War for Profit: Private Militaries in History

private militaries from the dawn of civilization National governments have taken on the responsibility for Waging War as a core part of their justification for rule for the most part the Warriors that make up these fighting forces do so out of the sense of loyalty to family community and Country there are some fighting forces however that exist outside of government control and fightful riches rather than patriotism mercenaries are nothing new in the ancient world Soldiers of Fortune would ply their trade to whoever was willing to pay the Punic Wars which pitted the superpowers of Carthage and Rome against one another was started by one such mercenary band in Sicily medieval Italy was Rife with the bands of mercenaries known as kundo tieri who would sell their services to the highest bidder unfettered by loyalty or patriotism these bands would often switch sides based solely on opportunism and had a reputation for disorderly behavior in the late 15th century Hungarian King Matthias corvinus created the black Army a permanent standing mercenary Force which increased in size from around 6000 at its Inception to over 28 000 at its peak this force was well paid and highly capable as they had no other profession than being soldiers this made them much more effective on the battlefield than conscripts who were forced from their daily professions in order to take up arms the black Army also known as the black regiment or black Legion was made up of soldiers from around Europe including Germany and Switzerland into the early modern era both Swiss Pikeman and German landsconnect were greatly valued as mercenaries throughout Europe by those who could afford their services both were heavily utilized to supplement National militaries giving fighting forces an experienced core around which to organize themselves the Employments of both these forces led to a professional rivalry between the Swiss heichmann and the landsconnect which ultimately resulted in what became known as the bad War should they encounter one another on the battlefield neither side would show any Mercy inflicting catastrophic casualties on one another the Swiss were especially valued as mercenaries and their regiments were established by many European rulers on a permanent basis this tradition still lives on today in the form of the papal Swiss guard that protects the Vatican City and acts as the Pope's personal bodyguard privately raised militaries are not always raised on behalf of governments sometimes private companies can raise Armed Forces for their own ends in the 18th century the British East India Company raised maintained and employed its own Army to suit the company's needs founded in 1600 the East India Company was actively involved in the trade of tea porcelain spices textiles and other goods from Asia early in the company's history armed guards were employed to protect company assets as time passed the East India Company grew in size and as a result so did the Armed Forces had employed in the face of encroachment by the French and other rival powers in the mid-18th Century the company was granted the ability to raise its own armies through a royal Charter seizing this opportunity they purchased land in India establishing areas known as presidencies Each of which recruited its own soldiers local men were hired as sepoys and given weapons and training in Western military tactics these forces could also be supplemented by regular British Army regiments with the company covering the cost of transporting and maintaining these units the armies of the East India Company would grow in power and after a series of battles in the 1750s and 60s would establish themselves as the dominant player in India Company troops along with the regular army units would collectively be known as the Army in India the East India Company also deployed a Navy to protect its assets from pirates that roamed the Waters of the Indian Ocean they made use of frigates that could Mount up to 36 cannons which along with royal Navy squadrons were more than enough to repel any pirates that threatened the precious trade routes the company used ports would also be protected by fortresses built and maintained at the company's expense at its height the East India Company employed over 250 000 troops and almost half of the company's expenditure was on its military due to a series of management errors in 1857 a portion of the company's Army would Revolt in an event known as the sepoy rebellion though it was eventually suppressed the East India Company lost its control over its military its units being either transferred to British Army service or reorganized into the Indian army the practice of utilizing private armies continued to the modern day according to the Geneva Convention and other International laws mercenaries are defined as individuals who are recruited to fight and actively participate in an armed conflict while not being a national of a participating Nation or a resident of a territory controlled by one the use of such individuals is forbidden by international law in order to circumvent these restrictions the 1980s and 90s saw the creation of private military companies or pmcs this coincided with both a push among many nations for the privatization of government services as well as the changing geopolitical landscape by the strict wording of international law these companies are not mercenaries as they provide security and other legitimate Services escaping the dubious distinction in the aftermath of the Cold War many pmcs were used by Western powers to provide security train local militaries support vulnerable governments and a host of other services while not becoming directly involved themselves much like East India Company sepoys working alongside regular British Army units pmcs often work alongside actual soldiers during the american-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent occupation Coalition forces utilized over 20 000 contractors from over 60 firms they provided security at facilities helped with strategic planning operated and guarded Supply convoys and a host of other services using contractors for these Services frees up soldiers for deployment elsewhere the use of pmcs is not without controversy however unlike soldiers contractors are not bound by Rules of Engagement their only restrictions being their contract terms while National and international laws apply to them it is difficult to prosecute criminal activities performed in foreign countries furthermore The Unofficial nature of PMC operations gives governments plausible deniability allowing them to implement their will on foreign powers while avoiding the risk of a direct military engagement possibly the most infamous private military company in the modern era is the Wagner group founded in Russia by Evgeni pregosian an associate of Vladimir Putin throughout the 21st century Wagner has provided Russia with a cost-effective way to involve themselves in unstable regions throughout the world pursuing Russia's geopolitical interests while at the same time keeping the nation out of direct conflict using the Wagner group is much cheaper than conventional forces because they are often able to fund their own operations for example Wagner forces in Syria once captured an oil field their payment being a portion of the process seats from its output and the Central African Republic a similar Arrangement was reached with gold and diamond mines being the revenue Source Wagner has operated in Libya Syria Mali and the Central African Republic while there they have been connected to many atrocities for which they have not been held accountable because of their unofficial nature the Russian government can deny any association with Wagner when 300 Russian Nationals were killed in Syria by American airstrikes the Russian government denied any involvement in the incident as there were no Russian troops in the region in the ongoing war in Ukraine Wagner has played a leading role they are active in all theaters of that conflict and most recently spearheaded the campaign around the city of bakmut as the war continues to rage Wagner has adopted the practice of recruiting soldiers from Russian prisons any inmate regardless of crimes would be considered for enlistment the only restriction being the physical health of the recruit Wagner is able to tap into this pool of resources which would otherwise be unavailable to Conventional forces pregosian defended this practice stating that it is better for a condemned prisoner to risk himself rather than a civilian addressing concerns over using prisoners in this fashion he stated it's either them or your children decide for yourself his words would ring ominous and foreboding on Thursday June 22nd 2023 when backed by armed paramilitaries the Wagner group briefly occupied the Strategic Bastion of rostov on Don in South Russia marching towards Moscow and Putin the next day before turning back thankfully the situation in which the worrying power of private militaries has been on display for the world to see has seemed to cool down slightly for now Warfare to the Modern Age mercenaries have played an important role in many conflicts though the exact structure may change there is no doubt that private armies will continue well into the future

Channel: Simple History

Views: 363,526

Keywords: simple history, animated history, educational, education, War, Mercenary, PMC, Africa, Rome, Carthage, Middle Ages, Italy, Profit, Hire, Employee, Finance, Money

Id: Orz3V61kBmk

Length: 10min 1sec (601 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 07 2023