Veterans from those countries' militaries have also gone to Ukraine to help train Ukrainian forces. Andy Milburn, a 31-year US Marine Corps veteran, is in Ukraine leading one of those training efforts.

Private Military Contractors — According to a recent study, the current international security architecture has been undergoing tremendous changes within the last decades. The end of the ColdWar in 1990 has disclosed a number of internal armed conflicts in regions of weak or failed statehood which up to that time were hidden under the covert rivalry of the two superpowers USA and USSR. Since 1990, though, most leading industrial countries have not been willing to intervene in armed conflicts anymore, unless their direct strategic interests were in danger.

American weapons manufacturers do not benefit directly from the thousands of missiles, drones, and other weapons sent to Ukraine, but they stand to gain in the long run by supplying countries willing to strengthen their defenses against Russia.

Like other Western nations, the United States has turned to its own stockpiles to supply Ukraine with shoulder-mounted Stinger and Javelin missiles, for example. These weapons from Lockheed-Martin and Raytheon Technologies were paid for some time ago.

A private firm recruiting for a position in Ukraine has posted a position offering up to $60,000 per month. Russia has already warned that mercenaries who join the fight in Ukraine are not entitled to prisoner of war status. The private firm is looking for former military agents for covert operations inside the country. They also added there's a good chance you'll come face-to-face with death squads and private militias dispatched by the Kremlin.

About a hundred yards into Iraq, we stopped to pick up weapons. A half dozen Kurds in white Citroëns met us in a trash-strewn lot just over the border from Kuwait. They were unloading the guns onto the trunk of one of their cars as we pulled up. The pile amounted to a small armory: German MP5 submachine guns, AK-47s newly liberated from the Iraqi army, 9mm Beretta pistols, and dozens of magazines of ammunition.

The maritime industry is one of the largest on the planet, and ensuring operations at sea continue safely takes a determined effort. The implementation of maritime security takes both knowledge and vigilance and is essential to enhance security enforcement without slowing down the timely flow of international commerce.

Maritime security is a specialized field in the marine sector, and safety officers must employ best practices to defend their vessels against both internal and external threats. These threats come in various forms, and each requires a different strategy for a proper defense. Security risks are not always malicious, but maintaining vessel safety is a constant priority.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the United States government’s initial 2022 contribution of more than $308 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan. President Biden has been clear that humanitarian assistance will continue to flow directly to the Afghan people and the United States remains the single largest provider of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

The State Department stated earlier this week that it was suspending operations at the US Embassy in Minsk, Belarus, and authorized departure for non-emergency employees and family members at the Embassy in Moscow due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

POSTED BY U.S. EMBASSY - RUSSIA: " U.S. citizens should consider departing Russia immediately via commercial options still available.

If you are in Russia and your U.S. passport expired on or after January 1, 2020, you may be able to use your expired passport to return directly to the United States until March 31, 2022.

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The private military security business in the U.S. is a massive industry employing hundreds of thousands of people. These firms can range from security contracts at shopping malls, to former U.S. special forces soldiers who guard diplomats.

Private security is expected to grow to an $81 billion industry by 2023, and that’s just in the United States, according to the Freedonia Group. It goes way beyond security guards hired to protect industrial areas, commercial areas, and residential areas. And the industry is now going global.

By Ross Wilkers — Some transition and startup activities are going forward on the Army’s massive LOGCAP V global logistics program but the coronavirus pandemic continues to push back the timeline for being fully up and running.

Now that full operational capability is not expected until next year and the timeline for the transition itself is also being extended because of base access and border restrictions abroad, Vectrus CEO Chuck Prow said Wednesday during the company’s second-quarter earnings call.

"There are a lot of assumptions about contractors, and a lot of the assumptions are wrong." Those are the words of a private security contractor who asked to be referred to only as "Lloyd" for this story because like most of his colleagues he is not authorized to speak to the media.

By Lloyd's count, he has spent some 1,000 days working in Afghanistan in the past four years. He, like many other well-trained military men, decided to leave his position as a Navy SEAL and take his chances finding employment in one of the hot spots around the world where highly skilled contractors were well-paid, and in demand.

Executive Outcomes is regarded as the leading proponent that effectively established Private Military Companies (PMCs) as an industry. Executive Outcomes was founded in 1989 by veterans of the South African Defense Force and registered in Britain in 1993. Executive Outcomes was nothing less than the world’s greatest corporate army that conducted direct combat operations on a sustained basis. On 01 January 1999, Executive Outcomes abruptly ceased operations after an extraordinary decade of diverse and controversial military actions across the African continent.

The US recently announced the end of active combat for troops in Iraq. On the ground, there will only be small changes, but it could signal a different attitude towards Iraq.

Last month, the US military announced it had ended its combat role in Iraq.

The move comes just a few months after a July meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and US President Joe Biden. Afterward, the leaders issued a statement announcing that "there will be no US forces with a combat role in Iraq by December 31, 2021."