5 Of the World's Most Elite Mercenary Armies

Have you ever wanted to know about the word’s elite mercenary armies? Have you been too afraid to ask because they are the world’s most elite mercenary armies? Well, never fear because we’ve complied a list of some of them right here. These private military contractors are stationed throughout the world in conflicts that governments are hesitant, or unable, to go into. 

1. Academi

You might remember them better as Blackwater. The infamous private security firm has changed its name a few times since it was embroiled in several controversies, including the wrongful death of 17 Iraqi citizens. The unprovoked shooting of the Iraqi civilians lead to a rather terse moment between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Academi has a 7,000 acre training facility in North Carolina, one of the largest in the world. They boast an impressive army of 20,000. 

Defion Internacional

This company trains private military personnel from Latin America, these mercs are paid as little as $1,000 a month. The company has been used in the past by a private U.S. firm known as Triple Canopy, which used individuals trained by Defion. These mercs were tasked with protecting the Green Zone in Iraq. The company which hired them out, Triple Canopy, was the subject of intense scrutiny due to what many called inadequate training and pay.  

Aegis Defense Services  

This company provides services for the UN, U.S., and various oil companies. They have a staff of 5,000 but perhaps they are best known for a series of videos from 2005 that showed Aegis forces firing upon Iraqi civilians. The companies website promotes their usefulness in protecting business interests in emerging markets. 

Triple Canopy

Perhaps one of the better known private security firms, Triple Canopy is made up of former U.S. Army Special Forces veterans and Delta Force personnel. The company employs over 5,000 people. In 2009 the U.S. government sued Triple Canopy for fraud regarding one of its Iraq security contract under the False Claims Act. Triple Canopy was awarded various lucrative contracts to the tune of $90 million for their protection of the Coalition Provisional Authority headquarters in Iraq. Prior to the government suing Triple Canopy they released a report lauding the private security services efforts.

G4S Secure Solutions 

Seriously, this place is massive. They are the second largest private employer of people behind Walmart. Let’s let that sink in for a minute. They employee some 625,000 people. They operate in over 125 countries. They gained some notoriety for holding what many called "Animal House" style parties in Kabul, Afghanistan. There was also that little problem with having Afghan drug lords on their payroll, whoops!