Exclusive: Russian ‘Blackwater’ Takes Over Ukraine Airport  
The Daily Beast  |  28 February 2014
> Private security contractors working for the Russian military are the unmarked troops who have now seized control over two airports in the Ukrainian province of Crimea, according to informed sources in the region. And those contractors could be setting the stage for ousted President Viktor Yanukovich to come to the breakaway region.

Liberia: 'Liberia Not Safe Haven for Mercenaries'  
AllAfrica  |  28 February 2014
> Information Minister Lewis Brown says no inch of Liberia's soil will be used as a safe haven for mercenaries and troublemakers.

Sargent Security stripped of NSW operating licence  
ABC News (Australia)  |  28 February 2014
> One of the largest private security firms in New South Wales has had its licence revoked, leaving hundreds of staff without work and prompting a scramble to hire new guards for hundreds of public schools.

ESS&SA Pioneering Maritime Security Industry  
Maritime Executive  |  26 February 2014
> ESS&SA has become the first Private Maritime Security Company (PMSC) within the Netherlands, to achieve certification to the ISO/PAS 28007 standard with global certifier, LRQA. ESS&SA is now one of a select few PMSCs worldwide certified as such.

Global Efforts Proving Successful in Suppressing Maritime Piracy  
Philadelphia News  |  25 February 2014
> Intensive international efforts to suppress maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia are proving to be successful, says Donna Hopkins, the U.S. State Department’s coordinator for counterpiracy and maritime security issues.

MMP protests treatment of Seaman Guard 35  
MarineLog  |  25 February 2014
> A U.S. maritime union is protesting the Indian government's treatment of the 35 crew and security guards who were aboard the Seaman Guard Ohio which was seized October 12, 2013.

Private security ownership bill passed  
The Citizen  |  25 February 2014
> A controversial private security industry regulation amendment bill was passed in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon. The bill aims to limit foreign ownership in security companies. Foreign owned private security companies would be compelled to sell 51 percent of their shares to South Africans.

Ex-Navy SEALs found dead on 'Captain Philips' ship died from respiratory failure, heart attack  
UPI  |  25 February 2014
> The two ex-Navy SEALs whose bodies were found aboard a container ship in the Seychelles on February 18 died of respiratory failure and a possible heart attack, according to autopsy reports shared by police in the Seychelles

NASCO Holds its 2014 Private Security Industry Leaders' Roundtable  
PR Newswire  |  25 February 2014
> On February 11-13, the National Association of Security Companies (NASCO), the leading association for the contract security industry, held its annual "Private Security Industry Leader's Roundtable" at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City.

Security giant G4S hit by allegations of fraud and insider dealing  
Daily Mail  |  24 February 2014
> G4S was yesterday rocked by allegations of fraud and insider dealing. An ex-employee of the scandal-hit private security giant has claimed in court papers that former chief executive Nick Buckles sold a tranche of shares straight after telling divisional bosses to ‘post the best possible results'.

Italian marines row: India drops anti-piracy charge  
BBC  |  24 February 2014
> India has said it will not use an anti-piracy law to try two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012.

Hezbollah channels European mercenaries to Syria  
The Daily Star  |  21 February 2014
> European mercenaries are being recruited with the help of Hezbollah to join Bashar Assad’s forces in the war in Syria, security sources said.

NSCDC Seals 195 Private Security Firms  
Nigerian Observer  |  21 February 2014
> The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it sealed the premises of 195 private security companies across the country for allegedly operating illegally in 2013.

Counter Terror Expo 2014 To Highlight Threats And Solutions Regarding Maritime Security And Counter Terrorism  
SourceSecurity.com  |  21 February 2014
> The threats to maritime security from piracy, terrorism and political crises are increasing and ever evolving. New solutions and shared actions are required to protect ships, shipping routes, ports and harbours – indeed, our entire international supply chain.

'Windfalls of war': Companies with spotty records making billions off Afghanistan  
Fox News  |  20 February 2014
> The United States government has paid a company based in Switzerland more than $5 billion to feed the troops in Afghanistan, and thanks to a succession of no-bid contract extensions, the company, Supreme Foodservice, overcharged American taxpayers as much as $757 million, officials say.

Disgraced former Canadian general Daniel Ménard freed from Afghan jail  
Yahoo! News Canada  |  19 February 2014
> The former Canadian general who once headed Canada's military mission to Afghanistan before retiring in disgrace has been freed from an Afghan jail after about a month in custody.

2 US Security Officers Found Dead in Seychelles  
AP  |  19 February 2014
> Two American security officers have been found dead on a ship made famous when it was hijacked by Somali pirates, according to a statement by Seychelles police on Wednesday.

Russian police muscle into private security business  
Blouin News  |  17 February 2014
> The Russian private security industry, which was last estimated to be worth more than $7 billion a year, has gone through a series of reforms and shakeups since the anarchic 1990s. Nonetheless, it is a lucrative business sector that has not only seen an increased role played by major, state-affiliated corporations but also a renewed drive by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) to divert some of the profits into its own coffers.

The Maritime Security Market 2013-2023 - Piracy, Shipping, Vessels and Seaport Security  
Digital Journal  |  17 February 2014
> With the increase in global piracy, the consistent requirements of homeland security frameworks, and the rise of the offshore energy industry, maritime security is now of paramount importance to nations throughout the world.

Breakout at Australian immigration centre on PNG  
Dawn  |  17 February 2014
> Thirty-five asylum-seekers broke out of an Australian immigration detention on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island and several were injured, officials said Monday, as tensions mount about their fate under hardline policies.

Liberia: Mercenaries Risk Prolonged Detention  
AllAfrica  |  17 February 2014
> Several suspected Ivorian mercenaries arrested by Liberian security operatives in River Gee County, risk prolonged detention here, as police are yet to say when the suspects will be sent to court.

Gaza bodyguards open first private security firm  
globalpost.com  |  15 February 2014
> As hoards of excited fans scramble to reach Arab Idol winner Mohammed Assaf, they are pushed back by a group of tough-looking men in shades - the face of Gaza's first private security firm.

Triple Canopy Forms an Employee-Owned Company  
PR Newswire  |  14 February 2014
> Triple Canopy, Inc., a global provider of mission support, security, training and advisory services, is pleased to announce that it has formed a 100 percent employee-owned company by establishing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP.

Daniel Menard, former Canadian general, still in Afghan jail  
CBC  |  13 February 2014
> A retired former Canadian general who was removed from command in Afghanistan after he was caught having sex with a subordinate remains in jail in that country facing charges of gun smuggling.

NATO Expresses Concern Over Italian Marines' Case in India  
Maritime Executive  |  12 February 2014
> NATO warned India on Wednesday that using anti-terrorism legislation to try two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen would undermine international efforts to combat piracy.

Visualizing the Web of Armed Actors in Congo  
IPI Global Observatory  |  11 February 2014
> There are myriad factors fueling the country's protracted conflict, and there is a bewildering assortment of armed groups keeping the embers burning. But who, really, is driving the conflict on the ground? How do they operate? And why do efforts to bring peace so regularly fall flat?

Car bomb in Afghan capital kills 2 contractors  
AP  |  10 February 2014
> A suicide attacker rammed a car bomb into a NATO convoy in the Afghan capital and killed two foreign civilian contractors, authorities said Monday, while a coalition soldier was killed in a separate attack in eastern Afghanistan.

Neptune Maritime Security Certified to ISO PAS 28007  
MarineLink  |  10 February 2014
> Neptune announce that it has been certified by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) to ISO PAS 28007.

Most News Organizations Are Using Security Contractors to Help Keep Their Teams Safe in Sochi  
AdWeek  |  9 February 2014
> With the Winter Olympics underway, the governments of several countries (including the U.S.) have battened down the hatches in case of violence, attracting both sports and political coverage to Sochi.

India to spare Italy marines mandatory death penalty  
Dawn  |  8 February 2014
> India on Friday announced it would not prosecute two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen under a maritime security law that carries a mandatory death penalty.

Food for thought: PTI quizzes govt over presence of foreign security firms  
Pakistan Express Tribune  |  7 February 2014
> A key figure of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called upon Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to limit the presence of foreign security companies and guard against their market penetration in the country.

Solace Global Appoints Security Advisory Board to Assist in Strategic Growth  
Maritime Executive  |  6 February 2014
> As part of its continued expansion, Solace Global, the world's most trusted provider of security in maritime, offshore and land-based environments, announced the formation of a prominent security Advisory Board. The board will draw on its extensive experience and knowledge in global security, intelligence and risk management to help facilitate the company’s growth and further develop its expertise.

Maritime security business going strong, says Drum Cussac  
Seatrade Global  |  5 February 2014
> Private maritime security firm (PMSC) Drum Cussac has reported a 16% increase in business in the second half of 2013, versus the same period in 2012.

Damen Patrol Vessel Deployed Offshore Nigeria  
MarineLink  |  4 February 2014
> Homeland Integrated Offshore Services Limited (HIOSL) has taken delivery of a Damen FCS 3307 Patrol, to be deployed offshore Nigeria, in the next few weeks. Established in 2006, HIOSL serves the Nigerian oil and gas industry with a wide range of maritime, security and logistics services.

Role of U.S. Contractors Grows as Iraq Fights Insurgents  
Wall Street Journal  |  3 February 2014
> Hundreds of contractors working for America's biggest defense companies are taking on a broader role in helping Iraq's military learn to use new weapons in a growing battle against Islamist insurgents.

South Sudanese army accused of hiring mercenaries  
The Africa Report  |  3 February 2014
> South Sudan's army has reportedly recruited mercenaries from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda in their demolition of villages, and the killing of women and children, rebel forces have claimed.

‘Mercenaries do better job than US Army’ - Blackwater founder Erik Prince  
RT  |  3 February 2014
> They are called private military companies, but what are they really? Why are they called on to the battlefield, sometimes by Washington itself? Is the US military unable to do its job properly? Today we seek answers from the founder of the former Blackwater.

African Maritime Action Plan Adopted  
Maritime Executive  |  2 February 2014
> The 22nd Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Summit ended on Friday January 31, 2014 at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the adoption of key decisions by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

Hated in Washington's halls of power, loved by the taxpayer: Meet John Sopko  
NBC News  |  2 February 2014
> What makes John Sopko a thorn in the Pentagon's side also makes him the American taxpayers' best friend. Since 2002, Congress has appropriated around $100 billion for reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan -- or more than $3,000 per American. It's Sopko's job to make sure that money is well spent.

Beyond Blackwater: Prince looks to resources in Africa  
Reuters  |  2 February 2014
> After running one of the world's biggest and most controversial private military groups, Blackwater founder Erik Prince is starting a new venture providing logistics for oil and mining companies in remote and dangerous parts of Africa.