Feral Jundi

Monday, June 20, 2011

Books: The Profession, By Steven Pressfield

Filed under: Books,Cool Stuff,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 4:17 PM

Thanks to Mark from Zenpundit for the heads up about this book. Steven Pressfield is an outstanding author and he even has a novel on the Commandant of the Marine Corp’s reading list called Gates of Fire. The book is also taught at West Point, Annapolis, the Marine Corps Basic School at Quantico, the Virginia Military Institute and at Brophy College Preparatory.(I am sure there are others) So when an author gets that much respect for his written word, I tend to perk up when he writes a novel about private military companies in the near future.

You might also remember his discussion about solutions for the Afghanistan war. Him and Jim Gant were definitely promoting some interesting solutions, and it was a pleasure back then to read and follow along. I am still following his blog and he does a fantastic job of going over the process of writing, as well as discussing history’s military lessons.

I have not read this book yet, but I definitely would like to hear what others think about it. On Amazon there are reviews to check out, and Mark had a few readers on his site that chimed in.  Here is a product description from Amazon.

 

Product Description
The “master storyteller” (Publishers Weekly) and bestselling author of Gates of Fire, The Afghan Campaign, and Killing Rommel returns with a stunning, chillingly plausible near-future thriller about the rise of a privately financed and global military industrial complex.? ?The year is 2032. The third Iran-Iraq war is over; the 11/11 dirty bomb attack on the port of Long Beach, California is receding into memory; Saudi Arabia has recently quelled a coup; Russians and Turks are clashing in the Caspian Basin; Iranian armored units, supported by the satellite and drone power of their Chinese allies, have emerged from their enclaves in Tehran and are sweeping south attempting to recapture the resource rich territory that had been stolen from them, in their view, by Lukoil, BP, and ExxonMobil and their privately-funded armies. Everywhere military force is for hire.  Oil companies, multi-national corporations and banks employ powerful, cutting-edge mercenary armies to control global chaos and protect their riches.  Even nation states enlist mercenary forces to suppress internal insurrections, hunt terrorists, and do the black bag jobs necessary to maintain the new New World Order. ? ?Force Insertion is the world’s merc monopoly. Its leader is the disgraced former United States Marine General James Salter, stripped of his command by the president for nuclear saber-rattling with the Chinese and banished to the Far East.  A grandmaster military and political strategist, Salter deftly seizes huge oil and gas fields, ultimately making himself the most powerful man in the world.  Salter’s endgame is to take vengeance on those responsible for his exile and then come home…as Commander in Chief. The only man who can stop him is the novel’s narrator, Gilbert “Gent” Gentilhomme, Salter’s most loyal foot soldier and as close to him as the son Salter lost. As this action-jammed, lightning fast, and brutally realistic novel builds to its heart-stopping climax Gent launches his personally and professionally most desperate mission: to take out his mentor and save the United States from self destruction.? ?Infused by a staggering breadth of research in military tactics and steeped in the timeless themes of the honor and valor of men at war that distinguish all of Pressfield’s fiction, The Profession is that rare novel that informs and challenges the reader almost as much as it entertains.

The only commentary I have on this, just based on the description, is that Gilbert “Gent” Gentilhomme sounds like a practitioner of Jundism. lol Or basically, he had the courage to do what is right, and stop this out of control General–that he used to idolize.

So if anyone is interested in purchasing this book, you can find it in the Jundi Gear store here. You can also check out all the reviews on Amazon while on that page, and so far the book is getting good reviews. To give you a taste, Steven has even published a chapter of this book on his site. Check it out and let me know what you think. –Matt

 

Friday, June 17, 2011

Iraq: In Rebuilding Iraq’s Oil Industry, US Subcontractors Hold Sway

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 8:38 PM

“The strategic interest of the United States is in new oil supplies arriving on the world market, to lower prices,” Mr. Kuzyaev said.
“It is not important that we did not take part in the coalition,” he said, referring to the military operations in Iraq. “For America, the important thing is open access to reserves. And that is what is happening in Iraq.”

This is an area of Iraq reconstruction that everyone is watching. Because every drop of oil that can be extracted out of the ground in Iraq, will only help to feed a very hungry global oil market.

The article below also made a key point which is worth mentioning again. US companies will definitely play a crucial part in building and maintaining oil infrastructure and drilling in Iraq. Although it would have been nice for the US and it’s coalition partners to have even more of a share of oil contracts there, but politically speaking, it just wasn’t in the cards.

Probably the biggest point to mention here is how much money American companies stand to make with their oil services contracts:

“Iraq is a huge opportunity for contractors,” Alex Munton, a Middle East analyst for Wood Mackenzie, a research and consulting firm based in Edinburgh, said by telephone.
Mr. Munton estimated that about half of the $150 billion the international majors are expected to invest at Iraqi oil fields over the next decade would go to drilling subcontractors — most of it to the big four operators, which all have ties to the Texas oil industry.

And with that kind of money and company presence in Iraq, security will be very important in these post war years. Companies like Edinburgh International are already in the mix for energy security work in Iraq, and I expect to see more of that. –Matt


In Rebuilding Iraq’s Oil Industry, U.S. Subcontractors Hold Sway
By ANDREW E. KRAMER
June 16, 2011
When Iraq auctioned rights to rebuild and expand its oil industry two years ago, the Russian company Lukoil won a hefty portion — a field holding about 10 percent of Iraq’s known oil reserves.
It seemed a geopolitical victory for Lukoil. And because only one of the 11 fields that the Iraqis auctioned off  went to an American oil company — Exxon Mobil — it also seemed as if few petroleum benefits would flow to the country that took the lead role in the war, the United States.
The auction’s outcome helped defuse criticism in the Arab world that the United States had invaded Iraq for its oil. “No one, even the United States, can steal the oil,” the Iraqi government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, said at the time.
But American companies can, apparently, drill for the oil.
In fact, American drilling companies stand to make tens of billions of dollars from the new petroleum activity in Iraq long before any of the oil producers start seeing any returns on their investments.
Lukoil and many of the other international oil companies that won fields in the auction are now subcontracting mostly with the four largely American oil services companies that are global leaders in their field: Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Weatherford International and Schlumberger. Those four have won the largest portion of the subcontracts to drill for oil, build wells and refurbish old equipment.

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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Legal News: Security Officers, Driver For LV Sands CEO File Lawsuits Alleging Violations Of Overtime Law

Filed under: Executive Protection,Industry Talk,Las Vegas,Legal News,Nevada — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:36 PM

The lawsuit claims Las Vegas Sands employed the agents routinely in excess of 40 hours per week and frequently for more than 150 hours per week.
“The defendants knowingly and willfully failed to pay the lawfully compelled legal overtime rate of one and one-half times the regular rate of pay at which plaintiffs were employed” in violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the suit charges.

Thanks to Matt for sending me this one. Cases like this emphasize the importance of why companies should do things right or take care of their people. Now of course this company will have some fantastic lawyers working this case. But they will still get the negative press on this, and if the plaintiffs win in this case, it will set precedence, and the Las Vegas Sands Corp. will have to pay damages.

With that said, let me throw my two cents in on this matter. Besides the violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, working guys into the ground like this would certainly degrade the security of the principal(s). In my experience, anything over a 12 hour shift that lasts for weeks or months, is dumb. If these guys were working longer than 12 hour shifts, and for an extended period, that is uncool.

Personally speaking, the optimum shift schedule would be three eight hour shifts if the client can afford it. (hell, four six hour shifts would be really cool if they paid a daily rate) Weekends off are excellent as well, or even just one day off a week. Your protection force needs time to cut away from being in sheepdog mode in order to recharge, and I am a big fan of very sensible and rest conducive shift schedules.

At the most, 12 hour shifts would suffice, if cost is a factor or if it is a short term gig. Anything more, and the client is being cheap and they really do not care about the quality of their security and the welfare of their protection team. I am not alone in this thinking either, and if you go to Tactical Forums, they have an excellent thread about this topic.

Now of course there are the other issues in this case. If the company is not paying a daily rate, and paying an hourly rate, then of course they should follow state laws in regards to overtime rules. That is why I hope these guys win this one, so it can build on ‘precedence’ for this industry. Other legal cases that are similar, can draw on this one.  Perhaps even OCONUS cases can build off of this one?  You never know..

There is another point I want to bring up about overseas contracting, on land and sea.  Because this work seems to be out of the reach of any labor laws, companies seem to try and get away with all sorts of horrible labor and pay practices. With that said, if cases like this become successful, contractors can use mimicry strategy and contact the same lawyers that were successful. Litigation is one way of getting the companies to do things right, and it is only when companies pay a price for bad behavior will they then get the picture that doing things right is actually ‘cost effective’.

The downside with litigation like this is cost and time.  It is also a threat to your career, and this is why guys really don’t pursue this stuff to it’s fullest degree. The odds of success are kind of low as well, just because companies have the resources and contractors do not. The companies know this reality, and the contractors do as well. So that is why companies really don’t get too upset about this stuff.  They will drag their feet and try to make litigation as costly for the contractor as possible and the companies definitely have the advantage here. But as more class action law suits come up, where contractors get organized and pool their resources, then the scale gets balanced somewhat. It is still a fight, and most contractors choose to ‘let it go’.

Now I am not a big fan of unions, because I mostly see them as negative to the business. They are like using a hammer for surgery, and unions not only bash the poor companies, but also end up ruining the good companies as well. Nor do I want to be required to join a union and pay dues, just to work in this industry. I like being an independent contractor and not answering to groups like this.

But I also understand why unions form, and if the abuses within an industry are too great, then labor movements happen. I am a fan of preventing that from happening by promoting how to do things right in the first place. Because if companies do not do things right, then unions do happen, and these groups will certainly cut into your profit margin. Pay now, or pay later as they say….

Either way, it will be interesting to see how this goes.  If anyone has anything further to add to this story, please feel free to do so in the comments. –Matt

Security officers, driver for LV Sands CEO file lawsuits alleging violations of overtime law
By Steve Green ?11 June 2011
Nine executive security officers and a driver for Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson filed lawsuits Friday claiming violations of overtime law and other laws.
The suits were filed in federal court in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas law firm Campbell & Williams — the same firm representing fired Sands Macau executive Steven Jacobs in his lawsuit against Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Ltd.
One lawsuit was filed against Las Vegas Sands on behalf of Vincent Burlingame, Richard Carty, James Jackson, Christopher LaCascia, James Martin, Jonathan Molnar, Benjamin Ness, DeJuan Robinson and Michael Statkiewicz.
The suit described these plaintiffs as “executive protection agents” who provide or provided security services to Adelson, his wife and children on a 24-hour basis, including frequent air travel in the United States and around the world.

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Industry Talk: DoS Awards $10 Billion CJPS Contract To Five Companies

Filed under: Industry Talk,Law Enforcement — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:16 AM

Did you know that the Criminal Justice Program Support or CJPS  was the ‘contract to watch in 2010’? lol Although the second article below goes into some very compelling reasons why this is a contract to watch from now and into the future.  This thing is worth $50 Billion and is an 8 year contract.

This is also a highly competitive contract due to the amount of money involved. As the wars wind down in Iraq and Afghanistan, companies will be seeking other projects. Although with WPS and other post war security requirements in those countries, security contractors will have the hands full. But as the troops leave, the massive logistical requirements decrease, and companies will have to find other projects to make up the difference.

To get a good idea of what I am talking about, all you have to do is read DynCorp’s forward looking statements on where they think the market is going. CJPS fits well into their plans.  Here is a quote:

The company continues to look toward its future. Specifically, it’s seeking to break into the intelligence and international development spheres, President Steven Schorer said.
“We’re interested in moving into the intelligence arena to see if we could transplant our capabilities there,” Schorer said. “And we’re looking to move from conflict to stabilization and development. We’re trying to help countries coming out of a conflict environment.”

CJPS definitely falls under stabilization and development. Thanks to Cannoneer#4 for giving me the heads up on this. I have a ton of police contractors that enquire about this stuff all the time. Hopefully recruitment picks up and guys are able to hook up some contracts?

Finally, I am not sure who the other companies are in this recent award, other than what was mentioned? I have an idea, based on past awards:

DynCorp International
Justice Services International
MPRI An L3 Company
PAE Government Services
Civilian Police International
(INL on Feb. 15 had awarded the first round of contracts to four other vendors: BlueLaw International, Bering Strait Orion Management Joint Venture, Team Crucible, and Navigator Development Group.)

So if any readers have anything further to add, please feel free to do so in the comments. –Matt

State Department Awards $10B International Law Enforcement Contract to Five Companies
June 14, 2011
By Tim Watson
The U.S. State Department‘s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has awarded five companies including DynCorp International, PAE Group and AECOM Technology Corporation an indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity multiple award contract worth up to an aggregate $10 billion.
The companies will compete for task orders to provide advisers, other specialists and mission support services to develop criminal justice sectors worldwide . PAE expects its industry experts to train civilian police and criminal justice officials.
The contract has a one-year base performance period and four option years.
“Supporting the development of law enforcement and criminal justice programs around the world is one of our core competencies and we bring decades of experience to these programs,” said DynCorp President Steve Schorer. “We are honored to have the opportunity to compete for task orders under this contract and look forward to supporting this important program.”
“PAE is committed to the relationship we have forged with INL in support of the CivPol program over the past seven years,” said PAE President Mike Dignam. “CJPS gives PAE an opportunity to broaden its reach and provide criminal justice sector support and police training to new regions of the world while continuing operations already underway in many others.”
Story here.
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2010 Must-Follow Contract
State readies $50B international criminal justice contract
The agency needs contractors to support nation-building efforts
By Heather Hayes
Oct 29, 2009
By any standard, a contract with a value in the billions will get serious attention, and that’s especially true in a recession. So industry observers and government contractors expect that when the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) releases a request for proposals for the $50 billion, eight-year Criminal Justice Program Support (CJPS) contract later this fall, the jockeying by companies to get on board will be intense.

(more…)

Monday, June 13, 2011

Afghanistan: Government Is Building A 7,000-man Security Force For Hajigak Mining Contracts

Filed under: Afghanistan,China,India,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:00 PM

“The companies (at Hajigak) need to be secure and the Afghan government is making all arrangements. Security at the work camps, the steel plant, movement of men and materials, everything will be taken care of by the government of Afghanistan. We will permanently locate 1,500 persons of the Afghan National Police at Hajigak.”
In case the contractor wants to bring in their own security, like for an “inner ring” as the Chinese have done, Shahrani says Kabul will be “flexible”.

Now this is interesting. So I am wondering how the Afghan government plans to fight the insurgency, and build a security force for these mines?  I thought we were training the police to actually ‘police’ in Afghanistan, and not be security guards for these mines? –Matt

Foreign companies fund private army: The Afghan Government is building up a 7,000-man privately funded militia to protect the country’s mining industry as it struggles to attract foreign investment while battling against a bloody insurgency. The Mining Protection Force will be funded entirely by foreign companies through licences they buy to develop iron, gold and copper mining projects.
Story here.

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New Afghanistan mining projects create opportunity for India
By Ajai Shukla
June 07, 2011
The new Great Game for the rights to mine Afghanistan’s enormous mineral wealth is gathering momentum. With the global mining industry, and especially Indian mining majors, already focused on the unfolding competition for the massive Hajigak iron-ore mine, Afghanistan has announced five potentially lucrative mines.
Speaking exclusively to Business Standard in Kabul, Afghanistan’s Minister for Mines Wahidullah Shahrani revealed, “After Hajigak, in July this year, I will put five major projects on tender: three copper and two gold deposits and, in February 2012, I will put a huge oil basin in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif on tender.”
Immediate attention, though, is focused on the tender for Hajigak, a two-billion-tonne deposit of high-grade iron ore in the central province of Bamiyan, for which bids are required to be submitted by August 3. Shahrani said the winner of the Hajigak contract would be finalised by October.

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