Archive for category Afghanistan

Industry Talk: Equipment Drawdown From Afghanistan An ‘Enormous’ Undertaking

Apr 5

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Logistics | No Comments

And contractors will be a very important part of that drawdown, much like they were in Iraq. The problem with Afghanistan though is how difficult it will be to actually get this stuff out of the country, just because it is a landlocked nation and the roads out of town are through some rough and dangerous country. At least Iraq had easier roads to navigate on and plenty of port access.

What is interesting with this deal is the decision making process to ship the item or leave it in Afghanistan for whomever– all because of cost. How much stuff they leave in this country is the question, and I imagine it will be quite a bit. -Matt

 

Equipment drawdown from Afghanistan an ‘enormous’ undertaking
By Hendrick Simoes
March 23, 2013
With the pace of NATO’s drawdown from Afghanistan accelerating, the international coalition is faced with the unprecedented task of removing tens of thousands of tons of equipment and vehicles from a country still very much at war.
For the U.S. military, moving 35,000 vehicles and 95,000 shipping containers full of cargo to various bases in America or overseas is easier said than done.
Maj. Gen. Kurt Stein, commander of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, said during a visit to Kuwait last month that getting the supplies and equipment out of Afghanistan will be an “enormous” mission.
“It will be historic, it’s nothing like we have ever done in the history of our military.” The 1st TSC has a leading role in the equipment drawdown, or as they refer to it — “retrograde.”
Afghanistan is landlocked, and transit routes to the nearest seaport in Pakistan are long, politically tenuous and vulnerable to attack. The alliance’s northern supply route, snaking overland through Central Asia and Russia to Poland and the Baltics, also is difficult due to the logistics of coordinating truck and rail transport.
Stein, who also oversaw the pull-out of equipment from Iraq, said there could be no comparison between the complexity of the two operations.

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Jobs: Aircraft Load Master, OCONUS

Mar 20

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Jobs, Paracargo | No Comments

I wanted to post this one as a unique job to get into. This is a paracargo job or kicker job and you don’t see too many of these being advertised.

In the smokejumpers I used to partake in these types of operations all the time and they are pretty cool. Flying low and kicking cargo to the guys on the ground, up in some mountain range at some remote fire, is quite the experience.

As to this specific load master job, you would be working with a pretty unique aircraft (DHC 4T Turbo Caribou) and more than likely you would be working in Afghanistan. I did a post awhile back about FlightWorks winning an LCLA contract in Afghanistan and posted a video to go with it if you want to check that out.

My only advice to FlightWorks on this is that there should be some mention of the possibility of crashing or getting shot down, and that Load Masters and crew should be prepared for that possibility. Meaning they should have survival gear and weapons, and some background or training as a back up for that possibility. -Matt

 

Aircraft Load Master – OCONUS
Job ID: 2013-1076
Posted Date: 3/19/2013
Location: OCONUS
Category: Operations-Operation Management
Overview:
De Havilland DHC-4 aircraft. Employee will participate as a non-rated crew member on approved missions flown in support of an OCONUS US Government contract.
Responsibilities:
The Load Master is responsible for accomplishing all required Load Master (non-rated crew member) duties in accordance with FlightWorks policies and procedures to include existing company training programs. The individual will also perform duties in accordance with FAA, ICAO or OEM Regulations and other tasks required to service the aircraft. The employee must be able to read and write English, interpret and apply technical data and instructions in the performance of required duties. Load Master duties are performed under the supervision of the Pilot-Command and include but are not limited to, aircraft configuration changes to support alternate missions, aircraft cargo and personnel loading and unloading operations, passenger safety briefings and other tasks as assigned. In addition to the duties stated above, the load master will also accomplish the following.
OTHER OR ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Perform non-rated crewmember duties in accordance with aircrew training program requirements.
Plan and perform LCLA airdrop operations.
Plan and perform loading and unloading activities, compute the center-of-gravity position and ensure it is within prescribed limits at all times.

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Industry Talk: Page Group Wins EU Security Services Contract For Afghanistan

Mar 15

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Industry Talk | No Comments

Last year I posted about the EEAS contract and here is the winner. So folks that were waiting on this news, here you go. Although I am kind of curious how they were able to side step Presidential Decree 62 and this APPF thing? Obviously they have made deals with the Afghans to make this happen. Or maybe they are in compliance via some stipulation in the law. Who knows and congratulations to the Page Group. -Matt

 

Security firm wins EU contract despite tax problem
03/15/2013
British private security firm Page Group has scooped a contract to protect EU diplomats in Afghanistan, but faces delays over local tax compliance.
A Page Group spokesperson confirmed to EUobserver on Thursday (14 March) that “this company’s tender for the provision of security services at the EU delegation has been accepted.”
The contract, worth between €30 million and €50 million over the next four years, is to see it provide at least 100 security guards as well as mobile patrol teams and armoured vehicles to protect EU staff, their families and visiting VIPs.

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Finance: If You Worked In Afghanistan Last Year For Aegis, Foreign Taxes Paid Not Shown On W2′s

Feb 3

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Finance | No Comments

This is an important tax deal specifically for Aegis contractors/employees who worked in Afghanistan this last tax year. A big thanks to Luke Fairfield for putting the word out about this, and I will put this note up in the Taxes For Contractors section. Spread this around to any Aegis folks if you read this. Also, if you are an employee with another company and you worked in Afghanistan last year, be sure to check your W-2′s to see if foreign taxes paid are present. If not, definitely call your HR department about the matter. -Matt

 

TO ALL AEGIS EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED IN AFGHANISTAN IN 2012:
FOREIGN TAXES PAID NOT SHOWN ON W2’S

Fairfield Hughes, CPA’s, prepares and files the taxes for a large number of security contractors working in various combat zones.  We understand that Aegis has issued W2’s without including the amount of foreign taxes paid to Afghanistan on behalf of their employees working in the country on the W2 Form.  These foreign taxes paid represent a very large tax benefit called the “Foreign Tax Credit”.  If an individual sends their W2 to their CPA or tax preparer and that person is not aware of the foreign taxes paid, the employee could potentially miss out on the benefit.  We are asking our clients to send their final pay stub from Aegis (which reports the Afghanistan tax paid) along with their Aegis W2 to make sure they receive the tax savings.

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Industry Talk: Aegis Guards Speak In Kabul… And Their Leaders Should Have Listened

Jan 20

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Industry Talk | 3 Comments

First off, bravo to these guards for voicing their concerns and holding their company and leaders accountable. I also want to say thanks to POGO for putting this out there, both on their blog and over at Foreign Policy magazine.

As I read through this post, it looks to me like the company’s leaders have done a terrible job of listening to their guard force’s concerns about security or even about the day to day operations of the company. And if the actions of the company and these leaders are causing folks to leave, then that only creates more problems for the guys on the ground because they work more hours and get burned out.

Another point I want to bring up is that today’s security contracting industry is filled with combat seasoned contractors who know exactly what is needed to actually provide security in a war zone. If these guys are recognizing deficiencies in the security apparatus of the embassy, then it would behoove the leadership to listen to these concerns and make adjustments. Especially after such incidents like what happened in Benghazi.

They should be thanking these men for actually caring about the mission and the defense of the facility, and bringing these concerns forward. Instead, it looks like the ego of these leaders is more important and they have chosen to fire or reprimand those who actually spoke up. Shameful….

On that note, it makes no sense at all for a leader or leaders of a security force to not listen to this pool of combat veterans, security contractor veterans or police veterans, that when combined, would have years of experience and knowledge. It should be the goal of that leadership to tap into that pool of ‘human resource’, and take full advantage of that. To use that resource to build a better security apparatus or use it as part of their Kaizen or continuous improvement plan, and then reward that resource by giving them the credit and encouraging them to do it again and again. Call it collaboration or team work, and it works if you actually allow it to happen and know how to use it.

People will also support what they help to create, which is a Jundism. It is also a great way of showing that you are not a toxic leader.

Either way, we will see how this turns out? Obviously this is a black eye on the management of Aegis because it got to this level, and some changes are in order if they intend to hang onto this contract. -Matt

Edit: 01/24/2013- It sounds like four of the guards have filed a $5 million lawsuit against Aegis for being told to lie on their time sheets. The law firms they are using are The Employment Law Group and Lichten & Liss-Riordan. Here is a link to the court filing.

 

A “Mutiny” in Kabul: Guards Allege Security Problems Have Put Embassy at Risk
January 17, 2013
By Adam Zagorin
Private guards responsible for protecting what may be the most at-risk U.S. diplomatic mission in the world — the embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan — say security weaknesses have left it dangerously vulnerable to attack.
In interviews and written communications with the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), current and former guards said a variety of shortcomings, from inadequate weapons training to an overextended guard force, have compromised security there — security provided under a half-a-billion-dollar contract with Aegis Defense Services, the U.S. subsidiary of a British firm. “[I]f we ever got seriously hit [by terrorists], there is no doubt in my mind the guard force here would not be able to handle it, and mass casualties and mayhem would ensue,” a guard serving at the embassy wrote in a late November message to POGO.
“[I]f we ever got seriously hit [by terrorists], there is no doubt in my mind the guard force here would not be able to handle it, and mass casualties and mayhem would ensue.”
In July, dissatisfaction boiled over when more than 40 members of the embassy’s Emergency Response Team signed a petition sounding an alarm about embassy security, people familiar with the document said. The petition, submitted to the State Department and Aegis, expressed a “vote of no confidence” in three of the guard force leaders, accusing them of “tactical incompetence” and “a dangerous lack of understanding of the operational environment.” Two guards say they were quickly fired after organizing the petition, in what they called “retaliation.”
A State Department document obtained by POGO describes a “mutiny” among guards who defend the Kabul embassy — an apparent reference to the petition, though the document does not explicitly mention it. Dated July 18, 2012, and labeled “SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED,” the document says that the mutiny was “baseless” but that it “undermined the chain of command” and “put the security of the Embassy at risk.”

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Cool Stuff: Afghan Police Trap Reveals How ‘Insider Attacks’ Actually Work

Dec 30

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Cool Stuff, Law Enforcement | No Comments

Bravo to Beyar Kahn Weyaar and this Afghan police force for quickly jumping on this opportunity and taking the risk to foil this attack. This action also coincides with that famous Sun Tzu quote ‘all war is deception’. Hell, if our police mentors are not teaching this kind of undercover/sting operations stuff, they should be. My guess is that it is being introduced at some level, but who knows? All I know is Beyar was able to stop a major attack with his work, and that is awesome.

The other thing I like about this sting operation is the use of reward or incentive, and the televising of such a thing. To basically communicate to the world and to the Taliban that insider attacks go both ways, and the Afghan government was able to penetrate this suicide assaulter ring and take it down with an insider of their own. Perhaps this will encourage other police/army personnel, or even citizens, to get in the game of deceiving the Taliban?

Now the funniest part of this story below was the idea that the Taliban sold Beyar on the idea of turning, by offering him money and riches. But then when the assault was to happen, instead of bringing gold they brought a suicide vest and VBIED for Beyar, and expected him to blow himself up during the attack.  Ummmm?….Say Again? lol.

“He said he would give me 2.5 million Afghani ($50,000), two brand new cars and a house in Pakistan,” Weyaar said…About a month later, Mohammed returned to launch the attack. He was with two more people, a pick-up truck packed with explosives, and had 60 hand grenades, six machine guns and six suicide vests.
“I asked him about the sixth suicide bomber that he had told me would take part,” Weyaar said. “He said, ‘The sixth person is me, I will detonate the vehicle.’”

Pretty cool and I hope they are able to conduct more of these types of sting operations. -Matt

 

Beyar Khan Weyaar receiving his award.

 

Afghan Police Trap Reveals How ‘Insider Attacks’ Actually Work
Dec. 30, 2012
The Taliban believed Beyar Khan Weyaar was the perfect candidate to prepare an insider attack on Afghan police, but instead he set a daring trap that has given a rare insight into suicide bombing tactics.
Weyaar, a low-ranking police officer in the eastern province of Paktika, was approached in November by a man who offered him the chance to get rich if he met a local insurgent commander.
“I thought he was joking,” Weyaar told AFP after collecting a hero’s medal from Interior Minister Mujtaba Patang in Kabul on December 25.
“But the commander, who said he was called Mohammed, came to meet me at my police post in Sar Hawza district. He must have known I worked there.
“He brazenly asked me to take the Taliban side and help them launch an attack inside the police force. I asked him to give me time to think.”
Weyaar, aged in his early 40s, instead informed senior officers, who gave him clearance to continue meeting the insurgents to gain intelligence.
He then got a telephone call from a leader of the Taliban-linked Haqqani group offering him a luxury house in Pakistan if he helped bombers infiltrate the Paktika provincial headquarters where the governor and police chief work.

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