Since 9/11, the security industry has both expanded dramatically and been placed under the microscope of the media. A member of a Personal Security Detail (PSD) today could quietly protect a Hollywood celebrity. Or a corporate CEO in a third world country. Or carry an automatic weapon in a combatant role in Baghdad.
One can now wear an American ACU uniform in the course of duties and not be in the military. Some of the most dangerous work is for…..charities and Non Government Organizations (NGO’s) who send their security consultants (such as you) to failed states like Somalia and the Sudan.
Some of you will wind up drafting doctrine in the United Nations, while others want nothing more than to carry an AK-47 in Kabul. You could wind up in any, or all, or any combination of the above categories.
Today there are some stereotypes of the industry that simply are not true. Others are magnified out of proportion. Yet more, completely honorable and legitimate, are left lacking because they are not “cool” as determined by those whose egos trump the reality of the industry.The truth is that there is a place for everyone, dependent upon personal skill set and aspirations.
Yes, Iraq has consumed the majority of the Private Security Industry, along with some undesirable side effects. But even then truth has been hard to find.
So what follows are some articles written about the industry as a whole. They are all excerpts from a book soon to be published by Potomac Press entitled, “America’s Cover Warriors: Inside the World of Private Military Contractors”. We appear in its pages on a regular basis.
We have included them here to provide the intelligent candidate an honest insight into what the job can entail. The majority are on Iraq, but all are worth reading.
Here then, are some excerpts from the book.
Related websites : americascoverwarriors.com | captainswars.com
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Center for Advanced Security Studies, CASS