Feral Jundi

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Industry Talk: U.S. Army Seeks Contractor To Transport Cargo Through Pakistan And Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Logistics,Pakistan — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 8:00 AM

     The contractor must provide personnel capable of facilitating, coordinating, obtaining, and reporting critical movement control data and information from the appropriate US government personnel at qualifications in transportation movement control procedures and operations. They shall have the ability to obtain necessary identification (i.e. CAC) to gain access to base camps within Afghanistan without escort. Personnel must have a valid US Secret Security Clearance and speak and write in fluent English. The contractor provided personnel shall be able to respond to such request within a 72 hour period. 

*****

     I want to thank Cannoneer #4 for sending me this goody via Twitter.  With this contract, there are two key points to focus in on.  The first one is that using contractors is a way to bypass the whole ‘we will not deploy US military troops to Pakistan‘. The second point in which the first point is built on, is that this solicitation requires a US citizen to escort these convoys. That’s unless they plan on issuing CAC cards and Secret Clearances to non-citizens?(I doubt it)

     This is nothing new in the context of contracting in this war.  In Iraq and Afghanistan, expat contractors run teams of local nationals or third country nationals all the time.  What is interesting with this solicitation is the amount of work this thing could bring.  5,000 movements per month is a whole lot of road work.  I certainly hope that these convoys will be running with some heavy armaments and some decent vehicles.

    I also understand the reasoning behind having expats as escorts for these convoys.  They can effectively manage these convoys and insure there are no payments going out to warlords or tribes along the way. They can also insure the goods get from A to B in one piece without being ransacked.  With the amount of cargo being transported to support the thousands of troops surging into Afghanistan, every last bit of cargo needs to be accounted for.  Having some adult supervision on these convoys is a good thing.

     Finally, if the Pakistani Taliban and Afghan Taliban have a bounty system on NATO and US soldiers, I fully expect that contractors will be next.  If attacking forces know that there is a US citizen on some ‘5,000 movements a month’, well then I could see the potential interest in that by the enemy.  Which further emphasizes the idea that adequate protections should be given to these convoys.  Especially for the Pakistani side of things.  That’s unless the Pakistani military or drones will be used to provide overwatch and QRF’s? Other than that, these convoys have to be self sufficient. Here is the link to the solicitation here. –Matt

Edit: 5/27/2010 -One of my readers has pointed out that non-US contractors have received CAC cards and clearances in this war, so it is possible that the US Army could use non-US contractors for this stuff.  It is hard to say what the specifics are, and maybe someone from the team that put this solicitation together could confirm for us what is required?

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Here is a quote from the solicitation ‘Pakistan Third Party Logistics Support Services’ detailing what they require.

16 March 2010 Page 3

The 831 DDSB requires a large Third Party Logistics (3PL) contractor presence in the combined areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan in order to provide / perform the below services:

a) Cargo movement reporting at designated locations throughout both countries – to include the submission of daily operational reports

b) Sealing operations (bolt, cable, or other) at locations throughout both countries

c) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) / Container Intrusion Detection Device (CIDD) operations at pre-determined locations where appropriate training and equipment has been provided by the US Government

d)  IBS-CMM (Integrated Booking System – Container Management Module) status updates

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Saturday, May 22, 2010

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

Filed under: Germany,Industry Talk,Somalia — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 8:05 AM

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

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

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

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German mercenaries for Civil War in Somalia

By Franz Feyder

May 22, 2010

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

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

Protection under “Vollbewaffnung”

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

(more…)

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Industry Talk: Three British Security Contractors Killed In Afghan Plane Crash

Filed under: Afghanistan,Aviation,Industry Talk,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 3:56 AM

   Rest in peace to Daniel Saville, David Taylor, and Chris Carter and my heart goes out to the families and friends. Yet again, where is the recognition for the deaths of these men?  I have no idea what company these guys were working for, but at the very least that company should be demanding that their contractors be recognized and counted for paying the ultimate sacrifice. To pay your respects, there is a thread on the subject over at SOCNET here.-Matt

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Three Britons named in Afghan plane crash blamed on bad weather

David Brown

May 18, 2010

Three Britons were among 44 people feared dead after an Afghan passenger plane crashed in mountains 60 miles north of the capital Kabul yesterday.

The missing men are Daniel Saville from Manchester, David Taylor from Staffordshire and Chris Carter, whose address is not known. They are all believed to be security contractors.

Poor weather has hampered efforts to locate the Pamir Airways flight from the northern city of Kunduz. There was no immediate word on casualties.

By nightfall rescuers were still struggling to reach the area, in snow-capped mountains near the 12,700 foot Salang Pass, a major route through the Hindu Kush mountains that connects the capital to the north.

Paul Norris, a spokesman at the British embassy in Kabul, said: “The plane is currently technically ‘missing’ as the crash site hasn’t yet been found. But we can confirm that three British nationals were on board.” The State Department said a US citizen was also among the missing.

The plane left Kunduz shortly after 8.30am. The Antonov An-24 is a 60-year-old medium range twin-turbo prop civil aircraft built in the former Soviet Union from 1950 to 1978.

Yama Ariaye, of Pamir Airways, said: “We don’t have any news but the weather was a problem. It was quite cloudy at the time.”

(more…)

Afghanistan: Bagram Air Base Attacked, U.S. Contractor Killed And 9 Soldiers Wounded

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Military News — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:14 AM

     Insurgents have fired rockets at the base in the past, but the assault was “not something that commonly happens quite in this way,” said Army Master Sgt. Tom Clementson, a U.S. military spokesman at Bagram.

     “That’s a dog chasing a school bus. You don’t attack Bagram with 20 guys,” one U.S. official said. “Either they’re crazy or brave or both.”

***** 

     I haven’t a clue as to who the contractor is, and if they were part of the guard force or not.  If a reader can fill in the details on this, if it is appropriate, feel free to do so in the comments. Rest in peace to the fallen.

     Now on to this attack.  I tried to get as many articles as I could, to piece together how the attack went down.  The reason for this, is there might be some clues that guys can pick up on for the defense of their positions in other parts of the war.  These ever evolving tactics and strategies of the enemy are used in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and contractors as well as the military are in static security positions all over.  So understanding the dynamic of these types of attacks is essential for the defense of outposts and FOBs everywhere.

     Last week I posted a deal on suicide assaulters and the swarming attack that the Taliban and extremists have been using, and they are really playing around with the concepts to find a sweet spot for complex assaults.  I wanted to get the mental juices flowing on this, so everyone is thinking about how best to defeat this in their AO.

     The other point I want to emphasize is that the attackers were supposedly dressed like NATO or US troops.  That isn’t confirmed yet according to the article, but that is a crucial element to this whole thing.  The enemy is famous for using Afghan police or army uniforms as cover, and if this latest deal would not surprise me if they were wearing our uniforms.

     Overall though, it sounds like the defense at Bagram was able to defeat these bumbling fools, and bravo to them for a job well done.  And with attacks like this, the defense will only learn more about how to do it better, and further implement SOP’s that are effective and successful at defeating this stuff.  Attacks like this also emphasize how important it is to be constantly vigilant and focused with your job.  If you let your guard down, the enemy will definitely teach you a deadly lesson.  

     It also emphasizes the point of why you do not want the lowest bidder defending these bases out there.  You want the best value company defending a base, just like you would want the best doctor looking out for your health.

     One last thing with this.  I am completely disgusted with the accountability the government promised when it comes to keeping track of contractor deaths.  Even the current accounting measures with icasualties or Wikipedia sucks, and they have done a terrible job in keeping up or listing everyone that has been killed.  Why is it so hard for the government to keep track of the who, what, where, when, and why’s of contractor deaths or injuries?  That information should be collected(and mandated by law), and it should be available to the public to read. It is also extremely disrespectful to that fallen contractor and their family to not recognize their death.

     It also bothers me that we do not recognize the deaths of local contractors, like in Afghanistan or Iraq.  They died transporting our food or fuel, interpreting our language to other locals, working on our bases, protecting outposts, and to not recognize their sacrifice is just wrong. I know other contractors feel the same, because all of us that have been in this business for awhile have lost local national friends/contractors out there, and their deaths should be counted. Hell, guys have trusted the lives with local national contractors at outposts, or fought side by side with them in combat.  To not recognize their sacrifice is wrong…… just plain wrong. –Matt

Edit: 5/22/2010 -The name of the fallen contractor is Bryan Farr. Ms. Sparky has more on her blog about him here.

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U.S. contractor killed, 9 soldiers wounded in Taliban attack on Bagram air base

By Joshua PartlowMay 20, 2010

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — The Taliban’s brazen assault against the heavily fortified, city-size Bagram air base Wednesday demonstrated again the insurgents’ penchant for headline-grabbing strikes at the most potent symbols of foreign power in Afghanistan.

The attack before dawn, with gunfire, rockets and grenades, killed one U.S. contractor and wounded nine American soldiers. The U.S. soldiers at the base responded by killing 10 insurgents, including four wearing suicide vests.

It was the second ambitious attack in as many days, and possibly a demonstration of the new offensive the Taliban promised this month. As the U.S. military sends thousands of new troops to the southern city of Kandahar, the Taliban vowed to respond by targeting Afghan officials, contractors and NATO forces.

On Tuesday, a suicide car bomber targeted a U.S. convoy in Kabul, killing five U.S. troops, a Canadian and at least a dozen Afghan civilians. The attack, coupled with the death of two American troops in separate bombings, pushed the U.S. death toll past 1,000 for the nine-year Afghan war.

The attack at Bagram involved 20 to 30 insurgents and began before 4 a.m., U.S. military officials said. None of them breached the perimeter, but gun battles continued for several hours.

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Industry Talk: Karzai’s Power Hungry Half-brother And The Kandahar Security Company

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:04 AM

     “The concern seems to me to be that he may be creating a security force which responds to him and subverts the formal institutions and formal security forces of the Afghan state,” said Carl Forsberg, a research analyst and Afghan specialist at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington.

*****

   A lot of interesting moves going on with the security market in Afghanistan right now. I recently posted a deal where the Afghan government barred Compass ISS and Watan Risk Management from operating because of their reckless behavior.  Well now you see the other side of the coin, and that by barring these two companies, they in effect were laying the ground work for the Kandahar Security Company.

  And with all of those troops surging into the country, the amount of money those supply contracts will bring in will certainly be something that the local security companies will be fighting over. The rule of thumb there is whomever is more connected to the Afghan government will win at the end of the day. Half-brother to Karzai trumps cousin to Karzai in the world of Afghan security contracting I guess. lol

   One thing I would like to see though, is more of an effort to integrate these contracts with expats.  If NATO and the US are paying the bills, they should have the right to lay down the terms of the contract.  They can do business with the locals all they want, but they should insist on having some monitors or liaisons assigned to them, that can vouch for the quality of the service.  If we do not want these Afghan companies to pay off the local Taliban or shoot at civilians indiscriminately, then you need someone that can baby sit the whole process every step of the way.  A company that can ensure the job gets done properly, and has some adult supervision.

   Another idea is to put a military or government monitor on the convoys and implement a license and bonding concept.  I guarantee that an Afghan company would crap nickels if they knew they could lose their bond, or worse yet, their license to operate, if the monitor that was riding with them witnessed them doing anything that was in violation of the contract or a violation of the law.  We use the license and bonding concept with home construction in the US to ensure homes are properly built and home owners are not ripped off–why not use it with security companies? NATO and the US are the customers, and they should do all they can to ensure these companies are more service oriented and above board, than organized criminals getting the job done the way they see fit.

   It will also help to ensure that these companies are not destroying the hard work going into counter-insurgency strategy.  Because the locals look at these convoys and security companies as a part of NATO and the US simply because we are paying the bills for such a service. When these companies do bad or kill innocents accidentally, it is propaganda gold to the Taliban shadow government.-Matt

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Afghan security deal could boost President Karzai’s half-brother

By DION NISSENBAUM

May. 19, 2010

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is weighing approval of an expansive new business deal that could give his controversial half-brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, increased influence over the lucrative security business that protects supply convoys for U.S.-led forces in southern Afghanistan.

As American strategists prepare military and political moves to extend government control in Kandahar this summer, President Karzai has before him a plan that would give a key ally of his half-brother the power to run the newly created Kandahar Security Co.

If approved quickly, the deal could allow the firm to obtain millions of dollars in contracts this summer as the U.S. military sends thousands of additional troops into southern Afghanistan.

Top Afghan officials say they’re backing the deal as a way to gain control over rival security firms that have sometimes engaged in violent clashes over multi-million-dollar contracts.

Karzai’s critics view the security consolidation as a covert effort to solidify Ahmed Wali Karzai’s already-unrivaled hold on power in Kandahar. His grip on the city is widely seen as a major obstacle to establishing good local governance, a critical requirement for the success of the U.S.-led counterinsurgency operation.

“The concern seems to me to be that he may be creating a security force which responds to him and subverts the formal institutions and formal security forces of the Afghan state,” said Carl Forsberg, a research analyst and Afghan specialist at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington.

(more…)

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