Zachary Young is a former U.S. Navy SEAL who served approximately 12 years, including multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan and other locations. A Navy veteran, he left the military around 2015 and founded Nemex Enterprises, LLC, a Florida-based company providing private security, logistics, and armed guard services in high-risk areas, particularly Afghanistan where it supported NGOs and aid organizations during the U.S. withdrawal. Young's operations included exchanging U.S. dollars for Afghan currency at market rates to facilitate client payments when formal banking collapsed in 2021, a practice he maintains was legal and necessary and operated within the informal hawala system prevalent in Afghanistan, though criticized by some for high exchange fees. This was depicted in CNN's November 11, 2021, segment on 'The Lead with Jake Tapper' as black market profiteering, prompting Young to sue CNN, Tapper, and producer Matthew Furman for defamation in November 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The court denied CNN's motions to dismiss and for summary judgment in 2023, allowing the case to advance toward trial amid disputes over discovery, including demands for CNN's internal communications. Young resides in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, where his company is registered. The lawsuit highlights tensions between media reporting on chaotic evacuations and contractors' roles in war zones.