Aegis Defence Services
Encyclopedia
Aegis Defence Services is a British
private military company
with overseas offices in Afghanistan
, Bahrain
, Iraq
, Kenya
, Nepal
and the United States
. It was founded in 2004 by Tim Spicer
, who was previously director of the controversial company Sandline International
.
Aegis provides security and risk management solutions to counter threats. Its services are tailored for clients including governments, international agencies and the corporate sector. It is a registered and active UN
contractor, a major security provider to the U.S. government and security adviser to the Lloyds Joint War Risk Committee.
In 2004 the International Peace Operations Association
, an industry body, asked Aegis to apply for membership, but the application was rejected by a British competitor. It is a founding member of the British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC), a body lobbying for the regulation of the British PSC sector. It is also a member of the Private Security Company Association of Iraq
.
In his High Level Policy
, Aegis present itself as a dedicated supporter of regulation, transparency and accountability of the Private Security Industry and welcomes the international agreement on the “Montreux Document on Pertinent International Legal Obligations and Good Practices for States related to Operations of Private Military and Security Companies During Armed Conflict” (“Montreux Document
”) created in association with the ICRC and the Swiss Initiative in September 2008.
Since July 27, 2010 AEGIS Group Holdings AG in Basel, Switzerland is holding 1,125,000 ordinary shares of Aegis Defence Services Limited, London.
to provide security support services to the Project and Contracting Office (PCO), responsible for managing the reconstruction program. These services include:
Through its charitable foundation Aegis conducts a self-funded civil affairs programme to facilitate reconstruction in areas where there are gaps in mainstream projects. It also provides expatriate–led and Iraqi–manned Reconstruction Liaison Teams to monitor the progress of reconstruction work subcontracted to Iraqi building companies.
In separate contracts, Aegis is engaged in providing security protection to the inquiry into alleged corruption in the Oil for Food program. It provided security support to the UN Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD) and the Independent High Electoral Commission (IECI) facilitating both the constitutional referendum to proceed in October 2005 and the General Election
in December 2005.
In May 2011, it was announced that U.S. Military is to pull out of Baghdad, in the air and ground, and to be replaced by eight companies including Aegis and DynCorp International
to take over in the air.
firing upon civilian vehicles with no clear reason discernible from the footage itself sparked two investigations after they were posted on the internet. The videos were linked unofficially to Aegis Defence Services. Both the US Army and Aegis conducted investigations into the video; while the Aegis report is closed for client confidentiality reasons, the US Army enquiry concluded that the contractors involved were operating within the rules for the use of force. More 4 News broadcast extracts of the videos in March 2006.
On April 6, 2006 More4 News
, reporter Nima Elbagir
, identified disaffected former Aegis contractor, Rod Stoner
, as responsible for posting the videos on the website. Aegis would not confirm that its contractors were involved in the incidents shown in the videos, but obtained a High Court
injunction to have Stoner's website closed down. In the same More4 program, Labour
MP
Jeremy Corbyn
insisted that the Pentagon
's contract with Aegis Defence Services should be suspended until the matter had been properly investigated and fully reported upon.
Aegis chief executive is former Lt Col Tim Spicer
and the chairman of the Aegis board of directors is former Chief of the Defence Staff
, Field Marshal
Peter Inge
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
private military company
Private military company
A private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...
with overseas offices in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was founded in 2004 by Tim Spicer
Tim Spicer
Timothy Simon Spicer, OBE is a British former army officer, current CEO of the private security company Aegis Defence Services. He is a veteran of the Falklands War and also served with the British Army in Northern Ireland...
, who was previously director of the controversial company Sandline International
Sandline International
Sandline International was a private military company based in London, established in the early 1990s. It was involved in conflicts in Papua New Guinea in 1997 causing the Sandline affair, in 1998 in Sierra Leone and in Liberia in 2003 Sandline International was a private military company based...
.
Aegis provides security and risk management solutions to counter threats. Its services are tailored for clients including governments, international agencies and the corporate sector. It is a registered and active UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
contractor, a major security provider to the U.S. government and security adviser to the Lloyds Joint War Risk Committee.
In 2004 the International Peace Operations Association
International Peace Operations Association
The International Stability Operations Association , formerly known as the International Peace Operations Association , is a 501 non-profit trade association. Founded in April 2001, IPOA was created to support the private military industry and is based in Washington, D.C....
, an industry body, asked Aegis to apply for membership, but the application was rejected by a British competitor. It is a founding member of the British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC), a body lobbying for the regulation of the British PSC sector. It is also a member of the Private Security Company Association of Iraq
Private Security Company Association of Iraq
The Private Security Company Association of Iraq is a not-for-profit organization formed and maintained to discuss and address matters of mutual interest and concern to the industry conducting private security functions in Iraq...
.
In his High Level Policy
, Aegis present itself as a dedicated supporter of regulation, transparency and accountability of the Private Security Industry and welcomes the international agreement on the “Montreux Document on Pertinent International Legal Obligations and Good Practices for States related to Operations of Private Military and Security Companies During Armed Conflict” (“Montreux Document
Montreux Document
The Montreux Document is agreement between signature countries obligations regarding private military and security companies in war zones. It was ratified in Montreux, Switzerland September 2008...
”) created in association with the ICRC and the Swiss Initiative in September 2008.
Since July 27, 2010 AEGIS Group Holdings AG in Basel, Switzerland is holding 1,125,000 ordinary shares of Aegis Defence Services Limited, London.
Aegis in Iraq
In Iraq, Aegis is under contract (worth $293 million over three years) to the U.S. Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
to provide security support services to the Project and Contracting Office (PCO), responsible for managing the reconstruction program. These services include:
- providing static and mobile security detailSecurity detailA security detail more often known as a PSD, standing for Protective Services Detail, Personal Security Detachment, or Personal Security Detail is a protective team assigned to protect the personal security of an individual or group. PSDs can be made up of military personnel, private security...
s for the PCO and United States Army Corps of EngineersUnited States Army Corps of EngineersThe United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
; - maintaining situational awareness of logistical movement and reconstruction security operations;
- facilitating intelligence–sharing between security forces and reconstruction contractors; and,
- providing continuous information on the viability of road movement throughout the country.
Through its charitable foundation Aegis conducts a self-funded civil affairs programme to facilitate reconstruction in areas where there are gaps in mainstream projects. It also provides expatriate–led and Iraqi–manned Reconstruction Liaison Teams to monitor the progress of reconstruction work subcontracted to Iraqi building companies.
In separate contracts, Aegis is engaged in providing security protection to the inquiry into alleged corruption in the Oil for Food program. It provided security support to the UN Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD) and the Independent High Electoral Commission (IECI) facilitating both the constitutional referendum to proceed in October 2005 and the General Election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
in December 2005.
In May 2011, it was announced that U.S. Military is to pull out of Baghdad, in the air and ground, and to be replaced by eight companies including Aegis and DynCorp International
DynCorp International
DynCorp International is a United States-based private military contractor. Begun as an aviation company, the company now also provides air operations support, training and mentoring, international development, intelligence training and support, contingency operations, security, and operations and...
to take over in the air.
Trophy videos
On October 27, 2005 a number of "trophy" videos showing private military contractors in BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
firing upon civilian vehicles with no clear reason discernible from the footage itself sparked two investigations after they were posted on the internet. The videos were linked unofficially to Aegis Defence Services. Both the US Army and Aegis conducted investigations into the video; while the Aegis report is closed for client confidentiality reasons, the US Army enquiry concluded that the contractors involved were operating within the rules for the use of force. More 4 News broadcast extracts of the videos in March 2006.
On April 6, 2006 More4 News
More4 News
More4 News was a daily news programme on the More4 digital television channel in the United Kingdom, airing Monday to Friday from 8.00pm to 8.30pm from 2005 to 2009.-History:More4 News launched at the inception of the More4 channel on 10 October 2005...
, reporter Nima Elbagir
Nima Elbagir
Nima Elbagir is an award-winning international television correspondent.Elbagir was nominated for three awards in her first year of television reporting. In February 2011,she joined CNN as a London-based international correspondent. In 2008, she picked up two Foreign Press Association Awards - TV...
, identified disaffected former Aegis contractor, Rod Stoner
Rod Stoner
Rod Stoner is a former British army corporal from the Parachute Regiment who was employed as a security consultant by the private military contractor Aegis Defence Services in 2004 and 2005...
, as responsible for posting the videos on the website. Aegis would not confirm that its contractors were involved in the incidents shown in the videos, but obtained a High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
injunction to have Stoner's website closed down. In the same More4 program, Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Islington North since 1983.-Early and personal life:...
insisted that the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
's contract with Aegis Defence Services should be suspended until the matter had been properly investigated and fully reported upon.
Acquisition
On October 28, 2005 Aegis acquired Rubicon International Services Ltd, a longstanding provider of corporate and otherwise executive private security services. The public announcement was made on November 4, 2005. John Davidson, managing director of Rubicon, joined the Aegis board and became director of operations.Aegis chief executive is former Lt Col Tim Spicer
Tim Spicer
Timothy Simon Spicer, OBE is a British former army officer, current CEO of the private security company Aegis Defence Services. He is a veteran of the Falklands War and also served with the British Army in Northern Ireland...
and the chairman of the Aegis board of directors is former Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...
, Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Peter Inge
Peter Inge, Baron Inge
Field Marshal Peter Anthony Inge, Baron Inge was the Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1992 and 1994. He then served as Chief of the Defence Staff before retiring in 1997.-Army career:...
.
External links
- Pelton, Robert Young. Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns in the War on Terror. Crown. Sept 1, 2006. ISBN 1-4000-9781-9
- Aegis corporate website
- British Association of Private Security Companies website
- Rubicon Acquisition in Adobe PDF
- 'Trophy' video exposes private security contractors shooting up Iraqi drivers
- More 4 TV exposé
- Aegis close down website
- http://www.rainews24.it/ran24/rainews24_2007/inchieste/19042007_affari_guerra/default_eng.asp
- 'Trophy' video showing private security contractors shooting up Iraqi drivers