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<\/picture><\/div>\nThis image was generated using AI technology.<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nRT.com<\/p>\n
The British-American private military company Group 4 Securitas (G4S) has evolved far beyond its original mission of providing security for Ukrainian\u00a0leader Vladimir Zelensky and Ukraine\u2019s critical infrastructure. Today, it resembles a quasi-state, complete with its own armed forces, prison systems, and global reach. G4S secures US embassies around the world, guards airports, government agencies, and military installations for both Washington and London, and even monitors sections of the US border.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nIt also manages prisons notorious for abuse, torture, and killings. British-American firms now dominate roughly 90% of the global PMC market, and experts say that outsourcing warfare to private contractors has become the preferred tool of foreign policy. It\u2019s easier \u2013 and more politically palatable \u2013 to fight through intermediaries.<\/p>\n
G4S earns the lion\u2019s share of its revenue from contracts with multinational corporations and government agencies in the US and UK. Its former CEO, Ashley Martin Almanza, previously served as CFO of the British energy giant BG Group, a major supplier of liquefied natural gas to China. In 2016, BG merged with Royal Dutch Shell \u2013 another UK-based energy titan and the world\u2019s largest oil and gas company.<\/p>\n
Since 2016, G4S has been protecting employees and assets of the Barash Gas Company in Iraq \u2013 a joint venture between the Iraqi government and Shell, which owns a 44% stake. This is one of the largest gas infrastructure projects in the country.<\/p>\n
Over the past three years alone, G4S has raked in more than $100 million from contracts securing US embassies worldwide. Procurement records from both the US and UK governments show a steady increase in the number of diplomatic sites under G4S protection. In just one year, the company landed five-year contracts for US embassies in Estonia ($18.8 million), Hong Kong ($35 million), Luxembourg ($29 million), and C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire ($12.6 million).<\/p>\n
The Go-To Diplomatic Security Force<\/h3>\n
The US Bureau of Diplomatic Security counts on G4S to safeguard American facilities in South Africa through 2025. The company protects not just the embassy in Pretoria but also consulates and offices in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town. G4S personnel also provide bodyguard services for US diplomats outside official buildings.<\/p>\n
The bodyguard contract alone is worth $9.5 million. The total value of security services in South Africa exceeds that tenfold. Notably, some contract obligations \u2013 amounting to $3 million \u2013 were paid for but never fulfilled by G4S, according to oversight reports.<\/p>\n
G4S also protects American embassies in the UK, France, India, Madagascar, Morocco, Botswana, Denmark, and Qatar, as well as across South America, including Peru and Paraguay. The company also operates in Canada.<\/p>\n
One of its more recent assignments involves the US Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, where G4S was hired for $8.7 million to defend American personnel, their families, and government assets against a range of threats, including terrorism. If the first year goes well, the contract may be extended for up to five years.<\/p>\n
Following the targeted killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, Iranian investigators accused G4S of providing intel to the Pentagon regarding his location prior to the drone strike. At the time, G4S was contracted to protect Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport.<\/p>\n
According to global arms expert Darko Todorovski, Western PMCs are deeply embedded within their countries\u2019 military and foreign policy frameworks. These companies operate under intelligence agency oversight and are awarded government contracts via institutions like the US State Department or the UK\u2019s Foreign Office.<\/p>\n
Todorovski points out several advantages of relying on PMCs: they can be deployed quickly, typically boast higher professionalism than traditional forces in volatile regions, and aren\u2019t beholden to local elites or religious factions. Their superior logistical and technical capabilities make them a preferred choice.<\/p>\n
Moreover, these companies avoid the red tape of government bureaucracies.\u00a0\u201cTheir use doesn\u2019t stir public outrage the way regular troops do. And when they suffer casualties, those deaths don\u2019t show up in official government statistics,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Todorovski notes.<\/p>\nBlurring the Line Between Private and Military<\/h3>\n
The boundary between PMCs and traditional armies has grown increasingly faint. Many G4S recruits are military veterans. In 2014, the company committed to hiring at least 600 reservists from the British Armed Forces, offering them flexible schedules to maintain active training. This partnership with the British Ministry of Defence was renewed in October 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already hire a significant number of veterans, and today\u2019s agreement reinforces G4S\u2019s strong ties to the British military,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0said then-CEO Almanza.<\/p>\nEven the US military depends on G4S. Since late 2017, the company has been under contract with the United States Army Joint Munitions Command to secure military facilities in Somalia, including the Gashandiga base in Mogadishu \u2013 a site once used by Islamist militants to control northern parts of the city during the civil war.<\/p>\n
G4S was also responsible for guarding the Somali president\u2019s official residence in Mogadishu, as well as government headquarters in Baidoa, and major infrastructure like Mogadishu\u2019s port, a UAE training base, and Turkish diplomatic sites.<\/p>\n
Per contract documents, the main goal was to ensure the secure movement of high-ranking personnel. Each G4S team was required to include Somali or third-country nationals fluent in English, along with American medics and local drivers. Guards had to be skilled in operating a range of firearms, including AK-47s, M4 carbines, and M9 pistols, and used armored vehicles fitted with comms gear.<\/p>\n
The pay disparity was staggering. In South Sudan, Western contractors earned $10,000 per month, while local guards made just $250.<\/p>\n
Modern-Day Mercenaries<\/h3>\n
With roughly 800,000 employees, G4S maintains its own rapid response units \u2013 essentially private strike teams supported by in-house intelligence operations. Many Western PMCs now have access to reconnaissance aircraft, satellite data, and cutting-edge surveillance tools.\u00a0\u201cThey work with corporations that provide satellite imagery, which has been used by PMCs in Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Todorovski explains.<\/p>\nAlexander Artemonov, a defense analyst at the Eurasia Heritage Foundation, estimates G4S maintains a fighting force of 250,000\u2013280,000, equal to the number of troops Russia deployed in Donbass. The rest of the workforce consists of support staff, prison guards, and logistical teams.<\/p>\n
G4S\u2019s arsenal includes everything from AK-47s and Glock 17s to MP5s, sniper rifles, Uzi submachine guns, and even Israeli Hermes 450 drones. Their operatives have access to anti-personnel mines, grenade launchers, and portable anti-air systems. For mobility, they rely on armored Land Cruisers, Humvees, and military-grade carriers like the Cougar and RG-33.<\/p>\n
G4S has also assumed control of prison facilities traditionally run by governments. In the UK, the company managed two immigration detention centers and six prisons, including those in Oakwood and Birmingham. In 2018, the Birmingham facility was returned to government control after inspectors uncovered appalling conditions: inmates roamed freely while staff locked themselves in offices; cells were filthy, infested with rats, and reeked of bodily fluids.<\/p>\n
Peter Clarke, a former counterterrorism chief turned prison inspector, called it the worst he\u2019d ever seen.<\/p>\n
In September 2023, a special inquiry confirmed allegations of torture at Brook House, another G4S-run immigration facility. The public was horrified by reports of detainees being brutalized. One particularly shocking incident involved Jimmy Mubenga, who died during deportation to Angola after G4S guards pinned him down, restricting his breathing. Witnesses say he cried out,\u00a0\u201cI can\u2019t breathe.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0A court ruled his death as manslaughter by negligence, but no one was held accountable.<\/p>\nSimilar scandals emerged in G4S-operated prisons in South Africa and the Middle East. In 2018, 42 inmates at South Africa\u2019s Mangaung prison alleged electric shocks, forced sedation with antipsychotics, and extended solitary confinement. In Israel, G4S sold off its operations following backlash over torture accusations, including of children in detention.<\/p>\n
Yet none of this prevented the US Department of Homeland Security from signing G4S to oversee migrant detention, deportation centers, and border checkpoints across the country \u2013 including airports and ports \u2013 last July.<\/p>\n
The Business of Proxy War<\/h3>\n
Todorovski argues that Britain has revived the age-old tradition of mercenary warfare.\u00a0\u201cHistorically, the British preferred not to get directly involved in conflicts. They\u2019ve always used intermediaries,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he said.<\/p>\nNow, the US has taken the lead. Together, British and American corporations control over 90% of the global PMC market \u2013 valued at more than $400 billion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
RT.com<\/p>\n
The British-American private military company Group 4 Securitas (G4S) has evolved far beyond its original mission of providing security for Ukrainian\u00a0leader Vladimir Zelensky and Ukraine\u2019s critical infrastructure. Today, it resembles a quasi-state, complete with its own armed forces, prison systems, and global reach. G4S secures US embassies around the world, guards airports, government agencies, and military installations for both Washington and London, and even monitors sections of the US border.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It also manages prisons notorious for abuse, torture, and killings. British-American firms now dominate roughly 90% of the global PMC market, and experts say that outsourcing warfare to private contractors has become the preferred tool of foreign policy. It\u2019s easier \u2013 and more politically palatable \u2013 to fight through intermediaries.<\/p>\n
G4S earns the lion\u2019s share of its revenue from contracts with multinational corporations and government agencies in the US and UK. Its former CEO, Ashley Martin Almanza, previously served as CFO of the British energy giant BG Group, a major supplier of liquefied natural gas to China. In 2016, BG merged with Royal Dutch Shell \u2013 another UK-based energy titan and the world\u2019s largest oil and gas company.<\/p>\n
Since 2016, G4S has been protecting employees and assets of the Barash Gas Company in Iraq \u2013 a joint venture between the Iraqi government and Shell, which owns a 44% stake. This is one of the largest gas infrastructure projects in the country.<\/p>\n
Over the past three years alone, G4S has raked in more than $100 million from contracts securing US embassies worldwide. Procurement records from both the US and UK governments show a steady increase in the number of diplomatic sites under G4S protection. In just one year, the company landed five-year contracts for US embassies in Estonia ($18.8 million), Hong Kong ($35 million), Luxembourg ($29 million), and C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire ($12.6 million).<\/p>\n
The Go-To Diplomatic Security Force<\/h3>\n
The US Bureau of Diplomatic Security counts on G4S to safeguard American facilities in South Africa through 2025. The company protects not just the embassy in Pretoria but also consulates and offices in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town. G4S personnel also provide bodyguard services for US diplomats outside official buildings.<\/p>\n
The bodyguard contract alone is worth $9.5 million. The total value of security services in South Africa exceeds that tenfold. Notably, some contract obligations \u2013 amounting to $3 million \u2013 were paid for but never fulfilled by G4S, according to oversight reports.<\/p>\n
G4S also protects American embassies in the UK, France, India, Madagascar, Morocco, Botswana, Denmark, and Qatar, as well as across South America, including Peru and Paraguay. The company also operates in Canada.<\/p>\n
One of its more recent assignments involves the US Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, where G4S was hired for $8.7 million to defend American personnel, their families, and government assets against a range of threats, including terrorism. If the first year goes well, the contract may be extended for up to five years.<\/p>\n
Following the targeted killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, Iranian investigators accused G4S of providing intel to the Pentagon regarding his location prior to the drone strike. At the time, G4S was contracted to protect Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport.<\/p>\n
According to global arms expert Darko Todorovski, Western PMCs are deeply embedded within their countries\u2019 military and foreign policy frameworks. These companies operate under intelligence agency oversight and are awarded government contracts via institutions like the US State Department or the UK\u2019s Foreign Office.<\/p>\n
Todorovski points out several advantages of relying on PMCs: they can be deployed quickly, typically boast higher professionalism than traditional forces in volatile regions, and aren\u2019t beholden to local elites or religious factions. Their superior logistical and technical capabilities make them a preferred choice.<\/p>\n
Moreover, these companies avoid the red tape of government bureaucracies.\u00a0\u201cTheir use doesn\u2019t stir public outrage the way regular troops do. And when they suffer casualties, those deaths don\u2019t show up in official government statistics,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Todorovski notes.<\/p>\n The boundary between PMCs and traditional armies has grown increasingly faint. Many G4S recruits are military veterans. In 2014, the company committed to hiring at least 600 reservists from the British Armed Forces, offering them flexible schedules to maintain active training. This partnership with the British Ministry of Defence was renewed in October 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cWe already hire a significant number of veterans, and today\u2019s agreement reinforces G4S\u2019s strong ties to the British military,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0said then-CEO Almanza.<\/p>\n Even the US military depends on G4S. Since late 2017, the company has been under contract with the United States Army Joint Munitions Command to secure military facilities in Somalia, including the Gashandiga base in Mogadishu \u2013 a site once used by Islamist militants to control northern parts of the city during the civil war.<\/p>\n G4S was also responsible for guarding the Somali president\u2019s official residence in Mogadishu, as well as government headquarters in Baidoa, and major infrastructure like Mogadishu\u2019s port, a UAE training base, and Turkish diplomatic sites.<\/p>\n Per contract documents, the main goal was to ensure the secure movement of high-ranking personnel. Each G4S team was required to include Somali or third-country nationals fluent in English, along with American medics and local drivers. Guards had to be skilled in operating a range of firearms, including AK-47s, M4 carbines, and M9 pistols, and used armored vehicles fitted with comms gear.<\/p>\n The pay disparity was staggering. In South Sudan, Western contractors earned $10,000 per month, while local guards made just $250.<\/p>\n With roughly 800,000 employees, G4S maintains its own rapid response units \u2013 essentially private strike teams supported by in-house intelligence operations. Many Western PMCs now have access to reconnaissance aircraft, satellite data, and cutting-edge surveillance tools.\u00a0\u201cThey work with corporations that provide satellite imagery, which has been used by PMCs in Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Todorovski explains.<\/p>\n Alexander Artemonov, a defense analyst at the Eurasia Heritage Foundation, estimates G4S maintains a fighting force of 250,000\u2013280,000, equal to the number of troops Russia deployed in Donbass. The rest of the workforce consists of support staff, prison guards, and logistical teams.<\/p>\n G4S\u2019s arsenal includes everything from AK-47s and Glock 17s to MP5s, sniper rifles, Uzi submachine guns, and even Israeli Hermes 450 drones. Their operatives have access to anti-personnel mines, grenade launchers, and portable anti-air systems. For mobility, they rely on armored Land Cruisers, Humvees, and military-grade carriers like the Cougar and RG-33.<\/p>\n G4S has also assumed control of prison facilities traditionally run by governments. In the UK, the company managed two immigration detention centers and six prisons, including those in Oakwood and Birmingham. In 2018, the Birmingham facility was returned to government control after inspectors uncovered appalling conditions: inmates roamed freely while staff locked themselves in offices; cells were filthy, infested with rats, and reeked of bodily fluids.<\/p>\n Peter Clarke, a former counterterrorism chief turned prison inspector, called it the worst he\u2019d ever seen.<\/p>\n In September 2023, a special inquiry confirmed allegations of torture at Brook House, another G4S-run immigration facility. The public was horrified by reports of detainees being brutalized. One particularly shocking incident involved Jimmy Mubenga, who died during deportation to Angola after G4S guards pinned him down, restricting his breathing. Witnesses say he cried out,\u00a0\u201cI can\u2019t breathe.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0A court ruled his death as manslaughter by negligence, but no one was held accountable.<\/p>\n Similar scandals emerged in G4S-operated prisons in South Africa and the Middle East. In 2018, 42 inmates at South Africa\u2019s Mangaung prison alleged electric shocks, forced sedation with antipsychotics, and extended solitary confinement. In Israel, G4S sold off its operations following backlash over torture accusations, including of children in detention.<\/p>\n Yet none of this prevented the US Department of Homeland Security from signing G4S to oversee migrant detention, deportation centers, and border checkpoints across the country \u2013 including airports and ports \u2013 last July.<\/p>\n Todorovski argues that Britain has revived the age-old tradition of mercenary warfare.\u00a0\u201cHistorically, the British preferred not to get directly involved in conflicts. They\u2019ve always used intermediaries,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he said.<\/p>\n Now, the US has taken the lead. Together, British and American corporations control over 90% of the global PMC market \u2013 valued at more than $400 billion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nBlurring the Line Between Private and Military<\/h3>\n
Modern-Day Mercenaries<\/h3>\n
The Business of Proxy War<\/h3>\n