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FROM THE EDITOR

J. Michael Waller

It isn’t often that one gets to start a magazine to define an industry. But that’s what we’re setting out to do with Serviam.

Serviam is Latin for “I will serve.” Service to humanity is the credo of this magazine. We are unabashed about our professional editorial commitment to old-fashioned values: God and country. Love of neighbor. Hard work and innovation. Entrepreneurship. Just compensation for honest work done well. Reward for risk-taking. Accountability and integrity. Efficiency. Safety and prosperity. Defense of the defenseless. Stewardship of the investments of shareholders and taxpayers. Respect for the law. Charity and mercy. That’s our vision for the global stability industry.

That’s what we mean by serviam.
Private initiative, innovators, soldiers, pilgrims and missionaries, and entrepreneurs of all stripes founded what became the United States. With vision and ingenuity, toughness and grit, they built a new land of prosperity and safety for all who sought to participate. The early English colonists came to the wilds of America with no military support from their government, despite constant threats from Indians and other European powers. The immigrants and settlers and the investors who financed their expeditions defended themselves on their own and hired professionals to help them.

The spirit that embodied our country’s early pioneers—seeking one’s fortune while generously serving others—ideally motivates the best of today’s providers of private global stability solutions. That’s why in our first issue of Serviam we trace the history of one element of today’s global stability industry: private security contractors, or PSCs. As the nation celebrated the 400th anniversary of the first English settlement in the New World, the establishment of Jamestown, Va., it coincidentally observed four centuries of PSCs in America.

We also mark the founding of something new: the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). Our inaugural cover story focuses on Africa—not just the horrors and outrages on that abused continent, but the solutions that AFRICOM can offer in partnership with the private sector and responsible regional leaders. Veteran journalist David C. Walsh brings us the story. David has a long career as a radio, TV, print, and photo journalist. He wrote and edited news stories for CNN during Operation Desert Storm; penned articles for The Washington Post, Army magazine, Stars & Stripes, and Proceedings; and reported for some of the world’s great global radio networks: Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, and the venerable BBC.

Then we present a thought piece to explain the global stability industry. Though its roots in the United States are ancient, the sector is so new that many corporate executives, government officials, NGOs, and contractors aren’t even aware that they fit together—or even if they fit at all.

Serviam will always have a homeland security feature in each issue. In this edition, our staff-written story concerns troubles at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), what they might mean for private supporters of the department’s mission, and what constructive roles businesses can play in helping DHS out of its current funk.

Regular departments will cover law enforcement, government policy, industry innovation, and ideas for action. We always welcome comments from you, our readers. Serviam is a professional magazine by, for, and about people from the global stability industry. It’s your magazine. We’re glad to serve you.
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From the September/October 2007 issue of Serviam.