So I will quote from this article, because I think it is important to note.
This month, the military advertised for an “Islamic religious specialist” to support “counterinsurgency and information operations” in the Bagram prison.
The contracting community does have a place in today’s COIN operations, and we are filling that need as we speak. But like I have mentioned before, we need to have the appropriate safeguards to insure that we do not sabotage today’s COIN operations. I have talked about a few of these safeguards in prior articles.
As the presence of more contractors pop up in Afghanistan, and we begin to take on more and more duties, it is important that we figure out ways to only enhance the mission there with our actions. Not that we are there with the purpose of hindering that mission or intend on screwing up, because we are not. But because we are organized differently, speak a different commmand language, have poor communications, and no universal qualifications system recognized by all, then we are only setting ourselves up for future disasters.
What is most important though, is the client and our boss (US government and Coalition Forces) needs to take the lead on how they want to properly use us. Might I suggest along these lines, a Liaison Office for Contractors that would be a mechanism of the Advisory Corps that John Nagl has been talking about. This LO would be more hands on with all and any civilian military companies that have anything to do with the local populations in theater. We must give these individuals authority over these companies, as a form of checks and balances out there. The kind of regulatory powers of the office should include insuring qualifications of security forces and management are current and to standard, that this LO would be a part of unifying the command between contractors and military, and this LO could have the radio in order to communicate.
The other thing about LO’s is that they could operate much like advisors operate with local national forces. To me, the same advisors could accompany the private military forces out there that are armed and involved with the local populations. LO’s could be assigned with convoy operations as well.
I would also like to reiterate that I feel the civilian operations over in Iraq and Afghanistan have given much in this war. Most companies do an excellent job, and certainly fulfill their contracts. But what is missing is that all of these companies are not connected with the main war effort. And I am not talking about the actual fighting, but just communications in general. The companies out there should not be operating on their own, and for the sake of the war effort and efficiency, there must be an effort to get everyone in this war on the same sheet of music.
We must also create a culture within the military and within the private military that wants to see ways of unifying the two groups and working with each other in new ways. Communications between the two groups with safeguards and Advisory Corps integration, and most importantly–joining together to enhance the bigger picture of being the ultimate ‘learning organization’ will go a long way towards enhancing the war effort. The civilian component of this war is massive and it is a reality of this war. A lot is on the line out there, and by doing nothing about this relationship between private military and military does not make sense and is dangerous. –Head Jundi
——————————————————————
Defense Contracts Foretell Military Buildup in Afghanistan
By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 14, 2008; A23
The Defense Department is seeking private contractors to carry out a variety of tasks — such as clearing land mines, building detention facilities and providing fuel — to assist U.S. forces in Afghanistan, which are set to grow following President Bush’s announcement last week that he will expand military operations there.
This month, the Pentagon issued a proposal seeking civilian contractors to help clear land mines in Afghanistan, including the outer areas of Bagram air base, where new construction is underway. A $25 million contract to build about 14 miles of roads inside the Bagram complex will be awarded later this month. The roads are to “ease traffic flow” and “provide diversions for construction traffic” on the expanding base, according to the published solicitation.
Last week, the Defense Department put out a contract proposal seeking firms that could supply airborne surveillance in Afghanistan with the capability of Constant Hawk, a system now deployed in Iraq. From a single-engine aircraft, Constant Hawk’s sensors record and archive data from an area over time in order to capture events such as exploding roadside bombs. Civilian analysts are also being sought to review the recorded incidents and identify perpetrators.
“The military is stretched very thin, and to keep low the deployments numbers, there is a tendency to go to contractors who have played a huge part in Iraq,” said Rep. David E. Price (D-N.C.), who as a member of the House Appropriations Committee has sponsored legislation limiting contracts in the intelligence field.
Bush announced on Tuesday that over the new few months, he will send nearly 5,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, which he characterized as an increasingly important front in the battle against extremism. Recent Pentagon contracts provide a picture of what the expanded U.S. presence may be called upon to accomplish in that country.
Some contractors are needed because the military lacks particular equipment or personnel. On Monday, U.S. Central Command said it would be advertising for a contractor who could provide 22 medium- and heavy-lift helicopters to transport passengers and cargo in Afghanistan and Iraq. In his Wednesday appearance before the House Armed Services Committee, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in discussing Afghanistan, “Helicopters is the biggest shortfall we have, and it is very clearly supportive of the [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] effort in addition to the attack effort, as well.”
Another Army contract, posted this month, calls for a firm to process, clean, repair and provide secure storage for 4,600 incoming vehicles ticketed for the Afghan National Police. The current contractor is storing 1,200 vehicles. But a flood of new ones, expected over the next year, will arrive at a rate of 300 or more a month, including 3,600 light tactical vehicles, 600 Humvees and 100 Humvee ambulances, according to the notice.
Some larger contracts give an indication of how long the U.S. military might intend to remain in Afghanistan. For example, on Aug. 1, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that Prime Projects International, a firm based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, had won a $50 million contract to design and build a prison complex at Bagram to hold 1,000 high- and low-risk detainees. The complex is not expected to be completed before October 2009.
Bagram has become a central location for holding detainees picked up in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Similar to its activities in Iraq, the U.S. military has begun hiring intelligence contractors, many with military experience, to screen those captured to determine whether they should be held as enemy combatants. This month, the military advertised for an “Islamic religious specialist” to support “counterinsurgency and information operations” in the Bagram prison.
That person’s job would be to “deliver Islamic religious services for enemy combatants detained” with the facility and also “act as a linguist/interpreter in emergency situations,” according to the statement of work attached to the contract solicitation.