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RADIO DJ – VOICE ONLY Broadcasting from an undisclosed location... Freedom Radio on 107.7 FM, Baghdad. |
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Plane Text on screen: IRAQ 2005 Men in shooting practise Images around Iraq Text on screen:March 31st 2004 FALLUJAH A small town in Iraq Car Explosion Charcoaled Body Text on screen: These men were armed civilian contractors Text on screen: There are 20,000 more just like them in Iraq Text on screen: Who are they? Text on screen: What do they do? Text on screen: Why do they do it? Text on screen: Purpose build film Text on screen:: Shadow Company |
NARRATOR – JAMES ASHCROFT –
VOICE ONLY Hi, all. In brief, for those of you who don't already know... I quit the job at the law firm, and I'm now working... for a private security company in Iraq. I'm on a six-on, three-off rotation...
six weeks on, three weeks off. The contract is huge: 200 men doin' close protection tasks... or PSDs, as the Americans call it. There are swarms of other firms of private contractors... all over the place, some complete cowboy outfits. But this one is fairly sharp... so I'm not
too worried about getting killed. Besides, I've promised Debbie, Jill, Alice, and Natasha... that I'll come back alive. I'm currently tasked to the Baghdad office... working out of a villa in the Green Zone. "The Green Zone" is what they call this area... in the middle of the city... surrounding Saddam's old presidential palaces. And it's where the CPA-- Sorry, that's the Coalition Provisional Authority... has set up shop. It's a massively fortified perimeter... the size of a small town... protected by thousands of American troops. The city on the whole is in ruins... but it doesn't seem all that dangerous right now. |
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01:02:15:06 01:02:24:22 |
Peter Singer Text on screen: When did this start? |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST We're not going to be able to write... the history of the Iraq war... without talking about Fallujah... without talking about private military companies. And that's a huge difference from any prior war. |
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01:02:31:29 01:02:28:09 |
Robert Young Pelton Title: Robert Young Pelton Author + Adventurer |
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON – AUTHOR
& ADVENTURER The idea of foreign or domestic contractors... doing dirty work overseas... has been around since America was first founded. |
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01:02:41:10 01:02:35:12 01:02:39:09 01:02:44:06 |
Peter Singer Title: Peter W. Singer Political Analyst Ancient drawings Peter Singer |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST When we look at the recorded history of war... the battle of Kadesh, which was back before 1200 B.C... had mercenaries fighting in it. So the
history of mercenaries is actually far more
prevalent... than we really like to admit when we think about warfare. |
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01:02:56:08 01:02:52:05 01:02:59:07 01:03:15:21 |
Frances Stonor Saunders Title: Frances Stonor Saunders Author + Historian Map of Europe |
FRANCES STONOR SAUNDERS –
AUTHOR & HISTORIAN The Middle Ages is a period... just before the epoch of national standing armies. And, indeed, you know, the whole sense of like... you know, national identity in Europe... is still, you know, coalescing. In a war that lasts 115 years... a peace treaty can last five, six, seven, eight years... while everyone is sort of adjusting to new realities. So what you
do is, you look for action elsewhere. Companies begin to form. Professional soldiers don't want to go back to England. And they become known as the English Companies... and they ravage France, and they move towards Italy... which is a land, you know... incredibly rich for freelance soldiers. Anybody who could pay could hire mercenaries. |
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01:03:34:16 01:03:28:04 01:03:33:13 |
Cobus Claassens Title: Cobus Claassens Security Contractor Tapestry- like image – people with spears |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR Soldiers for hire invariably had no controls. It's all about control. That's what people fear. In the sixteenth century, the mercenaries... that was hired by a city-state often had free reign. And they paid their own way... by raping, looting, and pillaging. So I think
we've got a hereditary... sort of recollection of mercenaries being bad dudes. |
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01:03:53:28 01:03:48:04 01:04:02:10 01:04:15:06 01:04:21:15 01:04:23:10 01:04:31:06 |
Madelaine Drohan Map of Europe Title: Madelaine Drohan author and journalist Text on screen: 1980 Rhodesian Light Infantry Text on screen: May 9th 1994 Inauguration of Nelson Mandela Text on screen: Executive Outcomes Promotional Video |
MADELAINE DROHAN – AUTHOR
& JOURNALIST When the nation states were created... we're talking about the late 1800s and into the 1900s... the whole process of state building... was to take into the state... that monopoly of the use of coercive force... and use your own army to do that. So, really, the system... that we have come to think of as normal... has only really been around for about a hundred years. Fast forward-- 1980, independence. Rhodesia becomes Zimbabwe... white soldiers don't have a place to go anymore... in the new black-ruled Zimbabwe. They go down to South Africa. They join the South African Defense Forces. Black government comes to South Africa. They set up private security companies. They set up Executive Outcomes. |
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01:04:44:09 01:04:41:07 |
Text on screen: The most professional military training related to land, sea and air warfare |
VOICE ONLY - UNKNOWN Executive Outcomes' mission is to provide... the most professional military training... |
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01:04:53:20 01:04:51:18 |
Peter Singer Text on screen: What is a mercenary? |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST Private military firms are, in a sense... the corporate evolution of the age-old mercenary trade. |
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01:05:04:20 |
Cobus Claassens |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR A mercenary to me... is somebody who goes and fights and gets paid for it... for a cause that is not necessarily... for his country or his nation. |
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01:05:16:05 |
Frances Stonor Saunders |
FRANCES STONOR SAUNDERS –
AUTHOR & HISTORIAN Candid conversation with mercenaries... often doesn't include... frank admission that they're mercenaries. So there's a lot of euphemism. |
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01:05:23:03 01:05:12:16 01:05:17:18 |
John Mullins Title: John F. Mullins Soldier of Fortune Photo followed by… Text on screen: John F. Mullins 1964 - Vietnam |
JOHN F. MULLINS – SOLDIER OF
FORTUNE Mercenary is for those of us in the business... a sort of a pejorative term. It has so many bad connotations... that very few of us call ourself a
mercenary. Usually it's a consultant, an employee-- various other, perhaps, euphemistic terms. |
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01:05:38:05 |
Madelaine Drohan |
MADELAINE DROHAN – AUTHOR
& JOURNALIST They are unemployed soldiers... looking for a way to make a living... using the only skills they have, which are these military skills. |
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01:05:46:26 01:05:36:22 01:05:43:03 |
Dr. eike Kluge Title: Dr. Eike Kluge Professor of Ethics Images of soldiers |
DR. EIKE KLUGE - PROFESSOR
OF ETHICS There's a fundamental difference between... an ordinary soldier and a mercenary... if I may use that term. An ordinary soldier, who fights under a flag... for a particular country, has a legitimate use of force... allowing that individual to engage in activities... which normally would be considered... either criminal or, strictly speaking, murderous. Whereas a mercenary lacks
that immediate social justification. |
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01:06:18:00 01:06:06:20 01:06:24:00 |
Doug Brooks Title: Doug Brooks Government Lobbyist For Security Companies Target |
DOUG BROOKS – GOVERNMENT
LOBBYIST FOR SECURITY COMPANIES If you look at the U.N. definition of a mercenary... it's a joke. It sort of six bits about, you know, individuals... and what are their motivations and serving in wars and so on. And somebody said... if anybody's ever convicted of being a mercenary... under the U.N. law, they should be shot... and their lawyer should be shot with them... because we're incompetent. |
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01:06:44:15 01:06:32:01 |
Slavko Ilic Title: Slavko Ilic Security Contractor |
SLAVKO ILIC – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR I think a mercenary, in quick form... would be somebody who does anything... without consideration for principle or morality... |
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01:06:44:21 01:06:49:09 |
Oil Rig Alan Bell |
ALAN BELL – PRESIDENT, GLOBE
RISK We are providing both personal security... and facility security... to mining, gas, and oil operations around the world. We've never been labeled as a mercenary. We've been labeled as "private security contractors." |
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01:07:09:08 01:06:57:00 01:06:59:07 01:07:03:22 |
Cobus Claassens Photo of soldiers Text on screen: !997 Sierra Leone Cobus Claassens Text on screen: Private Security Baghdad Green Zone |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR The purest form of being a modern mercenary... was to serve in Executive Outcomes. They did offensive stuff... on behalf of the client who paid them... while most private security companies... execute security-related tasks. In other words, they guard stuff... and they are equipped to do defensive stuff. So there's
a watershed between the two for me... and the term "mercenary"... is perhaps closer to what Executive Outcomes was... as opposed to all the other modern security companies... the big ones like Blackwater... and Control Risks, et cetera, et cetera. |
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01:07:22:04 01:07:27:19 01:07:29:19 01:07:32:08 01:07:37:11 01:08:06:12 01:08:14:23 |
Child with wood Text on screen: 1984 James Age 10 Boy blurred out face Text on screen: 1990 James Age 16 Graduation image Text on screen:1996 Oxford University graduation Corporate images Text on screen: His friends and classmates did this Text on screen: James chose something different Images of Iraq Text on screen: 107.7 fm Freedom Radio Public Service Announcement |
NARRATOR – JAMES ASHCROFT –
VOICE ONLY Hey, all. First impressions of the city. The roads and traffic... are indescribably chaotic and fairly hairy. Dust is absolutely everywhere... and gets into everything, especially as you drive around. And it's hot as hell. When the air conditioning in our offices broke down... for two days, we almost had a riot. As we drive around, we listen to Freedom Radio 107.7 FM. It's the only English language station on the Baghdad airwaves. Freedom Radio. |
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01:08:35:04 |
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MAN ON RADIO Here you go, pooch, you little-- |
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01:08:39:01 |
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WOMAN ON RADIO General Order Number One states... "not to feed any
animals or keep them as pets" as you can clearly understand. |
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01:08:44:26 01:08:51:10 01:09:19:08 |
Text on screen: Iraqi Police Special Units Ak- 47 training Basra |
NARRATOR - JAMES ASHCROFT
-VOICE ONLY You have to assume... that this is some sort of disinformation service... trying to lull the Iraqian soldiers who listen... into a false sense of security... thinkin' that the American troops... here have a dreadfully low standard of training. The locals that work with us... they all laugh at themselves a lot. They are proud of their reputation for tardiness... and will specify that they are turning up... at either Iraqi nine o'clock-- that's before lunch... or English nine o'clock-- nine o'clock. I have noticed that 99.9 percent... of all males over the age of puberty have mustaches. I find this very amusing. They've issued me with only two guns so far... my personal favorite being the MP5... which I carry with me everywhere. I spend most of the work day driving around town... or standin' around, waitin' for things to happen. We're also gettin' through our stack of pirate DVDs. Tonight, it's "The Pianist" and "Minority Report." It's also my turn to cook... so it will
be lamb again for the sixth day in a row. Tomorrow, it's back on the road as usual. This is work is nothin' like body-guardin'... in Milan and Paris... because here, we can do whatever it takes... to protect our principal. We can clip cars, point weapons at them... or just shunt them off the bloody road and keep on driving. Stay safe out there. James. |
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01:09:56:06 01:10:18:28 |
Title: Robert Young Pelton Author + Adventurer Robert Young Pelton |
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON – AUTHOR
& ADVENTURER So the
first goal is education... is to try to help people understand... what exactly, do these people do? |
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01:10:29:01 01:10:10:06 |
Cobus Claassens Image of Foday Text on screen: Foday Sankoh Leader of the rebel uprising in Sierra Leone Images from Sierra Leone |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR In the early nineties or the late eighties, actually... the conflict in Sierra Leone was fomented... by a guy called Foday Sankoh... and he was initially very successful. It got to the point where
the government of Sierra Leone... was overthrown by a group of military officers... who felt that the war was going against them... because of the government's ineptitude. So a bunch
of young officers took over the government. |
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01:10:49:07 01:10:25:07 |
Title: capt. Valentine Strasser President of Sierra Leone – 1993 |
CAPT. VALENTINE STRASSER –
PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE 1993 What we need now is we need help. We need urgent help. |
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01:10:53:12 01:10:33:18 |
Title: Madelaine Drohan Author + Journalist |
MADELAINE DROHAN – AUTHOR
& JOURNALIST Valentine Strasser seized power in a coup... but was fighting a rebel movement. His army wasn't capable of fighting off these rebels... and so he hired Executive Outcomes to come in. And, basically, what he wanted to do... was clear the rebels out of the diamond area. |
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01:11:09:17 01:10:48:06 |
Cobus Claassens Text on screen: Sierra Leone Army Images from Sierra Leone Cobus Claassens Text on screen: RUF Revolutionary United Front aka Rebels Dead bodies |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR In those days, the army was just another form of oppression. The army was people
with guns... who went to a village and extorted the people... sometimes raped them, sometimes killed them... and often, burned their village down. So, they were caught between... the devil and the deep blue sea. The rebels on the one side committing atrocities... and the army on the other side... doing almost exactly the same thing. We would move into the area... we would take on the RUF immediately... and we would then take control... over the Sierra Leone army elements there... and they would leave us. And we dealt absolutely 100 percent professionally... with the people there. |
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01:11:42:10 01:11:20:00 |
Title: Alan Bell President, Globe Risk |
ALAN BELL – PRESIDENT, GLOBE
RISK You put civilian contractors and guns, U.N. arms embargoes... drugs, diamonds, and gold in the same scenario... you can mix that up into... quite a nice little recipe for a disaster. |
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01:11:56:21 |
Cobus Claassens Plane crash Images Sierra Leone |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR We destroyed the RUF's military capabilities... inside Sierra Leone... and by June the next year... we had pushed them out of Sierra Leone. That in turn led to the Abidjan peace accord... during which the government of Sierra Leone and the rebels... came to a agreement. Also, Executive Outcomes was asked to leave Sierra Leone. |
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01:12:13:28 |
Robert Young Pelton Text on screen: Over a period of 18 months Executive Outcomes forced a 15,000 strong rebel force to the bargaining table With 150 men. |
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON – AUTHOR
& ADVENTURER Now, Sierra Leone is probably one of the few examples... in which an extremely positive outcome occurred... because foreign fighters came in, solved the problem... and then left peacefully. |
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01:12:32:18 |
Title: Phil Lancaster Major (Ret.), Canadian Army Phil Lancaster |
PHIL LANCASTER – MAJOR
(RET.), CANADIAN ARMY Yes, they achieved the limited objective. Yes, they achieved it very quickly. But it was an imposed objective. And if you're going to argue that that sort of thing... justifies because of its cost and its relative efficiency... justifies its use... then you'd also be drawn into an argument in favor... of a kind of imperialism in which might makes
right. I think that's a mistake. |
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01:13:00:29 01:13:23:15 01:13:22:09 |
Cobus Claassens Images Sierra Leone Text on screen: What is the structure of the private military industry? |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR I know there's a school of thought that said... we did more harm than good. I think they're very wrong. And I think if they ask anybody... on the street of Freetown today... ten years later, they would be told the same thing. What we achieved there was a tremendous thing... for the Sierra Leone people. But you must understand... that this conflict wasn't an internal thing. It wasn't a religious struggle, it wasn't a civil war... between different ethnic or political factions. This was something that was fomented from outside. It was basically, a criminal group of people... many of them not from this country... who then attacked this country... and raped, looted, and pillaged its way across it... and we stood in the way of that. In both Liberia and Burkina Faso... the people who started the trouble were
successful... and ended up ruling their countries... like ultimate despots with atrocious human rights records. And because of what we did in Sierra Leone... a democratic election was held... and the people were set free. And we played a crucial role in that. |
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01:13:57:23 |
Robert Young Pelton |
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON – AUTHOR
& ADVENTURER The Army used to take care of everything. They used to be a self-contained operation. You know, when they went
to war they had all the skills... all the personnel, all the materials. When they began downsizing the military... they simply outsourced things they needed... whether it was technology or security. |
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01:14:14:09 01:13:50:08 01:14:15:05 |
Peter Singer Cartoon Map of world |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST It's basically the way we look... at the role of the public versus the private... and that's changed over time. People looked at areas of government and said... "The market should be doing that." And that was things like education, private prisons... garbage collection, private security... and the final frontier of that was the military. The private military industry is... far bigger than most people realize. It operates in more than fifty different countries. To look at it in a monetary terms... firms within this industry... pull in about $100 billion a year in annual revenue. |
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01:14:52:22 |
Title Robert Young Pelton –author + Adventurer |
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON – AUTHOR
& ADVENTURER In modern-day Iraq... the U.S. Army finds itself over-tasked... and they have to resort to a wide variety... of outside suppliers... for everything from trucking to food to security. |
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01:15:06:21 01:14:37:08 |
Doug Brooks Text on screen: Non- lethal Halliburton KBR SAIC |
DOUG BROOKS – GOVERNMENT
LOBBYIST FOR SECURITY COMPANIES Essentially, you have... sort of three major categories of companies. You have your non-lethal service companies... and they support military operations... peacekeeping operations, logistically. And then you have two other categories. |
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01:15:17:22 01:14:43:15 |
Peter Singer Text on screen: Military Consultant films MPRI VINNELL DYNCORP |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST Military consultant firms. If you were a U.S. Army soldier going into Iraq right now... your final training program in Kuwait... wouldn't be given to you by U.S. Army folks. It'd be given to you by military consultants. They won't do the fighting for you... but they'll come in and train and advise you... how to do the job better. |
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01:15:35:05 01:15:01:01 01:15:05:13 |
Doug Brooks Text on screen: Private military companies Text on screen: EXECUTIVE OUTCOMES SANDLINE KROLL TRIPLE CANOPY CONTROL RISKS ARMORGROUP AEGIS BLACKWATER |
DOUG BROOKS – GOVERNMENT
LOBBYIST FOR SECURITY COMPANIES Then you have your private military companies. The private military companies... generally work for governments... and they are brought in to change the strategic situation. |
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01:15:42:00 |
Peter Singer Images around Iraq |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST The very first one of these... and the most notable one, was Executive Outcomes. Now many of the companies on the ground in Iraq... that are providing these tactical roles... fall within that domain. Basically, any company that has guns for hire. Sometimes these companies call themselves... private security companies. But we're really not talking... about security guards at the local mall. We're talking about companies that are hired to provide... tactical military capability in the middle of a combat zone. |
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01:16:10:12 |
Slavko Ilic |
SLAVKO ILIC – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR You know, recent history there, you know. We were used in the Balkans, we were used in Afghanistan... tactical military capability in the middle of a combat zone. You know, recent history there, you know. We were used in the Balkans, we were used in Afghanistan... utilized even more so now in Iraq. |
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01:16:16:29 |
Cobus Claassens |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR Because of 9/11... the whole security world has grown and has gotten bigger... and more important in the eyes of the world. And, correspondingly, people demand more money. |
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01:16:25:07 |
Phil Lancaster Images of America |
PHIL LANCASTER – MAJOR
(RET.), CANADIAN ARMY I know many friends... who've taken jobs with private security agencies. They pay very well. And I do see them... as a reflection of a level of
paranoia that... really does us no good. |
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01:16:43:07 01:16:12:00 |
Peter Singer Graph |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST When you look at the year after 9/11, the entire economy... every single industry went down, except these companies. On average, they went up by fifty percent. Some of them doubled or tripled in their stock price. |
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01:16:57:20 |
Robert Young Pelton |
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON – AUTHOR
& ADVENTURER You're seeing almost the Wild West. You're seeing people just jumping in... on these multi-million dollar contracts... and then trying to figure out afterwards... how they're gonna actually hire people and train them... to figure out afterwards... how they're gonna actually hire people and train them... and get them into the field. |
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01:17:09:04 01:16:36:04 01:17:47:13 01:17:16:02 01:17:19:10 01:18:28:09 01:17:56:24 |
Images around Iraq Text on screen: INTSUM Intelligence Summary Ruins Cartoons Text on screen: Name: Buzz Jackson Callsign: the Blade Weapon: Diemaco M4 Like: Speed Meral Rottweilers Loose Women Text on screen: Name: Wolf Callsign: Lone Warrior Weapon: 66 mm LAW Likes: “The A-Team” Country & Western Great Danes Text on screen: Name: Marco Donatelli Callsign: the Don Weapon: Steyr AUG Likes: American Tourist Women Aprillo Mille Superbike The Hair Gel Products Text on screen: Name: Fabrizio Giovanni Callsign: Fabio Weapon: Beretto M9/92 Likes: “The Godfather” Maserati Speedo swimsuits |
NARRATOR – JAMES ASHCROFT
VOICE ONLY Hey, everybody. The number of attacks by the insurgents is
increasing. We get an INTSUM every morning by e-mail... of incidents during the previous twenty-four hours. Last night, they hit... three hotels and a government ministry building... and attacked one of our houses for about four hours. While we were under it fighting back... Richard was on the phone to his wife. He had to cover his mobile with his hands... trying to pretend everything was okay. The CPA cafeteria in the Green Zone... is crawling with private teams... and a great deal of testosterone. U.S. teams are always composed of extremes... either short, crew cut, hard-bodied... steely-eyed storm troopers... or bald-shaven, pony-tailed biker look-alikes... with long, long goatees. Hey, man. Both the troopers and the ZZ Top brigade... are festooned with pistols, machine guns, fighting knives... radios, and ammo strapped to both thighs... biceps, across chests, backs, and wrists... and all the latest mail-order tactical holsters. I mean, fair enough. Everybody loads up when they go out, but to go to lunch? By far, the worst wannabes are the Italians... who are comical in their vanity. They work out hard on their arms, but not their abs... and they all have short back and sides hair... but very long on top... sometimes permed, sometimes in ponytails... but all invariably greased heavily with wet-look gel. In one case, a guy had plucked his eyebrows... into two straight lines to make him appear to be... perpetually and manically frowning... like the evil Emperor Ming from Flash Gordon. The Brits out here just shove their pistols... into their belts and holsters and queue up for the free food. This week we watched, "Shrek," "Miss Congeniality," and "Pirates of the Caribbean." James. |
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01:19:12:15 01:18:32:16 |
Slavko Ilic Text on screen: There are more armed civilian contractor in Iraq than soldiers from all non-US coalition countries combined |
SLAVKO ILIC – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR The number of security contractors in Iraq... at present stands somewhere in the
neighborhood of 20,000. That's fairly significant. I haven't been able to locate a time in recent history... that it's been at that level. |
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01:19:23:14 01:19:01:02 |
Robert Young Pelton Rapid images Text on screen: In the Gulf war in 1991 there was 1 contractor for every 100 soldiers In the current conflict in Iraq the ratio is 1 in 10 |
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON – AUTHOR
& ADVENTURER There's a coalition of the willing... is what Colin Powell called it. And I call it "a coalition of the billing," which means... that a number of
partners have pulled out... and they're being replaced with private security details. We've never done this in any war up until this point. We've never physically paid for companies to replace countries. |
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01:19:56:09 |
Cobus Claassens |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR A scenario like Iraq... is probably the riskiest that there is. First of all... because it seems like a fuckin' free-for-all. |
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01:20:02:20 |
Rapid images |
VOICE EXTRACT - UNKNOWN Everybody's shooting at everybody there. The security companies are out there... and the military is out there. Everybody is heavily armed, everybody is jumpy as hell. |
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01:20:09:29 01:19:27:21 |
Cobus Claassens Image of contract Text on screen: Employment contract |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR At the same time, the money is fantastic. I think, for the first time ever... the guys are getting paid what they should paid... for doing the work... that they've done for many years before. There was a time when $50 a day was a lot of money... for a security job. And now, people are getting paid... 400 pounds a day and a thousand bucks a day. I think that's fair. Those guys should lift their heads up... and be proud of the fact they're getting paid... that kind of money because they surely deserve it. |
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01:20:30:13 01:19:50:16 |
Images of soldiers / tanks Doug Brooks |
DOUG BROOKS – GOVERNMENT
LOBBYIST FOR SECURITY COMPANIES The military is spending... about $25,000 per soldier per month in Iraq. That's about what it costs them to keep soldiers in there. It's not a very cost-effective sort of operation. If you hire a private company, you'll pay... the private individuals quite a bit of money... but you're only paying them for a short time... for a specific mission. |
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01:20:45:07 |
Peter Singer Images of soldiers |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST The challenge, the irony of this industry is that... they don't typically operate in healthy states. for a specific mission. The challenge, the irony of this industry is that... they don't typically operate in healthy states. They're not operating in Iraq... because good things are going on there. They typically operate in failed state zones... in combat zones, that's the nature of the business. |
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01:20:58:19 |
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UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE When you're not specifically working... for the State Department, you can do whatever you want. And within the rules that exist in Iraq or Afghanistan... there are no rules. |
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01:21:06:18 |
Peter Singer |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST The CPA--the U.S...the
Coalition Provisional Authority... the little quasi-government that we put into being... specifically stated... that
contractors don't fall under Iraqi law. |
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01:21:18:07 |
Robert Young Pelton |
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON – AUTHOR
& ADVENTURER That means that contractors can operate... with impunity in Iraq. Now, most will disagree with that. Most will say... "No, no, we have rules and regulations and whatever." But the only rule that I know of is if you do something wrong... poof--you're flown out of the country immediately. |
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01:21:36:07 01:20:47:04 01:21:02:03 |
Doug Brooks Text on screen: Rules of Engagement Self-defence Protect the noun Protect civilians Text on screen: Mustafa S. Insurgent “They are un Iraq to get large salaries… and to help the Americans and Jewish pigs… …destroy Iraq.” |
DOUG BROOKS – GOVERNMENT
LOBBYIST FOR SECURITY COMPANIES The rules of engagement... allow them to do essentially three things. They are allowed to protect themselves, self-defense... they're allowed to protect their noun... the person, place, thing, organization... and they're allowed to protect Iraqi civilians... under imminent mortal threat. |
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01:22:02:03 01:21:17:14 |
Text on screen: M4 Standard Issue US Army Rifle 5.56mm |
CONTRACTOR UNKNOWN We had belt-fed machine guns... on the front of each vehicle and on the back of the rear vehicle. We had at least four shooters with M4s... we had rocket launchers... hollow-point bullets in the pistols, we had grenades. We had everything. We got one Iraqi and one American. So just in case one doesn't work... we can always fall back on American. |
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01:22:17:18 |
Slavko Ilic Title: Slavko Ilic Security Contractor Driving |
SLAVKO ILIC – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR You have to drive
aggressively. It's a hostile environment without question... so if
there's a vehicle in front me... and it's not moving out of the way... you've got to take some evasive maneuvers. You've got to go around that vehicle. You've got to take a different route. You may need to make contact with that vehicle... to let it know that it needs to move out of the way. |
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01:22:32:27 |
Interviewee Driving images |
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE You tell people, you yell, "Imchee," you know, "back!" And if they don't see your fist or they don't see-- then the gun goes up. If they don't see the gun, then a round is fired... usually from the PKM. Makes like a zipper pattern in front of the car. And if they don't stop... then the second burst goes into the engine. If they continue to come... then the third one goes into the driver. |
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01:22:50:08 |
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VOICE ONLY OF UNKNOWN CONTRACTOR If I believe there's a vehicle that's suspicious... then that vehicle would be called out to the entire convoy. |
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01:22:56:28 01:22:02:00 01:22:06:20 01:22:16:21 |
Text on screen: Concealed sub-machine gun Text on screen: CAT Counter Assault Team Text on screen: the “X” Ambush location aka The Box |
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE You actually have what they call a hate truck... or they call it a CAT vehicle, "Counter Assault Team." Their purpose is to raise hell. So let's
say the principal gets hit... when they show up, they're supposed to... just lay into the people that are firing long enough... so the
principal can get off the "X." Now, does Blackwater piss
people off... and do people rolling around with machine guns pointing at-- Yes, of course they do. |
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01:23:17:00 |
Soldiers |
CONTRACTOR – UNKNOWN - America. - No. - Yeah. - No. |
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01:23:20:18 01:22:30:06 |
Text on screen: .50 cal Heavy Machine Gun Vehicle mounted Large calibre |
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE If you wonder where this aggressive attitude came from... where the thumbs on the .50 cals... you know, stay back 100 yards... it all came for the U.S. military. Those are standard operating procedures... for the U.S. military in Iraq. You can watch the TV blurbs about, you know... hearts and minds--that's crap. I mean, when you're
driving from the airport to the Green Zone... you don't give a shit about hearts and minds. You just want to get there alive and get back alive. |
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01:23:41:18 |
|
CONTRACTOR UNKNOWN You'll generally find that... like when you're running through these small towns... these people don't have poker faces. If they know something's gonna go down... it'll be one of two things-- there'll be several people out on the street... giving you hard looks... or there'll be nobody on the street. If you see that and a reporter, then you know something's wrong. |
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01:24:01:20 01:23:11:24 |
Slavko Ilic Text on screen: IED Improvised Explosive Device explosion |
SLAVKO ILIC – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR Generally
speaking, the most common attacks for us... were vehicle-based
IEDs... so you may
have improvised explosive device... which would be an IED, inside a vehicle. That vehicle could have artillery shells in it... it could have explosives in it. And then it's wired to explode at a predetermined time... or possibly, the vehicle would roll up on a convoy... and detonate when it's next to a convoy. You could have pre-positioned improvised explosive devices... along a roadway, in tumbleweed. IEDs were placed inside the tumbleweed... and they're a common sight, so when you
drive up... you don't have any notice before it detonates. |
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01:24:39:13 01:23:53:16 |
Text on screen: Blackwater Security Baghdad Airport |
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE The more aggression you create... the more people that you zipper in front of their cars... the more people that get shot up... it's just--At some point, it's gonna come back to you. I mean, they're working in Middle East countries. It's not like you forgive somebody... because they shot up your car. |
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01:24:51:25 01:24:17:23 |
Contractors in warehouse Text on screen: Mustafa S. Insurgent “May God destroy the foreigners… And the mercenaries.” |
UNKNOWN CONTRACTORS
BLACKWATER SECURITY Bang, bang. Yes, you do. Yeah, you came too close, we shoot. Did you hit his car, or did you shoot in front of it? I shot in front of it. It may have fuckin'
ricocheted and hit his car, but-- Exactly. Disown it, right? |
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01:25:22:25 |
Robert Young Pelton Images of guns |
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON – AUTHOR
& ADVENTURER George Bush has created... the ultimate entrepreneurial/ Wild West scenario in Iraq. And if you've got a gun, and you're for hire... there's work for you. |
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01:25:39:04 01:26:11:11 01:25:18:17 01:25:29:18 01:25:37:04 01:26:52:28 01:26:06:15 01:26:09:11 01:26:21:18 |
Fast and frequent images of varied nature Text on screen: $450 PRK light machine gun Text on screen: $100 AK-47 Low quality Text on screen: $300 AK-47M High Quality Text on screen: $200,000 4x4 vehicle armoured Text on screen: $20,000 4x4 vehicle with homemade armor plating Text on screen: Who works in this industry? |
NARRATOR – JAMES ASHCROFT –
VOICE ONLY Hey, guys. Two weeks left, and I am finally starting to adjust to the heat. We have some interesting issues with equipment here. You can get official suppliers... like Heckler & Koch to ship stuff in... but you need a shitload
of permits signed and stamped... by the U.S. State Department... because there is an arms embargo... against shipping stuff like this into Iraq. It's so much easier just to go to the black market... up in Sadr City... but that whole area is now a complete no-go zone... for contractors, as all of Muqtada's men have gone nuts. So we have
to send the local Iraqi fixers up there... to do it for us. PKM machine guns, brand-new in the packing grease... used to cost about $450. But since it all kicked off in Fallujah... they have now gone up to over 900... and that is for some rusty piece of crap... that has been dug up out of a trench. An Iraqi AK-47 costs about $100, but a really nice
quality one... like a Russian or a Romanian AK with a folding stock... is at least 300. Russian ammo costs $200 per box. The next best, Croatian, costs 150... but the price is risin', as all the security organizations... around Iraq are buying it up. We're also in short supply of armored cars, and, as such... we have taken to building our own homemade armor plating. One of our Iraqi staff welds it together... and we test it on a range. It works well, at least as well as the B6 on our 4x4s... and, well, it's significantly cheaper. I got to go now. The guards are confused about how to operate... the photocopying machine, and if I don't attend to it... it will degenerate into a firefight. James. |
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01:27:28:16 |
Title: Madelaine Drohan Author + Journalist Madelaine Drohan |
MADELAINE DROHAN – AUTHOR
& JOURNALIST Since the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989... the market has been flooded with soldiers. They needed something to make money... and the only way they could make money... was to sell the skills they had, which were military skills. |
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01:27:42:09 01:26:44:18 01:26:49:24 |
Title: Alan Bell President, Globe Risk Alan Bell Text on screen: SAS GSG-9 DELTA USSF SBS SEALS SWAT JTF2 LRRP Text on screen: Private Security Training Evasive Driving Images of driving |
ALAN BELL – PRESIDENT, GLOBE
RISK We insist on a minimum of ten years' experience... in high security areas, or people who were... in special forces units, special law enforcement units... such as tactical teams, hostage rescue teams, et cetera. |
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01:27:57:08 |
|
UNKNOWN CONTRACTOR IN
TRAINING Block. Block, block, block! |
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01:28:03:12 01:27:01:22 |
Cobus Claassens Text on screen: Private Security Training Iraq |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR I mean, you have to be
really a very experienced soldier... somebody who can shoot really well... somebody who can move on a-- in a tactical team environment very, very well... and, basically, stay alive... and keep his client alive in a very professional manner. |
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01:28:17:03 |
Interviewee |
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE And what I actually see is a class of people... who, if you took their gun away, couldn't work at Wal-Mart. |
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01:28:23:12 01:27:29:02 |
Title: Neall Ellis Private Military Contractor Neall Ellis Text on screen: Neall Ellis at his office Russian MI-24 gunship |
NEALL ELLIS – PRIVATE
MILITARY CONTRACTOR After leaving the Air Force, I went fishing for a year. That didn't work out. I'm a bad fisherman. Then I started farming. Didn't get on with the owner of the farm... so I came back to flying. |
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01:28:42:29 |
TitleL John F. Mullins Solder of Fortune John Mullins |
JOHN F. MULLINS – SOLDIER OF
FORTUNE It's what I do. It's what I've always done. I was in the Army. I joined the Army when I was seventeen years old. And it is-- It's what I've learned. And, quite frankly, there's not a lot of call... for people with my skill set... in Middle America and the corporations |
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01:28:59:25 01:27:55:24 01:28:00:13 |
Interviewee Text on screen: $500 a day Static Security Guarding a fixed location Text on screen:$650 a day PSD work Private Security Detail |
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE Even a chubby, fat-ass guy, who was in the Army... or whatever--in the Marines-- can make 500 bucks a day doing static security. If you know what you're doing... and you're kind of a slick dude... you can probably make 6, 650 a day doing these PSDs. |
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01:29:14:00 01:28:13:12 |
Cobus Claassens Title: Cobus Claassens Security Contractor |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR But there is, definitely, there's a second reason. I really like the camaraderie among everybody. The white dudes, the black dudes... and the absolute hilarity and funniness... of serving together in extreme conditions. |
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01:29:30:03 |
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UNKNOWN CONTRACTOR One down, twenty to go. |
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|
|
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR 01:29:31:22 Actually,
pulling it off, and then relaxing afterwards... with several crates of beer, you know. The lifestyle was actually
attractive to me... and I liked it. |
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01:29:38:11 |
|
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE There are people who have been out of the game... and they miss it. |
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01:29:42:05 01:28:32:22 |
Text on screen: Private Security Training Chief Instructor |
PRIVATE SECUTIRY TRAINING
CHIEF INSTRUCTOR- NAME UNKNOWN I actually have a desire to be just operational. I mean, I've been at a job for so long... where I've been sitting behind a desk. |
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01:29:58:13 01:28:56:22 |
Text on screen: Private Security Training Live-Fire exercise |
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE And thirdly, there's people
that-- They kind of view this as a new career. |
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01:30:10:26 |
Alan Bell |
ALAN BELL – PRESIDENT, GLOBE
RISK We're not looking for the guys that want to come in... grab the money, and then leave. We want long-term, tenured employees... to remain with the company. |
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01:30:18:10 |
Neall Ellis |
NEALL ELLIS – PRIVATE
MILITARY CONTRACTOR I will not recruit anybody that I feel... is not prepared to go into a dangerous situation. And, secondly, if I recruit somebody, I will go with him. |
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01:30:29:13 |
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UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE
I think the biggest myth about contractors... is that they're just a bunch of guys... that want to get jocked up and strut around. That's what they do for a living. So, part of that sort of team spirit... that machismo, whatever, comes from being in that job... where you can get blown away any day. |
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01:30:50:05 01:29:41:06 |
Text on screen: Private Security Training Threat Response |
GARRETT CORNISH – FIREARMS
INSTRUCTOR My name is Garrett Cornish. I have no military and police experience. |
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01:31:01:08 |
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UNKNOWN CONTRACTOR IN
TRAINING Don't give up. If you get shot, don't just say, "Oh, I'm dead!" Just finish the fuckin'
drill, all right? |
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01:31:06:28 01:30:00:12
|
Garrett Cornish Text on screen: Private Security Training VIP Convoy Drills |
GARRETT CORNISH – FIREARMS
INSTRUCTOR I've been taking firearms- related training courses... for about three years. I'm a tactical pistol instructor with Sigarms Academy. |
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01:31:15:20 |
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ALAN BELL – PRESIDENT, GLOBE
RISK VIP is the most vulnerable... when he's entering or leaving a vehicle... arriving or departing from a venue. |
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01:31:23:16 |
Car training |
UNKNOWN CONTRACTOR IN
TRAINING Drivers fuckin' have two
hands on the wheel at all times. They don't pull a gun out, they don't do fuck-all. Cover it! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! |
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01:31:32:12 |
Garrett Cornish |
GARRETT CORNISH – FIREARMS
INSTRUCTOR Taken numerous other defensive firearms courses... mainly through Sigarms Academy in the U.S. It's one of the bigger, more well-known schools. |
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01:31:43:10 |
Alan Bell |
ALAN BELL – PRESIDENT, GLOBE
RISK We get lots of resumes from lots of different areas. Some of these resumes are obviously fabricated resumes... and we find that out. |
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01:31:50:04 |
Cobus Claassens Computer game |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR You often find that the guy who looks like a real sharp dude... and he's a big, hulking bunch of muscle... and he looks really mean and cool and very experienced... and he seemingly says all the good things and nice things. You'll find out he's a complete tosser... and he knows fuck-all, and he's never done anything... and what he does is he screws it all up... and he's got this mental idea of himself... as being some kind of a-- in a movie, you know, some kind of an actor. |
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01:32:28:06 01:31:16:04 01:32:53:14 |
Title: John F. Mullins Solder of Fortune Computer games John Mullins |
JOHN F. MULLINS – SOLDIER OF
FORTUNE The general public is
fascinated with the concept of mercenary... because most of the people in the general public... lead very swaddled lives. They don't have much excitement. They don't have, since the draft went away... most of them have no military experience at all. So they
live vicariously through these things. Hollywood doesn't do very well at all... in its portrayal of mercenaries. And the mercenary has certainly been romanticized... with all the Wild Geese... and going in and overthrowing governments... and so forth and so on, but that sort of thing... very seldom happens in the first place... And if it does happen, it's very, very seldom successful. |
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01:33:19:26 01:34:02:20 01:34:32:23 |
Fast paced snapshots of different images |
NARRATOR JAMES ASHCROFT
VOICE ONLY Hey, everybody, it's me again. Three rocket attacks early this morning around the city. Apparently, the
majority of the rockets... were launched by remote from a carriage... being dragged along a distant road by a donkey. So, now the Coalition forces shoot... any lone donkeys approaching them. The attacks directly on security convoys... on the move are also increasing. They're rarely as effective... as the high-profile attacks in Fallujah and Mosul. We regularly take on small arms fire... and just keep on driving. The biggest danger of death is if you're in a vehicle... destroyed by an RPG or by an IED detonation. If you do survive the initial ambush... even if the vehicle's disabled... the crews generally have a very good chance of survival... as the insurgents tend to melt away very quickly... under accurate fire. Aside from attacks by insurgents... the other major danger for PSD convoys... is being shot up by the Americans. If you approach a U.S. patrol of Humvees from the rear... and need to overtake them... you need to get a clear thumbs-up... and a wave forward from the rear gunner... that he has seen and recognized you. Because I know of incidents where teams... have been waved forward by the driver out of his window... and the gunner on top has engaged them. Also, keep flashing your flags and I.D. at every vehicle... because sometimes, you'll overtake the rear vehicle... and the next vehicle's gunner will fire at you. Blackwater has had a couple of well-publicized hits... that were just bad luck. If a crew loses some men on the BIAP road... by a fake PSD team using armor-piercing bullets... and the most infamous... your team being killed and burnt to a crisp in Fallujah. In that case, you do have to wonder... what the hell were they were doing there... in the first place, the poor bastards. Anyway, on that cheery note, it's time for me to put on... my fake Iraqi costume and mustache... and hit the roads again. M'asselema. James. |
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01:35:43:09 01:34:42:23 |
Peter Singer Snapshots of newspapers Text on screen: US army:1765 Other coalition armies:192 Contractors 250 (casualties June 2005) |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST No one can give you the exact number of private contractors... that have been killed in Iraq... because no one is formally tracking it. Our estimates... and this is based from media reports in Iraq... or in the home area of that contractor who is killed... come together to be about... right now, 250 that have been killed. Of all the other nations... that have sent military forces to Iraq... you take all of their casualties combined... it doesn't equal the number of contractors... that have been killed in Iraq. |
|
01:36:13:10 |
Interviewee |
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE Politically, the most damaging thing are dead
Americans. When George Bush decided to invade Iraq... the one penalty was that... every time an American is killed, he loses support. |
|
01:36:24:17 |
Peter Singer |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST A lot of people are familiar... with, you know, the Jessica Lynch story... and what happens when a U.S. soldier is taken a POW... it becomes a big deal. It's front-page news, becomes TV movie of the week, you name it. When a private contractor is taken POW... often, most people don't even know. |
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01:36:44:14 01:37:28:18 01:38:56:13 01:37:50:19 01:37:58:07 01:38:25:19 |
Tasha Bradsell Text on screen: Andy Bradsell died in Iraq in March 2004 saving the life of his client List on names running across the screen Text on screen: What happens next? |
TASHA BRADSELL Well, it was the first day... that they were taking the client to the power plant at Mosul... the General Electric power plant. They were in two vehicles, two unarmored vehicles. Andy was in the rear vehicle, driving... and the client was in the front vehicle... with two other security experts. As they were approaching the power plant... they came up on a roundabout.. and they were to go off to the right, to the power plant. And as they came up... two vehicles with insurgents came up on either side... and a third vehicle came up from behind. At the time, I was sitting in front of the computer... because Andy had signed us both up for MSN... and we were gonna have a little chat... but he didn't-- He wasn't online, which even at that time... I didn't really think that much of it... because who knows what, you know. It's not a nine-to-five job. I don't think it worked out... the way that the attackers were quite planning. They apparently-- were some wounded. Anyway, they took off... and then there were some onlookers... and they moved in. And at this point, both Chris and Andy were dead. Olive Security was, from the beginning, I thought... very professional and very empathetic and generous. There was a lot that... I didn't have to worry about in those early days... about bringing Andy back to Canada. I wanted to go--shoot-- Our plan had been... that I was going to go to England to meet him... when he came out of Iraq. And I knew that-- Sorry. I knew that--I don't know. It sounds sort of funny... but I knew that Andy... would want me to go to England to bring him back. Well, they were all doing their jobs... and everybody who is aware of what happened says that... you know, you can't say enough about what those guys did. They did their job to the utmost... and made the ultimate sacrifice... and that, unfortunately, is what the business is about. |
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01:40:02:17 |
Cobus Claassens |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR Sometimes, you have to force
soldiers... and that's one of the bitter... and the least glamorous things about soldiering. Sometimes, there's a point where you're forcing... the young men of your country to go forward and die. And you can because they are obliged to... 'cause they're in
uniform, and they swore a oath. You cannot force the civilian to go forward. And, believe me, there has been points in war... where you have to force everybody... including yourself, to go forward. And I believe that civilians... should be deployed well back from that line... because, after all, a civilian can turn around and say... "Fuck this," and get out. |
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01:40:32:18 |
Madelaine Drohan |
MADELAINE DROHAN – AUTHOR
& JOURNALIST Corporation's just accountable to its shareholders. There's no overall accountability. And I think that the situation in certain parts of Africa... and certainly in Iraq, is drawing... more and more attention to this accountability gap... and it's putting pressure on governments to do something. |
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01:40:49:19 01:41:24:12 |
Peter Singer |
PETER W. SINGER – POLITICAL
ANALYST We know that we've had more than 20,000 private contractors... operating on the ground in Iraq for more than two years. Not one of them has been charged with any crime. So, the conclusion that we can draw... is either we found 20,000 perfect angels. We have found the Stepford village of Iraq... where nothing bad happens... or we've got a problem. And I think we know which one it is. These are very basic questions of industry... very basic questions in law... that right now we're figuring out in front of us... dealing with this industry. It'd be one thing if we were talking about an industry... that, you know, really didn't matter all that much... the, you know, popsicle industry. We're talking about the industry of warfare... and that's what's really ironic about it... is you would think... we would've solved all these questions first... before we ever stepped into this. Instead, we're figuring it out as we go. |
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01:41:49:09 |
Cobus Claassens |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR I would like to see a set of rules out there... that governs PMCs in their actions... which would then make it legal for somebody like me... to form a PMC legally and to market it to clients... and go into business with the PMC. |
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01:42:02:13 |
Slavko Ilic |
SLAVKO ILIC – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR Yes, there should be regulations. Regulations the same way... we have regulations for military personnel... the same way we have them for police officers. The question being... how do you regulate this many people... from this many different countries? |
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01:42:15:05 |
Dr Eike Kluge |
DR. EIKE KLUGE - PROFESSOR
OF ETHICS What you want is an international authority... that, in fact, supervises that the conduct... by individuals who act as agents for nation states... is, in fact, itself ethical. And we have the beginnings of that... in terms of the International Code of The Hague... because, of
course... they may prosecute on the
basis of human rights... and certainly military contractors... would fall under that. |
|
01:42:40:01 |
Interviewee |
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWEE I think private security companies are evil... only because people are not looking at them... as a legitimate industry. When I say they're evil, what they're doing... is they're basically using violence... to keep people in business... in areas where people don't want them in business... where there's a lot of threats. |
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01:42:59:19 |
Frances Stonor Saunders |
FRANCES STONOR SAUNDERS –
AUTHOR & HISTORIAN The mercenary exists as a function... of all of these other
things that we do... whether it's foreign policy... or, you know, fighting our ideological wars... or it's about battling for resources... or it's about banks... or establishing a power structure. So I guess
you have to just sort of accept. |
|
01:43:18:26 |
Neall Ellis |
NEALL ELLIS – PRIVATE
MILITARY CONTRACTOR The thought of going around... being shot at, or maybe getting wounded. I'm not even talking about killing people. I'm talking about being shot at and wounded... obviously has a psychological effect... on a lot of individuals. I think if people started... accepting the fact that there is a role for PMCs... and to do some of the dirty work... that they don't want their sons and daughters to do... then it will become politically acceptable. |
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01:43:46:21 01:42:11:05 01:42:14:22 |
In a vehicle Text on screen: directed and written by Nick Bicanic and Jason Bourque Credits |
NARRATOR JAMES ASHCROFT –
VOICE ONLY Dear all, my flight to London leaves Baghdad on Friday. I'll see you all soon. James. |
|
01:44:16:19 |
|
INTERVIEWER Did you ever consider flying helicopters as a civilian... as an alternative career? |
|
01:44:21:23 |
Neall Ellis |
NEALL ELLIS – PRIVATE
MILITARY CONTRACTOR No. No, there's not enough excitement. You know, it's all a game. Always a game. It's the ultimate game. There's nothing to touch it. |
|
01:44:52:25 |
Cobus Claassens |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR In ten years' time from
now... I see myself on a top-class fishing boat... somewhere on a very nice island, taking rich people... I see myself on a top-class fishing boat... somewhere on a very nice island, taking rich people... out to fish and just chilling and relaxing... and not having anybody shoot at me... not having to handle any kind of gun... or do anything aggressive ever again in my life. That's where I see myself in ten years. I do not see myself being part of a PMC again. |
|
01:45:13:27 |
|
INTERVIEWER Thank you. |
|
01:45:15:00 |
Cobus Claassens Interviewer and Cobus shake hands |
COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR Cool. All right, mate. |
|
01:45:17:08 |
|
INTERVIEWER Thank you for having us. |
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01:45:18:18 |
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COBUS CLAASSENS – SECURITY
CONTRACTOR It's a pleasure. |