Before 2001 , tier-one contractors , or former members of elite , special forces units , were hired from a small pool of applicants . After the September 11 attacks , Cofer Black , the former head of counter terrorism at the CIA , requested that the federal government hire more contractors to operate overseas . Eventually , the CIA realized that a large number of civilian contractors would be needed overseas to accomplish its broad goals . The federal government turned to Blackwater for assistance . Jamie Smith and his deputy David Phillips recruited , vetted and hired a 21-man team . This team was then trained and deployed on a Top Secret project to provide protection for CIA personnel and facilities in Afghanistan . Jamie Smith and Erik Prince deployed with the team to Afghanistan . The two then deployed to the Pakistani border as a two-man element providing security assistance in one of the most dangerous places in the country at the time . Prince stayed there for one week and was in Afghanistan for a total of two weeks , leaving Smith and the remainder of the team to continue to carry out the mission
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Academi