has been privatized since 1996? Perhaps because the media does not grasp the full consequences of Al Gore's "reinventing government" movement of the late 1990s. Singer unveils so much that is unseen in a mere few hundred pages, the head spins.
Granted, this only is a first-pass analysis of Pentagon privatization. We need to understand what happened when NRO and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency turned over space imaging to the private sector. We need to know what Northrop-Grumman gained when it took over overseas-base construction and management for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in 2003-04. We need to grasp the changes in NSA and NRO that took place when most intelligence processing was outsourced to Raytheon, LockMart, etc. Singer does not get into these latter fields.
However, he is the first to recognize that the consolidation of the "big iron" defense contractors, like LockMart, Boeing, Northrop, is only half the story. It is far more important to understand what SAIC, L3/MPRI, Halliburton/KBRS, and the new consulting firms are doing, as they represent the military contractors of the future. Here's hoping this book moves into paperback, as it surely deserves a wider audience.
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