Executive_Outcomes

Executive Outcomes

Executive Outcomes was a private military company founded in South Africa by former Lieutenant-Colonel of the South African Defence Force Eeben Barlow in 1989. It was controlled by the South Africa-based holding company Strategic Resource Corporation.

Executive Outcomes provided military personnel, training and logistical support to officially recognized governments only. They were however often accused of providing the military strength for corporations to control natural resources in failed states or conflict-ridden areas, because these governments mostly paid for their services with mining concessions.

History

Mission statement

Executive Outcome's mission statement was described by the company as:

To provide a highly professional and confidential military advisory service to legitimate governments.
To provide sound military and strategic advice.
To provide the most professional military training packages currently available to armed forces, covering aspects related to sea, air, and land warfare.
To provide advice to armed forces on weapon and weapon platform selection.
To provide a total apolitical service based on confidentiality, professionalism, and dedication.

Background

In 1989, following the conclusion of South African Border Wars in Angola and Namibia, the apartheid regime in South Africa was beginning to dissolve. The South African Defence Force was looking at broad cuts in its personnel. African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela demanded that then South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk dismantle some of the South African and South-West African Special Forces units such as 32 Battalion, Koevoet and the Reconnaissance Regiments. One of these was the Civil Cooperation Bureau (CCB), a unit that carried out covert assassinations of government opponents, and worked to bypass the United Nations apartheid sanctions by setting up overseas front companies.

Only Koevoet — being part of the South West African Police (SWAPOL) — was disbanded as part of independence negotiations for South-West Africa (now Namibia). Many members of the other units, or simply former national servicemen, were recruited by Executive Outcomes (EO).

Formation

Eeben Barlow, formerly in charge of the Western European section of the CCB, became the first leader of Executive Outcomes, and the company went on to recruit many of its personnel from these units. Within a short period, EO could boast of having 500 military advisers and over 3000 highly-trained military personnel at its disposal. Through the CCB, Barlow gained extensive corporate connections, among which were Tony Buckingham and Simon Mann who helped set up the company. In 1993, the three registered Executive Outcomes in the United Kingdom.

Activities

Executive Outcomes fought on behalf of the Angolan government against UNITA after a 1994 peace settlement broke down. In March 1995, it contained an insurrection of guerrillas known as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone, regained control of the diamond fields, and forced a negotiated peace. In both these instances they are credited with rescuing the legitimate government in both countries from destabilizing forces. In the case of Angola this led to a cease fire and the Lusaka Protocol, which ended the Angolan civil war — albeit only for a few years. As is characteristic of one of the first Private Military Companies (PMCs), Executive Outcomes was directly involved militarily in Angola and Sierra Leone. The company was notable in its ability to provide all aspects of a highly-trained modern army to the less professional government forces of Sierra Leone and Angola. For instance, in Sierra Leone, Executive Outcomes fielded not only professional fighting men, but armor and support aircraft such as the Mi-24 Hind and Mi-8 Hip helicopters, and the BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle. It also possessed medevac capabilities for the wounded to airlift out of combat zones via Boeing 707 aircraft. These were bought from lucrative sources in the worldwide arms trade within Africa as well as Eastern Europe. . Executive Outcomes had contracts with transnational corporations such as De Beers, Chevron, Rio Tinto Zinc and Texaco. The governments of Angola, Sierra Leone, and Indonesia were also clients.

The South African intelligence services started to defame Executive Outcomes for a long period. Although Executive Outcomes was highly regarded in the military world, allegations that Executive Outcomes was paid in diamonds and oil- and mineral concessions was the cause that the company got bad coverage in the press. Despite their initial successes in Sierra Leone, where the contractors were welcomed by the local population (citation needed), the company was forced to leave the country by the United Nations. After Executive Outcomes left, the country was back in turmoil again.

In 1997, Eeben Barlow left the company, disillusioned by the negative national and international press coverage.

Key personnel

Apart from Eeben Barlow, other Executive Outcomes personnel were reported to be Nic van der Bergh and Lafras Luitingh.

Dissolution

Executive Outcomes was dissolved on January 1, 1999 when South Africa introduced the 1998 Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act.

The aim of the Act was to stop mercenary activities by the dual actions of:

preventing direct participation as a combatant in armed conflict for private gain including the training, recruitment and use of mercenaries; and,
requiring approval of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee for offering of military assistance overseas.

The company's personnel most likely continued their activities under the names of Lifeguard, Saracen, or another private military company with links to Executive Outcomes, albeit with a much reduced level of visibility.

Sandline International

Executive Outcomes was once linked to the United Kingdom private military company Sandline International. Sandline subcontracted Executive Outcomes on a mission in Papua Guinea in 1997, but due to poor preparations and treachery on the side of Papua Guinea, the mission failed.