Mercenaries: A History of the Private Warrior

Soldiers of fortune, contract killers, corporate warriors—contract soldiers go by many names, but they all share a common trait: they fight for money rather than for liberty, God, or country. Acclaimed author and war vet Michael Lee Lanning traces the compelling history of these fighting machines, from the “Sea Peoples” who fought for the pharaohs’ glory to today’s soldiers for hire from private military companies (PMCs) in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lanning examines the pivotal roles of such soldiers in key battles and their influence on the rise and fall of empires, highlighting the significant employment of contract soldiers in contemporary conflict, especially during America’s War on Terrorism.