In this edition of The Bottom Line, Evan Davis and guests discuss the business of private defence and security work.

Hello and welcome to the bottom line. And it's a rather unusual edition of the programme this week.

We take a look at private security and defence. Companies that carry out work next to the military in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of all the activities that governments get

the private sector to do, none are more controversial or sensitive than this. It is no ordinary

business, but it is a fascinating one. And I have three people from the world of private defence

with me, two of whom are former major generals in the British Army, Graham Bins, who's now

chief executive of Aegis Defence Services Limited,

Andrew Pringle, who also left the British Army and is now director at KBR, UK,

and Gabriel Carter, managing director of a company called LPD Risk Management.

Gentlemen, the businesses are not all exactly the same, and I should stress it's not all about

protection either, some of the businesses involved in other things.

So what I thought I might do is get you each right here at the outset to describe a particular

contract, one contract.

You don't even have to name the client because I know your clients

are all very sensitive. But just to give us an idea of what your business is about and maybe

Graham Binns, we'll start with you. The example I use is our biggest and the one that got

us going as a company in 2004 in Iraq. And reconstruction of Iraq post the invasion was complicated because the coalition

hadn't prepared for it. So the founders of my company saw the opportunity to provide private

security to those involved in the reconstruction of Iraq. So they pitched an idea to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

And so we can provide you with private security contractors.

We can establish needs.

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