For military vets, pvt security is a lucrative second act. It can also be deadly

livemint.com:

The killing of three private security contractors in last week’s Israeli strike on an aid convoy in Gaza shined light on an industry that in recent years has shifted from working for military forces to helping protect humanitarian organizations that operate in conflict zones. John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby—employees of Solace Global, a U.K.-based security and risk-management company—were among seven who were killed when Israeli drone strikes hit the convoy organized by World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian group founded by chef José Andrés.

The attack added to international uproar over the war in Gaza, and Israel’s military took disciplinary action against its own personnel after finding “errors in decision-making" and the violation of the rules of engagement. The three security contractors had served in the British military, and Chapman was a veteran of the Special Boat Service, the U.K.

equivalent of the Navy SEALs, according to Solace Global. Private security firms such as Blackwater rose to prominence at the height of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they assumed roles that were once reserved for uniformed soldiers, such as guarding diplomatic convoys.

When those wars wound down, so too did demand for such services, at least initially. “When those big U.S.-driven contracts dried up, those big companies shut down," said Sean McFate, a former private military contractor who teaches strategy at the National Defense University.

“But that doesn’t mean everybody came home and became a National Guard Reservist. A lot of them went looking for future clients." The companies that stayed in business shifted to developing private-sector clients, McFate said, like oil companies with offshore installations,