APEX - Few Americans have a clearer view of how the world changed after Sept. 11, 2001, for the U.S. military, private companies operating overseas and law enforcement agencies than James Reese and Brian Searcy.

They retired in 2007 from Delta Force, the Army's secretive counterterrorism unit, after years of pursuing al-Qaida. After leaving the Army, they started a new company out of Searcy's kitchen.

Now Apex-based TigerSwan Inc. employs 225 people who perform specialized military and law-enforcement training and sensitive overseas construction work, provide security details and advise major companies on security, among other roles. It operates a 1,000-acre training facility near Fort Bragg and has offices in half a dozen foreign countries.

TigerSwan's work relies heavily on the former soldiers' familiarity with the world of terrorism, their high-level military training, and knowledge of how to work in low-key fashion amidst other cultures.

"We're problem-solvers in the seams," Reese said in an interview last week.

Some of the company's work, such as a current contract to provide the military with agricultural advisers to work with Afghan farmers, falls under what Reese calls "stability operations." That basically means TigerSwan is playing a role in the military's counterinsurgency efforts since the advisers' work is aimed at helping win the battle with the Taliban for the hearts and minds of Afghan civilians.

Economical basics

The U.S. government wanted the advisers but needed a nimble partner that could find and hire them quickly. TigerSwan teamed with N.C. State University and quickly found candidates.

For businesses, the company handles an array of functions, including low-profile security details for executives, IT security, protection from electronic surveillance and advice on how to operate in high-risk countries. In one case, a client with offices high in a Chicago office building asked for a vulnerability assessment.

TigerSwan advised hoods at every desk to protect against smoke inhalation, one of the chief dangers in fires and regular practice in moving quickly to the stairwells.

"Basics are more economical, and they keep people safe," Reese said. "People are able to execute the basics. You can go out and spend all kinds of money on so-called advanced aspects, but when the stress comes on people, you have to keep it simple because people react differently to stress."

The company has branches in Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other countries. It registers them with the host countries as local businesses, and hires local employees.

"Because of our backgrounds, we feel like it's important not to be the big American coming in there and doing things," Reese said. "That means getting involved with the locals, putting the locals out front."

'A different world'

TigerSwan ended up in Apex in part because Reese and Searcy wanted to stay in North Carolina after they retired and felt that Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune would always play big roles in their business. It's a reasonable commute to Fort Bragg, and it's close to Raleigh-Durham International Airport

The company is expanding its facility near Fort Bragg, simulating a full Special Operations training site, and trying to accommodate other types of training.

Reese said that he has even trained his own family.

"If we're in Jordan, for instance, my wife pays attention to where she's going and who she's talking with," he said. "Even my children today, I'm preparing them for adulthood at ages 6 and 12. It's a different world after 9/11."