Feral Jundi

   I don’t have much to say, because the acts of these individuals and the lack of leadership at Armour Group and DoS speak volumes. I guess the only thing not being said in this whole deal, is bravo to the whistleblowers for having the courage to do what is right.  That takes guts, to put it all on the line and call out your employer like that. You guys had the courage to do what is right.

   The other thing I want to applaud in this deal, is the outpouring of commentary and passion on the subject by our small community of security contractors and bloggers.  The media and public should take note that we do care about what you think, and that the acts of these few individuals, and the non-action of companies and governments, have disgusted us as well.

     We are also getting tired of being hated, and for those of you looking for the way forward, I highly suggest you develop your own personal plan on how to be the best you can be on your contract.  Your actions, could stop another incident like this.  Your act of outstanding leadership and professionalism, will motivate others, and bring honor and respect upon your crew and this industry.  Use the key elements of Jundism, and get your Kaizen on. –Matt

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Boys Gone Wild!!! The Kabul Edition, by Jake Allen

Is It Just Me?, by Eeben Barlow

Animal House: The Real Story, by Tim Lynch (This is an outstanding post, because of Tim’s experience at the Embassy)

Problems at the U.S. Embassy in A’stan, SOCNET Forum Thread

Career SEPPUKU: U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan Fires Lewd Guards, Tactical Forums Thread

WSI/Armor Group Afghanistan Embassy, Secure Aspects Forum Thread

Drank Vodka Poured Off Each Other’s Exposed Buttocks?, Lightfighter Forum Thread

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Project on Government Oversight

Sep 04, 2009

State Department Rescinds Two Resignations, Revokes Security Clearances

We’ve just received word about some of the ArmorGroup guards who have left the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan.  Originally, two guards had resigned before news broke of the misconduct.  We’ve heard from sources on the ground that the State Department has rescinded the pair’s resignations, fired the guards, and revoked their security clearances, meaning they won’t be able to work again as a government contractor in a war zone.  In addition to the other eight dismissals that have been announced, this is a good step towards holding to account those responsible for the misconduct.We are concerned, however, that some of the dismissed contractors were younger guards coerced into the depravity.  So far we’ve seen good, swift action, but we should be careful not to punish those that may have been victimized.

— Bryan Rahija

Link to blog here.

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Firm Fires U.S. Embassy Guards in Kabul

Scandal Involving Civilian Security Detail Highlights U.S. Government’s Often-Tense Relationships With Contractors

By AUGUST COLE

The State Department said Friday that several managers and eight guards at a security firm hired to protect the U.S. embassy in Kabul had been removed after lurid party photos and new alleged oversight lapses emerged this week.

Two other guards for the firm, ArmorGroup North America, a unit of Wackenhut Services Inc., also have resigned, the State Department said in a statement Friday. It wasn’t clear how many managers were being replaced. The 10 guards are leaving Afghanistan.

The dismissals are the latest embarrassment in the U.S.’s struggle to manage its security contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq. The timing is particularly sensitive, coming just as the U.S. ramps up the Afghan military campaign, an effort that will require adding tens of thousands of military support and security contractors. Almost 74,000 contractors are already working for the Defense Department alone in Afghanistan, a record amount, and thousands more work for the State Department.

Earlier this week, the Project on Government Oversight, an independent watchdog group, released documents, photos and videos detailing drunken behavior and hazing among unclothed ArmorGroup guards at their base in Kabul. The watchdog group said Friday that it was pleased the State Department was taking action. But the group also wanted “to hear that the supervisors who were responsible for this debacle are being held fully accountable and not simply allowed to resign and go to another contractor,” according to a statement.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that if the allegations were true, “those activities are not just offensive to Afghans and Muslims; they’re offensive to us, and inexcusable.”

ArmorGroup referred questions to the State Department, citing the terms of its contract. The State Department said Friday investigators from the inspector general’s office have been dispatched to Kabul, along with other officials looking into the matter.

A Senate investigation this summer found lapses ranging from insufficient English skills among guards to poor training that left the U.S. embassy in Kabul vulnerable to a possible attack. State Department officials disputed that assessment in testimony before Congress.

ArmorGroup North America took over the contract to guard the Kabul embassy in 2007.

David Berteau, director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, said many of the problems the government has with contractors stem from government contracts that are poorly written and not managed well.

“The fix is way bigger than just replacing one group of people with another,” he said.

The government is heavily dependent on the services these companies provide — which range from doing laundry to protecting diplomats — and this looks to continue to be the case in Afghanistan.

A September 2007 shooting in Baghdad involving a State Department security detail of Blackwater Worldwide guards left 17 Iraqi civilians dead and prompted the U.S. to pledge to drop the contractor.

Earlier this year, the State Department hired DynCorp International Inc. to take over part of Blackwater’s contract in Iraq to fly helicopters for department personnel.

While the department has moved away from using Blackwater security guards who for years protected convoys of diplomats, this related contract, worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year, remains with the company’s air wing, Presidential Airways.

The U.S. continues to use Presidential Airways because DynCorp International has been unable to get its specially modified aircraft properly certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to people familiar with the situation.

A DynCorp spokesman declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for Blackwater’s parent company, Xe Services LLC did not return a call seeking comment.

—Yochi J. Dreazen contributed to this article.

Write to August Cole at august.cole@dowjones.com

Story here.