Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Publications: Contractor Support Of USCENTCOM AOR, 1st Quarter FY 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Technology: Soldier Develops Smartphone App To Track Taliban
This is pretty cool. Although the real test is if the guys out in the field will actually use this in combat? But the idea of how this guy dreamed it up and put his heart and soul into the project to get it out there is really inspirational.
With that said, with a quick search you can find several programers out there that will build apps for a price. If you have an idea and have the 15,000 to 20,000 dollars to contract out the project, then maybe you too could come up with a life saving app, or even an enemy killing app that could give military or contractors the edge out there. No word yet on when the app will be available in iTunes, nor do I know the cost.-Matt
Soldier develops Smartphone app to track Taliban: Tactical Nav can pinpoint enemy and direct fire
By Paul Thompson27th January 2011
An iPhone app that tracks down the Taliban has been developed by a US soldier who used pds 17,000 of his own money into the project.
Captain Jonathan J. Springer said the idea for a Smartphone app to help soldiers in combat came to him in a dream last July.
The 31-year-old, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, has worked with programmers ever since to make the idea a reality.
Smart idea: Captain Springer (pictured here testing his invention in Afghanistan) used a variety of armoured vehicles, remote observation posts and harsh combat conditions to test the accuracy of his invention
Tactical Nav, which is expected to be available through Apple’s App Store next month, assists soldiers in mapping, plotting and photographing waypoints on a battleground and conveying coordinates to supporting units.
Captain Springer used a variety of armoured vehicles, remote observation posts and harsh combat conditions to test the accuracy of his invention, which can also be used to direct artillery fire on enemy positions or call in helicopter support.
The soldier, who serves as a battalion fire support officer in eastern Afghanistan, said most soldiers use smartphones and the app has been designed specifically for them. (more…)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Industry Talk: Security Firms Are The Target Of A Corrupt Afghan Government Once Again
“The lack of transparency makes it very difficult to operate effectively: The rules change every day depending on which department you are talking to,” said a second executive with one of the security firms, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We’ve heard of companies being pulled up on everything from taxes to vehicle registrations to visas.”
What can I say? This Afghan government is corrupt and greedy, and is doing all they can to juice this industry and the US. From the taxation game to this crap, what’s next?
One funny side note is that Xe was not on this latest list. I guess they win for the moment. lol –Matt
Security firms are accused of breaking Afghan laws
By Joshua Partlow and Rajiv ChandrasekaranSunday, January 23, 2011
KABUL – The Afghan government has accused several prominent private security companies, including some that work with the U.S. government, of committing “major offenses,” a move that U.S. officials fear could hasten their departure from the country.
A list compiled by Afghan officials cites 16 companies, including several American and British firms, for unspecified serious violations and seven others for having links to high-ranking Afghan officials, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post.
A decision to ban the major violators and those that have relationships with senior Afghan officials would affect firms that provide about 800 guards for the U.S. Agency for International Development projects and about 3,000 who work on military construction projects for the coalition, said a senior U.S. official.
“We’re wringing our hands over this,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. “We’re waiting to hear which companies will get disbandment notices and when they will have to disband.”
Among those listed as major offenders are Triple Canopy, based in Reston; Washington-based Blue Hackle; and the British firm G4S, the parent company of ArmorGroup North America, which provides security for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Cool Stuff: CSIS Debate–Doug Brooks Vs. TX Hammes On The Benefits Of Using Armed Contractors
Monday, January 17, 2011
Industry Talk: Afghanistan’s Push To Tax US Contractors Could Renew Tensions
“DOD and State and the primes are telling them ‘No, you’re subs, don’t pay taxes??” the company official said. But “the Afghan government has become so hard to work with on so many fronts that I’m not sure whether this issue is still in the embassy’s top ten list of things.”
Another contracting executive said there was “tension in the embassy” between those officials who work on helping the Afghan government collect more revenue so it can pay its own way, and those “responsible for working on behalf of U.S. business.”
“We know we’re going to have to pay at least $8 billion to $10 billion a year for the next 10 years to keep these guys running,” the executive said. “The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are putting heat on the government to create a tax base. Some of the biggest cash flow into the country is Western aid.”
This is interesting. You have two forces at play here. There is the IMF and World Bank who want Afghanistan to have a tax base, and you have the US that is supposed to protect US business from being taxed.
My view on it is that Afghanistan benefits from this western aid because their main goal is to get that country on it’s feet. Taxing these aid providing companies is wrong, and I certainly hope the US embassy will work to protect American companies from these blood suckers. –Matt
Afghanistan’s push to tax U.S. contractors could renew tensions
By Karen DeYoung and Joshua PartlowSunday, January 16, 2011
The Afghan government is ramping up efforts to tax U.S. contractors operating there – an effort that could raise millions for the cash-strapped government but could also provoke fresh confrontation with the United States, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.
Taxation of U.S. government assistance is barred by U.S. law, as well as by a number of bilateral accords between Afghanistan and the United States. But the wording in the documents is vague, and the two governments disagree on what “tax-exempt” means.
Non-Afghan contractors who have recently received tax bills for work done under U.S. government programs say they have appealed to the Defense and State departments to clarify the matter with the Afghans. But they have been told simply to ignore the bills and “stand up for our rights,” said one official of an American company that has multiple U.S defense contracts in Afghanistan.