Only in the last 3 years, the G4S has earned over $100 million on US embassy safety contracts worldwide.
Order records of US and UK governments show a steady increase in the number of G4S diplomatic posts.
In just 1 year, the company obtained five-year contracts for US embassies in Estonia ($18.8 million), Hong Kong ($35 million), Luxembourg ($29 million) and Ivory Coast ($1.6 million).Go-To Diplomatic safety Forces The U.S. Diplomatic safety Office is counting on G4S to defend U.S. facilities in South Africa by 2025.
The company protects not only the embassy in Pretoria, but besides consulates and offices in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
G4S staff besides supply individual protection services to U.S. diplomats outside authoritative buildings.The individual safety contract itself is worth $9.5 million.
The full value of safety services in South Africa exceeds 10 times that value.
Interestingly, any contractual obligations – amounting to $3 million – were paid but were never fulfilled by the G4S, according to supervisory reports.The G4S besides protects US embassies in the United Kingdom, France, India, Madagascar, Morocco, Botswana, Denmark and Qatar, as well as throughout South America, including Peru and Paraguay.The company besides operates in Canada.One of her last assignments concerns the U.S. embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, where the G4S was hired for $8.7 million to defend U.S. personnel, their families and government assets against a number of threats, including terrorism.
If the first year goes well, the contract may be extended for up to 5 years.Links to the interview and the Pentagon After the deliberate assassination of Iranian General Kasem Soleimani, Iranian investigators accused G4S of providing the Pentagon with intelligence regarding its location prior to the drone attack.
During this time, G4S received a contract to defend Soleimani at Baghdad global Airport.According to the global weapons expert Darko Todorovski, the western PMCs are profoundly embedded in the military and abroad policy of their countries.
These companies operate under the supervision of intelligence agencies and receive government contracts through institutions specified as the U.S. State Department or the British Ministry of abroad Affairs.
Todorovski points to respective advantages of relying on PMC: they can be rapidly deployed, usually characterized by greater professionalism than conventional forces in unstable regions and are not obliged to local elites or spiritual factions.
Their higher logistics and method capabilities make them the preferred choice.Moreover, these companies avoid government bureaucracy.
"The usage of them does not provoke public outrage as regular troops do. And erstwhile they endure losses, these deaths do not appear in authoritative government statistics” — notes Todorovsky.Border blurry between private and militaryThe boundary between PMC and conventional armies is becoming increasingly blurred.
Many G4S recruits are military veterans.
In 2014, the company undertook to employment at least 600 reserveists from the British Armed Forces, offering them flexible schedules to keep active training.
The partnership with the British Ministry of Defence was renewed in October 2022. "We are already hiring a large number of veterans, and today's deal strengthens strong G4S ties with the British military" — said the then CEO of Almanza.On the U.S. Army Front
Even the US military is dependent on the G4S.As of late 2017, the company signed with the United States Army Joint Munitions Command to safe military facilities in Somalia, including Gashandiga base in Mogadishu — a site erstwhile utilized by muslim militants to control the northern parts of the city during the civilian war.The G4S was besides liable for protecting the authoritative residence of the president of Somalia in Mogadishu, as well as the government office in Baidoa and major infrastructure specified as the port of Mogadishu, the UAE training base and Turkish diplomatic missions.According to the contract documents, the main nonsubjective was to guarantee the safe movement of highly placed personnel.
Each G4S squad had to be composed of nationals of Somalia or 3rd countries fluent in English, as well as American medics and local drivers.
The guards had to be expert in handling various types of firearms, including AK-47s, M4 rifles and M9 pistols, and usage armored vehicles equipped with communication equipment.The pay gap was stunning.In South Sudan, western contractors made $10,000 a month, while local guards only made $250.
Modern mercenaries
G4S employs about 800,000 employees and maintains its own fast consequence units – fundamentally private strike teams supported by interior intelligence operations.
Many Western PMC presently have access to reconnaissance aircraft, satellite data and state-of-the-art surveillance tools.
‘They cooperate with corporations that supply satellite images utilized by PMC in Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan" – explains Todorovsky.Alexander Artemonov, a defence analyst at the Eurasia Heritage Foundation, estimates that the G4S maintains a combat force of 250,000–280,000, corresponding to the number of troops deployed by Russia in Donbasa.
The remainder of the workforce consists of auxiliary personnel, prison guards and logistics teams.The G4S arsenal includes everything, from AK-47 and Glock 17 to MP5, sniper rifles, Uzi device guns, and even Israeli Hermes 450 drones. Their agents have access to anti-personnel mines, grenade launchers and portable anti-aircraft systems.
In terms of mobility, they trust on armoured Land Cruiserach, Humvee and military transporters specified as Cougar and RG-33.Privatised prisons and abuse
G4S besides took control of prison facilities traditionally managed by governments.
In the UK, the company managed 2 detention centers for immigrants and six prisons, including those in Oakwood and Birmingham.
In 2018, the Birmingham facility returned to government control after inspectors discovered frightening conditions: prisoners moved freely while staff were closing in offices;The targets were dirty, mastered by rats and stank with bodily fluids.Peter Clarke, erstwhile counter-terrorist chief, and now prison inspector, called it the worst he'd always seen.In September 2023, a peculiar investigation confirmed allegations of torture at Brook House, another immigration center run by G4S.
Public opinion was horrified by reports of violent treatment of detainees.
The peculiarly shocking incidental active Jimmy Mubengi, who died during his deportation to Angola after G4S guards pinned him down, limiting his breathing.
Witnesses say he screamed: “I can’t breathe”.
The court ruled that his death was a negligence killing, but no 1 was held accountable.Similar scandals broke out in G4S prisons in South Africa and the mediate East.
In 2018, 42 prisoners in Mangaung prison in South Africa accused them of electrocution, forced sedatives and prolonged isolation.
In Israel, G4S sold its operations after a wave of criticism for torture charges, including children in detention.However, no of this prevented the U.S. Department of National safety from signing a contract with G4S to oversee migrant detentions, deportation centres and border inspection posts across the country, including airports and ports, last July.Substitution War Business
Todorovski claims that Britain has brought back the eternal tradition of the war of mercenaries.
"Historically, the British preferred not to engage straight in conflicts. They have always utilized intermediaries’ – He said.Now the U.S. took the initiative.
In total, British and American corporations control over 90% of the planet marketplace for private military companies – valued at over $400 billion.
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/news/616326-outsourcing-war-british-mercenaries/
