Jul 31, 2019
Michael Thomas Hoare has lived a life that, were it not endlessly documented, would seem a pastiche of barroom brags, urban legends and anecdotes lifted from mid-21st century military pulp fiction.
Hoare, better known as “Mad Mike,” is a soldier of fortune. A mercenary. He has seen combat in multiple battles during...
Jul 17, 2019
Force for Hire’s hosts have focused primarily on American
military contracting. We’re changing it up this week as Michelle
and Desmon look at a private Russian paramilitary force that is a
global threat, even though it isn’t formally recognized by its
government.
The Wagner Group, believed to be run by former...
Jul 10, 2019
When the United Kingdom sent soldiers to join the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the force was marked with veterans of a decades-long conflict between England and Northern Ireland, which came to be known as “The Troubles.”
Among those soldiers was a Tim Collins, a British colonel in charge of the Royal Irish Regiment’s...
Jul 3, 2019
There is a lot of money in the private military and security contracting worlds. While the U.S. remains ahead of the pack in defense spending, countries like Saudi Arabia spend a greater percent of their gross domestic product than the U.S.
Other countries in the Saudi region continue to build up their defenses by...