Summary
Contents
Subject index
Mercenaries have been active in battle from the beginning of military history and, as private armies and military support firms, they are a major component of warfare today. Security, military advice, training, logistics support, policing, technological expertise, intelligence, transportation-all are outsourced to a greater or lesser degree in the U.S. military. However, privatization is not a uniquely American phenomenon. Countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia and Australia rely on privatization in one form or another. Historically, heads of state, politicians, and other administrators have justified use of mercenaries on the basis of their effectiveness, and cost-savings. These reasons and others continue to serve as rationales for use of private military companies in military strategy. Mercenaries: A Guide to Private Armies and Private Military Companies provides a comprehensive survey and guide to mercenary forces, entrepreneurs, and corporations active on the international military scene today, including a concise history of mercenaries and private armies on land, sea, and in the air. Narrative chapters are amply supplemented by sidebars including biographies of major figures, key statistics, historical and current documents, contracts, and legislation on private armies and outsourced military services. Each chapter includes a bibliography of books, journal articles, and web sites, and a general bibliography concludes the entire work.
Mercenaries of the Air: 1861–Present
Mercenaries of the Air: 1861–Present
As suggested in Chapter 1 of this book, mercenary troops and mercenary companies seem to have been active in warfare since the fighting of wars was first recorded. Similarly, mercenary military aviators were present at the very birth of military aviation, and it may be argued that mercenary fliers actually preceded the deployment of military aviators serving in national military formations (see “The First Aeronauts” box). The designation “mercenary military aviator” may be applied to pilots who offer their services to a state military without formal enrollment in that military. The mercenary aviator may or may not be a foreign national with respect to the military air service for which he works, and he ...
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