Feral Jundi

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Industry Talk: Sterling Global Changes Name To Janus Global Operations After Three Acquisitions

“Our rebranding to Janus Global Operations is part of our business plan to increase our global scalability and ensure a fully integrated capability for our clients,” said Dale Allen, vice president, commercial programs. Janus Global Operations is poised for unprecedented growth and expansion as the “go-to” multi-national leader that commercial organizations and governments can rely on to get the job done.”
“Driven by regional instability and violent extremism growing around the world, Janus Global Operations understands the new complexities and is capable of delivering solutions to meet the global operational demands of any client” said Alan Weakley, president and chief operating officer.
Janus Global Operations’ integrated capabilities are already at work around the world helping to protect clients and their critical assets and making the world a safer place for some of the most at risk communities.

Big news here. If you remember, EODT merged with Sterling Operations back in 2012 to form Sterling Global Operations. That merger made Sterling Global Operations into a mega mine and munitions clearance company. Which is important if you want to be competitive for EOD type contracts in a crowded, post war years environment. Although, business must be good because now they have merged into something way bigger.

The three companies they merged with are Janus Security International, SNE Special Projects and Tundra Security Afghanistan. Here is a quick run down of each company and what they bring to the table.

For Janus Security International from LinkedIn:

JSI is a specialist security and risk management provider, offering a full range of operational security services to commercial and government clients. JSI have operations in Iraq, Somalia and Mozambique. As a result of recent acquisitions and strategic partnering we now have capability in Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Libya, and Egypt.

We have been an Iraq-based company since 2003, staffed by predominately ex-military personnel. JSI is fully registered, licensed and insured, in compliance with current Government of Iraq (GOI) legislation, with offices in Erbil, Baghdad and Basrah and projects across the country.

JSI set up operations in Somalia in 2012 and have established a villa/office in Mogadishu town and office and an office and client accommodation in the Mogadishu International Airport area. Operations include airport meet and greet, life support, security management, remote area security management, consultancy and secure journey management inc B6 PSD teams.

In 2014 Janus Security established an operation in Maputo, Mozambique and via our partner, an operation in Libya.

JSI’s aim has always been to provide an alternative offering to those organisations requiring professional corporate and personal security services and consultancy. The founding principle of the company is to offer bespoke security solutions forged through our extensive knowledge and experience – using maximum local manpower and intelligence.

Services include:Protective Security
• Personal
• Logistics
• Facilities
• Offshore

Managed Services
• Incident management
• Secure accommodation
• Embedded Security Managers
• Secure fleet and journey management

Consultancy and Training
• Security consultancy and solution design
• Risk management, analysis and reports
• Crisis and Emergency Management training and simulation exercises (team to corporate)
• Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT)
• Technical Security Solutions
Specialties
Protective Security Solutions, Managed Services, Consultancy and Training, Security Technology Solutions
Company Size 1001-5000 employees
Founded 2003

For SNE Special Projects on LinkedIn:

SNE Special Projects is an independent United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates based Risk Management Consultancy Company owned and run by former members of the UK Armed Forces. Providing specialist international security and support services to both private and corporate clients.

What makes SNE Special Projects different from other security companies?
“Simply the calibre of the operators we deploy on the ground, aligned with the bespoke personal service our management team provides to each and every one of our clients”

We carry out assignments focusing on tailoring levels of protection and security to mitigate risk by meticulous planning, intelligence and sound management. We are particularly adept and experienced of operating within the Middle East and North Africa where we have been successfully supporting our clients and offer the kind of capabilities that only a premium security firm can provide.

SNE specialise in operating within Libya where we work closely with our Libya partners Aldroop Alamena with our primary aim being to support international business back into the Libyan business sector. As one of the first security companies to establish a permanent presence in Libya post-revolution we are in a stronger position than any other to achieve this through our full turnkey range of bespoke risk management and transportation services. Our dedicated country management team based in Tripoli and Benghazi provide full time management oversight of our commercial client’s contracts as well as providing ad-hoc services to a growing number of NGOs in all areas of Libya. With our extensive experience and full country coverage we are the market leader in Libya with unparalleled capabilities.
Type Self Owned
Company Size 1-10 employees

And for Tundra Security Afghanistan (Tundra SCA?). They did not have a website or LinkedIn.

Tundra Security Consulting Afghanistan (SCA)· is an “Afghan-owned security company” that provides physical security services to local and foreign government organizations throughout Afghanistan. Tundra SCA is a sister company of Canadian Tundra Strategies and is “licensed to operate as an armed security provider by the Afghan Ministry of Interior”. Tundra SCA stands on guard for the Defence Department outside Canadian military forward operating bases and has collected more than $5.3 million. A· U.S. Senate report included Tundra on a list of companies that poach staff from Afghan security forces, angering President Hamid Karzai. Tundra is among those 45 PSCs which had not to be dissolved, due to cleverly used good connections to ARG Palace and and influential people within the Afghan Government setup.

Background:
Tundra SCA combines Afghan ownership with a Canadian senior management team to provide professional security services throughout the country.· Supported by satellite offices in Mezar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad, and fully staffed compounds in Kabul and Kandahar, Tundra SCA is currently providing security services to Foreign Governments and organizations involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.With operations that run country-wide, Tundra SCA is a leading and preferred risk mitigation and physical security provider in Afghanistan.· Tundra SCA is strategically positioned to provide physical security services, security consulting and incident response to Government Agencies, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Non-Government Agencies and private corporations.

Tundra provides a wide spectrum of operational expertise through uniquely qualified special operations personnel, intelligence professionals and industry leading experts who enable us to provide a wide range of consulting, security and intelligence services.

Tundra· employees and consultants are experts in their respective fields and are strategically located around North America and Asia so Tundra can physically and efficiently respond to any enquiry anywhere in the world. We take pride in our ingenuity, expertise, past performance and ability to execute security and mission support operations anywhere in the world.

In April 2010 a Tundra employee, (to remain unnamed), recently received special recognition from the Canadian Battle Group in Kandahar in the form of a Commanding Officers Coin. The Tundra employee has been the PSC commander for Task Force 3-09 at Patrol Base Sperwan Ghar (PBSG) since September 2009. During this time, his accomplishments were noted as being “truly outstanding” in the training and management of the Armed Afghan Guard Force located at PBSG.

Tundra Information Management Systems (TIMS) is a division of Tundra Group, which is specifically dedicated to both the gathering and analyzing of intelligence and information from both open and confidential sources. TIMS has the capability to provide organizations and interested parties with a range of· products allowing insights into past, current, and future events. This is achieved by utilizing long established connections with various Afghan government departments, local sources, international military forces, private corporations and Non-Government Agencies.

TIMS also uses human intelligence and other sources combined with powerful analysis to produce penetrating explanations of Afghan events. This independent, non-ideological content enables users not only to better understand country-wide based events, but also to reduce risks and identify opportunities in the region.

A·team of Afghan-based security analysts gather and analyze information from throughout Afghanistan to give an overview of the security situation in Afghanistan as well as its immediate geographical and strategic neighbors, thus allowing individuals to make informed decisions or be able to refer to documentation for the purpose of further research.

Tundra provides intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination to corporate and government clients in many different environments. These capabilities assist organizations in creating and sharing the “actionable” and “real time” intelligence required to make timely and informed decisions.

Tundra· gathers intelligence using a variety of methods, including both technical surveillance and human intelligence. We have extensive experience in managing gathered information and coordinating and integrating it into collaborative planning.

And to add to the data, I found a quote from Sterling Global’s older website about how many folks they had. Although this is the exact same number listed on the new website.

Sterling Global Operations is an employee-owned stability operations company employing approximately 7000 professionals worldwide. The company serves customers with munitions response; intelligence support; logistics; risk management and other services in some of the world’s most austere and hostile environments.

So what does it all mean? Well, JSI was all about Iraq, Somalia and Mozambique. SNE is all about Libya and Africa. And Tundra SCA gives them a license to operate in Afghanistan. The Sterling package brings in their EOD contracts, and having these connections globally allows them to provide total package solutions. Security, logistics, mine clearance, that type of thing.

In the press release below, they give a run down of exactly what all of this gives them and in the quote up top, the various officers of the company give their input. This is more of that merger and acquisition trend in the industry and it clearly shows that the companies are doing what they can to get an edge and secure their place with contracts worldwide. We saw this with the Constellis merger or the GardaWorld merger. The industry is definitely consolidating.

Now what is interesting is that Pentagon has expressed interest in trying to block some of these M and A’s amongst the larger defense companies. They claim it is a national security issue and could ‘lead to higher costs, decreased innovation and less competition‘. To the companies, it is called survival in a post war environment. –Matt

Screen Shot 2016-04-07 at 3.10.58 PM

SGO, international stability operations and risk management leader, announces major commercial & government market expansion; rebrands to Janus Global Operations

Apr 4, 2016

Sterling Global Operations (SGO), an integrated stability operations company with clients in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and North America, is rebranding following mergers and acquisitions of risk management and security service providers Janus Security International, SNE Special Projects, and Tundra Security Afghanistan. The new enterprise, Janus Global Operations, builds on the company’s 28 year history of stability operations and expands the company’s global footprint and ability to scale in some of the world’s most austere locations.
The combined company, Janus Global Operations, possesses unparalleled access, localized licensing, and infrastructure to provide munitions response; demining; intelligence support; logistics; life support; risk management; and communications solutions to government and large multi-national corporations around the world. The newly integrated risk management capability enables immediate access to strategic regions in North Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, and Southwest Asia.
“Our rebranding to Janus Global Operations is part of our business plan to increase our global scalability and ensure a fully integrated capability for our clients,” said Dale Allen, vice president, commercial programs. Janus Global Operations is poised for unprecedented growth and expansion as the “go-to” multi-national leader that commercial organizations and governments can rely on to get the job done.”
“Driven by regional instability and violent extremism growing around the world, Janus Global Operations understands the new complexities and is capable of delivering solutions to meet the global operational demands of any client” said Alan Weakley, president and chief operating officer.
Janus Global Operations’ integrated capabilities are already at work around the world helping to protect clients and their critical assets and making the world a safer place for some of the most at risk communities.
“We are tremendously excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for Janus. Our aligned and fully integrated enterprise will offer our clients a more comprehensive solution to their stability operations requirements while fully aligning with our clients’ goals of social responsibility and corporate citizenship.” said Weakley.
Sagent Advisors served as exclusive financial advisor to Sterling Global Operations on its combination with Janus Security International.
About Janus:
Janus Global Operations is a stability operations company with more than 7,000 employees serving clients in North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Janus’ services include munitions response; demining; intelligence support; logistics; life support; risk management; communications; and other services in some of the world’s most challenging and hostile environments.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Syria: Nine Russian Contractors From PMC Wagner Killed

Rest in peace to the fallen…

In my last post on Russian contractors, I mentioned briefly about a PMSC called PMC Wagner or OSM. The Wall Street Journal is the first large media group that I know of that has talked about this company in a story, and I thought I would share that here. I want to keep a record of this stuff so that it can be a reference for how the Russian market is developing in Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere.

So why do I continue to focus on the Russian market? Primarily because if the Russian PMSC’s start delving more into offensive operations, then that could be a sign of things to come for the rest of the industry. I like to follow the offensive aspects of PMSC use because that will have impact on the future of this industry. Meaning as more and more private companies from other countries get into the game of war fighting, and actually winning wars like what Executive Outcomes was able to do, then that would move the marker of what is acceptable and possible within this industry.

It will give countries an option other than using and paying for a standing military, or for countries who lack those kinds of war fighting and winning capabilities within their own military.

One country might view another country’s PMSC industry as a strategic advantage. Something that they want in their tool kit of force. Especially if PMSC’s start winning wars and battles, and especially if a country is flush with cash but lacks manpower. A country that is in a fight for their survival (like Assad’s Syria) will do everything it can to win, and really could care less where that manpower comes from at the end of the day. Enter the PMSC market.

Back to the article below. The quote that caught my attention was this one:

An official close to the Russian Defense Ministry said that the group had numbered around 1,000. Unlike Western security contractors, who are typically armed with only light weapons, members of the group were operating T-90 tanks and howitzers.

Contractors operating T-90 tanks and howitzers? lol That is some serious weaponry and I would love to hear more about what exactly these guys were doing with this stuff. EO used tanks and APC’s in their wars pretty effectively, and it is interesting to hear about private companies actually operating this type of equipment. Imagine that training course? lol

The other interesting quote below is the leader of PMC Wagner/OSM, came from the Slavonic Corps. The Slavonic Corps was also given tanks to use, but that was a big surprise for the contractors involved apparently.  So will PMC Wagner pick up where the Slavonic Corps left off, and do better?  We will see. –Matt

Edit: 12/19/2015- The guy in the photo below was an entertainer that was working at Latakia Air Base at the time and not some soldier or contractor according to my readership. There is a question on how many contractors were killed as well. One of my readers said that an article from Reuters was written last October in regards to this incident and they only mentioned three Russians that were killed. Also, the 1,000 contractor headcount is not realistic according to the readership. That is a pretty big footprint for a contractor force so I would imagine that number is a lot lower.

Edit: 03/10/2016- War is Boring wrote an interesting article that talked more about Russia and it’s use of PMSC’s. This quote on PMC Wagner is what I wanted to put out there for the record:

It now seems the TchVK Wagner is building on the Slavonic Corps’ misfortune. Indeed, many members of this mysterious organization, as well as its leader — a former major in the Spetsnaz and ex-employee of Moran Security — were also members of the luckless 2013 expedition in Syria. According to the journalist Denis Korotkov, author of numerous articles on the TchKV Wagner, these contractors are active in Syria and entertain “close links with the Russian army.”

“TchVK Wagner is not a PMC, but a paramilitary organization with no official status,” Korotkov insists. “It is obvious that this task force could not exist without serious support from high-ranking government officials.”

Oleg Krinitsyn, head of the Russian PMC RSB Group, says he agrees with that assessment.

According to Korotkov, neither Moran Security nor RSB Group are active in eastern Ukraine — and this for legal reasons and in order to preserve their contracts abroad. Furthermore it seems the Russian army in Syria does not make use of these two PMCs. For sure, these companies do employ droves of former FSB agents, and one can easily imagine that they offer piecemeal services to the Russian state while on duty abroad, especially in Africa.

CTnknb5WUAA4XdM.jpg-large 

 

Up to Nine Russian Contractors Die in Syria, Experts Say
Incident shows how the country is using private groups to avoid deploying uniform troops, they say
By THOMAS GROVE
Dec. 18, 2015
As many as nine Russian contractors died in October when a mortar round hit their base in western Syria, according to several people familiar with the matter.
The incident, experts say, shows how Russia has used contractors to perform quasi-military tasks, avoiding the political repercussions of deploying uniformed troops—and steering clear of the domestic concerns that come with the deaths of soldiers.
The Russian government hasn’t acknowledged the deaths, described to The Wall Street Journal by three people.
“It’s one of Russia’s first attempts at trying to create a private military company like what was Blackwater,” said one of them, Ivan Konovalov, director of a Moscow-based security think tank and a consultant to lawmakers who are trying to create the legal basis for such military companies, which now fall in a legal gray zone.
Blackwater, which provided armed security, logistics and other support to U.S. government agencies, became emblematic of Washington’s reliance on private-sector firms to advance foreign-policy aims in conflict zones.
Unlike Blackwater, though, the Russian Defense Ministry hasn’t publicly acknowledged their existence. It isn’t clear whether the men’s role went beyond protecting government installations to direct involvement in fighting.
Founded by former Navy SEAL Erik Prince, Blackwater was involved in a series of controversial incidents, including a deadly 2007 shootout in Iraq that ultimately led to its reorganization and rebranding as Academi and to Mr. Prince’s exit from the business. Blackwater said it was carrying out dangerous work on behalf the U.S. government in a way that was more cost-effective than using uniformed personnel. Four former guards were convicted after the shooting, but said they shot in self defense.
The Russians killed in Syria belonged to a private group called OSM, according to Denis Korotkov, a former security adviser and journalist. The group is known informally as Wagner, after the nom de guerre of its leader, a former military intelligence officer who has served in several conflicts since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Syria wasn’t the group’s first deployment. According to all three people, the group operated in eastern Ukraine, where its members were charged with protecting factories and pro-Russian rebel leaders.
In Ukraine, the Kremlin employed “hybrid warfare”—a term national-security experts use to describe the use of irregular forces, propaganda campaigns, economic coercion and sometimes direct military action.
Groups with connections to Russian military and intelligence, and whose activities can be denied, have operated in the conflict zones that flared up since the fall of the Soviet Union. Wagner’s group however has emerged as one of the most prominent both in terms of the size and missions, according to Mr. Konovalov.
Based in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, the group deployed to Syria after a contract was drawn up with Syrian authorities, Mr. Konovalov said.

(more…)

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Call To Action: Support The Glen Anthony Doherty Overseas Security Personnel Fairness Act

Folks, this is a good one to pass around and get the word out. Glen Doherty was one of the four contractors killed at Benghazi back in 2012, and his family was not able to receive death benefits because of how DBA is structured.

Tell congress that you support this bill so that not only will Glen’s family get the benefits they deserve, but also any future families of deceased security contractors will receive the same death benefits.

Below is a summary of the bill with links to where you can read about it’s progress. I have also included a portal to a very easy to use online letter writing tool that can connect you with your representatives. And finally, I have included the latest news on the bill and who supports it. With any luck, we will have a majority, bipartisan support for this thing and it will become law. –Matt 

 

glen-doherty-175d78160d57ca2e

This undated photo provided by Mark and Kate Quigley shows Glen Doherty, who family members say died in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. Four Americans were killed at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012 along with U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. Kate Quigley identifies Doherty as her brother, saying in a media interview he was a former U.S. Navy Seal. (AP Photo/Quigley Family Photo)

 

Write congress here.

 

Introduced in House (01/13/2015)

Glen Anthony Doherty Overseas Security Personnel Fairness Act

Amends the Defense Base Act with respect to payment of death benefits otherwise due a widow, widower, or surviving child of an individual employed at a military, air, or naval base outside of the United States who dies as a result of a war-risk hazard or act of terrorism occurring on or after September 11, 2001, when there is no person eligible for a death benefit under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.

Requires payment in such a case to:

a beneficiary designated by the deceased, or
the next of kin or the estate of the deceased under applicable state law if there is no designated beneficiary.
Requires benefits to be paid from the Employees’ Compensation Fund.

Congress.gov link here.
Govtrack.us link here.

US Sen. Ed Markey pushes bill to support family of Massachusetts man killed in 2012 Benghazi attack
By Shannon Young
December 09, 2015
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., introduced legislation this week that seeks to ensure the families of federal contractors who died as the result of a war-risk hazard or terrorist act receive full death benefits.
Named after the Winchester, Mass. native and former Navy SEAL killed in the Libyan consulate attack in 2012, the “Glen Anthony Doherty Overseas Security Personnel Fairness Act” would fix an omission in federal law the bars families from receiving full benefits if a contractor was unmarried with no dependents at the time of his or her death, Markey’s office said.
The bill would modify the Defense Base Act of 1941 to allow payment of death benefits otherwise due to a surviving spouse or child to the surviving next of kin. According to the senator’s office it would specifically require payment to a beneficiary designated by the deceased or the next of kin or estate of the deceased under applicable state law. Benefits would be paid from the Employees’ Compensation Fund.

(more…)

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Yemen: UAE Deploys It’s Colombian Mercenaries To Yemen

Filed under: Industry Talk,UAE,Yemen — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 1:11 PM

Very interesting news and I thought I would put this up on the blog incase someone has any other information to add to this news. I held off on talking about this when news of it first trickled out, all because I could not find any legitimate news group to confirm it. The New York Times was the group that originally broke the story about Reflex Responses and I put that up on the blog back in 2011. I haven’t heard much about it since.

I do know that the whole thing switched from a PMSC scheme with Reflex Responses as the recruiting company, to just a recruitment of Latin Americans directly to fight for the UAE armed forces. I talked about that transition here and here. It has been quite the drain on the Colombian market of force. Those guys must have been pretty bored all of these years.

Now that the UAE actually has a war to fight in Yemen, and they have lost a few of their own in that war, I am sure the idea of using more foreign troops to do that job will be more appealing to the locals of the UAE. The houthis and Saleh’s guys are definitely giving them a fight, and even launching ballistic missiles.

Back to the deployment of mercenaries in Yemen. What is interesting is that there is some history of mercenaries being used in that part of the world. Former SAS guys were recruited to fight there back in the sixties and did quite well. I imagine the current coalition will use these Colombian/Latin forces for basic infantry tasks, like guarding facilities or light patrolling. We will see how far they will go in their usage. Here is a quote about the make up of this force and what they are getting paid.

The Emiratis have spent the equivalent of millions of dollars equipping the unit, from firearms and armored vehicles to communications systems and night vision technology. But Emirati leaders rarely visit the camp. When they do, the troops put on tactical demonstrations, including rappelling from helicopters and driving armored dune buggies.
And yet they stay largely because of the money, receiving salaries ranging from $2,000 to $3,000 a month, compared with approximately $400 a month they would make in Colombia. Those troops who deploy to Yemen will receive an additional $1,000 per week, according to a person involved in the project and a former senior Colombian military officer.
Hundreds of Colombian troops have been trained in the Emirates since the project began in 2010 — so many that the Colombian government once tried to broker an agreement with Emirati officials to stanch the flow headed to the Persian Gulf. Representatives from the two governments met, but an agreement was never signed.
Most of the recruiting of former troops in Colombia is done by Global Enterprises, a Colombian company run by a former special operations commander named Oscar Garcia Batte. Mr. Batte is also co-commander of the brigade of Colombian troops in the Emirates, and is part of the force now deployed in Yemen.

I could not find Oscar’s company online and if anyone has a link, I will update it here. I did find him on Linkedin, but no mention of Global Enterprises. Interesting stuff and we will see how it goes for them. I imagine we will see more of this kind of thing amongst the wealthy gulf nations. ISIS and Al Qaeda are both expanding and morphing into hybrid terrorist armies, and Iran continues to meddle and cause trouble. The middle east will continue to require manpower for it’s wars and security, and private industry will certainly answer the call. –Matt

 

Emirates Secretly Sends Colombian Mercenaries to Fight in Yemen
By EMILY B. HAGER and MARK MAZZETTI
NOV. 25, 2015
The United Arab Emirates has secretly dispatched hundreds of Colombian mercenaries to Yemen to fight in that country’s raging conflict, adding a volatile new element in a complex proxy war that has drawn in the United States and Iran.
It is the first combat deployment for a foreign army that the Emirates has quietly built in the desert over the past five years, according to several people currently or formerly involved with the project. The program was once managed by a private company connected to Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater Worldwide, but the people involved in the effort said that his role ended several years ago and that it has since been run by the Emirati military.
The arrival in Yemen of 450 Latin American troops — among them are also Panamanian, Salvadoran and Chilean soldiers — adds to the chaotic stew of government armies, armed tribes, terrorist networks and Yemeni militias currently at war in the country. Earlier this year, a coalition of countries led by Saudi Arabia, including the United States, began a military campaign in Yemen against Houthi rebels who have pushed the Yemeni government out of the capital, Sana.
It is also a glimpse into the future of war. Wealthy Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Emirates, have in recent years embraced a more aggressive military strategy throughout the Middle East, trying to rein in the chaos unleashed by the Arab revolutions that began in late 2010. But these countries wade into the new conflicts — whether in Yemen, Syria or Libya — with militaries that are unused to sustained warfare and populations with generally little interest in military service.

(more…)

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Russia: PMSC’s Operating In A Legal Grey Area

Filed under: France,Industry Talk,Russia,Ukraine — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 9:10 AM

This is a good little report on the status of Russian PMSC’s, with a mention of the Slavonic Corps debacle. I have written in the past about Russia’s use of PMSC’s and their efforts on legalizing it. But as the report mentions, Russia also benefits from keeping their industry in the legal grey area of war fighting. Especially if you see how ‘volunteers’ (who are paid by the way) are being used in places like the Ukraine. It is not too much of  a stretch for Russia to just outright contract out various aspects of their war there.

While he says his fighters are “volunteers” rather than mercenaries, they are paid salaries: from $1,000 per month for a low-ranking enlisted man to $2,000 to $4,000 for officers. Yefimov did not answer the reporter’s question about who pays the salaries.

Ukraine’s government says more than 10,000 Russian mercenaries form the bulk of the Russian proxy forces that the Kremlin has used to sponsor the creation of the separatist “people’s republics” in parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk provinces. Many fighters are motivated by the propaganda of the Kremlin-controlled media, Yefimov says.

“Our press and television present the dramatic facts. The Russian people cannot tolerate the terror that the fascists have staged there [in Ukraine]. Killing women, children and the elderly. Most of those who go [to fight] are sensitive and empathetic; they want to help. This is especially true for people from 40 to 60 years of age, who were brought up under Soviet traditions.” Other fighters go because they miss the adrenaline of war or to earn money, he said.

Although for using Russian PMSC’s on the international market, they will have to have some protections. Compared to the west’s market of force, they have a lot of catching up to do.

With that said, one area that interests me is Assad’s manpower issues in Syria. Will we see more Slavonic Corps type contracts pop up where Russian PMSC’s answer the manpower call in Syria? We will see. Russian PMSC’s are already doing the maritime security game, and operating in the middle east protecting oil company facilities and their employees.

The one company mentioned in this video was RSB. The key thing the president mentioned was the legalities of operating as a PMSC. That Russian law has it’s roots from the Byzantine era, and that whatever is not explicitly banned, is legal. So operating outside of the country as a PMSC, is not explicitly banned in his view. Interesting comment, although as you can see with the Slavonic Corps, you can still be thrown in prison for such activities–based on the whims of their government.

He also mentioned he could raise an army of  1,000 plus troops, which is typical talk from a company CEO. If you have the attention of journalists, you always want to promote capability when you can. lol

Also, they cut the youtube video a little short. For the full video, go here. –Matt

 

RSB contractor.

RSB contractor performing maritime security.

 

 

Russia’s private military firms operate in legal grey area

July 28, 2015

Since the conflict in Ukraine began, Kiev and the West have accused Russians of participating on a massive scale. The Kremlin denies sending professional troops to Ukraine and insists the Russian citizens there are volunteers who have signed up to help the separatists. Increasingly, experts are pointing to the presence of a third category of fighters: the employees of private military companies, or PMCs.

While the private security industry is well established in the United States – with globally recognised brands such as Academi (formerly Blackwater) – Russia has never legalised their use. That could be about to change, however, as Russian PMCs certainly do exist and are now active internationally.

Programme prepared by Patrick Lovett and Elom Marcel Toble.

By Gulliver CRAGG , Ksenia BOLCHAKOVA

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