Feral Jundi

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Quotes: DoS Department Spokesman on Contract Oversight

Filed under: Afghanistan,Funny Stuff,Quotes — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 9:59 AM

   This just says it all.  I mean everyone has seen the pictures and heard all the crap with Armor Group at the Embassy, but to me, this was the most relevant bit of information about the whole deal.  It is also the funniest quote ever.  Jake put it up on PMH too. Enjoy. –Matt

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DoS Department Spokesman

Daily Press BriefingWashington, DC

September 1, 2009

AFGHANISTAN

QUESTION: But if you could just describe that and what is DS’s role.

MR. KELLY: Sure. I mean, DS’s role, I think, is mainly to over -the oversight of the guard program. But that’s a good question, and we’ll get you the info on it.

QUESTION: And what is the oversight of this particularcontractor? Does DS have an oversight of that contractor? Becausein the whole Blackwater situation there was a lot of complaintsthat DS didn’t have enough oversight over the contractors. So who specifically –

MR. KELLY: Well, I do have a specific answer to that question.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR. KELLY: The contracting officer is assigned here inWashington, D.C., and that person has overall responsibility for oversight of the contract and participates in weekly meetings between the program office and AGNA, or the Armour Group. And this person is also the one who has interactions on a more frequent basis –

QUESTION: From here?

MR. KELLY: From here in Washington.

QUESTION: So there’s no adult supervision of this contractor on the ground?

MR. KELLY: I’m getting to that.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR. KELLY: In Kabul, there are two assistant Regional Security Officers designated as the contracting officer’s representative and assistant contracting officer representative, respectively. There is also always a duty RSO who deals with the routine guard force matters such as access requests and on-compound events. So that’s – I guess that goes some way to answer your question. Right? It does appear that they do have the guard force responsibility.

QUESTION: Meaning the Armour Guard force?

MR. KELLY: Well, I mean, it’s an embassy guard force, and Armour has the contract for it. Can we –

QUESTION: To guard the perimeter of the embassy? Is that what they do?

MR. KELLY: Well, let’s find out exactly.

QUESTION: Okay.

Afghanistan: U.S. to Boost Combat Force in Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 9:28 AM

      Most of the dozens of combat outposts and outlying bases in Afghanistan have soldiers or Marines assigned to gates or guard towers. But the Pentagon official said those troops could be shifted to more valuable duty.”They just stare out from the tower. So let’s bring in contractors,” the Pentagon official said. “Now you can have a thousand more troops in the field.”

     Here we go guys and gals.  Despite the negative news about security contractors recently, the military still has a mission to accomplish, and we are an important part of that mission.  We are the ones that will be freeing up the combat forces, so that they can go out there and fight.

     What we have to work on, is ‘being the guys that do it right when no one is looking’ and ‘having the courage to do what is right’. Be a leader out there. –Matt

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U.S. to boost combat force in Afghanistan

Support units will be replaced by up to 14,000 ‘trigger-pullers,’ and noncombat posts will be contracted out, Defense officials say. The swap will allow the U.S. to keep its troop level unchanged.

By Julian E. Barnes

September 2, 2009

Reporting from Washington

U.S. officials are planning to add as many as 14,000 combat troops to the American force in Afghanistan by sending home support units and replacing them with “trigger-pullers,” Defense officials say.The move would beef up the combat force in the country without increasing the overall number of U.S. troops, a contentious issue as public support for the war slips. But many of the noncombat jobs are likely be filled by private contractors, who have proved to be a source of controversy in Iraq and a growing issue in Afghanistan.The plan represents a key step in the Obama administration’s drive to counter Taliban gains and demonstrate progress in the war nearly eight years after it began. (more…)

Iraq: The Remains of Security Contractor Handed Over to British Authorities

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 8:59 AM

   For the sake of the families, I am glad that the remains have been found and closure can happen.  Rest in peace. As for Peter Moore, if he is still alive, I hope to god that negotiators can get his release.  The chances are slim that he is alive, but you never know. –Matt

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UK says it has been given remains in Iraq

By DAVID STRINGER

LONDON — The remains of one of five British hostages have been handed over to British authorities in Baghdad, Iraqi officials said Wednesday. The British government said it had received remains but had yet to determine their identity.

In July, British authorities said that it feared that two security workers — Alan McMenemy and Alec MacLachlan — had been killed by their captors.

(more…)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Cool Stuff: Sonshi–The Premier Sun Tzu Resource and Network

Filed under: Cool Stuff,Kaizen — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 2:43 AM

   Every once in awhile, I stumble on something pretty cool, and this little website is just that.  Sonshi has been around for awhile and is essential for all your Sun Tzu studies and research needs.  Enjoy. –Matt

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Founded in 1999 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA by author Thomas Huynh, Sonshi.com is a network of professionals from various disciplines joined together by a common interest: Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

We wanted to build a practical website that captures the essence of the book’s timeless principles — without spam, ad banners, or pop-up ads. Our purpose is to help people learn and apply the teachings of Sun Tzu to prevent, break down, and overcome barriers to their goals and happiness.

Sonshi.com has since become the largest and most popular website for Sun Tzu’s Art of War, and is the gathering place of authors, scholars, and readers around the world. Regardless of your background (race, gender, religion, education, national origin, economic status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, etc), if you want to learn more about the book, consider yourself part of the Sonshi community.

For more information, go to the FAQ page. For an introduction of Sun Tzu and website highlights, click here.

Please note Sonshi.com is a spam-free site; your privacy is respected. See our privacy policy.

Reach us on-line using the quick and simple e-mailer form. Questions are confirmed and replied within 24 hours. You can also reach us at service@sonshi.com.

SITE HISTORY

• Interview with author Robert Greene. (August 2009)

• Sonshi.com founder Thomas Huynh speaks at Google. (August 2009)

(more…)

Afghanistan: Lack of Troops + Lack of Afghan Police and Military + High Security Demand = Using Security Contractors?

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Logistics — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:10 AM

   I would like to put this out there that this industry is ready to pounce on whatever the war effort requires.  If you need more security for your civilian surge, then hot damn, the security contracting industry will jump on it and meet your needs.  If you need to secure convoys and guard routes up in the north, then security contractors could totally do that.  If you need to train up thousands of Afghan police and military, then security contractors can totally do that as well.  Whatever the war effort needs, it could be solved by utilizing the free market power of the security contracting industry.  With just one caveat though.

     The government must take responsibility for contracting those services. You must manage these contracts by providing the necessary man power to watch the companies, and you must write smart contracts that give the companies everything they need to accomplish the mission yet still makes it easy to control them.  This is not a difficult concept to understand, and each contract should be treated with the utmost respect and care.  Give the contract what it needs to be successful, by applying quality control measures and some Kaizen. Be like the worried home owner, watching over the building of their house, and the government will do just fine with managing these contracts.

     The deal is that we have been doing these jobs in the war for awhile, and the only reason they have faltered is because of the lack of oversight by the government.  This lack of oversight allows the environment necessary for poor management to happen within the companies.

     And what really kills me is that we have seen an increase of security contractors in Afghanistan this year, so this post is completely relevant to the discussion about what is possible. Once there is good leadership on the government’s part, the companies will fall in line. We have a chance to do this right, but it takes real effort and an application of lessons learned to get it done.  The pay off will be mission accomplishment and victory, and that would be something we could all be proud of and celebrate.   –Matt

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Taliban grab foothold in north

By Jonathan S. Landay

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Monday, Aug. 31 2009

BAGHLAN-I-JADID, Afghanistan — Taliban insurgents have taken over parts of two

northern provinces from which they were driven in 2001, threatening to disrupt

NATO’s new supply route from Central Asia and expand a war that has largely

(more…)

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