Feral Jundi

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Executive Protection: The Explosive Growth Of The Close Protection Industry In China

Filed under: China,Executive Protection,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:13 AM

When Zhe, a national-level kung fu coach and former government security agent, started his company eight years ago, aiming to serve a high-end, wealthy clientele, he recalls there were few if any competitors in the game. By the end of last year, according to the Ministry of Public Security, the private security business had grown into a $1.2 billion industry with about 2,767 companies employing more than two million security guards. 

*****

    Wow, I had no idea it was this big?  And what is really interesting about this, is how this will translate into China’s presence throughout the world?  If the rich in China are reaching out to the close protection industry, then I would imagine that some of this relationship would spill overseas into some of the places overseas.  Especially in the war zones or in countries that China’s executives and businessmen might have some concerns in.

    I have to think that out of those 2,767 companies providing over two million security guards, that there are a few who have interests in overseas work.  I wouldn’t be surprised that a few of them might even consider themselves a PMC and are seeking to enter into this area of contracting in order to support China’s policy goals throughout the world. That’s if they have been watching how the US uses companies.

    Finally, it looks like they are going through a period of regulation concerns over how their industry is monitored and kept in check.  Nothing new there, and this is a problem world wide.  Some countries do better than others. Still, there will always be issues and especially when governments are involved with the process. lol –Matt

As China’s wealthy grow in numbers, so do their protectors

Bodyguard services are big hit

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As China’s wealthy grow in numbers, so do their protectors

By Keith B. RichburgSunday, September 19, 2010

BEIJING – Perhaps the most visible sign of the explosion of private wealth in China tries hard not to be visible at all – the private bodyguard.

They work as drivers or nannies, or blend into a businessman’s coterie looking like a secretary, a briefcase carrier or a toady. Unlike bodyguards in the United States, they are generally not tall and imposing; in fact, many are women, on the theory that females in the retinue attract less attention.

And also unlike in the United States, they are never armed, since private citizens in China are largely prohibited from owning firearms. Rather, Chinese bodyguards are martial arts experts, trained to disarm or subdue an attacker with a few quick thrusts, jabs and hand chops.

“In China, we don’t need people who know guns,” said Michael Zhe, president of Beijing VSS Security Consulting Ltd, which started in 2002 and counts itself as the country’s oldest private security firm. “Bodyguards can use one or two blows to stop an attacker.”

(more…)

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Publications: Innovation In War–COIN Operations In Anbar And Ninewa Provinces, Iraq, 2005-2007

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq,Military News,PMC 2.0,Strategy — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:17 AM

 The standing operating procedure (SOP) for the unit typically focused on: (1) Planning and establishing the COP; (2) Ensuring route security so each outpost could be kept resupplied; (3) Clearing operations after the COP had been stood up to clear IEDs and find weapons caches; and (4) Census patrols to follow after the clearing operations to consolidate the position and gradually work its way into the human terrain of the area – the real target of MacFarland’s campaign. 

*****

     This is an excellent paper that discusses some of the key innovations of the war.  The main theme that I am getting from all of this, is intelligence, intelligence, and intelligence.(jundism hint)

     If you notice in the publication, there are some themes that keep getting repeated.  The importance of networks or fusion is one of them.  To bring together different groups of experts, and have them contribute to actionable intelligence. And feeding these fusion groups requires interaction with the terrain, population and the enemy.

    Hence why COPS or combat outposts are so important.  It allows a unit to insert itself into the heart of a population/insurgency center and get as much information as they can via census patrols, sensors, raids, attacks against and by the enemy, etc. All of this is fed into a searchable database that can be cross referenced and searched by other units and organizations, and future deploying units and organizations. In other words, all actions and collected information is fed into the machine.

    I also liked the reference to ‘continuous improvement’. Too bad the author didn’t use the term Kaizen in the paper though. I also saw hints of ‘learning organization’, which is also an incredibly important concept for developing winning TTPs and strategies. Because once you have all of this great information and experience, you have to build a snowmobile out of it so you can win the fight. A rigid organization that doesn’t seek feedback internally and externally, work together and with others, or doesn’t innovate, will not succeed.

    Now here are my ideas to further the concepts into our industry.  Right now we are witnessing the African Union stumbling along in Somalia and trying to gain a foothold.  My thoughts on the whole thing is that you could take a PMC that was composed of former military leaders familiar with these concepts, and help the AU to organize accordingly. Or AFRICOM could send a leadership team in there to help organize the effort.  Either way, I see no reason why the AU forces could not replicate this strategy in Mogadishu right now.

    I also think that PMC’s could learn a lot from these types of strategies. PMC’s have had to set up remote sites that are very similar to ‘COPS in a box’. The CMC projects are a prime example. But what was missing with those operations was deliberate census patrols or the other means of intelligence collection that the Marines and Army could use.

    The way human intelligence was collected for these projects was often through the process of hiring and working around locals for guard positions and general labor projects. You learn all sorts of things about the locals when you work around them all day, day in and day out.

    Imagine though that if PMC’s actually did census patrols as part of the contract? Or planted sensors in abandoned buildings in their area? That data could not only be useful to that PMC, or future replacement PMC’s, but could also be added to a much larger database that the military could use? A PMC remote site and the routes they travel daily could be an excellent source of intelligence for the military units of that area, but unless that PMC is brought into that fusion process, it will simply be another lost chance at crucial data collection.

     It would also be nice if PMC’s could take advantage of that fusion process as well, and access the COPLINK or whatever database that is established locally. It could save lives and win wars, but it also requires both the military and civilian equivalents to talk and work with each other. Stuff to think about as we continue the fight and learn new ways of doing our thing in this war. –Matt

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Innovation in War: Counterinsurgency Operations in Anbar and Ninewa Provinces, Iraq, 2005-2007

James A. Russella

August 2010

To cite this Article: Russell, James A. ‘Innovation in War: Counterinsurgency Operations in Anbar and Ninewa Provinces, Iraq, 2005–2007’, Journal of Strategic Studies, 33:4, 595 – 624

Abstract

This article analyzes operations by three battalions conducting counterinsurgency, or COIN, operations in Iraq over the period from July 2005 through March 2007: the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment (1-7) along the Iraq-Syrian border in the first half of 2006; the 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment (1-37) battalion operating in south-central Ramadi in the fall of 2006; and the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, or 2-1, operating in eastern Mosul in 2005-06. The empirical evidence presented in these cases suggest that, contrary to popular perceptions, the units successfully innovated in war – a process largely executed organically within the units themselves. Innovation is defined here as the development of new organizational capacities not initially present when the units deployed into the theater. The evidence presented in these cases suggests that the innovation process enabled these units to successfully transition from organizations structured and trained for conventional military operations to organizations that developed an array of new organizational capacities for full-spectrum combat operations. The units in this study developed these new capacitites largely on their own initiative.

(more…)

Friday, September 17, 2010

Legal News: House Passes 2010 Overseas Contractor Reform Act

Filed under: Industry Talk,Legal News — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:28 AM

    If any legal eagles out there have anything good or bad to say about this bill, by all means speak up.  I like the intent of the bill, but I just don’t know enough about the contents to really give a good assessment. For example, does this cover sub-contractors, or are there any loopholes that would still allow companies to bribe folks in some way, shape or form?  Does it really have teeth, or is it just a minor obstacle for companies and their sub-contractors to side step? For that, I will hold judgement. –Matt

Edit: 09/17/2010- POGO has chimed in on the bill and they support it.  The IPOA has been holding a conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which this current bill would be reinforcing. Here is what the IPOA will be discussing at this event:

2010 Legal Conference

In 1977, Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to further U.S. economic policy and protect the integrity of the American business system. Over thirty years later, the U.S. Department of Justice now refers to corruption as a “national security issue” that impacts U.S. efforts in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Other nations, such as the United Kingdom, have recently taken a much harder line on corruption. Criminal prosecutions, of both companies and individuals, are on the rise. What do these developments mean for companies operating in contingency environments? How do you address the challenges of corruption when working in failed or weak states, and how do you stay compliant with applicable laws?

Join IPOA for a one-day conference that will look at these issues, and discuss the complex intersection of corruption, national security, and contingency contracting. The conference will include panels of experts that will discuss the FCPA and other similar anti-corruption laws, their relevance on contingency operations, and the challenges of compliance. The panels also will discuss past cases and prosecutions that demonstrate the very real nature of these challenges.

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House passes bill to debar crooked contractors

By Robert Brodsky

September 16, 2010

The House unanimously passed legislation on Wednesday requiring the federal government to debar contractors caught bribing overseas government officials to win international business.

The 2010 Overseas Contractor Reform Act that Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., sponsored would require agencies to debar companies and individuals found in violation of the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and sever their existing government contracts and grants.

An agency head could issue a waiver to avoid debarring the contractor or grantee, after notifying Congress and justifying the decision.

“Contractors that bribe foreign governments have absolutely no business profiting off the American taxpayer,” Welch said. “Those who violate the rule of law undermine not only our nation’s mission and values, but also the safety of our troops.”

(more…)

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Industry Talk: The Pony Express Comes To Afghanistan–Contractors Delivering Mail!

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:54 AM

     A hat tip to Danger Zone Jobs for putting this one out there.  I haven’t a clue how these two companies will deliver this stuff, and it will either be by air or by convoy on land.  I kind of assume that the SOC contract will be on land, just because they have folks over there doing convoy operations already. But you never know, and everyone might be using helicopters for this gig.  I was not able to get many details about this one and if anyone in the know has stuff to add, just put it in the comments section.

    Either way, I thought it was interesting to note that it is private industry once again, delivering the mail through some dangerous country for the US Government.  What would really be cool is if these companies made team patches with Pony Express logos on them? lol –Matt

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 Pony Express

World Wide Language Resources Awarded $13.9m for Postal Operations in AfghanistanBy Department of DefenseTuesday, September 14, 2010

World Wide Language Resources, Fayetteville, N.C., was awarded on Sept. 9 a $13,969,713 fixed-fee-price contract to provide postal operations in Afghanistan including, but not limited to, Bagram Airfield, Kandahar Airfield, Lagman, Airborne, Konduz, Fenty, Salerno, Sharana, Camp Phoenix, Camp Eggers, Tarin Kowt, Farah, Shank, and Qaiat.

Estimated completion date is Sept. 8, 2015, with work to be performed in Afghanistan.

Bids were solicited on the Web with four bids received.  U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-10-C-0047).

*****

SOC-Afghanistan Awarded $9.3m for US Mail Transportation Services

By Department of DefenseTuesday, September 14, 2010

SOC-Afghanistan, Minden, Nev., was awarded on Sept. 10 a $9,336,687 firm-fixed-price contract to provide U.S. mail transportation services from Bragram to Shank, Fenty, and Kabul.

Estimated completion date is Sept. 9, 2015, with work to be performed in Afghanistan.

Bids were solicited on the web with nine bids received.  U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-10-C-0059).

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Call To Action: The Civilian Contractor Casualty Accountability Project

Filed under: Afghanistan,Call To Action,Industry Talk,Iraq — Matt @ 9:50 PM

Now this is something we all can appreciate and get involved with. This would also give one more source that the media and the government can use to get a true accounting of civilian contractor casualties. From the US plumber killed in a rocket attack in Afghanistan, to the South African security contractor killed in an IED attack on the roads of Iraq. We are all civilian contractors and our sacrifices must be counted in this war.

Check it out and be sure to go over to Death Valley Magazine or the website for this project and read about how you can get involved. Bravo to James and company for getting the ball rolling on this project. –Matt

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The Civilian Contractor Casualty Accountability Project

By James G

September 15, 2010

Civilian Contractors remain the unmentioned (and often times demonized) cog that has helped keep our Military fighting and defensively strong for over 200 years, doing everything from highly skilled scientific duties to Cooks to High-Risk Security Operations, thereby allowing our Armed Forces to free-up their soldiers for important direct combat tasks.

Back when I first started working as a Civilian Contractor I was curious as to how many of my fellow contractors had made the ultimate sacrifice while supporting our armed forces.

But at that time there wasn’t a resource online where I could find that information – flash forward almost 10 years now there still isn’t, even with all the wars and conflicts the U.S. has been involved in these brave men and women have still not been accounted for properly.

Some people online have attempted to keep track of Civilian Contractor deaths (most notable for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) as best they can, but these resources are still quite incomplete. And Civilian Contractors who have been killed, kidnapped or are missing in action in other parts of the world have simply not been accounted for outside of some old news articles archived on news sites.

I have lost several friends, former co-workers and acquaintances who have been killed while in contracted service to the DOD or U.S. State Department. It pains me that these brave men and women (many not even U.S. Citizens) have not been recognized for their sacrifices – or even accounted for.

So after much thought I have decided to found a web-based project to do exactly that – The “Civilian Contractor Casualty Accountability Project” or “CCCA-Project” for short will not only account for all of the Civilian Contractors who have been killed in service of the U.S. Government around the world (regardless of nationality) – but also to account for those Civilian Contractors who are Missing in Action, currently being held as Prisoners of War or Unjustifiably Held in Captivity.

To say this will be a monumental task is an understatement, the U.S. Government does not maintain any detailed public records of Civilian Contractors who have been KIA, are MIA or are currently being held as POW’s. That means the majority of these records are on a hodgepodge of independently run websites and blogs, with the majority of the information on online news websites.

I would not even attempt to do something like this alone, so that’s where you all come in. The Project will need a substantial amount of volunteers to do everything from research to graphic arts to Project Management.

How You Can Help:

Right now we are only looking for volunteers for the positions that have “*WE ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING VOLUNTEERS” after the Volunteer Title.

For all other Volunteer Positions please stand by, we will announce when we are recruiting for these volunteers on our Facebook Group, Here on DVM and the CCCA-Project Website.

We really hope to make a small contribution to the contractor community and honor the Civilian Contractors who have bravely made the ultimate sacrifice – And with your help I am sure we will accomplish that and more.

If you would like to volunteer for any of the active positions below please Contact Us Here

– The project is currently looking for people to volunteer to assist us with the following functions:

CCCA Project Researchers – 50 Volunteer Positions Open *PENDING:

These folks will be the backbone of the project, they will search the internet for any mention of Civilian Contractor Deaths, Civilian Contractors who are Missing in Action (presumably kidnapped) and are currently being held as Prisoners of War or Unjustifiably Held in Captivity.

They will then take each instance of the above and present it to a Research Coordinator in a standardized format.

This will be a tedious job, but it is by far one of the most important jobs.

CCCA Project Research Coordinators – 5 Volunteer Positions Open *Pending:

The CCCA Project Research Coordinator will take the Civilian Contractor KIA, MIA and POW data provided by the CCCA Project Volunteer Researchers, confirm the accuracy of the data and then pass it to the CCCA Project Quality Control Researchers.

Organizational and interpersonal skills are of great importance here as you will be overseeing 10 Project Volunteer Researchers who will send you data on a daily basis.

Previous related research management experience is preferred. A Resume with verifiable references is required for this position.

CCCA Project Quality Control Researchers – 5 Volunteer Positions Open *Pending:

The CCCA Project Quality Control Researchers will double check and verify the data sent to them by the CCCA Project Research Coordinators then pass the data on to the CCCA Project Data Entry Clerks

CCCA Project Data Entry and Database Engineer – 1 Volunteer Position Open *WE ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS POSITION:

The CCCA Project Data Entry Clerk will input the data they receive from the CCCA Project Quality Control Researchers onto the CCCA Project Website (this will be a simple process that will only take about 5 minutes per entry) and make daily backups of the CCCA Project Website.

The CCCA Project Data Entry Clerk will also develop and maintain an offline database to prevent duplicate entry’s and for legacy archival purposes.

Previous experience as a Database Engineer and Data Entry required – A Resume with verifiable references is required for this position.

CCCA Project Lead Research Coordinator – 1 Volunteer Position Open *WE ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS POSITION:

The CCCA Project Lead Research Coordinator will oversee all of the above projects and volunteers. Additionally the CCCA Project Lead Research Coordinator will interview, pre-screen and select all CCCA Project Researchers, CCCA Project Research Coordinators and CCCA Project Quality Control Researchers.

You must have substantial previous project management or military leadership experience, HR experience is also a plus – A Resume with verifiable references is required for this position.

– We are also looking for volunteers that can help out with the following things – *WE ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR THE FOLLOWING:

Logo Design:

We need someone to design a CCCA Project logo, please submit your logo ideas to: admin@cccaproject.com

Legal Counsel:

We are looking for a Bar licensed lawyer who will be available for us to bounce law related questions off of.

Additionally we are looking for a Lawyer who is experienced with forming a registered non-profit organization.

Accountant:

We will need a registered CPA that has experience with non-profit groups to maintain our books for us.

Board of Advisors Members:

We are looking for veteran contractors (over 5 years of contracting), industry representatives, current and former military (Senior NCO’s and Officers who are Major and Above) and industry bloggers. – A Resume with verifiable references is required for Board of Advisors Members.

www.cccaproject.com

Link to post on Death Valley Magazine here.

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