Thursday, March 5, 2009
Israel: The Trend of Bulldozer Martyrdom Attacks Continues….
Afghanistan: Tampa Contractor Killed in Afghanistan
Sad deal, and my heart goes out to the friends and family of Santos Cardona. In this incident, both the handler and dog were killed. I also posted a little story about what this company was actually doing over there, and it sounds like it was really dangerous work. Especially if these bomb sniffing dogs and handlers were targeted by the Taliban, and caught by a secondary IED. I do not know if Cardona was working on the contract listed in the second article, but it is significant to point out the nature of his work. –Matt
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Tampa Contractor Killed In Afghanistan
By KATIE CORONADO
March 4, 2009
“I cried, when I got off the phone; I don’t think I’ve ever sobbed like I did at that moment.”
It has been less than a week since 36-year-old Heather Ashby received the news that her partner of 11 years was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
Ashby said Santos Cardona was on a patrol early Saturday morning. There had been many roadside bombs in the past few days, and “they wanted him to go out with his dog. The explosion split the Humvee he was in, and it landed on top of him. He was killed instantly.”
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Somalia: Just a Glimmer of Hope, Economist
Some suggest extending the mandate of the AU’s present embattled force of Ugandans and Burundians for another year. The AU troops could perhaps be bolstered by private security firms to let UN offices and foreign embassies be re-established in Somalia, helping Mr Ahmed get a grip on Mogadishu. At the least, the airport should be secured. The UN’s special envoy, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, a former foreign minister of Mauritania, says he is determined to move his office from Nairobi. “Why [is there a green zone] in Baghdad and Kabul but not in Mogadishu?”, he asks plaintively.
This was taken out of the very last section of this article, as a possible solution to help this newest Somali president. The idea is very interesting, and it is nice to see the Economist even include PSC’s in the discussion about possible solutions. As far as this being a good idea, I don’t know. The big problem I see with this, is the strategic implications. PSC’s must be viewed as plausible solutions, and not money hungry mercenaries. So however they are used, it must totally be geared towards Ahmed’s country wide strategy, and countering the Shabab.
The Shabab will totally use the presence of foreigners, much like they did with Ethiopia troops, as a tool to justify Shabab ‘Taliban-like’ rule in Somalia. So however PSC’s are used, they must be viewed as the protector of the people and a temporary tool of the government–but they must also deliver on the goods and quickly. There must also be a proper PR campaign implemented, and it should be included in the contract, before any insertion of PSC’s or PMC’s. And once on the ground, it will be a total battle for the hearts and minds of the people, along with being effective in protecting the people and the legitimately elected government. It can happen, and Executive Outcomes was able to do just that in Angola and Sierra Leone, and Somalia could benefit from a similar effort. Things to think about. –Matt
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Somalia’s civil war
Just a glimmer of hope
Feb 26th 2009 | NAIROBI
From The Economist print edition
After 18 years of strife, there is a small chance that a new Somali president and a new American one could make a fresh start.
THE most smashed-up country in the world has reached a crossroads. The recent election of a moderate Islamist, Sharif Ahmed (pictured above), as Somalia’s new president may offer the best chance of peace in the country for more than a decade. As head of the Islamic Courts Union that held sway over a chunk of Somalia in 2006, he was later driven into exile by invading Ethiopian troops backed by America. So it was quite a turnaround when, on his first day in office a few weeks ago, this courteous former geography teacher went to Ethiopia and got a standing ovation from heads of state in its capital, Addis Ababa, at an African Union (AU) jamboree.
Books: Out of Captivity, Surviving 1,967 Days in a Colombian Jungle
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
On February 13, 2003, a plane carrying three American civilian contractors—Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Tom Howes—crash-landed in the mountainous jungle of Colombia. Dazed and shaken, they emerged from the plane bloodied and injured as gunfire rained down around them. As of that moment they were prisoners of the FARC, a Colombian terrorist and Marxist rebel organization. In an instant they had become American captives in Colombia’s volatile and ongoing conflict, which has lasted for almost fifty years.
Industry Talk: White House Press Release–Memorandum on Government Contracting
So do companies that contract with the government, get a bail out too? Or are they too ‘evil’ and ‘wasteful’ to get that kind of hand out? lol (sorry, I had to say it)
Seriously. This is interesting, and we’ll see if the necessary changes happen, to make contracting a more efficient and well managed process. I applaud the effort and I would like to emphasize that this is not an ending of contractor use, but a critical look at how the government does business. The true test of this effort, will be the end result out in the field and actual money saved.
Will the government do the necessary things to implement and manage these contracts out there, or will it all be more talk as usual? Will they put enough staff and manpower in place to manage this stuff? I am sure they will save money with this new framework, but will they truly get involved with watching these contracts out there, to insure people don’t get hurt or killed? Will these new measures, insure that another soldier doesn’t get electrocuted in a shower, or that another Custer Battles doesn’t come on to the scene? Only time will tell.
Also, is the government truly interested in contracting “non-inherently governmental activities that can be provided commercially” that “are subject to the forces of competition”? Or will this turn into a knee jerk reaction by the government that hinders those forces of free market competition? Plus, I will be really interested to hear what the government’s definition of ‘inherently governmental activities’ is? There is a war going on, so choose wisely….please. –Matt
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 4, 2009
Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies
Subject: Government Contracting
The Federal Government has an overriding obligation to American taxpayers. It should perform its functions efficiently and effectively while ensuring that its actions result in the best value for the taxpayers.