Brimming with colorful individuals and surprising events, this is the story of the rise of the bold new industry of private military and security companies, their quest for legitimacy, and their spread into markets worldwide.

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This is the story of the rise of a bold new industry of private military and security companies, their quest for legitimacy, and their expansion into military and security markets worldwide. Pulling together the strands of a complex story, The Invisible Soldiers reveals America’s increasing reliance on private firms for its security both domestically and internationally. The book shows that although the U.S. played a major role in the proliferation of these companies, boosting some into the realm of multi-billion-dollar enterprises, they do not belong to America and have effectively become global wild cards. In the book, colorful individuals and surprising events lead the reader through the chronology of the industry’s evolution.

This is a narrative about an industry that affects us all and yet because of its complexity and obfuscations, whether fortuitous or intentional, its story has not been easily accessible or understood – until now.

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“Hagedorn lucidly describes the long-range challenges to democracy caused by the privatization of security." — Publisher’s Weekly, (Starred Review)

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“The strength of “The Invisible Soldiers” is the impressive depth of Hagedorn’s reporting: copious interviews, generous use of sources, and a compelling narrative that focuses on people caught in the crossfire.” – Los Angeles Times

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“A critique of the United States‘ fateful turn toward private military and security contractors as a consequence of the Iraq War . . . Hagedorn deftly handles a complex and sometimes-grisly topic.” – Kirkus Reviews

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“The details, profiles, and accounts of [The Invisible Soldiers] are woven together in a manner befitting a top-notch thriller–and yet it’s all true. Important reading for anyone concerned with national–and international–security issues.” – Dayton Daily News

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“This thoughtful book should kick-start a long-overdue debate.” – The Cleveland Plain Dealer

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“Why did America’s war in Iraq end in failure? One big reason was the decision to outsource so much of the war's conduct to private security firms. Who “won” the Iraq War? Those very same firms.  Flooding the war zone with mercenaries, they walked away with vast riches, while leaving behind a legacy of corruption and ineptitude. Ann Hagedorn’s coolly devastating book exposes the causes and assesses the consequences of this travesty.” – Andrew J. Bacevich, author of Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country

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“The story of how private military security companies came to play a pivotal role in wartime operations is an important one, and Ann Hagedorn, a former reporter for the Journal, was right to take it on.” – The Wall Street Journal

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“Ms. Hagedorn has accurately and objectively begun what should be a national dialogue on the true costs of our use of a mercenary force structure.” –  Delbert Spurlock, former U.S. Army General Counsel under President Ronald Reagan, 1981-83, and assistant secretary of the U.S.
Army 1983-89. Letters to the Editor, Wall Street Journal

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“The Invisible Soldiers”‘ is fascinating, unbiased, thorough, and doggedly well-researched.” – Vick Mickunas, Dayton Daily News