Feral Jundi

Monday, May 11, 2009

Jobs: Close Protection Officer, Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Jobs — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 8:09 PM

    Cool deal and I hope someone picks up a contract with them.  Although you must have an SIA license.  Also, I am not the point of contact for this.  Good luck. –Matt 

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Control Risks

Close Protection Position

Ref 000002

Region Global

Country Global, Afghanistan, Iraq  

Department Project Management

Role Type Close Protection

Job Purpose

The Individual is expected to have sufficient training and flexibility to be able to undertake the role of a Close Protection Officer as detailed below.

The operator will be chosen for his experience, ability to work independently and without supervision.

-The Close Protection Officer provides the Client and/or Nominated Person close, physical, and protective security as well as guidance and advice in all personal security matters for the purpose of safeguarding the Client and/or Nominated person from injury

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Military News: General McChrystal to Replace Top Commander in Afghanistan General McKiernan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Military News — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 5:25 PM

Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) responsible for hunting al-Qaeda in Iraq, employed what he called “collaborative warfare,” using every tool available simultaneously, from signal intercepts to human intelligence and other methods, that allowed lightning-quick and sometimes concurrent operations.

Asked in an interview about the intelligence breakthroughs in Iraq, President Bush offered a simple answer: “JSOC is awesome.” – Bob Woodward

   Crazy news and click on the link below for General McChrystal on Wikipedia, to read some more about him.  Also, Bob Woodward mentioned a quick deal about General McChrystal and the reduction of violence in Iraq during the surge.  –Matt

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General McChrystal to Replace Top Commander in Afghanistan General McKiernan 

May 12, 2009

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decided to replace the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General David McKiernan, in a shake-up of the US military mission, a Pentagon official said on Monday.

Gates plans to name General Stanley McChrystal, a former commander of special operations who now serves as director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as the new commander, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

The move, to be announced later at a news conference at the Pentagon, suggested a lack of confidence in McKiernan, who has been on the job less than a year having taken over command in June last year.

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Friday, May 8, 2009

Legal News: Don Ayala Given Probation

Filed under: Afghanistan,Legal News — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 5:55 PM

   Interesting conclusion, and I wish the Ayala and Loyd families all the best as they try to heal and move on from this heart wrenching deal.  –Matt

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Don Ayala and Paula Loyd

This undated photo made available Thursday, May 7, 2009 by the U.S. District Court shows military contractors Don Ayala, left, and Paula Loyd. On Friday, May 8, 2009, a judge must decide what is appropriate justice for Ayala, convicted of manslaughter while serving as a military contractor in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/US District Court) 

Ex-contractor given probation in slaying of Afghan

By MATTHEW BARAKAT 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A former military contractor was sentenced Friday to probation for shooting and killing a handcuffed prisoner in Afghanistan.

Don Ayala of New Orleans pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges that normally would carry up to eight years in prison. But U.S. District Senior Judge Claude Hilton decided probation was warranted under the circumstances. The man whom Ayala shot had set fire to one of Ayala’s colleagues minutes before the shooting.

After the Nov. 4 attack on anthropologist Paula Loyd, Ayala helped subdue the man, Abdul Salam. When Ayala learned the extent of Loyd’s burns, he shot Salam at close range.

Ayala was sentenced to five years on probation and a $12,500 fine.

Ayala, 46, initially was charged with murder — the first military contractor charged with the crime while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Friday, May 1, 2009

War Art: Warlords of Afghanistan Drink Coasters

Filed under: Afghanistan,Funny Stuff,War Art — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 5:26 PM

   This is funny, and this guy has been selling these drink coasters for a bit.  Check out the site if you want to see more. –Matt 

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Matt Weems

Illustrator & Armchair Statesman

Late in 2001, our soldiers began operations in Afghanistan. The public saw the Taliban as terrorists who abused women and deserved any punishment they got. The invasion would avenge our dead, save Afghans from the Mullahs, and democratize a South Asian nation, all in one blow. I was worried by the ignorance of the general public, including myself. Worse, the Administration seemed no better informed than we were.

A lesson from Vietnam was that ignorance can fritter away a powerful army for nothing. The pentagon had intelligence and plans on the shelf for invading Iran and Iraq, but we had left Afghanistan to the Pakistanis after the Soviets departed in 1989. If we were being led by the blind, the least I could do was teach myself to see. I consumed information. I read the BBC and the New York Times. I read Steve Coll, Christopher Kremmer, Barnette Rubin, Abdul Rashid, Peter Hopkirk, Gary Schroen, Robin Moore (who is a simple soul), and more. The coasters and website use the stories of key players as a framework to present what I learned. They inform the public and protect furniture from discoloration.

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Thursday, April 30, 2009

Afghanistan: U.S. Takes Dutch Military as Role Model in Afghan Operation

Filed under: Afghanistan — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 9:25 PM

     “The Obama administration, however, is having trouble finding civilian experts at the State Department to send to Afghanistan.” 

 

   Thanks to Master Gunner for this article.  He brought up the key sentence of the article, that made us both laugh.  There should be no trouble finding civilian experts, if the Obama administration is willing to tap into the free market system, as opposed to limiting the mission to only those he can find in government.  Face it, we are here, we are available and want to work, yet we just don’t want to be government employees.  We will gladly perform contracting services though, and it is a system that works if the government takes the time to just referee the whole thing to make sure everyone plays by some sound and effective rules.

   Also, I will give a kudo to the administration for at least giving the perception of trying to find the best model of operation.  That is what learning organizations do, and if in fact the Dutch have the best model of operation, then that is great that we want to use it.  But I will wait until we get some real experts on the subject to talk about it.  I am sure Tim Lynch and others have some ideas about this, and I look forward to any input. –Matt  

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U.S. Takes Dutch Military as Role Model in Afghan Operation

By JAY SOLOMON

APRIL 30, 2009

STROE, the Netherlands — The Obama administration, which wants to send hundreds of additional civilian personnel into Afghanistan, is looking at the Dutch military’s operations there for lessons on how to combat the Taliban.

The civilian deployment is part of a U.S. focus on economic development meant to weaken support for the Taliban and dry up finances it derives from the opium trade. The civilians will complement the deployment in the coming months of 21,000 new troops, many of whom will be posted to southern provinces where the Taliban are thriving.

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