Feral Jundi

Friday, March 16, 2012

Technology: Dr. Regina Dugan Speaks At DARPA Cyber Colloquium, Sam Quint Reponds….

Filed under: Funny Stuff,Letter Of Marque,Technology — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:37 PM

Boy, after listening to this, I am wondering if DARPA is reading the blog? I have talked about the Cyber Lance in the past, as well as Cyber Privateering and the issuance of the Letter of Marque, and the language I am hearing in this talk sounds a lot like Offense Industry talk to me. All I know is she really wanted to emphasize the complexity of the commons called cyber space, and that ‘capability’ must be explored for the defense and offense in such an environment.

I say offense industry because DARPA has been really exploring the possibilities for bounties. They also use rewards for contests as a prize for innovation. I know they are aware of the Letter of Marque concept because Michael Hayden brought it up in a speech, and myself and the Morgan Doctrine have been bringing it up in posts.

What is really interesting is that Dr. Dugan is heading off to work for Google. Google would be a fantastic place to work at, to truly explore the various ways to combat cyber criminals and enemies. She would also get an inside view as to what Google thinks is the answer.

As to my commentary on the whole thing?  I think I will let Sam Quint speak for me below…. lol –Matt

 

 

The honorable Sam Quint replies….

 

Jobs: Halliday Finch–Multiple Security Related Positions, Somalia

Filed under: Africa,Jobs,Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 1:31 PM

Along with my prior post about Halliday Finch winning a major contract in Somalia, comes the jobs. I am not the recruiter for HF, and please follow this link if you would like to apply for any of these. Hopefully someone from the company can come up and answer any questions or fill in the blanks as to what they need. Good luck to anyone that applies. –Matt

Apply for the jobs here.

 

Fisheries Protection Officers (HF0111112)
Responsibilities typically will fall into two main areas: protection of relevant fisheries and enforcement of pertinent legislation. In regards to fisheries protection, a fishery officer will patrol wild sea fishery habitat, in addition to periodically inspect fishing vessels for adherence to fishing regulations.
The inspections will also serve as data collection for recording annual fishing harvests or documenting the impact of various aquatic species diseases.

Special Maritime Training Team (HF0111111)
We are looking to assemble an international team of 60 men who will recruit, train and deploy in an advisory capacity for the Somali Government in an anti piracy role. The candidates must have a Special Forces, Marine, or other military speciality.
They must have prior experience of training men in Africa and a proven track record of success at doing so. Language ability is a bonus. Ideal Candidates would be from UK, US, EU, or South Africa but will accept the right man from any country.

Close Protection Operatives (HF0111110)
Protection operatives needed for tasks in Africa for VVIP and VIP principals. African Experience essential.

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Somalia: Halliday Finch Signs Contract For Standing Up TFG’s National Coast Guard

Filed under: Industry Talk,Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:20 PM

“With the help of several members of the international community and in partnership with Halliday Finch International we will deliver, under the auspices of the TFG Ministry of Defence and through theTFG Anti-Piracy Task Force, a National Coast Guard capability with immediate effect. In developing a national capability we recognise that we need the help and assistance of our regional partners and we will establish many of the training facilities and bases in their areas. Halliday Finch International will provide training and logistic support as well as other services.“

This is great news for Halliday Finch and I hope they can get in there and do some good. I wrote briefly about them in a prior post because they were mentioned as a replacement for Saracen after a UNSC resolution was passed.

Might I also add that HF has some serious connections. They are the personal protective detail for Sir Richard Branson when he visits Africa, they protect The Elders, and are the go to company for numerous celebrities that come to Africa for whatever reason. In other words, CEO Sam Mattock knows how to gain influence and rub elbows with the power brokers in Africa. Hence why this company has been able to edge their way into places like Somalia without a lot of protest or attention.

Now will they perform and actually deliver a good service?  Can they produce results and truly help the TFG in their goal of fighting piracy? Who knows and time will tell….

Another point I wanted to make is the money involved. According to the first article, the source of funding for this contract is very intriguing. Will they really make enough money from ‘fishing licenses’, or will this purely be a donor venture? I didn’t know they could potentially make that much from fishing licenses, but you never know. Also, from my prior post, it was Kuwait that donated this $52 million.

Now that the contract has been signed, Halliday Finch is seeking both national and private donors to fund the operation. Qatar, Mauritius, Nigeria and Angola have expressed interest, and the firm has already secured the $52 million required for the first year of operation. Halliday Finch has predicted that the 10-year project will cost approximately $900 million, and the organisation hopes that some proportion of the funding will eventually come from domestic revenue streams, including the sale of fishing licenses.

The other thing that perked me up was the quote from the press release. I would be curious about the full scope of services that HF will be delivering. Because to me, this could include a whole host of things, and especially in a failed state like Somalia.

Also, will they be using any sub-contractors in Somalia, like SKA or even Bancroft Global?

Halliday Finch International will provide training and logistic support as well as other services.“

Who knows and we will check in on this from time to time. A private security company trying to make things work in a place like Somalia, will have to work pretty damned hard to deliver and I wish them well. –Matt

 

From The Weekly Piracy Report on Somalia -Volume4
March, 05 2012
….TFG Ministry of Defence Announces Creation Of A National Coastguard
The TFG Ministry of Defence announced the establishment of the Somali Anti Piracy Task Force Coast Guard, in association with Halliday Finch International, a Nairobi-based private security company.The new force will be part of the Somali National Security Forces, and will consist of land, sea and air components.
In a press release issued this week, the Minister of Defence, Hussein Arab Essa announced:
“With the help of several members of the international community and in partnership with Halliday Finch International we will deliver, under the auspices of the TFG Ministry of Defence and through theTFG Anti-Piracy Task Force, a National Coast Guard capability with immediate effect. In developing a national capability we recognise that we need the help and assistance of our regional partners and we will establish many of the training facilities and bases in their areas. Halliday Finch International will provide training and logistic support as well as other services.”
Now that the contract has been signed, Halliday Finch is seeking both national and private donors to fund the operation. Qatar, Mauritius, Nigeria and Angola have expressed interest, and the firm has already secured the $52 million required for the first year of operation. Halliday Finch has predicted that the 10-year project will cost approximately $900 million, and the organisation hopes that some proportion of the funding will eventually come from domestic revenue streams, including the sale of fishing licenses.
Puntland’s Administration is already on board, and has agreed to plans to locate the initial training camp in Bosaso, according to Halliday Finch. In the first phase, 500 individuals (yet to be identified, but likely to come from the coastal communities) will be trained by international consultants and Somali security forces.
The ultimate plan is to integrate the numerous of maritime security efforts along the coast, which will require cooperation from the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland. Talks are ongoing, but coordination will likely be difficult given both Somaliland’s bid for secession and its immense pride over its own coastguard.
The initiative is but the latest TFG bid to promote security on the Somali coastline. In 2010, the TFG contracted private security company Saracen International to train its anti-piracy task force. Following allegations that Saracen had violated a UN arms embargo, the contract was cancelled in February 2010. Saracen swiftly shifted focus to its operations in Puntland, where it works with the Farole administration.
Story here.
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PRESS RELEASE FOR TFG MINISTRY OF DEFENCE THE SOMALI SOLUTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL PIRACY PROBLEM: ANTI PIRACY TASK FORCE (APTF) COASTGUARD INITIATIVE
25.02.2012 | The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia recognises the importance of securing Somalia’s territorial integrity. Significant effort and resources have already been devoted by the African Union, Somalia’s neighbours and the International Community to recover and secure Somalia’s borders, including its shores.

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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Cool Stuff: Rhino Wars

Filed under: Africa — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 6:36 PM

This is an excellent article and photo series that National Geographic put together. It puts into perspective what is going on with rhino poaching and how powerful of an offense industry this is. That horn has value, and criminals are willing to risk much to go after that horn. In turn, that process is leading to the destruction of the animal.

Hopefully a defense industry can come up that can compete with this, or the animal will be hunted into extinction. Or perhaps an offense industry is required to defeat this offense industry?

I should also note that elephants are being targeted for their ivory as well. (read about this slaughter of elephants in Cameroon) Asia is creating such a strong demand for all of this stuff, and as places like China become more wealthy, then the buyers with money will only increase. This is a very unique war indeed, and it will definitely take extreme measures to stop it. –Matt

 

Rivaling the price of gold on the black market, rhino horn is at the center of a bloody poaching battle.

Rhino Wars
March 2012
By Peter Gwin
The rifle shot boomed through the darkening forest just as Damien Mander arrived at his campfire after a long day training game ranger recruits in western Zimbabwe’s Nakavango game reserve. His thoughts flew to Basta, a pregnant black rhinoceros, and her two-year-old calf. That afternoon one of his rangers had discovered human footprints following the pair’s tracks as Basta sought cover in deep bush to deliver the newest member of her threatened species.
Damien, a hard-muscled former Australian Special Forces sniper with an imposing menagerie of tattoos, including “Seek & Destroy” in gothic lettering across his chest, swiveled his head, trying to place the direction of the shot. “There, near the eastern boundary,” he pointed into the blackness. “Sounded like a .223,” he said, identifying the position and caliber, a habit left over from 12 tours in Iraq. He and his rangers grabbed shotguns, radios, and medical kits and piled into two Land Cruisers. They roared into the night, hoping to cut off the shooter. The rangers rolled down their windows and listened for a second shot, which would likely signal Basta’s calf was taken as well.
It was an ideal poacher’s setup: half-moon, almost no wind. The human tracks were especially ominous. Poaching crews often pay trackers to find the rhinos, follow them until dusk, then radio their position to a shooter with a high-powered rifle. After the animal is down, the two horns on its snout are hacked off in minutes, and the massive carcass is left to hyenas and vultures. Nearly always the horns are fenced to an Asian buyer; an enterprising crew might also cut out Basta’s fetus and the eyes of the mother and calf to sell to black magic or muti practitioners. If this gang was well organized, a group of heavily armed men would be covering the escape route, ready to ambush the rangers.

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Colombia: Oil Companies Say Security Is Government’s Job, And The Defense Minister Disagrees

Filed under: Colombia,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 3:57 PM

“It’s impossible to maintain any longer our current security plan–one that was effective years ago when there were very few oil companies and fields to care for,” the minister said Tuesday. “There are now 130 oil companies out there.”

Very interesting news in Colombia. Lately there has been a spike in energy sector attacks by ELN and FARC. They are successful because they have reduced the size of their attack forces, which then helps them to attack more targets and thin out the government forces assigned to stop them. The ‘few and the many’ from the new rules of war comes to mind. Also, it is very easy for this few and many force to go on the offensive and cause damage. Just look at what MEND was able to accomplish in Nigeria?

“Before there were movements that were more massive,” Gutierrez said. “Now clearly it’s more individuals and cells, which is a different presence from what it used to be.”

Now combine these tactics with a highly dispersed government force trying to cover down on 130 oil companies and all of their infrastructure/people, and you can see why the defense minister would want the oil companies to pay for their own security. To help the government out because there are just too many people and things to protect against such a dispersed force.

Another thing I wanted to mention is that these oil companies need to realize that Colombians are paying for their protection, as they make oodles of money selling that stuff all over the world. That world market for oil will increase if Iran is attacked or nations fall to revolution.

So to me, this is a classic case where the oil industry will fight to keep getting their good deal and ‘free government security’.  I say make them pay for their own security so the government’s police and military can focus on serving the people and not just serving oil companies. Just a thought.

Also, these attacks coincide with another big development. Colombia is auctioning off 109 oil blocks to international oil companies. The value of those blocks depend upon how secure they are. Who wants to buy an oil block that is in a dangerous area, which would then equate to more risk and more cost?  So security of these sites is crucial to Colombia in order to get more action and attention in these auctions. The FARC and the ELN know this, hence why they are increasing attacks.

But back to private security. Colombia should continue to press the issue of getting PSC’s back in the game there. The companies should be investing in their own security. I compare it to these shipping companies that want the government to pay for all of their security in pirate infested waters, or depending on government to save the day. Hopefully Colombia’s defense minister can press the issue. –Matt

 

Oil companies in Colombia say security is government’s job
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Dan Molinski
The head of an association of multinational oil companies operating in Colombia said Wednesday it’s the government’s job, and not that of the companies themselves, to provide security to oil workers and infrastructure against rebel attacks.
“We as a sector understand very clearly that security will be provided exclusively by the state,” Alejandro Martinez, president of the Colombian Oil Association, told Caracol Radio.
Martinez’s comments come one day after Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera said the sharp growth in Colombia’s oil sector has made it impossible for military and police to adequately protect all oil installations, many of which are located in remote regions near guerrilla strongholds.
The defense minister said oil companies need their own private security forces to help government troops combat a wave of attacks and kidnappings by Marxist rebels that has threatened to derail the oil industry’s four-year growth spurt.

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