Feral Jundi

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Maritime Security: Anti-piracy Measures For Sale In Hamburg, Germany

     A recent survey of 110 German shipping companies by PWC (formerly PriceWaterhouse Coopers) found that 12 used private security agencies in some capacity. Ruetten believes this is not nearly enough, and that too many companies rely on improvised defense measures like strapping mannequins to strategic positions on deck to make a ship look like it is being guarded. 

     I found this article over at Deutsche Welle. It gave a good run down of the German maritime security market and how they view PSC’s in the Gulf of Aden. The quote up top was really interesting, but as per usual, they have some folks here giving some very bad advice about the realities of the high seas.

    Max Johns, spokesman for the Association of German Ship-owners is wrong on one of his points he brought up as well. The private security team he is referring to, was not armed and had no means of protecting themselves or the boat other than with the pathetic less than lethal crap they had. So his point that PSC’s are a bad idea because they are not dependable is wrong.

     Unarmed PSC’s are a bad idea, and I am sure if these folks had a means to defend themselves and the crew, the outcome would have been far different. It is dorks like this spokesman who continue to promote this myth that less than lethal is an appropriate defense against pirates armed with RPG’s, PKM’s and AK 47’s. It is this same myth that creates this mindset that companies should just roll the dice, or pay the ransom if their vessel is taken. Meanwhile, every ransom paid just increases the size of the piracy problem. It is a simple equation–paying ransoms fuels piracy.

     And those PSC companies that continue to tell shipping companies that being unarmed in those waters is a good idea, are equally to blame. It’s as if you are selling a company on the idea that you can magically protect them without using lethal force.  Your strategies might work for some cases, but they will not cover the instances where a pirate force actually understands how to defeat your less than lethal measures (like using binoculars to tell if you have mannequins on the deck) and/or evasive maneuvers (ransom money allows investments in faster boats).

     Just wait until pirates start coming aboard with cutting torches or shaped charges to open the doors of safe rooms or bridges/engineer rooms? Or when they start contracting captains and crews that know how to command these ships? The pirate is not dumb and they are learning and evolving as their industry is fueled by the profits gained by ransoms.

     The point is, losing control of your ship is ‘losing control of your ship’. Having armed and competent security on a ship will at least give the crew and captain a fighting chance. Having a strong defense is also a crucial element in taking care of your people, which I would certainly hope a captain or the owner of a company would actually care about?

    As for the German company IBS mentioned, I haven’t a clue as to who they are or what they are all about. If any of my German readers have anything to add, feel free to comment below. –Matt

Anti-piracy measures for sale in Hamburg

By Ben Knight

October 25, 2010

The hijacking of two ships over the weekend highlights the difficulties Western navies face combating piracy off the coast of Somalia. Many shipping lines are turning to private security firms for protection.

When it comes to global shipping, there is no avoiding the Gulf of Aden, which leads between the failed state of Somalia and Yemen – a nation security analysts describe as at-risk. These waters carry a significant share of the world’s wealth, including 11 percent of the world’s seaborne oil.

The 25,000 cargo ships that pass through the Gulf of Aden every year are tempting targets for heavily armed groups in Somalia, who claim overfishing by foreign vessels has robbed them of their livelihoods.

Earlier this year the International Maritime Bureau warned that attacks on merchant shipping are on the rise. European defense officials say Somali pirates are currently holding 20 ships and more than 400 crew for ransom off the Horn of Africa.

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Saturday, July 3, 2010

Afghanistan: The Heroes Of Edinburgh International Defend D.A.I/U.S.A.I.D In Kunduz, 6 Taliban Killed!

      “The actions taken by the EI security staff in defense of the compound and project staff were nothing short of heroic,” said DAI President and CEO James Boomgard. “We are deeply grateful for their bravery, and for the work they do day in, day out, to make our development mission possible. Our hearts go out to the families of the deceased at this terrible hour.”

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     Rest in peace to the fallen heroes of Edinburgh International.  You defended your client and paid the ultimate price in the process. USAID and the companies involved in this should award these fallen heroes with medals of valor, because if these were soldiers in any army, they certainly would have been recognized for these actions.

     The interesting thing here is the attack shows a definite pattern.  Suicide assaulters blasting the entry point and swarming the target, looking for opportunities of attack as they penetrate deeper. I would also be curious if they were wearing body armor under their suicide vests or if they were wearing ANA or ANP uniform? Regardless, the defense that the EI guys had in place, was able to protect what was important and kill all six suicide assaulters. I would be interested in reading the AAR for this and hopefully any lessons learned is getting out to other learning organizations/guard forces throughout Afghanistan. –Matt

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Kunduz

Firefighters try to put out a fire in a building which was attacked by Taliban insurgents in Kunduz  Photo: REUTERS   

DAI Project Office Attacked in Afghanistan, Four People Killed

July 2, 2010

DAI is today mourning the loss of four staff following an early morning attack on our Local Governance and Community Development (LGCD) Program office in Kunduz, Afghanistan. All four of those killed worked for our security subcontractor, Edinburgh International (EI).

“The actions taken by the EI security staff in defense of the compound and project staff were nothing short of heroic,” said DAI President and CEO James Boomgard. “We are deeply grateful for their bravery, and for the work they do day in, day out, to make our development mission possible. Our hearts go out to the families of the deceased at this terrible hour.”

One British, one German, and two Afghan nationals were killed in the incident, and several more EI staff were injured. Two DAI staff were injured but all are safe and receiving medical care under the auspices of the Provincial Reconstruction Team.

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Saturday, May 22, 2010

Industry Talk: Asgaard German Security Group Secures A Contract In Somalia?

   This just came across my virtual desk and I thought it was interesting.  First of all, the story is completely in German and I had to do some hunting around for a translation.  If any of my German readers would like to confirm the content on the original post, that would be cool.  But I think we get the picture with this translation.

   Now for the point of this post.  It would be great to get some confirmation on this from the EU or the UN or even the VOA which is pretty quick to confirm the yes or no on stuff like this.  Until I hear some official confirmation out there, I will hold any commentary. (we get a lot of companies claiming contracts in Somalia, and most are just talk) Interesting stuff if true. If anyone from Asgaard GSG would like to confirm this and provide a little more detail, I would gladly put up a edit. –Matt

Edit: 5/23/2010 – I had a fantastic response by the readership as you can see below, and here is the latest.  Asgaard GSG has made a public statement on this article and you can read that below in the comments.

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German mercenaries for Civil War in Somalia

By Franz Feyder

May 22, 2010

More than 100 former Bundeswehr soldiers will soon intervene in the civil war in Somalia, according to information from NDR Info and tagesschau.de. A German company has signed a contract with a Somali politician. Experts warn of a “bloodbath”.

Until now, firms like Blackwater, Armor Group or Aegis are synonyms for modern mercenaries. German companies do not really play any role in the global market of privatized war. But now the German “Asgaard German Security Group” wants to compete against the big ones: at the end of last year the company, based in Telgte near Münster, made a contract with a Somali politician who does not recognize the internationally accepted transitional government. More than 100 men will be sent by Asgaard to the Horn of Africa, to bring Galadid Abdinur Ahmed Darman to power.

Protection under “Vollbewaffnung”

“The contract includes extensive and exclusive tasks and areas of competence: from strategic consulting and planning for security to operational implementation and execution of all measures necessary to ensure safety and restore peace,” it said in a Asgaard Press Release of last year’s end. CEO Thomas Kaltegärtner, a former sergeant major of the army, said to NDR Info and tagesschau.de that it is about militarily Personal Security Detail, property security and convey protection in the high-risk country Somalia. “In the event of cases, that is if an attack on the patrol, the convoy is taking place, this team responds immediatly. It has been taught.”

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Maritime Security: Combating Piracy 2010, Hamburg

    It would be great to attend an event like this, just to meet some of the players and get a feel for where the industry is going.  I would especially like to sit in on the lethal versus non-lethal discussion, and hear the various arguments.  My guess is that you will have the same dorks promoting the same non-lethal drivel when it comes to dealing with the kind of piracy we are seeing these days.  But you never know.  There might be a few courageous souls in this conference who are willing to tell it like it is.

   I really like the lessons learned aspect of a conference like this, and I really think that will pay big dividends. If any readers are able to attend and give a quick report about how it went, feel free to do so in the comments section. Follow the links below if you want to register for this thing. –Matt

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Combating Piracy 2010

Date 26 Apr 2010 – 28 Apr 2010

Location Hamburg, Germany

Venue Crowne Plaza Hamburg

Organisation Hanson Wade

Type event Conference, Workshop

Category Defence / Security

“There is a great business out here. You go with friends, you seize a ship and weeks later you come back with big money,” said the 23-year-old, who gave his name only as Gure. “We prefer to do this piracy thing until change comes to this country.”

As each hijacked vessel is released, the ransoms are dramatically rising with a reported payment of over $7million in January 2010.

But what’s most concerning is that as more money is paid the more sophisticated the pirate groups are getting. They’re investing ransom money in equipment and each hijacking leads to an increase in pirate intelligence. They’re learning vulnerable pressure points so each time they can secure the highest possible ransoms are paid. And as the military perfect their act, so do the pirates, who venture hundreds of miles into the Indian Ocean, where naval forces are stretched too thinly to create an effective net.

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Sunday, December 27, 2009

Germany: Unleash The Germans In Afghanistan, Please!

Filed under: Afghanistan,Germany,Military News — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 7:00 AM

   This pisses me off.  First off, the German soldier is an extremely capable soldier, if we allow them to do what they are trained to do.  The awarding of the ‘Iron Cross’ to some German soldiers last summer for actions in Afghanistan, are a prime example of what they are capable of.

   So when I hear of their country taking a giant dump on their soldiers for fighting the war in Afghanistan, I get pissed.  You’re either in, or you’re out.  If you don’t want your soldiers in that war, then pull them out.  If you want to send soldiers there, but really don’t want them to be soldiers in that war, then the message you are sending to the rest of the world and to your soldiers is a confusing one. It shows that you are confused about the realities of war and you could really care less about combating terrorism or defeating the Taliban. You want to play, but you don’t want to risk anything, and that does no good to the rest of soldiers in Afghanistan fighting the ‘just war’. If anything, your just taking up space and eating up food and fuel by being an ineffective army.

    You do not win wars, with half measures and bad language.  It takes extreme violence and serious resolve to defeat an enemy and break their will to fight. It sounds like the only war the politicians and a few people in Germany are wanting to fight, is the one against their own soldiers.  Pfffft. By the way, I am thankful for the sacrifice and good work of the German soldier in Afghanistan. –Matt

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Germans Make War Over War

December 27, 2009

Strategy Page

There’s another military scandal playing out in Germany. Senior officers are being accused of lying. Although the lies were told to save German lives, many Germans don’t want their soldiers involved in combat, and are seeking to punish army commanders as much as possible for any activities related to combat.

All this began earlier in the year when the phrase, “the use of deadly force is prohibited, unless an attack is underway or imminent,” was quietly dropped from the NATO rule book for troops in Afghanistan. This particular rule meant that you could not shoot first, even if surrounded by armed Taliban. The Taliban knew all about this rule, and increasingly exploited it. The NATO contingents that followed this rule (not all did), were stationed in parts of northern Afghanistan where there were no Taliban. But in the last few years, Taliban moved into parts of the north occupied by Pushtun tribes, and proceeded to terrorize these tribes into tolerating, or supporting, the Taliban presence. The local NATO troops, there to provide security, were unable to do so. The Taliban knew the NATO rules, and exploited them.

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