The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order Hardcover – 29 Jan 2015

Review

[The Modern Mercenary] is a highly provocative and enriching addition to the literature on the private military industry and stands apart from much contemporary scholarshipon the subject ... McFate does a good job interweaving a rich and easy-to-read historical analysis with his overall thesis, drawing fascinating parallels between our medieval pastcomplete with mercenaries, military entrepreneurs and privatized warfareand their post-modern contemporaries in an emerging neo-medieval present. (International Affairs)

Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand a new component of modern warfare. The prevalence of privatized military forces raises serious political, economic, and moral questions. In The Modern Mercenary, Sean McFate applies his years of experience as a US army paratrooper and private military contractor to explore these questions through invaluable case studies and penetrating analysis. (General Stanley A. McChrystal, co-founder, McChrystal Group)

The Modern Mercenary is an adrenalin-fueled jaunt through today's battlefields, where we find not just the armies of the state, but 'security professionals' whose considerable skills are available for hire. Writing from first-hand experience as a contractor in the field, Sean McFate helps us understand this complex world beyond the cartoon criticisms and film-inspired lore to see both the obvious dangers and the potential benefits provided by a shadowy industry. (Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret), Former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and Dean, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University)

The Iraq War and Blackwater may seem like yesterday's headlines, but the private military industry is still going strong. In The Modern Mercenary, a book powered by deep research and filled with fascinating details, Sean McFate deftly explores both the historic parallels of today's trade in military services for hire, and its likely future. (P.W. Singer, author of Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry and Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know)

McFate understands his subject from the inside. His excellent book shows convincingly the urgent need for our governments, and those who work for them, to grasp the consequences of their frequent use of private military companies before they lose control of them. (General Sir Rupert Smith KCB DSO OBE QGM)

Private Military Companies are now part of the security landscape. Sean McFate's thoughtful study of who they are, what they do and how governments interact with them will benefit all engaged in foreign policy, military activities and humanitarian efforts. (General Carter F. Ham, U.S. Army, Retired. Former Commander, U.S. Africa Command)

At last we have a serious academic study of the role of military contractors in the execution of modern warfare. The analysis of neo-medievalism and the privatization of conflict is especially thought-provoking - a must read for political leaders who are drawn into having to fight today's wars. (Sir Richard Dearlove KCMG OBE, Master, Pembroke College and former head of MI6)

McFate's persuasive, unsettling, and nonpolemical account describes the way PMSCs are changing the face of war. (Publishers Weekly)

A fascinating and disturbing book . . . Mr. McFate writes with an insider's knowledge . . . the worrying trends he describes make this book a powerful call to arms to those who do not want a world awash with mercenaries. (The Economist)

While making the case that contractors are a here-to-stay force, McFate points out that this has deep implications, both positive and negative, for modern warfare and international relations, and believes it's important to consider both sides. (The New York Post)

The Modern Mercenary is filled with fascinating stuff, and its bottom line is that there is no stopping the continuing development of the market for force. (Strategy and Business)

What McFate does best in this book is to add structure and sobriety to the discussion by classifying different types of mercenary services and firms, and to carefully and dispassionately lay out the arguments for and against a 'free market for force.' (Scholars and Rogues)

About the Author

Sean McFate is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and the National Defense University in Washington DC. He is also a social scientist at the RAND Corporation. Previously, he was a Program Manager for DynCorp International, a company that provides technical services for the US government, where he managed unique programs in Africa. He also served as a paratrooper in the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division.