The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad remains one of America’s largest and most symbolic overseas missions — and once again, it finds itself under pressure. In June 2025, the State Department ordered a partial evacuation, pulling non-essential personnel out of Iraq as regional tensions escalated. The move underscored what many contractors and analysts already knew: while the embassy compound is vast and hardened, the risks outside its walls remain unpredictable.

Maritime piracy is making an unwelcome comeback in 2025. The International Maritime Bureau recorded a 50% surge in global incidents during the first half of the year, driven largely by armed robberies in Southeast Asia’s congested Singapore Strait.

When military veterans hang up their uniforms, many don’t walk away from danger—they just change the patch on their sleeve. The private security industry has become a lucrative second career for thousands of former soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. But as recent events prove, the job can be just as deadly as war.

Haiti’s government has hired Erik Prince — founder of the infamous private military company Blackwater — to help restore control in Port-au-Prince, a city overrun by violent gangs. The deal comes amid Haiti’s deepening crisis following the collapse of its national police force and government institutions.

DANGER ZONE — Two global powers are expanding their influence in Africa, not just with diplomats or soldiers — but with private military and security companies (PMSCs).

A new report by the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique breaks down how Russia and China are using very different models to secure their interests across the continent — and it’s creating a silent turf war in the shadows of warzones, mines, and megaprojects.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who made his name as a profane and brutal mercenary boss before mounting an armed rebellion that was the most severe and shocking challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule, has died at age 62.

Russian authorities have confirmed his death, putting to rest any doubts about whether the wily mercenary leader turned mutineer was on a plane that crashed killing everyone on board.

(POC) — New wars have become an arena for private military companies. They could perform greatly as an extra business body to provide external security measures, with new warfare objectives, media potential to depict the conflict, its chronicity, efforts to save military personnel in fight, societal control, occupation campaigns, and their specificity, information acquisition and any tasks related to new civilian institutions. In the context of new warfare, the use of private military force allows shifting the economy from civilian to military purposes, albeit without any harm to the former –– thus somewhat raising the production capacity curve

(POC) — BACKGROUND: This report provides Department of Defense (DoD) contractor personnel numbers for 1st quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) and the current status of efforts underway to improve the management of contractors accompanying United States (U.S.) Forces. It includes data on DoD contractor personnel deployed in Iraq and Syria, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

(POC) — BACKGROUND: This report provides Department of Defense (DoD) contractor personnel numbers for the 4th quarter of Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) and the current status of efforts underway to improve the management of contractors accompanying United States (U.S.) Forces. It includes data on DoD contractor personnel deployed in Iraq and Syria, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

(POC) — SOC has officially announced the opening of its operations in Ukraine. With forward-operating teams, staff, and supply chains in the region, SOC is positioned to support the ongoing mission-critical needs, as a one-stop resource with seamlessly integrated solutions.

BACKGROUND: This report provides Department of Defense (DoD) contractor personnel
numbers for 3rd quarter Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) and the current status of efforts underway to
improve management of contractors accompanying United States (U.S.) Forces. It includes data on
DoD contractor personnel deployed in Iraq and Syria, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) and the
U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

The restructuring and downsizing of offices and personnel within the Defense Department weakened key US oversight functions of PMSCs contracts with the Department. The Defense Department should re-appoint a senior official to oversee policy guidance, coordination within the Defense Department and other US Government agencies, and full implementation of legal and regulatory requirements regarding PMSC oversight. This official could also support efforts to strengthen international standards and national laws on PMSCs. It makes the most sense to be within the Office of the Under Secretary for Defense for Acquisition and

Erik Dean Prince is an American businessman, former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, and the founder of the private military company (PMC) Blackwater USA. He served as Blackwater's CEO until 2009 and its chairman until its sale to a group of investors in 2010.

Prince heads the private equity firm Frontier Resource Group and served as chairman of the Hong Kong-listed Frontier Services Group until 2021. Prince is the son of an engineer and businessman Edgar Prince, and the brother of former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.