Exclusive - American Mercenaries In Gaza: Who Controls Them, What They Do

For months, aid-distribution sites in Gaza operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were presented as a fragile humanitarian lifeline. They also became witness to some deadly violence, with deaths recorded during a period in which American security contractors or 'mercenaries' were engaged to regulate crowds of desperate civilians seeking food and water. 

This second part of NDTV's exclusive series examines the model of security governance implemented by UG Solutions (UGS), the firm contracted by Safe Reach Solutions (SRS) to guard GHF's aid sites - and how its leadership now responds to allegations involving extremist affiliations and questionable hires.

The first part can be read here. 

The Major Allegations 

An investigation into the mercenary group led by the BBC revealed that at least 40 of the 320 contractors -- mercenaries -- deployed by UG Solutions in Gaza were current or former members of the "Infidels Motorcycle Club", a US biker gang that openly markets itself as a "modern Crusader" organisation and has frequently posted anti-Muslim content online.

Ten members of the gang were confirmed to be working for the security firm inside Gaza, with seven occupying senior leadership roles. According to the BBC, among them were:

Johnny "Taz" Mulford, the firm's country team leader for Gaza, sporting tattoos of the Crusader cross and "1095," the year the First Crusade began.

Larry "J-Rod" Jarrett, the vice-president of Infidels MC, responsible for logistics in Gaza under UGS.

Bill "Saint" Siebe, national treasurer of the gang, leading site security at one of GHF's distribution centres.

Richard "A-Tracker" Lofton, a founding member of the gang serving as a team leader at another GHF site.

A picture carrying the group's insignia shared by its Facebook page.

Social media posts showed gang members posing with rifles against Gaza's desert backdrop, at times holding banners reading "Make Gaza Great Again." One contractor, Josh Miller, also marketed merchandise branded with phrases such as "embrace violence" and "Gaza Summer '25: Surf all day, rockets all night."

Another flyer posted by an Infidels MC chapter promoted a pig roast "in defiance of Ramadan", accompanied by a graphic of a woman's burqa being torn open.

UG Solutions rejected any suggestion that such affiliations were relevant to job performance. The company told the BBC it "does not screen people out for personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to work."

When NDTV asked the group about their hiring process, they echoed something similar. 

"Every UG Solutions hire undergoes extensive vetting, reference checks, criminal and civil background checks, and must meet our stringent standards for weapons proficiency and operational conduct prior to deployment. We do not hire amateurs, and we do not compromise on readiness or responsibility," the group told NDTV. 

The company claimed that every individual deployed to Gaza had undergone comprehensive background checks and met strict professional standards.

"Our ideal recruit is calm and measured in stressful situations, can evaluate the consequences of their actions in real time, and desires to work with local community members, in this case our cadre of local workers. These characteristics are exactly what was on display after two of our staff were hit with grenades in July and they opted not to shoot in retaliation, because the assailants went into the crowd and our guys did not want to put innocent people in jeopardy."

One of the aid sites in Gaza were UG Solutions personnel were engaged.

However, an ex-contractor told the BBC some US personnel referred to refugees as "zombie hordes." The Associated Press has reported eyewitness interviews, internal documents and video verification showing chaotic scenes of gunfire around crowds crushed between metal gates. One video captured a guard firing 15 rounds before another responded, "Hell, yeah, dude."

Some former contractors have revealed to the media that Mulford -- the man who was overseeing the Gaza operation -- lacked the operational experience to manage a security effort of that scale. 

Anthony Aguilar, a US military veteran and former UG subcontractor, said he had served with Mulford earlier in their military careers, and questioned Mulford's claim to "exquisite combat arms experience."

"I respect anybody's service, anybody that wants to raise their right hand and serve in the army. But if I'm a parachute packer... I don't then go say that I have this exquisite combat arms experience. And that's what he promotes, that he's this exquisite veteran of combat arms," Aguilar claimed in an interview with Zeteo. 

Aguilar has gone on record multiple times to level serious accusations against his former employer, including charges of murder of Palestinian civilians. 

The Controversial Aid Model 

A UN Security Council vote authorised a US-sponsored international stabilisation force for Gaza, answerable not to the UN but to a new "Board of Peace" chaired by US President Donald Trump. The Board will wield sweeping powers over reconstruction, economic policy and aid logistics, including security arrangements.

An aid site in Gaza where UG personnel were engaged.

A former US Army officer told Drop Site that UG Solutions recruiters indicated plans to expand from four to 12-15 distribution sites, significantly scaling up the model that had drawn such fierce scrutiny. But the four sites created between May and October came to define the consequences of militarised humanitarian aid. When a ceasefire brokered by Washington took effect on October 10, the distribution centres were dismantled.

Rules Of Engagement

UG Solutions says it selected its cadres based on "quick thinking, maturity, and top-tier US military experience." The firm stresses that its Gaza team "crafted rules of engagement (ROE)" in consultation with SRS and GHF to avoid any breach of the Geneva Conventions.

"UG Solutions is responsible for crowd control in partnership with SRS's Humanitarian Affairs Team, and the local workers, with all three having a voice in how crowd control should be done on the distribution sites. UG Solutions uses pepper spray (not tear gas), sound grenades (sound only, no fragmentation or lethal capability), loudspeakers, and bullhorns on the nonlethal side. Each of our security personnel has a rifle (M-4) and a pistol assigned to them. Of note, each weapon, all ammunition, and non-lethal tools are accounted for at the start and end of a shift, enabling 100% per cent accountability on what was used," the company claimed in a written response to NDTV. 

Security analysts note that US contractors have operated in conflict zones for decades, but historically under the authority or oversight of American government departments. The Gaza deployment, by contrast, appears to involve US contractors providing armed security in a foreign conflict without any formal US governmental involvement.

Comparisons To Other Mercenary Groups

The rise of private military contractors (PMCs) during the Iraq War created long-lasting ambiguities around the status of private workers in conflict zones. At the height of the Iraq conflict, firms such as Blackwater and DynCorp were hired by the US Department of State to protect diplomats, intelligence officials, and reconstruction personnel.

"We cannot provide specific ROE for security reasons. UG Solutions can say that lethal means cannot be used unless one of our personnel has sufficient reason to believe their life is in danger," the company claimed. 

The group's personnel do not fall under any American federal contract, nor are they operating under US diplomatic authority. Instead, their employer is a foreign aid consortium situated within an ongoing conflict in which the US is not a formal participant.

"We are a partner-owned business based in North Carolina and is nimble in its decision-making because of this structure. For projects like those in Gaza, the partners will review the business case, any problems and opportunities, the requirements, and then make a decision about crafting a bid or proposal. Because the company is comprised of American veterans who spent years in areas of conflict and post-conflict, the partners have a good handle on the risks and take on or reject projects with their experience top of mind," the group claimed. 

The current controversy hinges on testimony from American workers who say they were urged to fire live ammunition when large crowds approached GHF distribution gates. Several describe chaotic scenes where thousands of civilians gathered to secure restricted quantities of food. 

The company has repeatedly denied all charges.