Feral Jundi

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Afghanistan: As Troops Draw Down, Security Contractors Will Fill In The Gaps

The latest news these days is the draw down in troops. It has been expected and talked about, but now it is becoming reality. I have yet to read any analysis on how the security contracting industry itself will be impacted by this draw down, so this is my attempt at such things. I believe given all of the investment into Afghanistan’s reconstruction and security, that our industry will be in high demand as the troops pull out. It will also be a dangerous time period because of security vacuums created by a lack of troops, or a lack of Afghan police/military.

Below I have posted three stories that discuss all of the foreign investment or organizations interested in reconstruction in Afghanistan. The troops might be pulling out, but these investment projects will still be there, and they will be ongoing for awhile. With that reduction in troop related security, someone is going to have to fill that security vacuum. I believe that ‘someone’ will be a combination of local security contractors, and expats.

Not to mention that the State Department mission in Afghanistan will be ongoing for awhile. So WPS is going to be a viable source of employment for security contractors in Afghanistan and elsewhere. DoS and USAID both have reconstruction projects, government mentor-ship programs and diplomatic missions to maintain as the troops draw down.  Security contractors are going to be vital to the continuation of those missions.

The other source of work that will be ongoing in Afghanistan is training police and military.  The troop draw down strategy is highly dependent upon Afghanistan’s ability to provide it’s own security and stand on it’s own.  As US troops pull out, these training missions will probably require even more contractor trainers. And let’s not forget about NATO, and their inability to provide training assets. Contractors will be an essential part of maintaining this aspect of the strategy.

Then of course there are the foreign investments in mining in Afghanistan.  The mines and the railroads required to ship that stuff out of the country, are necessary for the reconstruction and stability of Afghanistan. It will also help to pay for this massive army we have helped Afghanistan build, and hopefully sustain. (although foreign donors will continue to be the main source of maintaining this army)  So local security contractors will be essential for those projects, and expat security contractors will be required to handle the PSD of engineers and upper management.

Probably the most important things to remember about the draw down is that troops must be approved by congress, but there is no limit as to the number of security contractors that can be hired. Matter of fact, the only limit to security contractors is financial. So if the investments and interest in Afghanistan is still there, contractors will continue to be very important. Probably more important than ever, just because the enemy will want to exploit the draw down of troops is an excellent time to attack and turn up the pressure. We will see….-Matt

The US Isn’t the Only Donor in Afghanistan

As U.S. Pulls Back, Fears Abound Over Toll on Afghan Economy

In Afghanistan, who will pick up where the U.S. leaves off?

The US Isn’t the Only Donor in Afghanistan
06/22/11
Jordan Dey
Fmr. US Director, UN World Food Program
As the Obama Administration announces its Afghanistan drawdown tonight, much has been said about what will change — the number of troops — but there has been virtually no discussion of what will remain largely the same — the continued assistance of more than four dozen countries, 20 UN agencies, and hundreds of NGOs in providing everything from road-building contracts to health care investments in Afghanistan.?As President Obama has shifted US foreign policy from the unilateralism of the Bush Administration to a more collaborative approach with our allies there is no country on earth where that multi-country approach is more apparent than Afghanistan. And, no country on earth where the US is better prepared to reduce its footprint, and leave some work to others.

(more…)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Military News: Medal Of Honor For Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Afghanistan: The Largest US Embassy In The World, Just Got Bigger–511 Million Dollars Bigger!

     Not to mention the 40 million dollars being spent to build two Consulates, one in Mazar-I-Sharif and the other in Herat. So technically, it would be 551 million dollars. No doubt there will also be cost overruns, so this price will go higher.

     A couple of points about this contract worth noting. During the Iraq Embassy debate, there was much heartache about the size and cost of that thing. Of course this was one more dig for the opponents of the war and of the Bush administration. Now fast forward to this Embassy in Kabul, and it’s size and cost, and there was nothing really mentioned about it?  Politically speaking, it was barely a whimper in the news and I heard no bashing of the Obama administration over this move. Hell, I just found out about it today, and I track this stuff. lol

    And yet the expansion and due date of it being built, completely conflicts with the idea that we are wanting to pull out of Afghanistan any time soon. If anything, it just indicates a continuation of our commitment there. That kind of thing is the stuff that pisses off the Taliban big time.  Although I certainly hope that Crazy Karzai will get the picture that he needs to stop making deals with the Taliban, and put a little faith in the process under the new command of Petraeus.

    This Embassy expansion also signifies a certain future that the security contracting community will be a big part of. That would be the WPS program and all of it’s security requirements. These Consulates and Embassy will be packed with civilian specialists and diplomats, all tasked with going out into the hinterlands of Afghanistan to do their business. Private security contractors in the form of PSD teams will be the guys to get them out there and back in one piece. PSC’s will also be the guys protecting these Consulates and Embassy, and as the military draws down in the future, these folks will be very important to the static security mission there.

     Iraq will also be the one to watch as this progresses. There will be many lessons learned in Iraq that can be applied to Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world. The WPS program will certainly be an intriguing wartime venture between private industry and government to watch as this unfolds. –Matt

US to spend 500 million dollars on embassy in Afghanistan

Nov 3, 2010

KABUL — The United States is bolstering its presence in Afghanistan with a 500 million dollar expansion of its Kabul embassy and the construction of two consulates, it announced Wednesday.

Washington’s Kabul embassy is already its biggest in the world, with about 1,100 employees, projected to rise to 1,200 by the end of the year, officials said.

Hundreds have arrived over the course of this year as part of a “civilian surge” bringing development experts into the country to compliment the military effort already in its 10th year.

The United States and NATO have 150,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban-led insurgency, following a military surge aimed at speeding an end to the war.

The embassy expansion contract was worth 511 million dollars and had been awarded under US law to an American company, Caddell Construction Inc., ambassador Karl Eikenberry said.

Another two contracts, worth 20 million dollars each, have been awarded for the construction of consulates in Herat, the main city in western Afghanistan, and Mazar-I-Sharif in the north, he said.

(more…)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Afghanistan: Moving The Goal Post A Little Further For PSC Shutdown And Troop Withdrawal

     This is classic. In both of these stories below you can see a dramatic change from the original hardline stance of Obama and Karzai on this stuff.  I have mentioned in past blog posts on how both disbanding of PSC’s and troop withdrawals should not be based on some unrealistic timeline. Instead, they should be based on progress and reality on the ground. And guess what? The disbanding of PSC’s by December has changed now to ‘disbanding in stages’, and the July 2011 troop withdrawal date has switched to 2014 for a withdrawal. lol Talk about ‘moving the Goal Post’?-Matt

Afghan security companies to disband in stages

Obama officials moving away from 2011 Afghan date

Afghan security companies to disband in stages

By KATHARINE HOURELD

Wed Nov 10, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan – After weeks of negotiations, Afghan officials and foreign diplomats have agreed that a shutdown of private security companies in Afghanistan will have to be carried out in several stages, two officials familiar with the talks said Wednesday.

The development indicates a possible compromise over the controversial issue, which has occupied top international diplomats and Afghan officials since President Hamid Karzai in August ordered the closure of private companies that provide security guards in the country.

At the time, Karzai said private security companies would be replaced by Afghan security forces.

But he later backed away from a Dec. 17 deadline for the shutdown, after diplomats said the move threatens billions of dollars worth of reconstruction projects. Up to 40,000 private guards work in Afghanistan, mostly guarding embassies, military convoys and development projects.

An Afghan and a foreign official familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday the two sides now agree the shutdown should be gradual. They said sticking points remain, such as who would be guarding military convoys.

The government must come up with a proposal in five days on the phased shutdown, they also said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations are still ongoing.

Many companies on contracts with the U.S. Agency for International Development have said they can’t insure their staff without private guards.

(more…)

Friday, October 8, 2010

Leadership: National Security Advisor Jim Jones To Leave White House

    Wow, this is a stunner! Jim Jones is out and Tom Donilon is in. Secretary Gates is quoted as saying Tom Donilon is a ‘disaster waiting to happen‘ in Bob Woodward’s book.  From his bio, he has no military background whatsoever. Yikes. We will see how this pans out and I would love to hear what McChrystal or Petraeus thinks of this one? –Matt

—————————————————————–

 

National Security Adviser Jones to leave White House

By Sam Youngman

10/08/10

President Obama’s National Security Adviser Jim Jones will resign from the White House in two weeks, a senior administration official said.

Obama will announce that Jones, a retired Marine general, will be replaced by Deputy National Security Adviser Tom Donilon in a Rose Garden statement Friday afternoon.

Jones’s departure is just the latest personnel room for a West Wing increasingly turning over before the midterm election.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel departed on Friday to run for mayor of Chicago. Larry Sumers, Obama’s chief economic adviser, is leaving after the election and two other members of Obama’s team left the White House over the summer.

Donilon, who had been seen as a possible successor to Emanuel, is not a surprising choice to replace Jones, who reportedly viewed Donilon as his replacement from the beginning of the administration.

According to “Obama’s Wars” by Bob Woodward, Jones gave Donilon three pieces of advice during a performance review.

Jones said Donilon needed to travel to Iraq and Afghanistan, something he had not done before. He also needed to learn to tone down his declarative opinions of military leaders he had never met and develop a feel for the personal lives of NSC staffers.

(more…)

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