Came here to post something similar to this. I couldn't agree more. Building on your comment, PMCs aren't inherently bad either. The guys are just trying to pay the mortgage and provide for their families because the military didn't do shit for them during their transition back into civilian life.

The companies themselves are just trying to make the best of a bad situation too. They're opportunists. Sure there's been some unsavory actions and outcomes but like you said, their existence stems from the reluctance of governments to use their militaries to their full potentials.

I've known contractors for many years and they aren't evil menacing people. Mat Best, Evan Hafer, and countless others were contractors for these companies, contracted out to the CIA to make up a deficit not only in man power but also training. Why pay new people to train when you have vets who need jobs? Now these guys are heroes to the veteran community, with Mat owning Article 15 Clothing and Evan owning Black Rifle Coffee.