Feral Jundi

Friday, August 12, 2011

Funny Stuff: Combat Garden Gnomes

Filed under: Funny Stuff,War Art — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 4:15 PM

Hilarious. No yard should be without a squad of ‘Combat Garden Gnomes‘. –Matt

 

Garden Gnomes are widely regarded as friendly, whimsical, peaceful little creatures…
Not anymore!
I don’t know what it was that finally prompted the gnomes to take up arms. Maybe it was one too many gopher invasions. Perhaps it was the overwhelming gaudiness of neighboring plastic pink flamingoes encroaching on their ancestral homeland. Or maybe they just finally got tired of the media portraying them as travelling morons. Either way, they’ve had enough and they’re out for blood.
My gnomes stand just under a foot tall, weigh somewhere between one and ten pounds, and each one comes with your choice of either the ubiquitous M16A2 assault rifle or the venerable AK-47. Your gnome will be delicately packed in the finest imported bubble wrap, laid in a luxurious bed of gourmet packing peanuts*, and shipped directly to your door by a professional, uniformed carrier through USPS Priority Mail. For your ease of mind, you will receive a tracking number once your gnome has shipped so that you can check on his progress as he makes his speedy way from my workshop to you.

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Jobs: EUNAVFOR Is Looking For A ‘Pirate Cultural Advisor’

Filed under: Jobs,Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 3:49 PM

I figured I would put this one out there if anyone was interested. No word on how much they would pay and if you would be traveling. My guess is that you would be working out of their headquarters, but you never know. I am not the POC for this, and follow the link and directions below if you would like to apply. Good luck. –Matt

 

Career Vacancy: Pirate Cultural Advisor
August 11, 2011
The EUNAVFOR Operation Headquarters (OHQ) is currently recruiting a pirate cultural advisor. Please see below for further details including the principal duties the post-holder will fulfil and the experience required for the role. Instructions for those wishing to submit an application can also be found here. Applications are to be received by the OHQ before close of business on 24 August 2011.
Post Description: To provide the Operation Commander (OpCdr) and OHQ staff with pirate cultural and religious advice and in particular to advise on pirate trends and weaknesses, including their perceived role in Somalia.
Principal Duties:
1. Advisor to the OpCdr on pirate culture, business model and modus operandi in the Indian Ocean.
2. In conjunction with the Overseas Support Group garner information on negotiations for ships being held by pirates.
2. Provide and/or prepare written and verbal advice.
3. Provide guidance to the OHQ and EU on pirate culture.

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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Industry Talk: Bancroft Global Development Doing Good Things In Somalia

Filed under: Industry Talk,Somalia — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 3:22 PM

Cool article and this is just an update on what Bancroft Global Development has been up to since I last talked about their contract in Somalia.(you guys still need to build your company website!) I am curious though how this news is a surprise or an ‘exclusive’ story according to the AP? lol I know my readership was informed about the company and what they were up to a long time ago.

Now the updates that I thought were interesting is the designated marksmen stuff that Bancroft is teaching. To get the AU away from using mortars, and more towards using precision fire is a good move. If done correctly, you could create a city dominated by AU snipers.

The other thing that jumped up at me was the use of suicide assaulters and EFP’s. Al Shabab is totally getting some help and taking ideas from the other war zones that Al Qaeda is operating in. Although it sounds like Bancroft is doing a great job at mitigating the IED threats and taking care of the EOD stuff. Very interesting and check it out. –Matt

 

In this Tuesday Aug. 9, 2011 photo, explosives expert Martinus Van Blerk, left, and a team of Ugandan soldiers are seen just after blowing up a hand grenade left behind by Islamist rebels in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Katharine Houreld)

AP Exclusive: US Group Trains Troops in Somalia
By KATHARINE HOURELD
August 10, 2011
On the front lines of Mogadishu’s streets, Islamist militants battle African Union troops. Standing alongside the peacekeepers are members of an American-run team of advisers, former military men who play a little-known but key role in the war against al-Shabab.
Aside from covert raids by special operations forces, the U.S. government has not been involved militarily in Somalia since the intervention almost two decades ago that culminated in the Black Hawk Down battle. But a Washington-based company has been quietly working in one of the world’s most dangerous cities to help an AU peacekeeping force protect the Somali government from al-Qaida-linked Islamist insurgents.

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Industry Talk: Troops Are Replaced By Unity Resources Group At Australia’s Embassy In Iraq

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 11:15 AM

Bravo to URG and I hope the contract goes well. I am not familiar with any past issues with the company or this contract, and if anyone has anything to add, feel free to do so in the comments. –Matt

 

Australian troops leave embassy in Iraq
August 10, 2011
Thirty-three Australian soldiers who were guarding the embassy in Iraq have been withdrawn, and a Dubai-based private security firm has taken over, an embassy official says.
“We now have moved to a contractor called Unity Resources Group” to provide embassy security, the official said on Wednesday, adding that the last soldiers left on Saturday.
The soldiers guarding the embassy were the last significant Australian troop presence in the country. Australia once had some 2000 soldiers in Iraq, one of the larger non-US deployments.
Two Australian officers remain as advisers to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, the embassy official said.
According to its website, Unity Resources Group is based in Dubai and was founded by Gordon Conroy, “a former Commander in the Australian SAS (Special Forces) Counter Terrorist Squadron,” who is the firm’s director and CEO.
Story here.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Legal News: Former Shield Group Whistleblowers Cleared For Civil Suit Against Rumsfeld

Filed under: Iraq,Legal News — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 4:27 PM

I am not too familiar with this case, so I really cannot comment too much. It looks to me like poor communications is the culprit. But if in fact they were poorly treated in detention, and no one fessed up that they were Whistleblowers, then that is pretty pathetic. Three months in detention, and no one could come forward to clear these guys? –Matt

 

Court clears way for torture suit against Rumsfeld
August 8, 2011
A federal appeals court has cleared the way for a civil suit against former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld by two Americans who allege they were tortured while being held by the US military in Iraq.
The three-judge panel upheld a ruling by a lower court judge who denied a Justice Department motion to drop the suit brought by Donald Vance and Nathan Ertell against Rumsfeld in 2006.
Vance and Ertell allege in the suit that they reported to the FBI that they suspected the privately owned Iraqi security company they worked for, Shield Group Security, was paying off an Iraqi sheikh to obtain government contracts.
But when the security company began to suspect their loyalty, they were taken into custody by the US military and held incommunicado at Camp Cropper where they were subjected to violence, sleep deprivation and extremes of light and sound.

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