Archive for category Military News

Military News: Military Retirement Is More Generous And Expensive Compared To Private Sector

Jul 29

Posted by Matt in Finance, Government Work, Industry Talk, Military News | No Comments

Hat tip to Thomas Ricks over at Foreign Policy for pointing this one out. Data like this seems to be missed when we discuss the costs of a standing government army, versus the private industry.  So stuff like this really points out the differences between public and private.

I have yet to work in a company that had any security contractor retirees. Hell, I would be lucky to have a retirement package offered, and most gigs these days seem to be all independent contractor stuff. That is the reality of today’s ‘disposable workforce’. So for me, I just assemble my own retirement plan and continue put into it from the various contracts I work.  Sometimes I was lucky enough to work a contract with a 401K plan, but those were few and far between.

The government seems to be the only industry left that actually has folks that work 20 years or 30 years, and has retirees under that system. It is actually a pretty good deal and many retirees collect pensions and go on to work other jobs.

In the security contracting industry, you see a lot of retired military folks who do exactly that.  They collect a nice pension after working 20 years in the military, and then go on to be a private contractor and make even more money.  So I could understand why the Pentagon and today’s cash strapped US government is taking a second look at this system. You could also guess the reaction of guys in the military that would construe this study as a threat to their good deal. The question to ask is will the government modify the current military retirement system to match that of the federal government, and get a few more years of service out of their soldiers? Or will they succumb to the politics of the matter, and realize that a ton of military retirees and current soldiers vote.

Who knows, but I do know that the US government is in the process of making some adjustments to the budget and spending. So they are looking at all and any options of cutting costs, and the military is no exception.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that I certainly hope these statistics are factored into future cost benefit analysis between government military forces and private military forces.  There are so many costs to consider when maintaining a standing army during times of peace and war.  Not to mention that all of these retirees in the military are also drawing healthcare benefits, and the legacy costs of that must be equally as high.  I mean if a guy retires at age 40 give or take, and the average life expectancy of a human these days is around 75, then that can add up to a lot of money that tax payers will be paying over the course of that individual’s life.

Here is the report that goes into more detail about military retirement and it’s costs. -Matt

slide6 ricksMilitary News: Military Retirement Is More Generous And Expensive Compared To Private Sector

Tags: , ,

Military News: Marine Dakota Meyer To Receive The Medal Of Honor

Jul 20

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Military News | No Comments

Outstanding news and I am glad to see Dakota be recognized for his actions. I was also interested in his statement about what he has been up to since he has left the Marines. In this video below, he mentioned that he was contracting? Very cool and I certainly hope that whatever company he is working for, is doing a good job at taking care of him and his co-workers? Because if said company has been poorly treating this Marine and his co-workers, you are soon to get a whole bunch of negative attention and press placed on how poorly you treated a national hero. Not that this is the case, but I figured I would mention this just as a reminder of why ‘taking care of your people’ is one of the best business practices out there. Semper Fi. -Matt

Edit: Hey, thanks to Federico on FB for sending me this link. I guess Dakota works at Ausgar Technologies.

Meyer took a job with Ausgar Technologies, a military contractor based in San Diego. He travels from Kentucky to bases across the U.S., spending most of his time training snipers on optics.
Meyer said he sometimes thinks about re-enlisting, but thinks better of it because he has a supportive girlfriend who has read all the investigative reports and saw “the aftermath” of his deployment.
“I don’t know if I’d want to do that to her,” he said. “It’s hard to find a girlfriend who can put up with waking up in the middle of the night the way I do sometimes.”

 

Tags: , , ,

Media News: Sergeant Moore’s Social Coup

Jul 14

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Media News, Military News | 2 Comments

This is actually pretty interesting if you take a step back and see what has really happened here. The back story is that a Marine named Sgt. Moore originally posted a youtube video to ask actress Mila Kunis to be his date for the Marine Corps Ball. This ball is a celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday that is held every year, and she accepted! Good for Sgt. Moore and Semper Fi.

Now how is this a ‘social coup d’etat’? In reality, Mila Kunis and this Marine would never purposely seek one another out, just because of the vastly different social circumstances of each party. Mila is a celebrity in Hollywood, and Sgt. Moore is serving in Afghanistan. Actresses typically do not go to Afghanistan to specifically date military men. They might go there for a USO tour, but not to find dates.  And socially and even economically, both the celebrity and soldier live in some very different worlds. Now of course this date does not mean that they are now connected at the hip and actually interested in one another. But they both are certainly going to be hanging out for one night together at this ball, and that is pretty cool. I could even see Hollywood making some show about the whole thing. Who knows?….

But it is this collision of two very different worlds that grabs my interest, and it is cool to check out the dynamics of how it happened and snowballed. Youtube is a tool that anyone can use, and the potential for a video to go viral or be passed around and seen by a lot of people, is open to anyone with a good idea. I first learned about this video on Facebook, because someone watched it, and passed it around on FB.  Guess what, I passed it around as well. The thought of a celebrity going to the Marine Ball with this Marine, was a cool idea and everyone was very supportive of this Marine’s gumption to post such a thing. It is that image of a actress and Marine, going to the ball together, which has created the viral effect of the idea itself.

Once this idea came out, and people agreed with it and celebrated the idea, then guess what? People support what they help to create, and Facebook/Twitter/blogs etc. all allows people to pass around the idea and show their support for it.  They also know that the more people they pass around this idea too, will equate to them being rewarded with a ‘thanks’ and a ‘like’ out there in the world of cyber democracies. Passing around a good idea, makes you a ‘good idea’ within your online community.  That is the incentive, and everyone wants to be the purveyor of good ideas within their social networks. That is why I passed it around on my Facebook account, and that is why my friends passed it around as well.

It get’s better, because now you have this massive viral video explosion going on in the social networks of the world, and meanwhile, little ol’ Mila Kunis has no idea what is about to hit her. When you watch the video where she found out about this video and invitation, she was shocked and had no idea how to respond until her co-host Justin Timberlake clued into the big picture and said ‘this needs to happen’ wink, wink. She said she would go, and that is what sealed it.

I am sure afterwards she was contacting her PR guy and trying to figure out what happened.  They have also clued into the fact that if she does not go, that it would be extremely negative publicity for her. But the main point here is that Sgt. Moore performed a social coup, and was able to get this celebrity elite to go on a date with him to the Marine Ball! A celebrity that would have never had connected with this Marine within the normal societal rules and structures we live in today. Hell, for all we know, Kunis might be an anti-war, thumb her nose at soldiers, Hollywood liberal. But that doesn’t matter if true, because she will be the bad guy now if she doesn’t go.

Finally, this little incident has inspired others (mimicry strategy), because another female Marine named Corporal De Santis has asked Justin Timberlake to accompany her on a date via youtube to the Marine Ball. lol I speculate that he will go, just because if he doesn’t, he will look like a hypocrite for telling Kunis to go and not going himself. Plus, it is all good PR for the movie that Kunis and Timberlake are promoting called Friends With Benefits. The Marines benefit from this PR as well. Stuff like this makes Hollywood happy too if these leads to more revenue and an increase in star power for these two actors. The power of viral videos and social media, continues to amaze me. -Matt

Tags: , , , , , ,

Military News: Medal Of Honor For Sergeant First Class Leroy Arthur Petry

Jul 13

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Military News | No Comments

Tags: , , ,

Military News: Cyber Combat–Act Of War

May 31

Posted by Matt in Letter Of Marque, Military News, Technology | 6 Comments

To supplement my cyber lance post, this news, along with the attacks on L3 and Lockheed Martin or the Stuxnet attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, all point to how important and dangerous this stuff really is. I will let the article speak for itself.

Also check out the Morgan Doctrine’s opinion about this story. The MD is a blog that promotes the concept of cyber privateers and tracks the world of cyber warfare and crime. -Matt

Cyber Combat: Act of War
MAY 31, 2011
Pentagon Sets Stage for U.S. to Respond to Computer Sabotage With Military Force
By SIOBHAN GORMAN And JULIAN E. BARNES
WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S. to respond using traditional military force.
WSJ’s Siobhan Gorman has the exclusive story of the Pentagon classifying cyber attacks by foreign nations acts of war. – News Hub
The Pentagon’s first formal cyber strategy, unclassified portions of which are expected to become public next month, represents an early attempt to grapple with a changing world in which a hacker could pose as significant a threat to U.S. nuclear reactors, subways or pipelines as a hostile country’s military.
In part, the Pentagon intends its plan as a warning to potential adversaries of the consequences of attacking the U.S. in this way. “If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks,” said a military official.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , ,

Industry Talk: Saudi Arabia To Raise A Multi-Billion Dollar, 35,000 Member ‘Facilities Security Force’ With US Help

May 20

Posted by Matt in Industry Talk, Military News, Saudi Arabia | 1 Comment

In October 2008, Ford Fraker, then the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, called the facilities security force program “probably the single biggest initiative for the U.S.-Saudi relationship” and said the value of contracts associated with the program could reach tens of billions of dollars…..

The special security force is expected to grow to at least 35,000 members, trained and equipped by U.S. personnel as part of a multiagency effort that includes staff from the Justice Department, Energy Department and Pentagon. It is overseen by the U.S. Central Command.
The force’s main mission is to protect vital oil infrastructure, but its scope is wider. A formerly secret State Department cable released by the WikiLeaks website described the mission as protecting “Saudi energy production facilities, desalination plants and future civil nuclear reactors.”

Oh boy.  Now everyone was freaking out about the whole R2 contract in the UAE for an 800 man battalion, but a 35,000 man ‘facilities security force’ is way bigger and more valuable. I will say that the Vinnell Arabia contract is a sizable and long term contract and has been a source of employment for the industry for awhile, but this new force could take contracts there to a whole new level.

And that quote up top by U.S. ambassador Ford Fraker is quite significant. He said ‘tens of billions of dollars’ folks!  Now you can see exactly what Erik Prince was thinking about when he wanted to create a mega training facility in the desert of the UAE.  A 35,000 man force requires a ton of training to start up and maintain over the years, and training providers will be a premium in that part of the world.

It also makes sense why the US is not freaking out about Prince and his plans in the UAE.  For a force this large in Saudi Arabia, and with all the competition for trainers and manpower throughout the world in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, you can see that every competent and capable training facility out there will be very popular. Especially facilities that are close, cost effective, and deliver a quality service.  Of course the Saudis will also build local facilities for training and housing these forces. But for the really specialized stuff that I am sure R2 will offer, they could easily cater to forces like this.

Let’s not forget about what the national interest is for the US and it’s allies–keep the oil flowing.  Saudi Arabia is a key part of our energy policy, and their oil and refinery capability is vital to the US economy.  Any threat to that oil, be it from terrorists, internal uprising or Iran, is a threat to US national security.  That is the relationship we have right now, and we will continue to have for awhile.

I also think that we cannot afford to see Saudi Arabia collapse via uprisings.  Libya or Egypt collapsing was one thing, but losing Saudi Arabia to political collapse would be unacceptable. And in the case of this massive facilities security force, we either train their forces to stand the line, or it could potentially be US troops standing that line if Saudi Arabia were to explode. Contracts like Vinnell Arabia or the future contracts for this current force, are insurance for the west pure and simple. -Matt

……The forging of closer U.S.-Saudi military ties is so sensitive, particularly in Saudi Arabia, that the Pentagon and the State Department declined requests for on-the-record comment and U.S. officials rejected a request for an interview with the two-star Army general, Robert G. Catalanotti, who manages the project to build a “facilities security force” to protect the Saudis’ network of oil installations and other critical infrastructure. The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to two written requests for comment. -Understanding Saudi Stability and Instability: A Very Different Nation, By Anthony H. Cordesman, Feb 26, 2011
—————————————————————
U.S. quietly expanding defense ties with Saudis
By Robert Burns
Thursday May 19, 2011
WASHINGTON — Despite their deepening political divide, the United States and Saudi Arabia are quietly expanding defense ties on a vast scale, led by a little-known project to develop an elite force to protect the kingdom’s oil riches and future nuclear sites.
The U.S. also is in discussions with Saudi Arabia to create an air and missile defense system with far greater capability against the regional rival the Saudis fear most, Iran. And it is with Iran mainly in mind that the Saudis are pressing ahead with a historic $60 billion arms deal that will provide dozens of new U.S.-built F-15 combat aircraft likely to ensure Saudi air superiority over Iran for years.
Together these moves amount to a historic expansion of a 66-year-old relationship that is built on America’s oil appetite, sustained by Saudi reliance on U.S. military reach and deepened by a shared worry about the threat of al-Qaida and the ambitions of Iran.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Al Qaeda: Usama Bin Laden Is Dead!!!!

May 1

Posted by Matt in Al Qaeda, Media News, Middle East, Military News, Pakistan | 2 Comments

This is incredible news, and I am writing this as it is coming over the news. Usama Bin Laden is dead and it sounds like his body has been recovered, and identification has been made. President Obama is soon to come on the television and make the announcement. This is such awesome news.

By the way, all of Al Qaeda and it’s supporters better watch out–because you are next!…… -Matt

Edit: An American team was tasked with killing or capturing UBL at a mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan. There was a firefight, and OBL was killed in the firefight. The body was identified by DNA and all of this was confirmed by President Obama in his speech.

Edit: CNN Reports that it was Navy SEALs that came in by helicopter to assault the mansion that UBL was at. Supposedly one of UBL’s sons was killed in the attack as well.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Military News: A Town Stops The Westboro Protestors, And Wins The Peace For A Marine Funeral

Apr 27

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Military News, Mississippi, Video | No Comments

I had to post this awesome story that I am sure will please a few folks out there. This town organized their efforts to counter the Westboro Baptist protesters and were able to protect the funeral of a fallen Marine. I am grateful for what this town did and I certainly hope it catches on throughout the US. In fact, what would really be cool is a non-profit organization designed to protect funerals like this, using strategy and tactics that can defeat scumbags like this.  Such a group would be immensely popular with veterans and the families, and I am sure folks would donate to this cause.

The other reason why I like this, is this is an example of the people ‘taking matters into their own hands’. Obviously this country or even the states of the US are not organizing to protect these funerals because of freedom of speech issues. I cherish the right of freedom of speech, and will defend that right with my life. But I do not support protesters at funerals, and I don’t think most Americans support that concept. So this is the gray area of law and the common good, and in this case, I support the people doing what they have to do to smother the Westboro voice and protect funerals. Call it ‘doing the right thing’ and protecting the sanctity of our fallen warriors.

Here is the video of the funeral and it is a hard one to watch.  The tribute song is awesome. Semper Fi Staff Sgt. Jason Rogers and rest in peace. -Matt

 

A couple of days before, one of them (Westboro protestors) ran his mouth at a Brandon gas station and got his arse waxed. Police were called and the beaten man could not give much of a description of who beat him. When they canvassed the station and spoke to the large crowd that had gathered around, no one seemed to remember anything about what had happened.
Rankin County handled this thing perfectly. There were many things that were put into place that most will never know about and at great expense to the county.
Most of the morons never made it out of their hotel parking lot. It seems that certain Rankin county pickup trucks were parked directly behind any car that had Kansas plates in the hotel parking lot and the drivers mysteriously disappeared until after the funeral was over. Police were called but their wrecker service was running behind and it was going to be a few hours before they could tow the trucks so the Kansas plated cars could get out.
A few made it to the funeral but were ushered away to be questioned about a crime they might have possibly been involved in. Turns out, after a few hours of questioning, that they were not involved and they were allowed to go on about their business.
Link to Ole Miss Sports forum post here.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Military News: Putting The ‘Green’ In The Green Machine–The Marines And ExFOB

Mar 25

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Military News, Technology | No Comments

Over the last ten years, we have become more lethal, but we have become heavy. We have lost speed. To reset the balance, we must return to our Spartan roots—fast, lethal, and austere.-From the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Strategy and Implementation plan.

This is an excellent article and website that details all of the benefits that the Marines have gained from becoming more self-reliant and energy efficient out there.  It is also a big heads up to private industry  that as the military becomes more Spartan, so shall the PMC/PSC industry.(if they want to compete)

I could also see new job types popping up because of these energy strategy initiatives. Contracts could stipulate that there be a ‘Energy Resource Manager’ on site, whose sole purpose is to monitor energy and water use and keep it at a certain level.  Could we see a day where in order to be contract compliant, that a company had to maintain a certain amount of energy and water use, or be penalized?  Hmmm. Well, if the Marines think energy management is of strategic importance, then perhaps logistics contracts will begin to emphasize this kind of thing?

Of course the other reason why energy management and going green is important is that it can save lives. The less fuel convoys or water convoys needed to sustain a remote site, the better.  That means less exposure to the roads for those convoy teams, and less targets for the enemy. It also means that if a site can operate without that artery of logistics, then that alleviates a huge burden both for private industry and for the military.

This minimized dependency on logistics also expands the reach of a unit or company in the field, and allows them to venture further away from the larger FOBs, or to patrol longer in AOs that need constant attention in this COIN-centric war.

Finally, if you watch the big picture of energy–it absolutely sucks to depend upon other nations for oil.  Especially nations in the Middle East that are impacted by regional instability. The Ares Blog mentioned that ‘A $10 increase in the price of a barrel of oil, at current consumption levels, would be equivalent to the entire Marine Corps’ procurement budget.’

That is startling to think about, and that is just the Marines. A ripple in the energy world definitely impacts the cost of operations in the war, and becoming more energy efficient and diversifying our energy sources is smart and a necessity in my view.

Finally, I wanted to highlight ExFOB’s website and latest FBO request.  They are looking for a way to charge all of their gadgets from their vehicles, without wasting all of that fuel required to run a vehicle’s generators.  If you think about all of the thousands of vehicles being used by the military, with each vehicle filled with energy consuming electronic devices, you can see the scope of energy consumption problem here?  Perhaps one idea is to just arm everyone with smart phones and solar panels, and give our infantry a horse to ride? ….lol -Matt

101229 M 5423P 001Military News: Putting The Green In The Green Machine The Marines And ExFOB
Marines and sailors of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, and their Afghan national army counterparts, pose in front of a modified ZeroBase Regenerator at Patrol Base Sparks, in Sangin District, Dec. 29. The ZeroBased Regenerator, nicknamed the Raptor, after the type of power cells in its six solar panels, can keep more than 17 computers and 15 lighting units running throughout the night. The Marines of 1st Platoon, added four more panels to their Raptor for further solar energy conservation.

Renewable energy vital to Marines success in Afghanistan


January 12, 2011

By Gunnery Sgt. William Price  , 1st Marine Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON, Afghanistan  — The Marines and sailors of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment have tapped into a vital renewable energy source – the sun – to help take the fight to the enemy in Sangin District.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Bahrain: Saudi Arabia Sends Soldiers To Defend Government In Bahrain, So What Will Iran Do?

Mar 16

Posted by Matt in Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Military News, Saudi Arabia | 2 Comments

 

Wow, this is some news that needs to be put out there.(obviously the disaster in Japan, and uprisings in Libya are taking up the stage right now)  My question here is if most of the protest base is Shia, will they now be justified and inclined to accept help from Iran? Especially since Saudi Arabia (which is mostly  Sunni) has decided it is within their best interest to send troops to Bahrain? I think so…

Or will Iran send advisors and lots of weapons, much like they do elsewhere in the Middle East? And of course, Iran’s little puppets in Iraq are firing up the Shia there, and joining in support of the protesters in Bahrain with their own protests in Iraq. Things are moving fast and this fire burning in Bahrain and elsewhere in the Middle East is in some very dry tinder. Especially if footage of Saudi troops shooting or beating protesters comes out–and I know Iran will be all over that. Interesting times. -Matt

Saudi soldiers sent into Bahrain

March 16, 2011

Hundreds of Saudi troops have entered Bahrain to help protect government facilities there amid escalating protests against the government.

Bahrain television on Monday broadcast images of troops in armoured cars entering the Gulf state via the 26km causeway that connects the kingdom to Saudi Arabia.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , ,