After being denied the chance to deploy with her fellow soldiers, Joyce found a different path overseas. What once limited her military career later became one of her strongest advantages in the private security sector.

Joyce went on to work with multiple private military contractors, including Blackwater. She also wrote Mercenary Mum: My Journey from Young Mother to Baghdad Bodyguard, a book detailing her path from young mother to contractor in Iraq.

In this episode, Joyce discusses her time in Iraq, her work in the PMC world, and what it was like navigating that environment as a woman.

For critics, Blackwater represents some of the most controversial chapters of the Iraq War. The company became widely associated with the 2007 Nisour Square shooting, where Blackwater Worldwide employees were accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians. That incident became the most infamous example, but it was not the only controversy tied to the company during its years operating in Iraq.

The political weight of the name became so great that Blackwater Worldwide rebranded as Xe in 2009 and later as Academi LLC. Over time, the company moved from its founders, former Navy SEAL Erik Prince and Al Clark, into new ownership before eventually being folded into the Constellis Group alongside Triple Canopy.

But for some who served or worked in Iraq during the height of the war, Blackwater carries a different meaning. Its contractors provided security for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. They protected senior officials, diplomats, and other high-value personnel operating in one of the most dangerous environments in the world. The deaths of four Blackwater contractors in Fallujah also became one of the events that helped trigger the first major battle for the city.

Today, Blackwater is no longer an active brand, but its legacy still dominates the public conversation around private military contractors. The company’s rise, failures, controversies, and operational role in Iraq helped shape how governments, contractors, and the public view the private security industry.

In this episode of Force for Hire, we speak with Deborah Avant, a professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, about Blackwater’s history and long-term impact.

We also welcome back Sean McFate, a former self-described mercenary and professor of strategy at the National Defense University and Georgetown University, to discuss the private military contractor that generated more headlines than any other.