Blackwater founder Erik Prince | PBD Podcast | Ep. 372

13 snips

Feb 29, 2024

In a compelling discussion, Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater and a former U.S. Navy SEAL, delves into his motivations for starting the private military company. He shares insights about Blackwater's early clients and the significant contracts it secured after pivotal events like the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole. Prince contrasts the effectiveness of private military contractors versus traditional military forces and discusses the geopolitical implications of U.S. strategies in Ukraine, along with potential cyber threats from China.

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ANECDOTE

Blackwater's Origin

Erik Prince started Blackwater to stay connected to the SEAL teams after leaving the Navy earlier than planned due to family circumstances.
His father's unexpected death and his wife's cancer diagnosis prompted this decision.

INSIGHT

Industrial-Scale Training

Private military facilities had existed before, but none on an industrial scale.
Prince aimed to create a training facility where SEAL teams could train locally and efficiently.

ANECDOTE

First Clients

Blackwater's first customers were a West Coast SEAL team and Canadian Special Forces.
The Canadians used the facility because training in Toronto during winter was too difficult.

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Answer to History

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Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Patrick Bet-David sits down one-on-one with Blackwater founder Erik Prince. Erik Dean Prince is an American businessman, former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, and the founder of the private military company Blackwater. He served as Blackwater's CEO until 2009 and as its chairman until its sale to a group of investors in 2010. Prince heads the private equity firm Frontier Resource Group and was chairman of the Hong Kong-listed Frontier Services Group until 2021.

TIMESTAMPS

3:47 - Erik's background and his family's business success.

11:19 - Erik discusses why he founded Blackwater.

16:27 - Erik explains who Blackwater's first client was.

27:02 - How the United Nation's hypocrisy led to Blackwater's founding.

29:57 - How the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole led to Blackwater's landing a $7 million a year military contract.

34:27 - The difference between a country's nationals fighting for their countries vs hiring a Private Military Company.

41:26 - Was Blackwater better at training soldiers than the U.S. government?

54:27 - Is there an oath soldiers took to train with Blackwater.

55:16 - Erik discusses the CIA's role in the Ukraine vs Russia war.

1:05:18 - Erik explains why he left defense contracting.

1:14:32 - Was Blackwater hired to train soldiers for The Wagner Group?

1:22:52 - Erik claims a Chinese Cyber Attack was behind the AT&T outage.

1:34:31 - Did "Leave the World Behind" predict a future cyber attack on the U.S. electric grid?

1:41:07 - Erik discusses which social and political issues Americans are united on.

1:48:52 - Erik explains who was behind the Cinema Rex fire that started the Iranian revolution.

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