Former Trump Official Pushes for Private Military Contractors Over Government-Led Nation Building

Fred Fleitz, a former Trump administration official, told reporters on Saturday that while he is wary of nation building, he believes there’s a way forward that avoids trapping the United States in another long-term overseas commitment.

“I’ll be honest,” Fleitz said. “The idea of nation building makes me nervous.”

His comments come amid renewed debate in Washington over America’s role abroad and how best to protect U.S. interests without repeating the mistakes of Iraq and Afghanistan following the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Fleitz’s concern echoes a sentiment shared by many Americans after decades of costly interventions that promised stability and delivered quagmires. But he was clear that skepticism doesn’t mean paralysis.

According to Fleitz, the key is how the job gets done—and by whom. “I think there’s a way to do this,” he said, arguing that President Donald Trump should look beyond traditional government-led efforts.

Instead of relying on U.S. government employees and bureaucratic structures, Fleitz recommended turning to experienced private contractors with military backgrounds. “Maybe Erik Prince, he has a new firm. It’s the successor to Blackwater,” Fleitz said, referring to the controversial but battle-tested private security model Prince helped pioneer.

The firm, Vectus Global, employs many former special operations officers with extensive experience in high-risk environments. Fleitz argued that contractors like these bring practical, on-the-ground expertise that government agencies often lack. “Let’s bring in contractors, not U.S. government employees, people who know how to do this with military experience,” he said.

The advantage, Fleitz explained, is efficiency and limits. Contractors can be tasked with specific objectives, operate under defined timelines and exit once the mission is complete—without creating the kind of open-ended commitment that has plagued past nation-building efforts. “They could help get this done without miring the United States in a long-term nation-building operation,” Fleitz said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken overnight from their home on a military base and were aboard a U.S. warship en route to New York, where they were to face criminal charges.