Monday, March 7, 2011
Publications: CRS Report-DoD Use Of PSC’s In Iraq And Afghanistan, February 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Jobs: Mobile Team Leader, Afghanistan
I haven’t heard much about Black and Veatch’s security related contracts. I have heard of the company though, and if you check out their career section, they have quite a few security related jobs flying in Afghanistan. Mostly management type gigs.
Good luck and let me know how it goes if you apply. I am not the POC or recruiter and follow the links provided below in order to apply. –Matt
Business Title: Mobile Team Leader, Kandahar
District: Kandahar, Afghanistan
Location: Afghanistan-Kabul
Requisition Number: 4992BR
Employee Type: Full Time
Percent of Travel Required: 26-50
Visa Sponsorship Available? Yes
Relocation Available? No
At Black & Veatch, you can work on projects of complex size and scope across a full spectrum of construction services within the worldwide energy, water, telecommunications and federal markets. We are a global construction company with both union and merit shop capabilities, and a procurement team experienced in reducing purchasing costs, mitigating risks and maximizing scheduled.
If you’re ready for the excitement of working with state-of-the-art technologies, advanced project management tools and industry-leading safety programs, this is where you want to be.
Primary Purpose
1. Assist in the provision of protection of the B&V KHP resources i.e. personnel, equipment and vehicles to achieve the required company standards of productivity as agreed.
2. Where deviations occur you are mandated to implement a remedial plan of action after consultation with the Convoy Ops Manager.
3. Report any deviation or incidents to the Convoy Ops Manager.
4. You are accountable for the equipment as issued by the Logistical Manager.
5. In the execution of your tasks you are to adhere to the stipulations of the B&V KHP SOP regulations, orders, and doctrines.
6. Deliver emergency medical services during missions.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
**This position is located in Kandahar, Afghanistan**
Maritime Security: Naval Guard’s Escort Forces Save The Day, Repel Pirate Attack Off Coast Of Yemen
Naval Guards’ Operations Chief, Thomas Jakobssen, explained to gCaptain that the 42-meter escort vessel Marshal-5 had been shadowing the Capricorn at a distance of approximately 100m when both vessels were attacked simultaneously by the Somali pirates. Reacting quickly, Capricorn’s crew fled to previously rehearsed hiding spots on the yacht, buying them valuable time as their rescuer’s fought off the pirates.
After a fierce exchange of gunfire between the pirates and the escort vessel, there were no injuries reported on either side, and only minor damage to the vessels themselves. With a clear firepower advantage however, the Naval Guards quickly gained control of the situation and the pirates gave up.
This story has not received much attention because of all the other news going on out there. But because this blog tracks the security contracting industry, to include maritime security contracting, this stuff is relevant and deserves some attention.
If you go to Naval Guard’s website and check out their Alerts section, you will see all of the attacks they have had to deal with the last couple of months. I am not sure if this incident below is the only one in which they had an exchange of gun fire with pirates, but it does highlight the danger these companies face out there.
Also, a hat tip to gCaptain for getting some clarification on the story. Take note of the effective use of safe rooms and armed security. Safe rooms alone will not save the day. That safe room will buy you time and safety until an armed guard force from a nearby escort ship can clear the vessel of these heathens. Or if you actually had the armed guards on the boat, they would be even quicker to respond to attacks and even prevent some because of how close they are to the action. (these escorts were 100m away, and this attack still happened, and pirates still boarded!)
The other thing to mention here is the type of attack that happened. The pirates attacked the escort ship and the target vessel at the same time (a swarm attack, a distraction move, desperation, ignorance, who knows why?). I am thinking that the pirates were either desperate, or they felt if they could board the target vessel, that a private guard force would not take the risk and further endanger the lives of the crew with a rescue assault. They thought wrong, and Naval Guards and their client had a plan and they were prepared for such an assault. But I don’t know everything about this, and it would be cool to read a full blown AAR on this incident.
I am also going to guess that they probably did not know the intent of this attacking pirate force until it was too late. The rules of engagement-the shoot no shoot scenario-the policy written up between client and escort are all at play here. It would be interesting to hear how these pirates were able to get so close and act so quickly–did the escort vessel not see it, or were they restricted by the ROE? Mind you, companies cannot go on the offensive, and can only be used defensively. So this might have been a factor in why the pirates were able to attack and board so quickly. Thanks to George for sending me this. –Matt
Armed guards open fire as ship attacked off Yemen
March 03, 2011
A maritime news portal says armed guards stopped an attack on a Danish-owned vessel when they exchanged fire with suspected pirates.
Maritimedanmark.dk says no one was injured on the Singapore-registered Brattingborg that has a Thai crew in Thursday’s attack.
Shipowner Lars Steen Rasmussen was quoted as saying it was the first time the company had armed guards on one of its ships. He could not be reached for comments.
The attack comes days after suspected Somali pirates captured a Danish yacht in the Indian Ocean.
Earlier Thursday, the head of a private security company said his guards retook a yacht from Somali pirates after the Dutch couple on board locked themselves in a safe room.
Thomas Jakobsson of Naval Guards said Thursday that six of his guards were accompanying the Capricorn yacht on a separate motorboat. Six armed pirates were able to get aboard the Capricorn but the Dutch couple barricaded themselves in the boat.
Jakobsson says his men had a brief exchange of fire with the pirates before retaking the Capricorn with no casualties on either side.
Story here.
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Yacht crew rescued from pirate attack by private security firm
From the gCaptain
March 3rd 2011
Private security firm Naval Guards Ltd successfully rescued their Dutch clients on board M/Y Capricorn after it had been overrun by pirates in the central Arabian Sea yesterday. The crew of the 21-meter M/Y Capricorn had contracted Naval Guards Ltd to provide armed escort for their eastbound trip from Djibouti in the western Gulf of Aden, through the Arabian Sea.
Cool Stuff: The Control Risks CEO Blog
Now this is what I like to see! The smart company is one that can apply effective strategic communications to their specific market. This is just one tool that can help you to achieve that kind of communications.
It is also a way for companies to correct the record or express views on a constantly changing market and world. From business owners/bloggers like Tim Lynch of Free Range International to CEO Eeben Barlow of Executive Outcomes fame, blogs are an excellent tool for both that individual to set the record straight or to attract new business for whatever projects they are working on.
This simple act also gives potential clients and researchers information that will further help them to make better choices or to create more factual publications/articles. Bravo to Control Risks and CEO Richard Fenning for setting this up and this blog is definitely on my Google RSS Reader. –Matt
December 8, 2010
By Richard Fenning
The aim of this blog is to provide you with an informed perspective, as well as personal observations, on the complex and dynamic challenges faced by ambitious organisations operating on a global stage fraught with risk.
This first blog outlines some of the key global trends that will characterise 2011 and beyond. Urbanisation and mega-cities, the worldwide enforcement of anti-corruption legislation and the dominance of China will all have an impact on global business in the year ahead.
It is easy to feel a sense of weariness when contemplating all these challenges. In part, with good reason; the world can seem perilous and increasingly fragile. And at Control Risks, it can be all too easy to see the world through an excessively risk–shaped prism. Like doctors who think the world is full of sick people, and dentists who must feel that there is nothing else to life than crumbling molars, we encounter some of the most hazardous predicaments on a daily basis. So, in this blog I hope to demonstrate that as well as complexity and hostility, our world is more full of opportunity, and occasional bursts of optimism, than ever before in the planet’s history.
Control Risks CEO Bio
Richard Fenning is the Chief Executive Officer of Control Risks. Before becoming CEO, Richard held a number of other roles with Control Risks including Chief Operating Officer, head of the New York office and Business Development Director. He is a regular speaker on how geo-political risk can impact a company’s operations and on the role of the private sector in fragile and post-conflict states. Richard is also a director of emergency medical relief charity, Merlin.
Link to blog here.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Kidnap And Ransom: As Kidnappings For Ransom Surge In Mexico, Victim’s Families And Employers Turn To Private US Firms Instead Of Law Enforcement
This story brought up an interesting thought about K and R that was new to me. I didn’t know that there was no requirements for private K and R companies to report their activities, thus denying law enforcement agencies valuable information for their cases. The kind of information that can help create matrixes, fill databases, and determine patterns for future cases.
Perhaps instead of blaming private industry for not self organizing here the various law enforcement agencies out there can try to bring everyone under one tent and figure out a way to get that information? (or expand a current program?) Something like an online reporting system that only certified and licensed companies can participate in and contribute. That way, law enforcement and private industry can tap into the same databases, and both can contribute to that database. Who knows, but there has to be some kind of a way to create a safe and secure way for information exchange here?
Although the other side of the coin here is that private industry worked hard to develop their cases and files, and those are worth money to them. The more success they have in serving clients based on these files, the more money they make in the future through word of mouth and increased business. Today’s law enforcement agencies could probably learn a thing or two about how these companies work. Besides, if victim’s families want to use private industry versus the public’s law enforcement, then I think that is within their right.
All in all though, both private and public entities can benefit from each other’s work and of course the ultimate benefactor would be those who were kidnapped and then rescued because of that collaboration. -Matt
By Nick MiroffSaturday, February 26, 2011
IN CHULA VISTA, CALIF. As kidnappings soar in Mexico, U.S. companies and well-to-do Mexican families are turning to private American firms to rescue their loved ones and employees from brutal criminal gangs.
The U.S.-based companies that specialize in resolving kidnappings say they now handle far more cases in Mexico than anywhere else in the world. The companies claim near-perfect victim recovery rates, using former FBI and CIA agents as consultants and charging clients thousands of dollars a day for their services.
But because the abductions occur in Mexico, the American firms are not required to report their cases to U.S. law enforcement agencies, even though the companies and families involved are increasingly located in the United States.
As a result, the boom in cross-border extortion rackets is occurring almost entirely in the shadows, as families and businesses opt to hire private firms and the crimes go unreported in both countries.
The abysmally low level of public trust in Mexican police has driven demand for the private American firms. But U.S. federal and local law enforcement officials say the growth in ransom negotiation services diminishes their ability to gather essential data on the criminal networks.