The Invisible Soldiers, Ann Hagedorn
The Invisible Soldiers, Ann Hagedorn
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The Invisible Soldiers
How America Outsourced Our Security

Author: Ann Hagedorn

Narrator: Laural Merlington

Unabridged: 8 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/19/2014


Synopsis

The urgent truth about the privatization of America’s national security that exposes where this industry came from, how it operates, where it's heading—and why we should be concerned.Thirty years ago there were no private military and security companies (PMSCs); there were only mercenaries. Now the PMSCs are a bona-fide industry, an indispensable part of American foreign and military policy. PMSCs assist US forces in combat operations and replace them after the military withdraws from combat zones; they guard our embassies; they play key roles in US counterterrorism strategies; and Homeland Security depends on them. Their services include maritime security, police training, drone operations, cyber security, and intelligence analysis (as Edward Snowden has famously revealed). Even the United Nations employs them.When did this happen? The turning point came when the US found itself in a prolonged war with Iraq, but without adequate forces. So the Bush Administration turned to the PMSCs to fill the gap. Private contractors and subcontractors eventually exceeded the traditional troops. The industry has never scaled back.Ann Hagedorn profiles the members of Congress who recognize the dangers of dependence on PMSCs, but have been unable to limit them or even determine their true scope. She takes us to the exclusive club in London where the PMSCs were created, and she reveals the key figure in the evolution of the industry. She introduces us to a US Army general who studies new developments, such as PMSCs’ drone operations, and worries about PMSCs potentially fighting American troops. The Invisible Soldiers will inspire a national dialogue about a little-known international industry on which our security rests.

About Ann Hagedorn

Ann Hagedorn is a former staff writer for The Wall Street Journal and an award-winning author who has taught writing at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Her previous books are Wild Ride, Ransom, Beyond the River, and Savage Peace.


Reviews

Goodreads review by David on November 11, 2014

A good intro to the world of private military contractors - a group that used to be more commonly referred to as mercenaries but now polished to shine in designer suits and smart offices in the City. Ann Hagedorn has gone to considerable lengths to unravel their direct links to the US government and......more

Goodreads review by Thomas on March 22, 2019

I was so impressed by Ann Hagedorn's Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919 that I figured I'd check out what she had to say about one of my favorite subjects - military science/history. Hagedorn has put together a good intro to the world of private military contractors. After reading how quick......more

Goodreads review by Zeb on July 04, 2014

In this volume about modern mercenaries (now called contract security agents) Ann Hagedorn makes the major point that these soldiers are an entity to themselves. Most of these service companies (PMSC, private management security companies) are the outgrowth from mercenaries used to fight surrogate w......more

Goodreads review by Steve on September 06, 2014

A good introduction to the recent evolution (and proliferation) of arms-bearing contractors and their expanding role in US defense policy and execution. This is an incredibly important topic (if you care about things like representative democracy), and more Americans should make an effort to underst......more

Goodreads review by Venus on June 30, 2015

This was a very interesting read. I won this as part of a Firstreads giveaway, and though I'm admittedly fairly interested in military history--which is why I'd signed up for it in the first place--I was still surprised by how unwilling I was to put it down. I'd expected a rather dry work more along......more