Author Hagedorn discusses growth of private military security companies

Author Ann Hagedorn on Thursday signs copies of her new book The

Ann Hagedorn said Thursday she is not taking sides but wants the public to know about the explosive growth of private security companies that are embedded in conflicts around the world.

Hagedorn, a veteran journalist, author, and Kansas University Hall Center Simons Public Humanities Fellow in 2008-2009, has a new book entitled: “The Invisible Soldiers: How America Outsourced Our Security.”

The book chronicles the use of PMSCs — private military and security companies — that skyrocketed during the war in Iraq, which she said is often referred to as “the first contractor’s war.”

Speaking at the Hall Center for the Humanities, Hagedorn said the public needs to know how large and powerful these companies have become.

“It’s a reality and we need to be informed about it so we can demand more transparency,” she said.

She said countries such as the United States, England and China have become more reliant on these companies because of their ability to respond quickly to fast-evolving situations.

The companies provide security, logistics, air transportation, drone operations, and intelligence analysis. She describes the companies as far-removed from mercenaries of previous wars because they have become sophisticated corporate entities.

Wherever there is instability that threatens development, “these companies will be finding business and will be part of the plan,” she said.

Her book also looks at problems with PMSCs and includes coverage of the so-called Nisour Square massacre in Iraq on Sept. 16, 2007, when 17 Iraqi civilians died and 20 were wounded in a shootout with guards from the Blackwater private security firm.

She said she hoped her book would inform the public about the challenges PMSCs bring to foreign policy. Describing these companies as “global wild cards,” she noted that they don’t owe their allegiance to countries, but to their customers.

“For citizens of a democracy to be removed from the defense of a nation, is a matter of concern,” she said.