Feral Jundi

Monday, April 4, 2011

Job Tips: How To Get Into Security Contracting Without A Military Or Police Background

Filed under: Industry Talk,Job Tips,Medical,Training — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 9:23 AM

I wanted to do a post about this subject because of all of the emails I have been getting lately. In the past, I have hinted at this kind of stuff before, but I think now it deserves it’s own post.  The top question I get is ‘how do you become a security contractor without any military or police background?’. My top reply is for individuals to join the military or police, and get that background–with an emphasis on the combat arms and duty in the war.  That by far is the best route to go, and you will come up against the least amount of friction in this industry as you pursue your career in security contracting.

With that said, there is a way to become a gun carrying security contractor without that four year degree in the combat arms.  The loophole I am talking about is to become a paramedic. In my career, I have personally met three security contractors without any military or police background, that got their job as a gun carrying contractor because of their medical qualifications.  From PSD work to disaster response to site security work–these non-military/police contractors worked those gigs as gun carrying medical guys. Although not purely shooters, they are armed non-the-less, with an emphasis on their medical qualifications. That is what they were hired for, and they are right along side the guys who were contracted as shooters–much like how a combat medic is used in a military unit.

All three medical contractors I had met, were armed by their company so that they could defend self and/or client.  Out of the three I had met, two of them had invested in security/weapons training to supplement their medical certifications so they could be less of a liability in the field.  Most of them had to go through the same overseas type deployment spin up course, or similar company vetting to ensure they could operate well with whatever team they were assigned to. But to put it bluntly, paramedics/nurses/doctors are all highly valuable assets to companies, and companies will bend over backwards to get these guys out there on contract, and especially when medical assets are required for a specific contract. A company must look beyond a lack of military or police background with a job seeker to fulfill a contract requirement, just because there isn’t enough qualified medical folks out there willing to do this kind of work.

Which is the one caveat that I tell folks when they pursue this loophole of contracting.  I suggest to folks to not only get their paramedic certification, but to also invest in excellent security/weapons training that will at least introduce to them the basics of how to operate out there.  I really emphasize the weapons schools because most of the companies will have their medical contractors do a shooting test with the weapon they will be issued in the field as a requirement of the contract. At the least, a contractor should be proficient with a pistol and rifle, and any investment in weapons training will pay off in the long run when you pass that shooting test and get that six figure job overseas.

To take this a step further.  If by chance you are able to sign on to the WPS program, you will have to shoot and qualify with some of the belt fed weapons that this program uses. I have even heard of medical officers being used in training to teach the usage of weapons like the AK 47 or PKM on the TWISS program.  The point here is that once you get involved as a security/medical contractor, you should expect to be around weapons and know how to use them if you want to be useful and a  non-liability to the team. So get some good reputable weapons training, and learn the fundamentals. I suggest CSAT as a an excellent starting point if you are looking for ideas.

Of course you must also maintain your fitness level because companies will require a PT test as per the contract. Keep up to date mentally by following the latest news in this industry through the forums and blogs. You must also ensure your background checks clean for any kind of clearance issues, because in this war, the US government is using the ‘security clearance’ as a means of vetting. So keep your finances in check, keep your nose clean and do not lie on your SF 86 form.

The most important thing though is to maintain your paramedic certification and stay up to date on all the medical protocols. If you are a former 18 Delta or military medic, I still suggest getting the paramedic certification because it will help you to bridge your military experience to the civilian world.

I would even suggest some exposure to military themed medicine (TCCC) for those without a military/police background, through some of the private schools that offer such things. Deployment Medicine International is one such company that I can recommend, and with a search, you can find others.  Also, you can learn more about training by talking with other medical contractors via the forums.  That is what’s called networking and getting ‘locked on’, which will help you big time in your security contracting career.

Now I am sure there are other ways of becoming a security contractor besides the medical route, and hopefully some folks will put their ideas down in the comments section.  But personally, the medical angle is probably one of the best ways that I have seen to accomplish this task. It is also one of those certifications that will be quite useful when you are done doing the overseas contracting game and are wanting to settle back home.  You could spend all that money you earned on going to Nursing school or similar, and advance your career in the medical world.  The experience you gained as a medical professional in the war zones will also be highly respected back home in the hospitals and ambulances.

The other thing that I wanted to touch upon is that if you are a security contractor with a military or police background, and are wanting to increase your marketability in this industry, then getting a paramedic or EMT certification would be an outstanding move.  Even with executive protection gigs, out of two guys with equal shooter backgrounds applying for the same job, the guy that can save the client medically will be of higher value than the guy that does not have any medical experience or certifications. If you want an edge in this highly competitive world of security contracting overseas or at home, get that paramedic certification.  To me this is all about being the ‘Useful Contractor‘ and diversifying your capabilities.(Miyamoto Musashi would approve) This one investment could save your buddy or client’s life, it could get you that high dollar contract you have been dreaming about, and it could keep you marketable in a highly competitive industry both CONUS or OCONUS for years to come. Something to think about if you are coming up against a wall in your career path, or wanting to get a foot into the door of this highly competitive industry. –Matt

Monday, February 21, 2011

Medical: ‘Experts’…. Look At Civilians Hurt Supporting War

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Iraq,Medical — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:31 AM

     The most prevalent diagnoses for civilians were musculoskeletal/spine injuries (19 percent), combat-related injuries (14 percent) and circulatory disorders (13 percent). Among members of the military, the most common diagnoses were musculoskeletal (31 percent, 6.4 percent of them considered war-related), combat (14 percent) and psychiatric (9 percent).

     Cohen noted that civilians with psychiatric diagnoses were significantly more likely to return to duty (16 percent, versus 9 percent for soldiers). “Despite the military’s emphasis on screening and early treatment for psychiatric disorders, they still take a much greater toll on military personnel than nonmilitary personnel,” said Cohen, who is also director of Chronic Pain Research at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

 

    After looking through this, I had some objections with the study. It is lumping in civil servants or federal employees with non-federal employees or civilian contractors.  The reason why I disagree with this combination is that federal employees would have different motivations and different compensations than civilian contractors. It would have been better to completely separate the two.

    Dr. Cohen said this as well–‘Civilians, who often work in security and transportation jobs, are less likely to be in the line of fire and don’t expect to be injured in combat‘. I absolutely disagree with this statement and I am not sure how he came to this conclusion?  Even the KBR truck drivers that were hired to work in Iraq at this specific time line of the study (2004 to 2007) would have had to have known through the news and through word of mouth, that they were signing up for a very dangerous contract in an active war zone.

    The security contractors that worked at that time, and especially in Iraq, all considered the idea of being ‘injured’ or killed in combat every day they worked there.  How could a person in this position not consider this?

    This study also highlights some strengths and weaknesses of the contracting model in war zones, as it pertains to the medical side of things.  It shows how contractors view their job as a profession that will help to feed their family and pay the bills. The study makes no mention of that contractor’s patriotism or their desire to be with the team. The various motivations for them to continue going back to that war zone is varied, and this study does not differentiate. This study also represents a very dangerous time period to be a contractor, and a key time period of the development of the industry.

    On the other hand, the study pointed out that after civilians were wounded from ‘combat related’ injuries, they were more likely not to return.  Is that because they lost heart for the work or is that because the injury was debilitating enough to where they could not go back? Does the study make any mention of how many incidents that an individual had been through, both in their military history and contractor history?  Or how many of these folks have returned back to work after such incidents, but years later. This is happening in this industry, and the contracting model allows individuals to do this, dependent upon their resume and vetting.

    The other interesting statistic was this one. ‘Cohen noted that civilians with psychiatric diagnoses were significantly more likely to return to duty (16 percent, versus 9 percent for soldiers).’  This statistic needs to be clarified. How many of these folks that were questioned, were military veterans or police veterans that had carried their mental issues with them into their contract? Or what kind of diagnosis is given for each individual questioned, and was it related to combat and the war, or were these psychiatric issues a carry over from something else going on in their lives?

    With that said, the drive for a contractor with mental problems to continue working to feed their family and pay the bills, might be stronger than seeking help and not working.  At this time period of the study, a secret clearance was not mandatory. But there was the infamous CRC that many contractors had to cycle through at that time, and the military was tasked with medically screening folks.  At the bases that conducted this screening, contractor’s medical backgrounds were reviewed.

    Even with these screening processes, contractors still slip through.  Danny Fitzsimons is just one case of a contractor with mental issues making it through the system. There is also the peer review or on the ground management of teams that helps to screen folks as well. If there is an individual that is mentally unstable, they will be identified and removed from contract due to their liability. Everyone has to be a little crazy to do this work, but no one wants to depend their survival on some dude that is mentally gone.

     The high musculoskeletal/spine injuries statistic is the one statistic that was intriguing to me.  With the use of body armor and how heavy it is, as well as the hours of standing around or driving around wearing it, this can have adverse effects on the body.  Even though the armor can save a life, it still can injury a person just because of it’s weight. This is a problem for the military, and for contractors, and back injuries and the pain medications required to deal with those injuries will become very common place as contractors and military continuously work in war zones and wear this stuff. Armor is a paradox of sorts, and not to mention it’s limitations on the mobility of a war fighter. It may save your life, but it will also allow enemy combatants to out run you and give them a chance to fight again.

     Now what would be an interesting study is to pick up where they left off and see how things look now(2007 to 2011)?  A lot has happened since then.  If the study was better targeted and consultants outside of the medical group were asked to help guide the process, then that would be a more thorough and respected study. People will support what they help to create…. –Matt

Experts look at civilians hurt supporting war

February 21, 2011By Stephanie DesmonAfter analyzing data on 2,155 private contractors, diplomats and other civilians supporting war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan who were medically evacuated from combat zones, researchers have found that such civilians are more likely to be evacuated for noncombat-related injuries but more likely to return to work in-country after treatment for these conditions.

Still, the findings of the Johns Hopkins–led research team, published online in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association, note that 75 percent of the nonmilitary group medically evacuated from the war zones to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany between 2004 and 2007 did not return to the field.

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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Industry Talk: CIGNA Provides Access To Health Care For Workers On Military Bases In Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Medical — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:36 PM

     This is excellent news and I am glad CIGNA is providing this access. It sounds like about 20,000 folks will benefit from this latest move. –Matt

CIGNA Provides Access to Health Care for Workers on Military Bases in Afghanistan

February 08, 2011

Customers now have access to high-quality medical care on military bases in Afghanistan through new agreements establishing onsite health care clinics on the Kandahar and Bagram air bases. The new clinics serve government contractors and other employees working in Afghanistan and are endorsed by the U.S. military, which, in 2008, began encouraging contractors to develop alternatives to military hospitals for routine care. CIGNA covers approximately 20,000 customers currently in Afghanistan.

To make the clinics possible, CIGNA, the global leader in benefits for expatriates and other globally mobile individuals, forged new relationships with TMH Medical Services and Onsite OHS to establish two health care clinics on the Kandahar air base. In addition, through CIGNA’s arrangement with Onsite OHS, a clinic will open soon on the Bagram air base.

”CIGNA is responding to our clients’ concerns and has already taken important first steps to make primary medical care more accessible for those assigned to work in Afghanistan,” said Timothy Blevins, chief network officer for CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits (CIEB). “We want to ensure that all customers, wherever they live or work, have easy access to high quality, affordable health care.”

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Sunday, February 6, 2011

Medical: Like With The Military, Lack Of Sleep For Contractors Could Lead To Bigger Problems

Filed under: Industry Talk,Medical,Military News — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:54 AM

     I am not an expert on sleep disorders or the act of sleeping, but after reading this article it only solidified my opinion on the matter. Sleep is vital not only to the military, but to contractors.  A lack of sleep could be a contributor to mental disorders and to poor decision making out in the war zones. Companies would be wise to pay attention to this little talked about aspect of contractor life.

     Actually, I would also take it a step further and say that long deployments/contracts are also a contributor to mental disorders and poor decision making out there, because this too is stress on the brain’s processes.  But that discussion requires a different post–this post is about sleep.

    The article below mentioned some key things that military folks experience as factors for a lack of sleep that also apply to contractors.  From drinking Monster Energy Drinks and Rip Its, to playing video games and hanging out on the Internet late into the night, there are many distractions that keep the brain and body awake.  Not to mention the day to day combat and operations tempo that both military and contractors experience.

     What’s funny is that I found an article on FJ that actually talked about a military program to keep soldiers awake and operating efficiently with little sleep.  My commentary on that piece was spot on and I still stand by it.  Sleep is vital and it must be a part of the operational planning if possible. To depend on drugs to keep effective is a dangerous path to go down. What I think is smarter is an emphasis on 7 to 8 hours of sleep in this current article, and to me that is the best solution to keep effective.

    The other interesting angle on this is that contractors are usually on their own after their shift or whatever, and free to do what they want to do.  That means watching a movie, playing video games, working out, going to the range, or just hanging out with the bros. But sleep seems to always be the ‘uncool’ thing to do when it comes to the list of things to do in your off time.  I suggest otherwise and you must make sleep a priority.

    My sleep goals for overseas contracting are simple.  My room or bunk is a place for sleeping.  If I have a room, I blacken it out completely, set the temperature gauge to a cool setting, and go to bed at the same time every night (or day for day shift).  I always try to shoot for 7 to 8 hours of sleep every time I lay down. Oh and I cut off my caffeine intake and eating about two hours prior to sleeping, or at least try to.

    Now for contracts with very little in the way of accommodations or privacy, that is a little tougher.  You might be stuck near someone that snores, and if you are a light sleeper, that can be hell.  It might be very hot or cold and extremely difficult to just sleep, and especially if you are having to wake up for guard duty at odd hours.  All I can say with these scenarios is to ‘build a snowmobile’ and figure out an innovative way to get that sleep. Make a good bed and find a safe but quiet place to sleep. Have a sleep ritual and do whatever it takes to pay your sleep bill. Because if you do not, it will definitely impact your job performance in a negative way out there.

     Also, for those of you who are looking for some advice on sleeping, Angela Benedict from the Military Healing Center has some good pointers for you.  I posted an article she wrote awhile back on the subject and feel free to contact her if you would like to add some more tools to your ‘sleeping tool kit’. –Matt

Seeking better sleep

Sleep Deprivation and Operational Effectiveness 

Military’s Sleep-reduction Program

Seeking better sleep

Lack of sleep could lead to bigger problems for U.S. troops, researchers warn

By SETH ROBBINS

February 5, 2011

Soldiers often find it hard to get a quality night’s sleep when deployed to a combat zone, and doctors think this lack of sleep could lead to long-term mental problems. Some researchers think sleep deprivation could be a cause of the high suicide rate among military members.

Researchers are finding that longtime sleep deprivation can have devastating consequences, including chronic insomnia and psychological disorders.

Especially vulnerable are downrange troops on repeated deployments, experts say.

Army doctors now recognize that sleep-deprived troops can be a danger to themselves on the battlefield, with slower reaction times, fuzzy memories and impaired judgment. But as suicides continue to spike within the military and more servicemembers are diagnosed with PTSD, some researchers and doctors have focused on sleep deprivation as a possible root cause of those issues as well.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dave Grossman, a former West Point psychologist who has written and lectured extensively on the psychological impact of combat, is convinced that chronic sleep loss is contributing to the rising suicide rate in the military.

Suicide “is a very complex topic,” Grossman said. “But this chronic sleep deprivation is the new factor, a major new factor.”

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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Industry Talk: Boredom And Contractors–The Good And The Bad

Filed under: Industry Talk,Medical — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:25 AM

     Military boredom has been studied since World War II by a variety of researchers. A common conclusion is that boredom leads to alienation and then resentment and anger.

     The findings of the current study take on added significance given the “non-kinetic” nature of much of the Marines’ counter-insurgency mission in Afghanistan.

     Few troops will see active combat. But nearly all will be assigned tasks — standing post, providing security for convoys, repairing vehicles or other equipment, manning communication gear, handling administrative chores — that, while important, are not the kind of activities that attract young men and women to enlist in the Marine Corps.

     The challenge, the researchers said, is for commanders to maintain the morale of their troops by emphasizing the importance of the mission. Highfill-McRoy is a specialist in the methodology of health research; Booth-Kewley is a psychologist. 

     How am I choosing to use boredom? Recent research reveals that our brains need a certain amount of downtime, that is, boredom, in order to be productive. Those moments when our minds wander are the moments that give us breakthrough thinking, insight and innovation. Reaching for the Blackberry when you’re stuck in a line-up, or processing e-mail during tedious meetings: these activities displace the former vacancies from which aha! moments once emerged. This is the year to commit to a minimum RDA of boredom, to foster habits that keep you from filling every moment with productive or engaging activity. 

     Now this is interesting.  I have found two schools of thought in regards to boredom and I think they both have application to this industry.

     The first connection I wanted to make was how some of today’s veterans that seek work as security contractors in this industry expect to be involved in the same kind of combat or kinetic operations that they were in in the military.  The truth of the matter is is that most security contracting is exactly what would be classified as boring to the Marines in the study mentioned in the quote up top. “Standing post, providing security for convoys, repairing vehicles or other equipment, manning communication gear, handling administrative chores” are exactly the kinds of jobs that contractors are hired to perform.

     The industry also seeks out individuals with extensive combat histories and highly specialized backgrounds, and yet they are only required to stand guard at some FOB or remote site, be a shift leader for TCN or LN guard forces, or perform basic convoy operations. For some guys, this is a nice break from their prior deployments in the military, but for others, you can just tell that security contracting is not for them. lol

     Another group of contractors  you might see would be former military folks or non-military with very little to no combat history, or they might be one of those types similar to the Marines mentioned in this first article.  Because they were so aggravated in the military or past job by their non-kinetic operations (or their extremely boring post), that they come to the security contracting industry expecting something different with more action.  When they see that it is actually more boring than they experienced in their prior deployments in the military or whatever job, you can only imagine what kinds of behavior you might expect with that kind of combination. Some learn to adjust, but others fail.

     So does this mix of personalities and low-kinetic environments in war zones lead to possible incidents within our industry? Maybe. It is an interesting thought, and it would be interesting to do a similar study about the current wartime security contracting industry. Because this might explain why we continue to see embarrassing incidents arise from time to time due to contractors behaving badly out there. It could also explain some of the issues contractors have at the home front. (divorces, money issues, etc.)

     Now for the good part of boredom.  Often times out in the field, guys will fill the down time with activity on their computers. But they still have to be out on post or on a convoy for their duties, far from access to a computer.  Plus their attention needs to be focused on some gate or the road or whatever.  These are the mindless activities that require discipline, vigilance and focus, and yet lead to some serious boredom. Just staring out into the desert or ocean, or at some gate or warehouse for hours on end…..  Pure boredom.

    What is good about this boredom though is that guys are able to have those ‘a ha’ moments, because that duty actually allows them to have the “breakthrough thinking, insight and innovation”. It is really cool for those of us that are constantly online reading, researching, writing a blog, gaming, or doing online classes.  You can really keep busy if you are immersed in all that technology. Having a break can be nice and it can allow you to think.

    For this blog I often come up with all sorts of things when I have down time or doing some kind of boring activity.  I think of stuff while on post, driving, running, you name it.  But like the quote mentioned, you have to make time for boredom if you want your brain to process. At home or even overseas, that can be tough when you have a smart phone in your pocket, or a computer in your bag that you can always browse with or play games with.

     So for those contractors out there reading this, the time spent on your lonely post or doing road work, could actually be a good thing if you are able to look at in a ‘glass half full’ kind of way.  You are not only focused on providing security or driving, but you are also allowing your brain to ‘incubate, illuminate‘.  Because the ‘saturation’ phase might have happened the night before or whenever.

     In other words, that non-kinetic security contractor job that might seem boring, could actually be a perfect opportunity for you to innovate, create, and come up with some amazing solutions to complex problems. Or you can let the boredom of your job get to you, and you do something stupid on the job or act out aggressively in order to alleviate that boredom or lack of action on your contract. Stuff to think about and as Sun Tzu says “know yourself“. –Matt

War zone boredom for Marines can lead to misbehavior when they return home, study finds

Social Medai in 2011: Six Choices You Need to Make

Boredom (Wikipedia)

War zone boredom for Marines can lead to misbehavior when they return home, study finds

By Tony Perry

May 21, 2010

It’s long been assumed — correctly — that a Marine who experiences the psychological trauma of combat in Iraq or Afghanistan has an increased chance of getting into trouble when he comes home.

But two researchers at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego have found another deployment experience that can be an even greater precursor of future bad behavior: boredom.

A survey of 1,543 Marines at Camp Pendleton, Twentynine Palms and the Marine base in Okinawa, Japan, found that the Marine most likely to disobey orders, get into physical confrontations, neglect his family or run afoul of the police is the one who reports that his war zone deployment was marked by boredom.

Dr. Stephanie Booth-Kewley and Robyn Highfill-McRoy, of the research center’s behavioral sciences and epidemiology department, reported on their study to the Navy and Marine Corps Combat & Operational Stress Conference this week in San Diego. Their findings may later be published in the journal Aggressive Behavior.

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