Are mercenaries legal in the US?
No U.S. law currently restricts or prohibits U.S. persons from serving in a foreign mercenary force. Only the U.S. government is restricted from hiring mercenaries under what is known as the Anti-Pinkerton Act of 1893.
Are mercenaries militia?
is that mercenary is a person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose prime or sole motivation is private gain while militia is (in particular) an army of trained civilians, which may be an official reserve army, called upon in time …
What happens to captured mercenaries?
If, after a regular trial, a captured soldier is found to be a mercenary, then he can expect treatment as a common criminal and may face execution. As mercenary soldiers may not qualify as PoWs, they cannot expect repatriation at war’s end.
Is Blackwater a mercenary group?
In the book, Scahill contends that Blackwater exists as a mercenary force, and argues that Blackwater’s rise is a consequence of the demobilization of the US military following the Cold War and its overextension in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Do the laws of war apply to mercenaries?
The United States does not view the mere act of being a mercenary as a crime under international law. 57 Thus, mercenaries may be afforded Prisoner of War (POW) status, but only if they meet the requirements thereof—such as being considered a member of the militia or the armed forces of the nation.
Do rules of war apply to mercenaries?
According to this rule, States are free to grant prisoner-of-war status to a mercenary or withhold it, but the mercenary has no right to claim such status as a defence against prosecution.
How do you become a mercenary in America?
The majority of classic mercenary-like jobs on the market today typically require past military or law enforcement experience. Even better, is previous experience working in the special forces of the army, USMC, navy, or air force if seeking the higher paying security-related jobs available on the market.