Feral Jundi

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Industry Talk: Private Sector Eyes Opportunity In Haiti Rebuilding

Filed under: Disaster Response,Haiti,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 4:30 PM

   From what I can gather, the IPOA/GIS conference in Miami is going well.  I also want to emphasize that for you owners of small companies, who want to get involved with opportunities in Haiti, then these are the types of conferences you should be attending.  It is also advisable to go to the conference prepared, meaning you have the licenses and you have your company squared away to actually deliver on promises.  Do not be the schmuck that goes to one of these things, and is not prepared or hasn’t a clue on how to put action to words and get boots on the ground.  All eyes are on you, and if you screw up, it gives the entire industry a black eye.

   What will be cool, is if Doug can give an AAR on this conference, and provide some details that the readership might be interested in.  I think it is noteworthy that they only had three weeks or so to put this together, when normally these events take months to plan.  That to me only highlights the flexibility and speed of what the private industry is capable of if properly organized and mobilized.  I witnessed the same reaction of private industry during the Katrina Hurricanes back in 2005, and it is definitely a strength of the industry.  So the next step after this conference, is to see who goes where, and what they are doing. I will keep a watch on it, and see what pops up. –Matt

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Private Sector Eyes Opportunity in Haiti Rebuilding

By Pascal Fletcher

March 10, 2010

Rebuilding Haiti after its catastrophic earthquake should generate major contracts for private companies specializing in construction, logistics, transport and security, but U.S. executives say they need a clear reconstruction strategy to shape their business plans.

Private sector firms that focus on post-conflict or disaster relief operations gathered at a meeting in Miami this week to consider the business opportunities offered by Haiti’s recovery from the January 12 quake that devastated the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding towns.

With Haiti’s government saying up to 300,000 people may have died, some economists are calling the Haitian quake the deadliest natural disaster in modern times. Relief experts and business leaders agree the mammoth task of rebuilding what was already the Western Hemisphere’s poorest state will be impossible without private sector participation.

“I don’t think they have any option but to get private companies in to help reconstruct Haiti,” Kevin Lumb, CEO of London-based Global Investment Summits Ltd, which organized the Haiti Reconstruction meeting in Miami, told Reuters.

“I think it opens up a great deal of business opportunities. Most of their infrastructure is destroyed, their roads, communications, buildings, it’s obviously affected water supply, electricity, so that all needs rebuilding,” Lumb said.

The Miami summit was also organized by the International Peace Operations Association, a trade group of companies working in conflict, post-conflict and disaster zones.

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Afghanistan: So As NATO Falters Or Members Leave, Will Contractors Pick Up The Slack?

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:11 PM

   So here is one that you won’t hear discussed out there.  What happens when NATO falters or members leave unexpectedly, as the war drags on?  Each country in NATO has it’s own set of politics back home, and like most countries, they can get into a position where support for operations overseas just diminishes.  Call it the economy, or media/activist groups, unexpected rise in war deaths, natural disasters, Black Swan events, etc.  An example would be the Dutch, and their sudden switch-a-roo/’I am out of here’ move in Afghanistan.  I didn’t see that one coming, but that is exactly what I am talking about.  So who is next in NATO?  And most of all, who will take up their slack, if the war effort depends upon those troops?

   Well for one, my pick is contractors. Mostly because we are the fastest means of filling that vacuum, and we do the least at disrupting the mechanics of the war machine.  Especially if the Dutch were tasked with training or menial/defensive operations.  Or the coalition can play the game where they rob Peter, to pay Paul, and shift forces from one vital mission, to fill another vital mission.  Kind of like with the Georgian conflict with Russia, and how those Georgian troops had to leave Iraq immediately to respond to a crisis in their homeland.  The US military had to scramble to backfill, and problems like this cause vacuums in all sorts of places in the war machine. Especially if contractors are already doing the menial jobs out there–meaning troops are already filling vital positions in the war.  So you take troops from one effort, and move them to another– it has an impact on the machine.

   I also say contractors are a good choice for this ‘vacuum plug’ when it comes to non-offensive operations.  If that member nation was tasked with training, convoy operations, PSD or static security, then contractors could easily be called upon to fill that vacuum so the rest of the war machine continues to function properly.  Hell, I could put a call out on this blog for a small army, have them vetted, tell them to bring their own kit, secure weapons/vehicles/living quarters/ID cards/licenses and deploy them into Afghanistan to fill those PSD/convoy/static positions quicker than you can say ‘Eric Cartman’.  People would be amazed at how quickly security contractors could be spun up, and especially if a company has the resources to do a quick spin up. (and most companies do)

   Of course it would be ideal to use military forces to fill these instant voids, and in most cases they do. But my question is how could they possible act as fast as a private company, or how could this not impact another vital mission they are performing?  Now the military can do stuff like divert troops from one country, to the other, or do an early deployment for a incoming unit, but yet again, this is taking from one vital mission, to fill another.  To me, it makes more sense to not disrupt that harmony of planning, and just contract a company to step in. Especially for the defensive operational stuff. (military replacement is the only option for offensive related ops at this time)

   Using contractors can even buy military planners some time to actually assemble a military team to fill in that hole.  Another way to look at it, is that we are the 50 mph tape for a hole in the fuel line, so that we can get the car back home.  Then at home, we can replace the fuel line.  It does not make sense, to disable the brakes and use a chunk of brake line to repair the fuel line.  Or you could use a vacuum line to repair the fuel line, but yet again, the engine will not run correctly– if at all.

   Now to wrap this up.(pun intended-lol)  The point of it all is that when I hear guys like Senator Levin slam private contractors in one hearing, and then in another quote, he whines about NATO not having enough troops to do the training in Afghanistan, I have to think that politically speaking he is saying one thing, but realistically speaking he has to know that contractors are vital to the war effort.  Because as more NATO folks leave, do to political turmoil, the economy, or some Black Swan event back home, contractors are gonna be as vital to the war machine tool box, as a roll of 50mph tape. –Matt

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50 mph tape

The ever handy roll of 50mph tape. 

More Military Trainers Needed in Afghanistan

Coalition forces pressed to fill gap in trainers needed to help growing Afghan Army and Police forces

Al Pessin

09 March 2010

The U.S. Navy admiral who commands all NATO forces worldwide says he and the alliance secretary general are pressing each member to fulfill a specific part of the shortfall in military trainers in Afghanistan.  The admiral spoke at a U.S. Senate hearing, where senior members from both parties criticized NATO allies for the shortage.Admiral James Stavridis gave the Senate Armed Services Committee specific numbers.  He said the NATO-run command in Afghanistan needed 1,278 trainers for the growing Afghan Army and Police forces, but it has so far received only 541 – a shortfall of 737.”It is absolutely correct to say that NATO has fallen short in providing these vital trainers.  What we are doing about it is taking further steps in terms of contacting each of the nations individually and going one-by-one through the precise requirement for each of the nations in terms of where they could most effectively fill in the trainer mix,” Stavridis said.The shortage of trainers comes at a time when Afghan Army recruiting is sharply up, due in part to a significant salary increase the Kabul government implemented late last year.The committee chairman, Democrat Carl Levin, said the training commander in Afghanistan told him some of the Afghan recruits cannot enter the army immediately due to the lack of trainers.”That is totally unacceptable, almost unbelievable to me, that we can not get NATO allies to carry out that kind of commitment, which is not the most dangerous.  There is obviously danger anywhere, but compared to being in combat it falls well short of that,” Levin said.

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Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Industry Talk: Private Security Contractor Robert Harding, Nominated To Lead TSA

Filed under: Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:39 PM

   Oh my…. lol  I am sure the Juicebox Commandos out there will be crying bloody murder about this one soon enough. I say congratulations to Mr. Harding and I hope he gets it, because the TSA needs all the help it can get. –Matt

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Senior intelligence officer Robert A. Harding nominated to lead the Transportation Security Administration

9 March 2010

Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Major General Robert A. Harding, U.S. Army (Retired), as Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration). President Obama said, “I am confident that Bob’s talent and expertise will make him a tremendous asset in our ongoing efforts to bolster security and screening measures at our airports. I can think of no one more qualified than Bob to take on this important job, and I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead.” President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key administration post:

Robert A. Harding, Nominee for Assistant Secretary, Department of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration)

Major General (Retired) Robert A. Harding has spent over 35 years working in the Intelligence Community, as a leader in both the military and the private sectors. General Harding served as CEO of Harding Security Associates (HSA), a company he founded in 2003 and sold in July 2009. HSA’s workforce, of more than 400 professionals, provide subject matter expertise and strategic security solutions to U.S. government agencies in the Intelligence and Defense communities.

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Sunday, March 7, 2010

Film: So What Does Avatar, District 9, And The Hurtlocker All Have In Common? (Besides Bashing Those Evil Contractors And PMC’s)

Filed under: Film,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:28 PM

   They are the top downloaded films of 2009, and they are all up for best picture at the Oscars.  Wow.

   Well everyone here knows my feelings on all of these movies.  I have had a chance to see all of them, and my opinions really haven’t changed too much.  Probably my favorite out of all of them, if I can put aside the whole ‘PMC’s are evil’ angle, is District 9. It trumps Avatar for a unique story and kick ass sci-fi. Plus they made it for way cheaper than Avatar, and you have to give it up for the little guys who do a lot with a little.

   I think the worse one for bashing the military and contractors, is Avatar. So for that, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Hurt Locker or District 9 beat out Avatar, just to see Cameron’s face in the close ups at the oscars. The Hurt Locker is probably the least offensive out of all of these films, but even in that film, they portrayed contractors (one of which was played by Ralph Fiennes) as murky seedy dudes of the desert, who only care about themselves and money. In other words, they played up the mercenary stereotype to the hilt in their portrayal of contractors in the film, and I was turned off. And in this scene, they act like the military was fearful of contractors in Iraq.  If anything, most of the military guys I came across wanted to be contractors or if they saw a contractor PSD team broken down on the side of the road, they usually pulled over and asked if we need any help.  The movie makes it seem like military and contractors were at odds with each other over there, and that could be the farthest from the truth.  Contractors also helped out the military with medical calls or security support, and I saw way more collaboration and mutual respect over there, than what the film portrayed.

   I have yet to see a company fork over the money and provide a Barrett M 82 .50 Cal for road work either. Not impossible, but highly unlikely, and especially with the weapon restrictions contractors faced in Iraq. If a British contractor would like to pipe in and prove me wrong on this, I am all ears.  I never saw them roll with that kind of weaponry out there, but I could be wrong.

   The funny thing with all of these films, is that I think more films will be made with PMC’s in them.  I am even optimistic enough that eventually someone will make a good movie that will portray this industry in a positive light.  The reason I say that, is because every time Hollywood tries to make political statements in their films, it backfires on them. Apocalypse Now was meant to be an anti-war film, and instead it turned into a cult classic.  Platoon, was meant to be an anti-war film, and made by an extreme left-wing loony tunes veteran named Oliver Stone. Instead, that film has become a cult classic.  Full Metal Jacket is another classic war film, that was meant to repulse the viewer about war and the military, and instead, it has created a following throughout the world. Hell, that movie is what motivated me, and thousands like me, to join the Marines. lol So will Hollywood only motivate others to want to become contractors, with their attempt at making ‘anti-contractor’ films?

   So will this new batch of anti-contractor/anti-PMC films, actually backfire on Hollywood?  Look at the video gaming industry?  Those are easily comparable to film releases and revenue, with multi-million dollar campaigns to sell them and huge start studded release parties, all trying to promote the allure of their shooter PMC related games.  There was even talk of making Army of Two a movie. Wow, I didn’t see that one coming.

   Look at the top downloaded films below, and the free market has definitely made it’s choice about what it wants.  And you know what? What the viewing public wants, it gets.  lol So will we see more films that involve this industry, and will Hollyweird continue to inadvertently elevate this industry through it’s naive attempt at demonizing us? I am getting more and more emails from kids and individuals who never served in the military or police, who want to become contractors or who are just interested in learning about the industry. Interesting cultural developments if you ask me, and that is why I cover this stuff.

   The best thing the film industry could do, if they really don’t like us, is to ignore this industry and keep us out of their scripts. But the temptation is just too strong, and I think we will see more films that have either negative or positive portrayals of contractors in them.  And that portrayal will further thread this industry into the fabric of culture–good or bad. Interesting times, and we will see who wins at the Oscars. –Matt

Edit: And the Hurt Locker wins Best Picture.  -hee hee

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TorrentFreak’s Top Downloaded Films For 2009

1. District 9 – 12,639,000

2. Avatar – 11,326,000

3. The Hurt Locker – 7,930,000

4. Up – 5,437,000

5. Inglourious Basterds – 5,376,000

6. Precious – 4,922,000

7. Up In The Air – 4,855,000

8. A Serious Man – 3,836,000

9. The Blind Side – 1,845,00010. An Education – 683,000

Link to TorrentFreak blog here.

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Best Motion Picture Nominees of 2009

“Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

A Lightstorm Entertainment Production

es Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers

“The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)

An Alcon Entertainment Production

Nominees to be determined

“District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

A Block/Hanson Production

Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers

“An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)

A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production

Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers

“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

A Voltage Pictures Production

Nominees to be determined

“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production

Lawrence Bender, Producer

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production

Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers

“A Serious Man” (Focus Features)

A Working Title Films Production

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers

“Up” (Walt Disney)

A Pixar Production

Jonas Rivera, Producer

“Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)

A Montecito Picture Company Production

Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Link to the Oscars website here.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Cool Stuff: Author And Contractor Rob Krott Has A Blog

Filed under: Books,Cool Stuff,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:15 AM

   Here is another blog to put up on your RSS reader folks, and I look forward to future posts from Rob about all things contracting, or whatever interests him.  It’s just cool he is blogging, and I hope to see others follow his lead.

   I also posted his book awhile back and I am sure he has sold a few since then. It’s a cool book and goes into some of his interesting contracting history, before security contracting blew up during these current wars. Places like Balkans or Somalia, and you can read a little more about his book at his new website/blog. He also did a podcast with Jake Allen awhile back, and you can check that out here.

   Finally, James who is the designer and creator behind such projects as Death Valley Magazine, is responsible for putting together this website for Rob.  So if you are interested in getting your own blog started, and want to enter into the ring of new media, then there is one resource for you to tap into. I am sure James will pop up and provide some info about what he can do for you. –Matt

Rob Krott’s blog and website here.

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