War Dog: Fighting Other People's Wars

I learned about AJ Venter reading Robert Young Pelton's books about the world's most dangerous places and the use of mercenaries in Africa. This book - although it tends to go down narrative rabbit holes at points and is definitely more combat journalism than serious analysis of the industry - serves an important part of the literature in that it's a decidedly pro-mercenary take. Unlike the other more academic books in the field, it's a chance for mercenaries to tell their side of the story as it were.Venter argues using his stories and experiences in the Congo, Angola, and Sierra Leone that mercenaries and the nascent private military industry filled an important gap that states and the international community could not or would not fill, and thus helped bring some manner of stability to the region. It's also an interesting snapshot in time, before private military corporations became deeply involved in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria - highlighting the problems that outsourcing the lethal use of force can bring for state-led stabilization operations.If you're interesting in the mercenary side of the equation (in all of its positives and negatives), you'll enjoy this read. Likewise if you're looking for a little more detail on the conflicts in Angola, the Congo, or Sierra Leone - this will make for some interesting reading!

This is a particularly interesting history of the some of the earlier days of the private military company in the latter part of the 20th century. It is not a quick easy read. It is an in depth studies of the motivations a select group of talented men as well as company history. It would be an outstanding reference for anyone interested in the history of South Africa (region, not just nation)The thing I liked most about this book was it provided me with an outstanding list of additional resources for learning more about the modern mercenary as well as their historical liniage. In some cases, I would it actually concentrated more on those aspects. But that would have taken away from the scope of the book.Of particular interest was the information regarding the death of Robert McKenzie. An American legend of the industry. He was an amazing man in many ways. I would have enjoyed meeting him.This brings up another reason why I thought this was an interesting book. I suspect strongly that some of the people in this book may have either been trained or had training with people I know. Much like the book Save the Last Bullet for Yourself, I had a good laugh realizing how small the world is.Africa reminds of me Heart of Darkness by Conrad, "Never get off the boat."

What nineteen or twenty eight year old sitting in the baraacks doesn't think I could do that. Its what you have been trained for. This book peals away all the candy coating and tells toy the harsh realitys of what happens when you don't have your sovereign government backing you. This should be a manditory read for considering this profession. The cold splash of water that comes with reading this book reveals the cold hard facts. Number one the pay may be nonexistant or very slow in coming. Two know who you work for, reality may not be as you were promised concerning the support you get versus what you were told. The stories of narrow escapes are not as much fun as living them. If that doesn't disswayed you then good luck and God bless. I like to tell people I survived my youth, and did not get this age by accident.

I'm a "Hind-Nut" or a HUGE fan of the MI_24 Helicopter and all it's variants. (old & New) I get every book and read every thing on line I possibly can about this flying battle ship.The only problem is that most all books on the hind are Technical manuals, discriptions and Histories of it, there is little or nothing written about actual combat in the hind. Not true anymore! The Authors stories of Neil Ellis' battles are very exciting and will be to any Hind Enthusiest.I knew little or nothing about the Bush wars in Africa (or even where Sieara Lione was)until I read this book and got a real education from it as well. NOT a light read though.

I must first state that English is not my mother language butmost of the books I read are in English and I have lived a few years in South Africa.Although I have roughly read half the book at times I get so fed up withthe writing I just want to put it down and never open it againI reach for it again only for the sake of the incidents I want to learn about.Writing obviously intended to impress and fill pages-so "journalistic"repetitions of names,events,words(those adjectives....).To say i dislike the writing is a huge understatement.Very tiring to read,and this guy is supposed to know his stuff.Otherwise the stories and events are very interesting.

Books like this go deeper into the real history and give you the inside picture which is made by people, soldiers and politicians.It's the history I like, instead of the official one that doesn't account for the real players.A book you must have and then buy also Gunship Ace and Barrel of a GUN.

Essential reading in these ambiguous war times. Lays bare the full disgrace of the UN: one mercenary with a Cold War relic Mil24 did more to forestall genocide in Africa then the entire, venal, useless, UN behemoth.

Why the former colonies in Africa are failed states.can be attributed to the failure of uN peace keepers to act appropriately often these dogs of war are used to exploit resources in former colonies of European powers.

Al Venter has been reporting on the African conflicts since 1965 (meeting Frederic Forsyth in Biafra) and is clearly a uniquely qualified individual to provide an insight into the world of contract soldiers as he has covered many of the conflicts where these have been engaged post WW2, and formed friendships with many of the more illustrious ones.The book focuses on three theaters of operation, namely Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is most certainly not an analytical piece of work (in that area something like Singer's  CORPORATE WARRIORS: THE RISE OF THE PRIVATIZED MILITARY INDUSTRY (UPDATED) BY Singer, P. W. (Author) Paperback(Cornell University Press) Publisher  is a much better bet) but rather a book covering the conflicts mentioned from the day to day perspective of the contract soldiers engaged there (and the author's interactions with them).While easy to read generally, the style can best be described as meandering, frequently following side stories before at some point quietly returning back to the time line / issue the author was originally discussing. While it gives the book a story telling vibe, it may not be to all reader's tastes. It certainly does not with making it more 'page turning' in my opinion.Even though the author has witnessed the conflicts he is writing about here (and many others) first hand, one does not get the impression of the same dedication to researching all topics covered in depth to the extent found for instance in Forsyth's  Biafra Story  - details are often brushed over and while this may not quite gel with all the readers, the tenor of the book is a different one anyway (making this perhaps less of an issue).The author certainly gives a voice to a community that has often been misunderstood and even more frequently ostracized and this is certainly the book's strong point / contribution. This is not to say that readers generally opposed to the concept of contract soldiering will change their minds after reading the book but at least it gives more of an insight into their world.If you are interesting in getting more coverage of the conflicts in Africa of the last two decades, the book will certainly help in getting a richer picture on how mercenaries played a role there (and on the prominent ones doing it). But as mentioned in another review, this is neither an analysis of African conflicts, nor on the world of contract soldiering. CORPORATE WARRIORS: THE RISE OF THE PRIVATIZED MILITARY INDUSTRY (UPDATED) BY Singer, P. W. (Author) Paperback(Cornell University Press) PublisherBiafra Story

Al Venter made his name with books like CHOPPER BOYS which were essentially photographic collections for rotorheads with some text. In WAR DOG he starts to deliver the sort of text that makes for a more rounded book. Venter is never going to be producing works of political and military analysis (there are plenty of academics doing this) but he does produce exciting accounts of military operations and within these some gems of analysis.This book centres on three areas of "mercenary" involvement (Sierra Leone, Angola and the DRC) and on a review of how the mercenary world has altered since Les Affreux were in the Belgian Congo to the world of Blackwater in Iraq. The main theme is a tight band of Venter's South African chums who served in the Border War and now fight across Africa. Sierra Leone takes the biggest page count as Venter warms to three themes; firstly, the ineffective performance of UN forces, secondly, the effectiveness of Executive Outcomes (the then South African company), and thirdly, the derring-do of Neal Ellis, the South African pilot of a Mi-24 Hind who acts as a force multiplier for the local forces. This is good well-paced adventure writing, except that it is also what actually happened.Venter's heart has always been with his South African and Rhodesian friends, but he is perfectly happy to compliment some UNITA units, and to give due weight to the views of the black (as against white) Africans who make up the majority of these mercenary forces (and even the Hizbullah supporting door gunner).The events covered by Venter are often incredibly savage, savage not because of an inherent African brutality but because of the tactics of a few men whose skill is terror. You may have doubts about whether mercenary armies are the best way forward (Venter has some solid arguments for you to consider) but there can be no-one in favour of the slaughter that has struck so many African nations from the new resource-based insurgent movements.

Great read