Some of the most Powerful Security Companies in the World

ACADEMI

Originally going under the name Blackwater USA, American private military company ACADEMI was established in 1997 by ex-U.S. Navy SEAL Erik Prince. Blackwater was awarded its first government contract in 2000, and in order for the company to fulfill it, more than 100,000 sailors were trained for action. Blackwater was heavily – and controversially – involved in the Iraq War. In 2009 Prince stepped down as CEO, and the firm, by then known as Blackwater Worldwide, was rebranded Xe Services LLC. In 2010 private investors took over, and the company became ACADEMI in 2011. According to its official website, ACADEMI offers “stability and protection to people and locations experiencing turmoil.” And it works with “federal, state and local government clients, global commercial customers, numerous law enforcement and intelligence organizations and agencies and allied governments worldwide.”

ICTS International

Former Israel Security Agency and El Al Israel Airlines security personnel formed Israeli private security company ICTS International N.V. in 1982. 

The firm’s head offices are in Amstelveen in the Netherlands. According to its website, ICTS International “provides advanced, comprehensive security solutions for the aviation and homeland security sectors, with an emphasis on transportation security in general, and railroad and mass transport security in particular.” Set up in 2005, I-SEC International Security BV is the company’s airport and airline security wing. 

Towards the end of the 1990s, ICTS International created a computer technology called Advanced Passenger Screening, which is utilized by the majority of major U.S. airlines. Based on passenger information, the algorithm calculates the likelihood of passengers posing some kind of threat. In 2008 ICTS International’s revenue totaled $98.8 million.

Northbridge Services Group

Registered in the Dominican Republic, but with offices in Kentucky, Ukraine and the U.K., Northbridge Services Group is a private military contractor that claims to provide “highly confidential and effective security related services designed to address the needs of governments, multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations, the corporate sector and prominent individuals.” Northbridge’s current CEO and president is ex-U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and Vietnam veteran Robert Kovacic, who took up his post in 2003. The company’s key services include security advisory and training, operational and intelligence support, and strategic communications. Northbridge also supports law enforcement agencies in the realm of terrorism, narcotics, organized crime, poaching, smuggling, maritime defense and the protection of natural resources. In 2003 the company made headlines when it controversially offered to capture beleaguered then Liberian president Charles Taylor for a fee of $4 million. In 2012 Northbridge’s revenue totaled $50.5 million.

Triple Canopy



Triple Canopy is a private security, risk management and defense contracting company based in Reston, Virginia. Former U.S. Special Forces soldiers established the firm in Chicago in 2003, and a significant number of Triple Canopy’s employees are former special ops personnel and police officers. According to its official website, the company “provides mission support, security and training services to government agencies and multinational corporations worldwide.” Triple Canopy employs no less than 5,500 staff, and its clients include NGOs, telecommunication companies, oil and gas businesses, mining firms and financial organizations from all around the world. The company’s chain of command counts former Delta Force soldiers, consultants and analysts among its number. Triple Canopy rose to prominence in 2004 in Iraq, and one of its Iraq defense contracts is valued at $1.5 billion.

Prosegur

Prosegur is a multinational private security company with 150,000 staff spread out over Europe, Asia, Oceania and Latin America. The firm was established in 1976, and its head office is located in Madrid. Its service areas comprise manned guarding, home security, fire defense, and security technology and consulting. Prosegur is Spain’s biggest private security firm, and in 1987 it made history as the first company of its kind to be listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange. In 2011 the firm earned $233.748 million. With a task force of over 4,700 armored vans, Prosegur is well known for its cash-in-transit services, which it outsources to banks around the world. The company’s technology services include CCTV monitoring, access control, and “anti-intrusion and perimeter detection.” Meanwhile, guarding provisions feature armed and unarmed guards as well as K-9 units and VIP protection.

Aegis Defence Services




Aegis Defence Services is a British private military company established in 2002 by former Sandline International director and British soldier Tim Spicer. The firm has foreign offices in Iraq, Kenya, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bahrain and the USA. It also had a hand in the establishment of the British Association of Private Security Companies. The company is involved with NGO, aerospace, and government and diplomatic sectors, as well as oil, gas and mining industries. Currently, Aegis has a $293 million contract with the U.S. government to provide protection and assistance during the restructuring of Iraq. In 2011 the company also secured a $497 million contract to protect the U.S. Embassy situated in Kabul, Afghanistan
.

KBR

KBR is a private military, engineering and construction company based in Houston. It was formed in 1998, when Halliburton subsumed Dresser Industries and amalgamated Dresser subsidiary The M. W. Kellogg Co with its own subsidiary Brown & Root. KBR has worked in countries like Cuba, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Currently, its American workforce in Iraq numbers 14,000, and it is also said to have the biggest U.S. government contract there – beating out all other Iraq-based companies. In 2008, KBR declared that it was buying Alabama’s BE&K in a deal said to be worth $550 million. In 2011 KBR earned $540 million. And today it employs more than 27,000 people in over 70 countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. Over the years, the firm has, however, been involved in its share of controversies – from allegations of sexual assault lodged by female employees, to paying off Nigerian officials for government contracts.

G4S



G4S describes itself as “the world’s leading global security and outsourcing group,” specializing “in outsourcing of business processes in sectors where security and safety risks are considered a strategic threat.” The British multinational security giant was set up in 2004 when London-based company Securicor amalgamated with Danish business Group 4 Falck. Currently, G4S employs more than 620,000 people, which makes it the third biggest employer in the private sector globally. In 2012 G4S turned over well over $12 billion. The company offers a range of services, including the supply of security personnel, monitoring equipment, response units and secure prisoner transportation. G4S also works with governments overseas to deliver security.

DynCorp



The history of Annandale, Virginia-based private military contractor DynCorpstretches back to 1951, when Land-Air, Inc. was obtained by California Eastern Airways to form what would become California Eastern Aviation, Inc. In 1962 the company was renamed Dynalectron Corporation, which was renamed DynCorp in 1987. DynCorp’s services include security, aviation support, intelligence, and contingency ops. The firm’s yearly revenue exceeds $3 billion, and over 96 percent of that figure is generated by U.S. government contracts. DynCorp has provided support for the U.S. forces in countries like Peru, Colombia, Somalia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Bolivia, Angola and Haiti. The company was also called in to help with recovery action in Louisiana and the surrounding regions in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

GardaWorld



Canadian firm GardaWorld claims to be the “largest privately-owned security company in the world.” The company’s headquarters are in Montreal, Quebec, but it employs around 45,000 people across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. 
GardaWorld secures individuals and resources in at least 140 cities and protects 28 North American airports. Its international protective services department aims to safeguard “clients in complex and emerging markets.” Meanwhile, the company’s cash management services process $5 billion a day. In August 2013 GardaWorld acquired G4S’ Canadian cash management division in a deal thought to be worth around $110 million. And in December 2013 GardaWorld agreed upon a 12-year cash management deal with Bank of America valued at $1.4 billion. At the end of April 2012, GardaWorld’s quarterly revenue totaled some $300 million.

CRG - Control Risks Group

Based in London, England, but with 36 offices around the world, Control Risks is an international professional services and consulting firm dedicated to “helping organizations manage political, integrity and security risks in complex and hostile environments.” Control Risks began as a division of insurance firm Hogg Robinson in 1975 and then became independent in 1982. As major companies around the world began working in lesser-known areas in the 1990s, Control Risks focused on developing its intelligence and investigation services. In its website statement, the company boasts that it provides “strategic consultancy, expert analysis and in-depth investigations through to handling sensitive political issues and providing practical on the ground protection and support.” Following its work in Iraq securing oil company assets, Control Risks generated $223.32 million in revenue in 2010.

Erinys International




British private security firm Erinys International has a head office in Cyprus as well as branches in the U.K., South Africa, and the Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo. The company operates within the mineral extraction, oil and gas, public, and NGO markets, and it also boasts an infrastructural development division. In each of these areas, it helps clients to appreciate risks they may face no matter how “remote and challenging the environment.” Erinys International was launched in 2001 by former British soldier Jonathan Garratt. Erinys South Africa was added in 2002, and the company has had a presence in a number of locations in Africa and the Middle East. In 2003 the firm worked with the Iraq Ministry of Oil, training and supplying a 16,000-strong “Oil Protection Force” guarding 282 sites.

If you can think of anymore big companies please add!

Erinys Iraq website is http://www.erinysiraq.com/ which is part of the Hart group of companies (Hart Security Holdings): 
http://www.hartinternational.com/group-profile