Archive for category Pakistan

Jobs: Foreign Service Security Protective Specialist, OCONUS

Dec 20

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Government Work, Iraq, Jobs, Pakistan | No Comments

This is cool. I signed up for job alerts with the DoS awhile back, and they sent me this one today. I have gotten other job alerts from them for all sorts of interesting stuff, but this is the first security related job. With that said, this would be another deal you could add to your job seeking machine.

Of course this job is geared towards my American readers, and that is the way it goes. And based on the DoS’s current plans with WPS, they are going to need a ton of these SPS’s to help keep everything running smoothly.

Also, don’t let the pay throw you off either. With this kind of work, it is all about the over time pay/danger pay/post differential pay, and all of that can add up pretty nicely. I am not the POC for this job, and please follow the directions below if you want to apply. Good luck and let me know how it goes. -Matt

DeptOfStateLogoJobs: Foreign Service Security Protective Specialist, OCONUS

Announcement No: SPS-11-01

Opening Date: December 20, 2010

Closing Date: January 20, 2011

Position Title: FOREIGN SERVICE SECURITY PROTECTIVE SPECIALIST

Grade and Starting Salary Range: FP-06: $44,737 per annum*

Additional Benefits: Tax-Free Housing Overseas; Danger Pay; Post Differential; Overtime Compensation; Holiday Pay and Holiday Premium Pay; Night Shift Differential; Accrual of Annual and Sick Leave; Life Insurance; Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHB); Participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS); Separate Maintenance and Educational Allowances; Compensation for Disability or Death (Details available online at Compensation and Benefits.)

Number of Vacancies: The Department of State is developing a rank-order register to fill a limited number of Foreign Service Diplomatic Security Protective Specialist (SPS) vacancies. The specific number to be hired will depend on the needs of the Foreign Service. Applications are accepted ONLY during the period specified above.

Area of Consideration: All Sources.

Location: All assignments will be directed by the Department according to the needs of the Service. Assignments may be to any high or critical threat Foreign Service post abroad. Initial training and orientation will be held in the Washington, DC area.

* Includes the 16.52% Overseas Comparability Payment.

SPECIAL NOTICES

Please go to www.usajobs.opm.gov for application instructions.

Successful applicants are appointed to the Foreign Service as Limited Non-Career Appointment (LNA) employees with a federal benefits package.

Appointments will be made for an initial 13-month period and may be renewed annually up to a maximum of five years.

Overseas tours are unaccompanied.

There is no conversion mechanism to a career Foreign Service position. SPSs are encouraged to apply to become a Foreign Service specialist, but must meet the applicable qualifications and complete the standard application and assessment process.

The appointment may be terminated by the US Government at any time upon at least 30 days notice unless the termination is for cause. In this case, the 30 days notice is not applicable.

The SPS may terminate the appointment by written notification at least 30 days in advance.

Benefits Package

The following are some of the more significant benefits to employment in the Foreign Service:

1. Danger Pay – based upon post of assignment: Afghanistan – 35% of base pay; Iraq – 35% of base pay; Peshawar, Pakistan – 35% of base pay.

2. Post Differential – based upon post of assignment: Afghanistan – 35% of base pay; Iraq – 35% of base pay; Peshawar, Pakistan – 30% of base pay.

3. Overtime – OT may be expected and is paid at the rate of 1.5 times the hourly rate.

4. Separate Maintenance Allowance (SMA) – while assigned to unaccompanied posts, SPS employees are eligible for SMA. The SMA is an annual grant determined by the number of dependents and ranges from $6,000 for one child to $20,200 for an adult dependent if there are 4 or more family members. The SMA is non-taxable.

5. R&R – Kabul, Peshawar and Baghdad are all under a generous leave/R&R allowance program (usually taken at 50-60 day intervals). Kabul and Baghdad allow 2 R&Rs and 3 Regional Rest Breaks (RRBs) or 3 R&Rs and no RRBs. Peshawar allows 2 R&Rs and 1 RBB. R&Rs provide round-trip transportation to any point in the United States. Time usually allowed is approximately two weeks. In addition to the Annual Leave allowance (addressed below), at post discretion, a limited amount of administrative leave may also be authorized to be used while on R&R.

6. Paid Annual Leave – federal employees earn Annual Leave (AL) based upon the following formula.

If less than 3 years federal service – 4 hours a pay period (26 pay periods in a calendar year);

If between 3 and 15 years federal service – 6 hours a pay period;

If more than 15 years federal service – 8 hours a pay period. Former military service – time spent in the US military is credited towards the annual leave allowance unless the employee is retired from the military. If retired and receiving retired pay, then form SF-813 (Verification of a Military Retiree’s Service) must be submitted before a determination can be made as to creditable service.

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Tags: Afghanistan, DoS, foreign service, Government Work, Iraq, Jobs, Pakistan, security protective specialist, SPS

Logistics: US And NATO Making Deals With Russia, A New Rail Line, And Getting Closer To Dropping Pakistan Routes

Oct 28

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Logistics, Pakistan, Russia | No Comments

At the moment, about half those supplies come through Pakistan. The Pakistanis only closed, for about a day, one of the two main routes. About 30 percent of the supplies come in via Central Asia railroads, and another comes from the Black Sea, via rail to the Afghan border. The remaining 20 percent comes in by air. But some of that may be shifted to the Central Asian route, which is much safer (from bandits, bad roads and the Taliban) than the Pakistan routes.

The U.S. and NATO supplies coming in via railroad from Western Europe, go through Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, to Afghanistan. This approach costs $400 a ton to get supplies into Afghanistan, versus three times that to truck it in from Pakistani ports, or $14,000 a ton to fly stuff in. This Central Asian route has been under negotiation since 2003, but Russia kept agreeing to it, and then withdrawing cooperation. What has finally compelled Russia to cooperate in the last year is the growing problems they are having with heroin and opium coming out of Afghanistan into, and through, Russia.-From Strategy Page

Boy, this latest deal with Pakistan shutting down the border after the cross border accident is any indicator as to how unstable the logistics route is, then news like this should be good for the US and NATO. Although any deals they make with Russia will have to piss off Georgia, whom has contributed forces to the war effort. It is also risky to now make Russia a partner with all of this, because they could play games with the rail system. I guess they would be the best route to go with out of the two bad options available.

The other point is that Russia is very smart when it comes to leverage and negotiations. The more we have issues on the Pakistan border with crucial logistics, the more the coalition is up against the wall to use a different route–and they don’t have many options. Especially when cost is increasingly becoming an issue. So at this point, Russia is going to negotiate all types of sweet deals in regards to NATO and how it impacts Russia. I just hope that whatever deals we strike up, that the US and NATO don’t get screwed in the long run. Russia knows it has the cards.

On the flip side, I just posted a deal on Russia thinking about using private security firms for their companies overseas. I could see them utilizing these types of paramilitary forces for work in Afghanistan, if in fact the US and NATO could convince them to participate. Russian troops in Afghanistan would be too much to ask I think. You never know though and I never cease to be amazed with this stuff.

I also mention private industry as a better option because of all of the Mi-17s that Afghanistan is buying up. Russia would be a good choice for instructors and maintenance types in these contracts to ensure that Afghanistan gets a good value. Plus, the Russians wrote the book on using the Mi-17 in Afghanistan during their war there and these Mi-17s are familiar to the Afghans. Most of all, there is the maintenance of these aircraft post war. Poor countries with little in the means of parts or repair capability, will really appreciate the durability, cost and simplicity of this aircraft when everyone is gone and packed up.

Afghanistan will also appreciate all of these railroads coming into their country, because that will make it significantly cheaper for investors to do business there. The US and NATO will enjoy a cost savings as well, just as long as Russia is happy, and the Taliban can be put in check in the north. We will see how it goes. -Matt

Afghanistan’s First New Railroad On Track

Screw Pakistan

Russia, NATO Plan Joint Afghan War Initiative

Afghanistan’s First New Railroad On Track

October 14, 2010

by Charles Recknagel

From the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif to the Uzbek border, the land runs flat with barely a hillock to block the way.

It is perfect terrain for building a railway. So, since Afghanistan inaugurated construction of its northern rail line in May, progress has been fast.

Now, the Uzbek company contracted to lay the track has completed almost all of the 75-kilometer line. According to the schedule, the construction should be finished by the end of this year.

If so, Afghanistan will get its first railroad in more than 100 years. That is when a former monarch, Amir Abdurrahman, banned rail lines as potential invasion routes.

Officials say the railroad will speed up freight deliveries across the Uzbek border dramatically.

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Tags: Afghanistan, Logistics, NATO, Pakistan, private military companies, private security companies, rail lines, railroad, routes, Russia, security, transportation, US, war

Logistics: NATO Convoy Security Threatened By Events In Pakistan And PSC Disbanding In Afghanistan

Oct 3

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Logistics, Pakistan | 1 Comment

So now reality sets in. Crybaby Karzai is now going to set up a state-run trucking protection system to take control of NATO convoy security? Just one problem–they don’t have a clue on how to do it or where to get the manpower. Because if you take troops from essential war duties, and shuffle them around to fill those jobs that PSCs filled, then now we are negatively impacting strategies that depended on those troops.

Also, who says that these Afghan soldiers won’t steal from the convoys or get into firefights with insurgents in local populations? Because these forces will probably react the same way that Afghan PSC’s reacted doing the same job. They will probably be worse, because they will have to do some serious OJT to catch up to the capability of PSC’s.

My guess is that we will continue to see PSCs operate on the road to some degree, just because there is another issue here that trumps the politics of Crybaby Karzai. NATO is highly dependent on these supplies coming in from Pakistan and elswhere, and if Karzai cannot quickly raise this 5,000 man trucking brigade, then I don’t see any other choice but to continue to rely on contractors.

The other area to look at is the impact that events in Pakistan have on supplies being brought over those mountains. NATO helicopters killed several Pakistani soldiers in a friendly fire accident during a cross border assault on a fleeing Taliban group, and that event has caused some serious secondary effects. Specifically, it has caused an uproar in Pakistan and the government there has decided to shut down trucking as pay back. The insurgents are getting into the action as well, and ramping up attacks on these trucks.

Which brings up the next point and story. Supposedly, Pakistan is not protecting these trucks. The trucking companies have been screaming for protection by the government, or the right to self protection with armed security, and the Pakistani government has done neither. Amazing.

Now take a lack of security and put that together with the government’s blocking of trucks at the border, and you have an opportunity for the enemy. The insurgents are taking advantage of the riff between the US and Pakistan over this latest incident by attacking the symbols of the US–which is these trucks with fuel and supplies on them. These attacks make the insurgents look like the good guys so these attacks have twice the impact on the war effort. It wins over the support of the population, and it disrupts and destroys NATO logistics. -Matt

Afghan wrestles with protecting NATO supply routes

Little security for Nato supply convoys

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pirhayati20100820092606123Logistics: NATO Convoy Security Threatened By Events In Pakistan And PSC Disbanding In Afghanistan

Pakistani fire fighters try to extinguish burning NATO supply trucks carrying military vehicles and oil following militants attack on the outskirts of Islamabad on June 9, 2010.

Afghan wrestles with protecting NATO supply routes

October 3, 2010

By DION NISSENBAUM

Afghanistan’s top security officials are urging President Hamid Karzai to establish a military-run trucking system to take control of critical NATO supply routes now protected by a ragtag network of unsavory private security firms that is scheduled to be disbanded by year-end.

With the Karzai-imposed deadline looming to close the private convoy-protection companies, Afghanistan officials told McClatchy Newspapers on Sunday that they want to create a state-run military brigade equipped with its own trucks and thousands of soldiers to carry essential NATO supplies around the country.

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Tags: Afghanistan, convoy security, Karzai, Logistics, NATO, Pakistan, PSC, security, trucking

Publications: The Use Of Pseudo-Operations In The AFPAK Theater, By Dr Ronald Holt

Sep 15

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Publications, Strategy | No Comments

Awesome stuff and these are the topics I really dig discussing. The more we talk about this concept, the more people can start looking at the pieces and make a ‘snowmobile’ out of it. What I really like about this paper is that it talks specifically about Afghanistan and Pakistan, which will help us to focus the discussion and make it more relevant. Especially check out the comments section at Small Wars Journal for this topic. -Matt

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The Use of Pseudo-Operations in the AFPAK Theaterby Ronald Holt

September 15, 2010

Download the Full Article: The Use of Pseudo-Operations in the AFPAK Theatre

What would be the effect if we had small integrated groups of former Taliban and US Special Operators working together, masquerading as Taliban, living off the villagers as the Taliban do, and feeding USSOCOM actionable HUMINT?

This short paper is designed to be a “thought-piece” with the purpose of stimulating “out of the box” ideas. Pseudo Operations involve recruiting and training ex-insurgents to operate as insurgents and produce intelligence, cause enemy casualties, and create distrust between the local population and the insurgents. Such on the ground intelligence gives a deeper picture of enemy intentions, infiltration routes and support amongst the local population. Real- time intelligence can lay the groundwork for successful direct actions missions. Sometimes pseudo-operators will disguise themselves as members of adjacent countries’ military in order to operate in enemy sanctuaries. In this paper I will argue that Pseudo-Ops might be of use given the current situation in AFPAK and particularly in southern Afghanistan and in areas of Pakistan such as North Waziristan or even Baluchistan.

Download the Full Article: The Use of Pseudo-Operations in the AFPAK Theatre

Dr. Ronald Holt is a tenured Professor of Anthropology and Fulbright Scholar. He was the senior social scientist for Human Terrain Team AF-1 at FOB Salerno Afghanistan in 2008. Dr. Holt has done fieldwork in several Islamic countries and with Native American tribes.

Link to post at Small Wars Journal here.

Tags: Afghanistan, AFPAK, Dr. Ronald Holt, Pakistan, pseudo operations, Publications, small wars journal, special operations, Strategy

Industry Talk: DynCorp International Supports Pakistan Relief Efforts

Sep 2

Posted by Matt in Disaster Response, Industry Talk, Pakistan | No Comments

Good on DynCorp and Mr. Gaffney for donating this money to the relief effort. This is the kind of stuff that not only makes the Pakistani Taliban bite their lip, but also puts a shot across the bow of today’s critics of the industry. Maybe some more companies will follow their lead and donate as well?

Now I have no idea if DynCorp will be called upon to drop supplies or anything. In this particular disaster response, security would be a huge issue, and PMC’s like this company are ideally suited to not only deliver supplies but provide their own protection. Using a PMC would also free up vital military aviation units for the war in Afghanistan.

Although I kind of doubt Pakistan would be alright with DynCorp or any other company doing such a thing, just because getting life saving aid from one of those evil contractors is just too repulsive for the suffering muslims of Pakistan to handle. pfffft. -Matt

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DynCorp International Supports Pakistan Relief Efforts

September 02, 2010

DynCorp International today announced that it will donate $10,000 to the American Red Cross to support the people of Pakistan in the aftermath of the worst flooding the country has seen in more than 80 years.

“Right now families in Pakistan are in need of shelter, health services and supplies. We hope our contribution provides them some comfort in such a difficult time.”

The donation will fund relief supplies, mobilize relief workers and provide additional financial resources to the overall relief effort. The American Red Cross is working with its partners in the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network, including the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, to reach those in need.

“As a company that operates globally, it is our responsibility to assist globally,” said Steve Gaffney, DynCorp International president and chief executive officer. “Right now families in Pakistan are in need of shelter, health services and supplies. We hope our contribution provides them some comfort in such a difficult time.”

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Tags: american red cross, Disaster Response, donations, DynCorp, Pakistan, private military company, private security company, relief efforts

Publications: GAO Report On DoD’s Progress And Challenges For Logistics In Afghanistan

Jun 28

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Aviation, Logistics, Pakistan, Paracargo, Publications | No Comments

Thanks to David Isenberg for identifying this report and pointing out all the goodies. What was interesting to me was how absolutely vital contractors are to the logistics of the war in Afghanistan. Especially for the routes coming out of Pakistan, because US military forces are not allowed to escort that stuff. Nothing new, but as you go through this report, you get the idea of how essential we really are. It also signifies how important it is that we get a handle on how to manage it all, because logistics is going to be big…. really big.

Some of the things that jumped up at me as obvious fixes for some of the problems, is to stop depending on Fedex type tracking measures and gadgets, and start depending on humans as the tracking mechanism of this stuff. Because Afghan and Pakistani companies will do all they can to get rid of those GPS trackers, or not even care about these tracking mechanisms. What matters to them is money and their ability to pilfer the cargo and blame it on a combat loss or whatever. No one is there to stop them or witness them doing this, and they will do whatever they want. I say put competent expat companies in charge of these deliveries, with expat convoy leaders and teams, and use local Pakistani or Afghani drivers and guards as the manpower/interpreters. This is the optimum set up if you cannot use the military to escort this stuff, and especially on the Pakistan side.

The point is, is that you need a human that you can trust on these convoys, because gadgets can be defeated. But you also need something else that is lacking for these convoys. And that is communications, appropriate fire power and support. In order to have communications, appropriate fire power and support, you need folks who can help facilitate that. Because without these basic tools for the defense of convoys, you will continue to see them get attacked and pilfered.

As more troops pour into Afghanistan, the stability of logistics will be crucial and the current set up is unacceptable. I say put expat companies in charge, set up Pakistani QRFs and air support on their side, and US military QRF and air support on the Afghan side, and call it a day. These forces are purely dedicated to protecting the contractor led convoys in Pakistan, and if we want, we attach military escorts as they cross into Afghanistan. Hell, we might actually kill a few bad guys along the way, and use these convoys as decoys. If the enemy wants them that bad, they will have to pay a price to get them.

Or we can allow our logistics to be torn apart by the enemy, and we can allow untrained, mismanaged, corrupt and undisciplined Afghani or Pakistani companies to do whatever they want with that stuff. They will continue to pilfer, they will continue to shoot wildly into towns and villages as they protect convoys, and they will continue to pay off the enemy for safe transport. That is unacceptable to me, and there is a better way.

Might I also add that we put expat companies in charge of convoys in Iraq, and that arrangement works far better for any kind of unity of effort between civilian and military forces sharing the roads. Companies like Armorgroup definitely bet their lives on the delivery of goods and people, and they did an outstanding job(they also lost a lot of guys due to their brave work). Our lessons learned from Iraq were also built on this concept of expats being in charge, and not the other way around with Afghanis or Pakistani companies in charge of this stuff.

Hell, in Iraq, you would see military convoys join in the protection of a expat convoy operations. But when it came to all Iraqi security companies, military convoys or patrols would have nothing to do with them because they had no way of communicating and they really didn’t trust them. It pays to have expats in charge of operations, and it really pays when those expats have all the tools and support necessary to be successful for those convoy operations.

I also mentioned in an earlier post about the aviation side of logistics. The report further emphasized the difficulties that come with aviation logistics in Afghanistan. It seems we do not have enough space on runways to handle these large transport aircraft. It will take a massive effort to construct more landing strips that can handle the large aircraft, because unfortunately, that stuff requires modern and durable runways. In Iraq, this wasn’t an issue, but in Afghanistan this is definitely an issue. That is why I thought the STOL aircraft/paracargo contract was interesting. That is the kind of capability that can answer the call for immediate cargo or transport needs, when the troops are in trouble and things are locked up at one of the big air bases. Small and many versus the few and large for logistics. Well, check out the report and let me know what you think. -Matt

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GAO: Preliminary Observations On DoD’s Progress And Challenges In Distributing Supplies And Equipment To Afghanistan

June 25, 2010

Within Afghanistan, cargo is moved to forward operating bases primarily by means of contractor-operated trucks, though military trucking assets are used in some instances.

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Because no U.S. military transportation units operate in Pakistan, DOD must rely solely on private contractors to transport supplies and equipment along ground routes through the country and to provide security of the cargo while in transit. Privately contracted trucks can transport cargo through Pakistan via two routes: the northern, which crosses into Afghanistan at the border town of Torkham, and the southern, which crosses at the border town of Chaman.

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Limitations on what items can be transported through Pakistan and the amount of damage sustained by cargo transiting through Pakistan also can delay the delivery of necessary supplies and equipment to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Private trucking contractors do not transport sensitive equipment on the Pakistani ground routes. Instead, such equipment must be flown into Afghanistan and then be installed onto the vehicles in Regional Command-East.

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Tags: Afghanistan, contractors, GAO, Logistics, Pakistan, private security contractors, Publications, reports

Logistics: Air America Redux In South Central Asia

Jun 27

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Aviation, Kyrgyzstan, Logistics, Pakistan, Paracargo, Uzbekistan | 3 Comments

The requirement includes, but is not limited to, fixed wing aircraft, personnel, equipment, tools, material, maintenance and supervision necessary to perform passenger, cargo, passenger and cargo combination (COMBI) and LCLA airdrop operations using STOL air transportation services between locations in the Areas of Responsibility (AOR) of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. The contractor shall provide all direct labor, transportation, supervision, training, fixed wing aircraft, administrative support for conducting air operations and all other items and services necessary to perform Air Support Services (parachute operations) for Government directed aerial delivery missions.

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This is neat. This solicitation at FBO is for a very unique contract that would certainly provide for some interesting and extremely dangerous work. Basically they want STOL aircraft to fly around in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan to drop paracargo and transport people and things. And with STOL aircraft, that means airplanes that can land on short mountain top strips, roads, or flat valley areas. They are also cheaper to run than helicopters.

The other thing I clued in on with this contract, is it looks like the company tasked with performing this work will do ‘everything’. Does this mean using their own kickers or spotters, who are tasked with pushing the paracargo out of the aircraft? I would assume so. In the past, this was done primarily by Air Force loadmasters (or Army loadmasters).

If you go back to the Vietnam war, the kickers that Air America used were contractors.(mostly former smokejumpers or ex-military loadmasters) They also kicked cargo all over South East Asia and the missions were dangerous and very specialized. Personally I think this is great news, because this is the kind of work that could easily be done by non-military loadmasters.

My small community of smokejumpers continue to specialize in these kind of operations for forest fire work, and they don’t even bother with the GPS guided stuff. We specialized in putting the ‘low cost’ into the Low Cost, Low Altitude paracargo mission, and have been doing it that way for a very long time.

Either way, this would be some interesting work, and if you check out the interested venders list, you will see just how big this is. Presidential Airways and Evergreen Aviation have put in for this contract, as well as tons of other companies I have never heard of. With the surge of troops and thousands of guys spread throughout the region, aviation work will continue to be a very lucrative contract in this war. And fixed wing STOL is about as cheap as you can go for aviation transport or paracargo operations. -Matt

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picPilatusPorterNepalTomClaytorLogistics: Air America Redux In South Central Asia

An old Pilatus Porter on a remote mountain strip.

V–Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) and Low Cost and Low Altitude (LCLA) Aerial Delivery Services – Afghanistan

Solicitation Number: W52P1J-10-R-0100

Agency: Department of the Army

Office: Army Contracting Command

Location: Rock Island Contracting Center (RI-CC)

Notice Type:Solicitation

Original Posted Date: February 18, 2010

Posted Date:June 23, 2010

Response Date:July 26, 2010

Original Response Date:July 26, 2010

Archiving Policy:Automatic, on specified date

Original Archive Date:April 26, 2010

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Tags: Afghanistan, Air America, Aviation, Kyrgyzstan, Logistics, Pakistan, Paracargo, pilatus porter, STOL, Uzbekistan

Letter Of Marque: Is It Legal To Kill Osama Bin Laden?

Jun 22

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Letter Of Marque, Pakistan | 1 Comment

I wanted to enter this into the record for LoM related stuff. This is interesting that there seems to be more discussion going on about Article 1, Section 8, and finally we might get some serious critique on the matter. For an idea to be strong, it needs to be forged in the furnace of debate and criticism. So I like hearing the concepts being thrown around.

One of the things I have been researching with the LoM lately is the reasoning why it still exists in the Constitution. With that, I had to go back to the Civil War during the 1860′s and see what the factors were during the signing of the Declaration of Paris in 1857. I thought this was some very intriguing history and it indicated how crucial the LoM was to wartime strategy for the US in it’s early wars–politically and militarily. It is also interesting how the Confederate Privateer’s wikipedia only presents part of the story about why the US did not sign the Declaration of Paris in 1857, and they make no mention of the Union paying blockaders (or basically private naval forces) to enforce the blockades necessary to stop the Confederate privateers. Ha! But there is certainly enough info about it all if someone cared to make the connections.(like me, hee hee)

Nor do they make any mention in this Confederate Privateer wiki of the Marcy Amendment or how the US thought privateering was necessary for a country who did not have a navy as strong as the European navies. Back in 1857, the US was all about privateering, and 4 years later, they were still all about privateering. I think Lincoln only publicly protested the concept because his enemy was using privateers and issuing LoMs to Americans and anyone in the world that qualified and wanted one.

Well, back to the article below. It is important to get the history and record straight as to what the real deal is about the Letter of Marque and why the US did not remove it from the US constitution. Because if there ever was an effort to bring back the LoM as a tool of warfare, this history will be crucial to the intellectual and legal discussion about such things. Interesting stuff. (all Civil War/Declaration of Paris information is at the end of this post) -Matt

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Is It Legal to Kill Osama bin Laden?

Not really. But if you act alone, you’re probably in the clear.

BY JOSHUA E. KEATING

JUNE 22, 2010

Gary Faulkner, the American man detained in Pakistan while trying to kill Osama bin Laden, will be released this week without charges, according to his family. The 52-year-old Colorado construction worker was arrested last week in northwest Pakistan for carrying weapons — including a pistol and 40-inch sword — without a permit. Questions of practicality (and sanity) aside, had Faulkner succeeded, could he have been charged with murder?

Probably not. Faulkner probably couldn’t be charged with murder if he killed bin Laden and then returned to the United States, since the murder would have happened abroad where U.S. courts have no say. “Universal jurisdiction” for crimes against humanity is an increasingly popular notion in human rights law, and one that’s been gaining some traction in the United States — a U.S. citizen was convicted of committing torture abroad for the first time last year — but a simple murder, particularly when the victim is the world’s most infamous terrorist, probably wouldn’t qualify.

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Tags: abraham lincoln, civil war, confederates, constitution, jefferson davis, Letter Of Marque, Osama Bin Laden, union

Funny Stuff: The Case For Calling Them Nitwits, By Daniel Byman

Jun 16

Posted by Matt in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Funny Stuff, Pakistan | 1 Comment

In Afghanistan, as in many cultures, a manly embrace is a time-honored tradition for warriors before they go off to face death. Thus, many suicide bombers never even make it out of their training camp or safe house, as the pressure from these group hugs triggers the explosives in suicide vests. According to several sources at the United Nations, as many as six would-be suicide bombers died last July after one such embrace in Paktika.

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Bwaaaa ha ha ha ha!!!!! That is too funny. Daniel is absolutely right about how idiotic our enemy can be. And whereas we should never underestimate the enemy, it is also equally important to correctly identify the weakness of the enemy and exploit it. That’s what happens when you strive to ‘know your enemy’ and you find out how dumb these guys can really be.

The ones that get me are the suicide bombers that try to blow up a wall or something, and nothing happens to the wall–FAIL. Or they blow themselves up while planting an IED, because they haven’t a clue on how to do it safely–FAIL. Or they get into a tizzy over a stupid cartoon?

True, there are some dudes floating around who do some damage, and I will give props to those guys. But there are even more nitwits who think they have game and absolutely FAIL. That is why I take every opportunity to show how pathetic or hypocritical they really are. Enjoy and be sure not to drink any soda while reading this truck load of funny. (cola-out-the-nose while laughing kind of sucks…)-Matt

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jihadists wideFunny Stuff: The Case For Calling Them Nitwits, By Daniel Byman

The Case for Calling Them Nitwits

July/August 2010

By Daniel Byman

They blow each other up by mistake. They bungle even simple schemes. They get intimate with cows and donkeys. Our terrorist enemies trade on the perception that they’re well trained and religiously devout, but in fact, many are fools and perverts who are far less organized and sophisticated than we imagine. Can being more realistic about who our foes actually are help us stop the truly dangerous ones?

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IN THE YEARS after 9/11, the images we were shown of terrorists were largely the same: shadowy jihadists who, even when they were foiled, seemed always to have come terrifyingly close to pulling off a horrific attack. We’ve all become familiar by now with the stock footage of Talibs in black shalwar kameezes zipping across monkey bars or, more recently, perfecting kung fu kicks in some secret training camp. Even in the aftermath of the botched Times Square bombing earlier this spring, the perception persists that our enemies are savvy and sophisticated killers. They’re fanatical and highly organized—twin ideas that at once keep us fearful and help them attract new members.

But this view of the jihadist community is wildly off the mark. To be sure, some terrorists are steely and skilled—people like Mohamed Atta, the careful and well-trained head of the 9/11 hijackers. Their leaders and recruiters can be lethally subtle and manipulative, but the quiet truth is that many of the deluded foot soldiers are foolish and untrained, perhaps even untrainable. Acknowledging this fact could help us tailor our counterterrorism priorities—and publicizing it could help us erode the powerful images of strength and piety that terrorists rely on for recruiting and funding.

Nowhere is the gap between sinister stereotype and ridiculous reality more apparent than in Afghanistan, where it’s fair to say that the Taliban employ the world’s worst suicide bombers: one in two manages to kill only himself. And this success rate hasn’t improved at all in the five years they’ve been using suicide bombers, despite the experience of hundreds of attacks—or attempted attacks. In Afghanistan, as in many cultures, a manly embrace is a time-honored tradition for warriors before they go off to face death. Thus, many suicide bombers never even make it out of their training camp or safe house, as the pressure from these group hugs triggers the explosives in suicide vests. According to several sources at the United Nations, as many as six would-be suicide bombers died last July after one such embrace in Paktika.

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Tags: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, atlantic, daniel byman, Funny Stuff, Pakistan

Al Qaeda: Drone Strike Is Said To Kill Number Three AQ Leader

Jun 1

Posted by Matt in Al Qaeda, Pakistan | No Comments

Ok, my first thought on this, is that it sucks to be the number three guy in AQ. It always seems like the number three guy gets killed all the time at all the countries AQ is operating at. But this is a little different. This is a big big fish, and we killed him. But this is where I have a big problem with this strike.

If we had a fix on AQ’s number three guy, then I think a capture mission would have been in order. It would have been worth the risk in my view, and we probably could have captured a couple of other fish and documents along with the raid. We are talking about a target that is part of the inner circle of Al Qaeda, and not some junior varsity booger eater. Of course Pakistan would not approve. But in this case, that would be a part of the risk, and I think going in would have been extremely profitable for this war.

That is the downside to all of these drone strikes. For every big fish we kill, we lose out on a bunch of intelligence on the organization. That bonanza of intel could completely open up Al Qaeda, and lead to a massacre of that group. His capture could have led to the capture of Bin Laden, and I think the political or tactical risk involved with such a capture mission would have been acceptable in this case. We are at war with a non-state enemy, and yet we continue to allow this group to take advantage of the of a state in places like Pakistan. -Matt

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Strike Is Said to Kill a Top Qaeda Leader

May 31, 2010

By ERIC SCHMITT

WASHINGTON — The operational leader for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan was killed in an American missile strike in Pakistan’s tribal areas in the last two weeks, according to a statement the group issued late Monday that American officials believe is correct.

The militant leader, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, an Egyptian, was a top financial chief for Al Qaeda as well as one of the group’s founders, and was considered by American intelligence officials to be the organization’s No. 3 leader, behind Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, another Egyptian.

“His death will only be a severe curse by his life upon the infidels,” Al Qaeda said in a statement issued to jihadist Web sites and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors statements by jihadists.

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Tags: Al Qaeda, drone strike, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, Pakistan