Military Review English Edition January-February 2017 | Page 133
BOOK REVIEWS
ZERO FOOTPRINT
The True Story of a Private Military
Contractor’s Covert Assignments in
Syria, Libya, and the World’s
Most Dangerous Places
Simon Chase and Ralph Pezzullo,
Mulholland Books, New York, 2016, 320 pages
Z
ero Footprint examines the evolution of the secretive private security business into a temporary,
scalable, deniable private military force, as told
by an insider. The name of the book alludes to the level
of support and “signature” these operatives are required
to maintain while conducting their assignments. The
value of the book is its description of the lives that private
military contractors (PMCs) lead, the motives for using
them, and the effectiveness and value of their service. A
real page-turner, the writing is precise, the detail vivid,
and the consequences profound.
Zero Footprint is an autobiographical account of
a former special boat service member turned PMC,
published under the pen name of Simon Chase. It is his
tale that is told, with the assistance of coauthor Ralph
Pezzullo, an accomplished screenwriter and journalist. The book recounts Chase’s training with the elite
special boat services and his subsequent entry into the
world of private security in 1999, as well as the massive
expansion of the military contractor enterprise through
the turn of the century.
Unlike many books about the “war on terror,” the
characters described are often seen less as heroes, and
more as mercenaries. In the opening chapters, one discovers the misspent youth of the author, and the series
of decisions and circumstances that eventually led him
to the U.S. ambassadorial compound in Benghazi. In
the telling, the reader begins to understand the sense
of purpose and duty that drives many of these men.
Brought together on dangerous missions without overt
MILITARY REVIEW January-February 2017
government support, and no recognition, PMCs can
only rely on their teammates to watch their backs. To
illuminate this, a chapter describes how two principals
vying for control of the country wanted their security
detachments to fight each other. However, since the
community of operators was so tightly knit, the plan
became known and the contractors refused to fight. The
author relates a tale of what
can happen to special operators that end their service
to their country early due to
unforeseen circumstances
and yet wish to continue the
high-risk vocation in which
they excel.
The book is much more
than a first-person account
of dangerous missions taking
place in far-flung locations;
it provides insight of the
inner workings and decision-making processes that
governments use when employing private military
contractors. The work they do at the behest of wealthy
people, multinational corporations, and governments
requires confidentiality. If publicly revealed, the details
of these missions would embarrass or compromise the
actions of the principals. As related in the book, an
employer who is often an arm of the U.S. government
requires a covert asset that cannot be traced back to the
employer for a time-sensitive or short-term mission. It
becomes clear when reading the book why private military contractors fill that role. Having the same skill sets
as our elite operators, they become the go-to-guys when
governments who have shrunk their military budgets
need available forces. When the threat abates, PMCs
can be “let go” with no further financial commitment or
political ties, unlike government-run military forces.
The effectiveness of these shadow organizations can
be hard to measure. However, the deeds and activities
that PMCs conducted in the heady days after 9/11
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