Feral Jundi

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Jobs: Contingency Special Operations Team, OCONUS

Filed under: Afghanistan,Iraq,Israel,Jobs,Virginia — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:17 AM

     Blackice Security put this one out, and I figured I would get on the band wagon and put it out as well.  My guess is that there will be a huge requirement for bodies on this contract, and many companies are looking at those numbers and making their moves.

     As for VxL?  I have never heard of them, so job seekers beware.  They have provided a phone number and email, so feel free to contact them if you have questions.  I would also be curious if any of the readership have some input about the company?

     I am not the POC or recruiter for this company, and please follow the directions and links below to apply.  Good luck and let me know how it goes. –Matt

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Careers with VxL

VxL is always seeking highly qualified, experienced professionals who possess absolute dedication and the will to excel in everything they do.

Our review and screening process is intensive. All candidates are subjected to comprehensive investigations, psychological screenings, and drug tests. All candidates must additionally demonstrate proficiency in their area of expertise, and physical fitness. Certain standards, such as weapons qualifications and physical fitness, have a pass / fail score that must be met, other standards are less empirical. Candidates are not expected to be perfect – but our analysis of your capabilities will be uncompromising. For those candidates who successfully pass all screening requirements, you will find working with VxL to be an experience like no other.TO APPLY FOR ANY POSITION:To apply, you may click on the ‘APPLY NOW’ link following the job description. You may also email us at careers@vxlenterprises.com or call us at 202-449-3824. Be sure to reference the position title and code.

Current Opportunities

Professional Instructors and Operators wanted ISO the Department of State WPS Program:

All VxL operations are based on our ‘Contingency Special Operations Team’ (CSOT) support concept, which maximizes operational readiness and scaleability while promoting a sustainable ‘career path’ for our personnel. As such, our team members are not hired for specific programs – rather, they are hired based on the full scope of their capabilities and integrated into the CSOT program where they are able to support any number of requirements.

Currently, we are accepting applications from highly qualified personnel who, while assigned to a CSOT, have the capability and requirements needed to support various training and operational requirements of the WPS Program (formerly WPPS II). *The WPS program in particular is contingent upon award – however, the CSOT positions in general are NOT. Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply regardless of WPS award status.

For a more detailed position description, qualifications, and brochure, CLICK HERE.

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Industry Talk: DoS Faces Skyrocketing Costs As It Prepares To Expand Role In Iraq

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:07 PM

     Officials in Washington said that the Defense and State cuts were interconnected in several ways, including the expectation that the Iraqi military could assist in providing security for an increased American civilian presence as the U.S. military relinquishes that task.

     But while Iraqis are providing some help, officials said they were not yet comfortable depending on them. “We want to work with both the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police in bolstering our security,” a senior administration official said. “That has to be worked out in terms of the availability of trained personnel, and it will take time to achieve it.

“I’m not saying it’s never going to happen. I’m just saying it’s not going to happen tomorrow.” 

*****

     You guys think? lol What is interesting about what is going on now, is everyone on the hill is looking at things they can cut. And if defense is getting cut, all those congressmen who will lose jobs for constituents back in their districts because of these defense cuts, will certainly lash out to make sure others feel the pain. So of course they will attack budgeting for other programs that are not as protected as defense.

     But reality dictates.  The quote up top is the one thing that I keep thinking about. Can we depend upon the Iraqis to protect the DoS in Iraq?  Or better yet, why have the DoS in Iraq in the first place, if they will not have the funding to move off the bases (which would require ‘dependable’ security).  Obviously these requests for security related programs and equipment is necessary in DoS’s view, because they do not feel they could depend upon the Iraqis. The cheapest option would be to depend upon the Iraqis, but in this case, the Best Value option would be to take all things into consideration, and get their own capability.

     The question is, can they sell this to congress?  Because instead of going cheap on security, it sounds to me like they are cutting bases and programs.  The only place they are going cheap for security, is cutting the fortification process for some Iraqi police stations. So yeah, the smart thing to do is not even open up a base if you cannot afford proper security for it.  That also cuts into the overall mission in Iraq that DoS had in mind, which is essential to getting Iraq to a point of stability and good governance. Either way congress goes with this, State will always have to default to ensuring security is at it’s optimum.  Especially if congress will not assign more troops to Iraq for DoS protection duties. –Matt

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State Dept. faces skyrocketing costs as it prepares to expand role in Iraq

By Karen DeYoung and Ernesto LondoñoAugust 11, 2010

As the last U.S. combat troops prepare to leave Iraq this month, the State Department is struggling to implement an expanded mission that it has belatedly realized it might not be able to afford.

Beginning in September, the State Department will take over all police training in Iraq from coalition military forces, and it has proposed replacing its current 16 provincial reconstruction teams spread across the country with five consular offices outside Baghdad.

But since planning for the transition began more than two years ago, costs have skyrocketed and the money to pay for them has become increasingly tight. Congress cut the State Department’s Iraq request in the 2010 supplemental appropriation that President Obama signed late last month; the Senate Appropriations Committee and a House subcommittee have already slashed the administration’s $1.8 billion request for fiscal 2011 operations in Iraq.

Gen. Ray Odierno, the outgoing commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, and other U.S. officials are urging lawmakers to reconsider their plans, citing concerns that waning resources could jeopardize tenuous security gains.

“We can’t spread ourselves so thin that we don’t have the capacity to do the job in the places where we put people,” said Deputy Secretary of State Jacob Lew, who has told Congress that State will not deploy civilians where it cannot protect them. “If we don’t put people in a place where they have mobility, where they can go out and meet with the people and implement their programs,” he said, “there’s very little argument for being in the place we send them.”

The State Department has signaled in recent weeks that it will need up to $400 million more than initially requested to cover mushrooming security costs, but lawmakers seem in no mood to acquiesce.

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Monday, August 9, 2010

Iraq: Al Qaeda In Iraq Offers Cash To Lure Back Sahwa Fighters

Filed under: Al Qaeda,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:45 AM

    Nowadays, the government pays the salaries of its estimated 650,000-strong police and army on time, including the estimated 20,000 Sahwa fighters who have been assimilated into the security forces.

    But the remaining fighters on the government payroll go without their checks, in some cases for as long as three months. The government cites lack of funds or bureaucratic snags for the delays.

    Another Sahwa complaint is that the government detained scores of its leaders on terrorism charges last year. Although most detainees were released — often because of U.S. pressure — the arrests were seen as a humiliation. 

*****

     You know, I don’t blame these guys for being pissed off.  These were the saviors of the surge, the Sons of Iraq, the Anbar Awakening!  But then we go and allow Iraq to screw it all up and treat these guys like dirt.  Yet again, the market of force dictates.  If you don’t pay your people as much or more than your competitor in pay or benefits, or treat them poorly, then you will lose that contractor/soldier to your competitor who understands these very simple business principles.

     Now there is always the idea that Sahwa guys are using this as a means of leverage. Nothing like a so called ‘statement’ from AQ that they are trying to lure people away with better salary, to put a little fire under Iraq’s ass about paying these guys.  But I tend to go with the option that it is true, and that AQ is recognizing a deficiency within the Iraqi government and trying to exploit it. (go figure)

     There is another reason why we should pay attention to this.  I don’t care what anyone says. If AQ is even able to get a hundred guys back on their team, that is 100 booger eaters we will have to deal with as the war transitions into this new phase.  That means more mortar and rocket attacks, more IED’s, more assassinations, and everything else you can think of that AQ loves to do at their parties.

     The other thing to remember is all of these Sahwa fighters know exactly what the Iraqi military is capable of now. There has been plenty of time for them to observe and feel this stuff out as guards.  They also wouldn’t have the US to worry about because of this congressionally mandated troop presence in Iraq of 50,000 folks.  All AQ has to do is put the word out and pay the Sahwa tribes a decent wage, and tell them how cool they are with a couple of ‘hey buddy, we will be your friends.. wink, wink’.

     Not only that, but these Sahwa fighters are also dealing with the Plomo O Plata Effect as well.  AQ has certainly been assassinating these guys, and providing plenty of plomo or ‘lead’ for the tribes to think about. Pffft. –Matt

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Al-Qaida in Iraq offers cash to lure former allies

By HAMZA HENDAWI

August 7th, 2010

BAGHDAD — Al-Qaida in Iraq has begun offering cash to lure back former Sunni allies angry over the government’s failure to give them jobs and pay their salaries on time, according to Sunni tribesmen and Iraqi officials.

The recruitment drive adds to worries that the terror network is attempting a comeback after the deaths of its two top leaders in April and is taking advantage of a summer of uncertainty. The political stalemate in Baghdad is entering its sixth month after inconclusive elections, just as the U.S. military is rapidly drawing down its forces.

Al-Qaida’s strategy is to provoke the Shiite majority into launching revenge attacks — a development that could re-ignite open warfare, split the Iraqi security forces along sectarian lines and cement al-Qaida’s leadership role among Sunnis.

But if the extremists are unable to win back their former Sunni allies, it would be difficult for them to rebound as a significant threat — though al-Qaida could continue to be a deadly nuisance for years to come.

Al-Qaida’s overtures in recent weeks are notable because its militants have killed hundreds of former allies over the past two years, setting off blood vendettas between the Sunni extremist group and others in the Iraqi Sunni community. Many former insurgents also disliked al-Qaida’s imposition of a strict interpretation of Islam in areas under its control.

But tribesmen said the need for cash to feed their families is pushing some lower-ranking former al-Qaida in Iraq members to rejoin the terror group — and that al-Qaida’s presence is growing in Anbar province west of the capital.

“The government must help us counter the resurrection of al-Qaida in Anbar,” warned Mahmoud Shaker, an influential tribesman from the province’s Habbaniyah district.

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

Logistics: DoD Continues Undeclared War Against Private Sector Sustainment, By Daniel Goure, Ph.D.

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Iraq,Logistics — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:36 AM

     This was a quick blog post by the author, but definitely interesting. I was really curious about this concept called a ‘whispering campaign’? Check it out. –Matt

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DoD Continues Undeclared War Against Private Sector Sustainment

Daniel Goure, Ph.D.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Even as Secretary Gates and Under Secretary Carter conduct civilized exchanges with leaders of defense industry, the undeclared war by the Department of Defense (DoD) on the private sector continues. This war has focused particularly on the role of private companies in providing logistics and sustainment for U.S. forces. It has not only been overt with contracts being cancelled and work once done by private contractors dragged back into the government depot system, but it also includes a “whispering campaign” in which the cost effectiveness of private contractor logistics providers is questioned. Senior DoD logistics and sustainment officials routinely make comments in public meetings or to media outlets critical of the private sector and its need for profits. DoD executives have repeatedly asserted that contractor logistics support (CLS) and performance-based logistics (PBL) contracts are too expensive and that the government could do the same work for less.

These kinds of assertions fly in the face of available evidence. Data available to DoD officials clearly demonstrates that private sector support is generally less costly than the same work done by the organic or government sustainment system. The Air Force’s own data shows that the average annual cost growth for aircraft programs supported solely from the organic industrial base was greater than that for aircraft programs under either PBL or CLS arrangements. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics has identified a set of PBL contracts which collectively have saved the government more than $1.5 billion.

PBLs have a proven record of providing high availability rates as well as delivering year over year cost savings greater than the 2-3 percent productivity goals of the OSD efficiency initiative. This is supported by the OSD Product Support Assessment Team’s report on PBLs. For example, Boeing’s C-17 Global Support Program provides for one of the lowest DPFH (dollars per flight hour) platforms in the USAF inventory. Comparing FY04 costs to FY09 costs, U.S. Air Force data shows the GSP program has reduced C-17 DPFH by 28 percent over that period. The C-17 GSP 28 percent reduction was achieved while maintaining the best mission capable rates in airlift (84-85 percent).

It should be noted also that DoD is almost totally dependent on private contractors for its logistics and sustainment. For example, a recent article in Government Executive recounted the extraordinary efforts of “defense logisticians” in maintaining the flow of weapons, fuel and supplies to our forces in Afghanistan. According to a senior DoD official quoted in the article, “We are meeting a 1.1 million gallons a day demand for fuel for the U.S. and coalition forces while feeding 435,000 meals a day to U.S. service personnel and civilians on the ground.” Except for a brief reference to the use of commercial routes to get supplies into Afghanistan from the north, the article fails to note that all the supply routes, from the south and north, are run by private companies such as Maersk Line Limited and APL. Defense logisticians know this and respect the work of private logistics providers. Unfortunately, this article helps to perpetuate the myth that the government is providing the logistics for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Call To Action: Vehicle Decals And Licenses In Iraq

Filed under: Call To Action,Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 10:26 PM

     Hey folks, get the word out on this.  If you are having problems getting your vehicles credentialed for work in Iraq, then tell your company that traveling outside the wire is a no go.  The reason for that is if you are pulled over by the Iraqis and you do not have that stuff, you could get in some trouble.  The kind of trouble that could get you arrested or heavily fined by the Iraqis.  This is especially important now that Iraq is kind of in limbo with the government crap right now, and the police and military might not feel like playing nice with contractors.

     Hopefully in the case of DynCorp, they will get this squared away before they force their teams to travel without those credentials.  If any other contractors are running into the same issues with their company, or have any input, I am all ears. Bravo to this contractor who contacted Marc Ambinder and got the word out about this.  As the war winds down, and the military pulls out, these types of things will be more common and very important to hash out.  Definitely demand that your company does the right thing out there.

     This also goes to the US government and their relationship with Iraq.  This is some basic diplomatic stuff here.  I realize that we are trying to get the Iraqis to take charge of their country and get responsible, but we also have a responsibility to our contractor force. To do all we can to protect them from these Iraqi growing pains is in our best interest.  After all, contractors are putting their lives on the line in defense of government property and personnel–I would think that would count for something?-Matt

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Contractors Pressured to Perform in Iraq Without Valid Credentials

August 4, 2010

By Marc Ambinder

The United States is rapidly drawing down troops in Iraq, and contractors are picking up the slack. DynCorp International, in particular, employs hundreds of ex-soldiers and cops to act as bodyguards and shepherds for State Department personnel across the country. The company also trains Iraqi police forces.

DynCorp is under intense pressure to perform without blemish. Private security companies and their employees are under scrutiny from both the U.S. and Iraqi governments more than ever before because of a string of incidents. Within the military, soldiers who quit to join these companies are derided as “mercs.” The culture among DynCorp’s ranks is similar to that of elite military units — what happens out there stays out there. It’s dangerous. Contractors get killed and injured with regularity. The pay is OK — it starts at $90,000 a year — and the working conditions — living in tents, eating MREs — are harsh. State Department officials have told me that the U.S. is generally pleased with DynCorp’s performance so far … but DynCorp is pretty much the only company that can do what State needs it to do.

But one member of an elite unit, a former Army Ranger who asked not to be identified, is concerned that DynCorp and the U.S. government are cutting corners unnecessarily.

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