Private military companies have been in existence from time immemorial and they play a significant role in the modern security landscape.
Private military companies fill critical gaps in security and military operations for governments and corporations, especially in conflict zones or unstable regions where conventional forces may be constrained. Hence, they will always be needed from time to time.
Private military companies as the name indicates are privately-owned firms that offer a range of military and security services, including personnel, equipment, and expertise, often on a contractual basis.
In case you are in the government of a country or a company that is facing security threats, and you want to engage the services of a private military company, you may want to continue to read this article.
In this article, we will look at some of the best private military companies in the world that you can hire their services. Note that before hiring any private military company that is not in your country, you may need to check with the defense department of your country to be sure that they will be allowed to operate in your country.
Best Private Military Companies in the World
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ACADEMI (formerly Blackwater)
Academi which is formerly known as Blackwater, is an American private military contractor founded on December 26, 1996, by former Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince.
It was renamed Xe Services in 2009 and was again renamed Academi in 2011 after it was acquired by a group of private investors. In 2014, Academi merged with Triple Canopy to form Constellis Holdings.
Academi is a Constellis company and the largest private training center in the United States. Academi and its predecessors provide contract security services to the United States federal government. Since 2003, it has provided services to the Central Intelligence Agency.
In 2013, its subsidiary, International Development Solutions, received an approximately $92 million contract for U.S. State Department security guards.
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G4S
G4S is part of Allied Universal®, a leading security and facility services company that provides proactive security services and cutting-edge smart technology to deliver tailored, integrated security solutions that allow clients to focus on their core business. G4S is the world’s largest security company measured by revenues.
The company offers a range of services, including the supply of security personnel, monitoring equipment, response units, and secure prisoner transportation. G4S also works with governments overseas to deliver security services.
It is important to state that most G4S employees are lowly guards, but a growing number are military specialists dispatched by the company into what are delicately known as “complex environments” to take on jobs that national armies lack the skill or the will to do.
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DynCorp International (DI)
DynCorp International (DI) was founded in 1946 and is based in McLean, Virginia. The company provides a variety of aviation, logistics, training, intelligence, and operational solutions services to U.S. government, commercial, and military customers.
DynCorp International (DI) provides military base operations and vehicle maintenance. They manage installations for military bases for the Department of Defense and the Department of State and provide security services, fire and rescue emergency services, and IT/telecommunication services.
Available data shows that DynCorp International (DI) has 14,000 employees, and the revenue per employee ratio is $217,642. DynCorp International’s (DI) peak revenue was $3.0B in 2022.
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Triple Canopy
Triple Canopy, Inc., is an American private security company that provides integrated security, mission support, and risk management services to corporate, government, and nonprofit clients.
The firm was founded in May 2003 by United States Army Special Forces veterans, including former Delta Force operators.
Triple Canopy is a Constellis company. Constellis combines the legacy capabilities and experience of ACADEMI, Triple Canopy, Centerra, AMK9, Olive Group, Edinburgh International, Strategic Social, and all of its affiliates.
From life support, procurement, operations, and maintenance to high-threat protection, C4I systems integration, and kidnap and response services, they help their clients achieve and sustain success, no matter their location.
With more than 17,000 personnel, Constellis recruits and retains the industry’s most experienced and top-trained employees, most of whom are military or law enforcement veterans.
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Aegis Defence Services
Aegis Defence Services is a British private military and private security company with overseas offices in Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Somalia, and Mozambique. It is part of the Aegis Group of companies, which includes Aegis LLC, which is based in the United States.
It might interest you to note that Aegis Defense Services was a major British private military company that won major contracts with the US government during their time operating in Iraq.
The overall goal of Aegis Defence Services is to provide a high return on investment by identifying, meeting, and exceeding its clients’ security, investigation, training, and consulting expectations.
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GardaWorld Corporation
GardaWorld Corporation is a Canadian private security firm, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, with 120,000 employees as of January 2022.
U.S. business name is United American Security LLC, dba GardaWorld. GardaWorld International Protective Services, the international division of the company, began operations in 1984.
GardaWorld Corporation is one of the world’s largest privately owned integrated security and risk companies. Its 132,000 dedicated and highly trained professionals serve clients across 45 countries.
GardaWorld Corporation is a partner of choice for private companies, governments, humanitarian organizations, and multinationals globally.
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Securitas
Securitas AB is a security services (security guarding and mobile patrolling), monitoring, consulting, and investigation group, based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Securitas has a rich and distinct history within the security industry. In 1934, Securitas was founded in Sweden and quickly became the European benchmark for security. The group has over 300,000 employees in 53 countries worldwide.
Securitas no doubt is one of the world’s leading intelligent security services providers. Securitas’ current strategy relies on almost 90 years of experience in leading the transformation of the security industry by putting its clients at the heart of its business.
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Hart Security
When Lord Westbury MBE founded Hart Security in 1999, he created a risk management company that combined an impressive level of military experience with commercial understanding and expertise.
Today, Hart Security has offices in Dubai, London, Sydney, Limassol, Kabul, and Mogadishu employing 300 people.
Hart Security has proved its durability through a febrile two decades for the security sector; it remains an independent private company, whose success has been built upon agility, integrity, and consistently meeting its customers’ requirements.
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Wagner Group
Wagner Group which is officially known as PMC Wagner, is no doubt one of the leading private military companies in the world.
The Wagner Group is a private military organization run by an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin with tens of thousands of fighters.
In early 2016, Wagner had 1,000 employees, which later rose to 5,000 by August 2017, and 6,000 by December 2017. The organization was said to be registered in Argentina and has offices in Saint Petersburg and Hong Kong.
In November 2022, Wagner opened a new headquarters and technology center at the PMC Wagner Center building in the east of Saint Petersburg. The group emerged during the Donbas War in Ukraine, where it helped pro-Russian forces from 2014 to 2015.
Wagner played a significant role in the subsequent full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, for which it recruited Russian prison inmates for frontline combat. By the end of 2022, its strength in Ukraine had grown from 1,000 to between 20,000 and 50,000.
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Erinys International
Erinys International is a British private security company registered in the British Virgin Islands. The Group’s operational HQ is in Dubai, UAE, and other offices are in Andover, Hampshire (Erinys UK Ltd) and Johannesburg (Erinys South Africa Ltd).
Erinys International has subsidiaries in the UK, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo and associated companies in Iraq and Nigeria.
Erinys Group companies provide security and support (for example: communications and logistics) services for personnel and assets, except for Erinys South Africa, which specializes in the provision of ongoing and ad hoc risk evaluations of countries and projects particularly in Africa.
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Northbridge Services Group
Northbridge Services Group Ltd is a private military company (PMC) which is registered in the Dominican Republic. It also has offices in the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
The firm also has an address in Lexington Kentucky, United States. Its president and CEO is US Army (retired) Lieutenant-Colonel Robert W.
The Company’s personnel consist of highly decorated individuals who have, in aggregate, more than 200 years of operational service predominantly in the Special Forces therefore can guarantee a truly international blend of experience, pedigree, and specialty.
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The Olive Group
The Olive Group was established in 2006 as a result of its experience as a business in the oil and gas sector. With more than 20,000 + personnel, Olive Group, A Constellis Company, recruits and retains the industry’s most experienced and qualified contractors, most of whom are military or law enforcement veterans.
Olive Group UK Ltd, as part of the Constellis family, is a leading provider of risk management and operational support services to government and commercial clients worldwide.
Constellis combines the legacy capabilities and experience of Triple Canopy, Centerra, AMK9, Olive Group, Edinburgh International, Strategic Social, and all of its affiliates.
From life support, procurement, operations, and maintenance to high-threat protection, C4I systems integration, and kidnap and response services; they help their clients achieve and maintain compliance with ISO 9001 and ISO 18788, irrespective of their location.
With a commitment to highly compliant and ethical business practices, they leverage their operational excellence, world-class training facilities, and global network of partners to quickly deliver tailored, cost-effective, and innovative services.
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Edinburgh International
A leading global risk management and security solution provider, Edinburgh International (EI) works with clients to help them achieve their goals in high-growth and emerging markets, such as Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Edinburgh International provides a wide range of high-quality and cost-effective solutions to identify and mitigate the risks clients face.
These include advisory, threat and risk analysis, security management, technical design, security engineering, and mobile and site security.
Additionally, Edinburgh International provides support services such as country entry logistics, medical, communications, training, camp construction, operations, and maintenance.
Headquartered in London and Dubai, Edinburgh International employs more than 1500 people worldwide, representing more than 30 nationalities. The company was founded in 2003 and joined the Constellis Group in 2010.
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Sterling Global
Sterling Global is a worldwide risk management and infrastructure support company. They provide integrated risk management, munitions response, logistics, and lifecycle management solutions to commercial and government clients, which enhance their ability to operate successfully anywhere in the world, even in remote and austere environments.
Sterling Global maintains the highest levels of safety, quality, and ethics in all aspects of our work. The vision of the organization is to promote safety, freedom, stability, and environmental stewardship worldwide.
Sterling Global supports these principles for all its clients and employees as well as project host countries and local communities.
In 28 years of operations, Sterling Global has grown to become the largest commercial munitions management and demining company in the world. Their professionals have successfully managed some of the world’s largest weapons stockpiles.
By safely disposing of explosives and ordnance, they have helped prevent dangerous materials from falling into the hands of terrorists and rogue states and protected the lives of military personnel and civilians.
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Janusian Security Risk Management Group
Janusian Security Risk Management Ltd is a subsidiary of The Risk Advisory Group formed in 1997 by Arish Turle as an extension of their already established risk management services to provide security and defense for personnel and assets from terrorism, political violence, and crime.
JSRM is 75% owned by TRAG and 25% owned by the principals. Though acting independently of TRAG, they can draw upon the enormous resources of their parent company.
The managing director, Dr. David Claridge, brings to the company an expertise on terrorism that is reflected in his doctoral work at St. Andrews and the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, an organization he helped establish and served as the Operational Director of until graduating in 1999 with a Ph.D. in International Relations.
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Greystone Security
Greystone, Ltd. is a division of Blackwater USA formed to market Blackwater’s services to governments and other entities outside the United States.
Its website describes it as “…an international supplier of turn-key security solutions. Greystone focuses on providing stability to locations experiencing turmoil whether caused by armed conflict, epidemics, or natural or man-made disasters.
Greystone has the ability to quickly and efficiently deploy anywhere in the world to create a more secure environment for our customers.”
Greystone is a member of the International Peace Operations Association and the Private Security Company Association of Iraq.
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Pilgrims Group
Pilgrims Group is a security, risk management, and service support company that identifies and manages risks. The organization’s expertise allows your business to operate and develop, unhindered and unrestricted.
The people who work for Pilgrims Group are carefully selected from a wide range of specialist backgrounds. Their procedures, advice, and systems are developed from a comprehensive experience and knowledge base.
The organization’s level of accreditation is second to none in the industry: they were one of the first companies to fully implement the SIA regulation throughout their business and they have achieved multiple, consecutive zero audits for ISO9001.
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Bancroft Global Development
Bancroft Global Development, previously named Landmine Clearance International, is a Washington, D.C.-based, non-profit security consulting firm.
In 1999, Bancroft was formally incorporated in order to resuscitate and modernize an extraordinarily successful historical model. Bancroft’s roots extend back over a century, notably to relief in Belgium and France during World War I.
In an unmatched humanitarian and stabilization achievement, a small number of determined entrepreneurs helped to save tens of millions of lives and set the conditions for the reconstruction of Europe through humanitarian aid, technical advice, and connectivity to global finance.
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ManTech International Corporation
ManTech International Corporation is an American defense contracting firm based in Herndon, Virginia. It was co-founded in 1968 by Franc Wertheimer and George J. Pedersen.
The company uses technology to help government and industry clients. The company name “ManTech” is a portmanteau formed through the combination of “management” and “technology.”
ManTech was founded in New Jersey by Franc Wertheimer and George J. Pedersen in 1968. The company went public through an initial public offering in February 2002.
The firm has over 7,000 employees and supports more than 50 U.S. government agencies and commercial customers on more than 1,000 contracts. Revenues increased from $431 million in 2001 to $1.96 billion in 2018.
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Raytheon Company
The Raytheon Company was a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics.
It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007. Raytheon was the world’s largest producer of guided missiles.
In April 2020, the company merged with United Technologies Corporation to form Raytheon Technologies, which, since July 2023, is known as RTX Corporation.
Established in 1922, the company reincorporated in 1928 and adopted its present name in 1959. During 2018, the company had around 67,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of approximately US$25.35 billion.
More than 90% of Raytheon’s revenues were obtained from military contracts and, as of 2012, it was the fifth-largest military contractor in the world.
As of 2015, it was the third-largest defense contractor in the United States by defense revenue. In 2003, Raytheon’s headquarters moved from Lexington, Massachusetts, to Waltham, Massachusetts.