Feral Jundi

Thursday, September 3, 2009

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.

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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)

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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…)

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Industry Talk: Staffers Deemed Unsafe at 20 U.N. Outposts

Filed under: Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 11:55 PM

    How come this doesn’t surprise me?  Now I know the U.N. contracts out some security, but if this report is true, then obviously they are not putting enough effort into the deal.  Competent security contractors that are monitored and well managed can totally answer the needs of the U.N., if the U.N. could open up to the possibilities.

   Also, I would imagine that many of the sites are poorly positioned in the city or wherever, and does not have the buffer necessary to protect from attacks.  The rule of thumb is that if you can park a truck near your compound, or that people can get near your compound without any kind of screening or physical barriers stopping them, then you are unsafe. Please note the recent attack in Baghdad with the truck bombs parked near government facilities.  The U.N. should know better, and there are plenty of examples of what to do, and what not to do.

    Worse yet, in war zones, these compounds have to worry about complex coordinated attacks.  In Afghanistan, you see attacks using suicide bombers or VBIEDs, followed by ground assault forces.  The compound defense force must be organized and well armed to deal with all and any situations.  That force must have outstanding leadership and discipline, or you will be in trouble.  It is all about leadership, and the leaders at these U. N. outposts must demand that proper security be put in place to protect their people.  They cannot depend on good faith or luck to protect their most vital assets. –Matt

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EXCLUSIVE: Staffers deemed unsafe at 20 U.N. outposts

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Betsy Pisik

UNITED NATIONS | At least 20 U.N. outposts in dangerous corners of the world suffer from inadequate security despite rising threats to the organization, the U.N. director of security says.

Gregory B. Starr, a former State Department security specialist named as U.N. security coordinator a little more than three months ago, cited U.N. offices in Iraq and Afghanistan for particular concern.

He also classified outposts in Somalia, Sudan’s Darfur region, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon as dangerous spots for U.N. international and local staff.

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Podcasts: DoDLive–Dr. Michael Crawford Shares History Behind Pirates, Privateers, and the War of 1812

Filed under: History,Maritime Security,Podcasts — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:54 AM

 

Click on this link to hear podcast.

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