Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Industry Talk: EODT Awarded Security Contract To Protect Camp Duffman, Afghanistan
Congrats to EODT and I hope the contract goes well. Perhaps someone from the company would care to comment on this? Tim is located in Jalalabad and I am sure he knows a little something about this camp.
What is interesting is that there were a ton of FOB security solicitations that I posted awhile back, and no word on the awarding for that stuff. I did hear about a company called SSSI winning a contract, and Blackice Security posted the job ad for it. Here is a thread on SOCNET about them and the pay was pretty low if you ask me.
Also, I wanted to say that EODT is doing a fantastic job of getting their news out there. I got the heads up about this through an RSS feed they have. This ‘really simple syndication’ tool makes it very handy for getting the latest scoop about companies. Hopefully other companies will follow their lead and set up RSS feeds for their news and jobs. –Matt
——————————————————————
EODT Awarded Security Contract to Protect Camp Duffman, Afghanistan
LENOIR CITY, TN (September 27, 2010) – EODT was awarded a contract by the Afghanistan Regional Contracting Center to provide comprehensive security services at Camp Duffman, located near Jalalabad. The contract was the latest in a series of awards made to EODT under the AO Mountain Warrior ID/IQ security services base contract covering Eastern Afghanistan. The area has seen substantially increased insurgent activity over the past several months.
“While we are pleased to have won this contract, we are mindful of the danger our men and women in uniform routinely face in this region of Afghanistan,” said EODT’s President and CEO Matt Kaye. “We take our being selected as an expression of confidence in the capabilities and professionalism of our people, and we are anxious to begin work in support of their important mission”.
Maritime Security: Insurance Firms Plan Private Navy To Take On Somali Pirates
Sean Woollerson, a senior partner with JLT, told The Independent: “We are looking at setting up a private navy to escort vessels through the danger zones. We would have armed personnel with fast boats escorting ships and make it very clear to any Somali vessels in the vicinity that they are entering a protected area.
“At the moment there is a disconnect between the private security sector and the international naval force. We think we can help remedy that and place this force under the control of the multi-national force. We look after about 5,000 ships and have had 10 vessels taken in total, including a seizure where one crew member was shot and killed. Piracy is a serious problem, these are criminals basically extorting funds, so why not do something more proactive?”
*****
Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (JLT), which insures 14 per cent of the world’s commercial shipping fleet, said the unprecedented “private navy” would work under the direct control of the military with clear rules of engagement valid under international law. Early discussions have also been held with the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Transport and the Foreign Office.
*****
I posted an article back in April that hinted at this private navy concept, and I had no idea that it would get to this level. This is fantastic news and I totally support such a thing. Mr. Woollerson is right and companies must do something more proactive.
Now on to the control mechanism for this force. Perhaps now would be a time for Britain to re-evaluate their position on the Letter of Marque and Reprisal? The Declaration of Paris might have been a nice concept at the time of ratification, but it removed a tool of the British government for dealing with non-state actors like pirates? They could actually license this private navy to do what it is doing.
Within the terms of the license, that is where they can define who the companies answer too and what legal mechanisms they are to abide by. They can also put fail safe measures on this private navy, like an expiration date or something similar. Because if this private navy ‘would work under the direct control of the military with clear rules of engagement valid under international law’, then you guys might as well go all the way and issue the LoM?
Another thing that I was thinking about here is that if JLT is successful with this insurance/private navy model, then will other insurance companies get the hint and be ‘proactive’ as well? I guess time will tell and if the action does equate to a cost savings and safer voyages for the shipping industry, I am sure it will catch on.
Finally, there is the cost factor. It is extremely costly for the navies of the world to continue these anti-piracy operations using these large vessels/expensive air assets to go after pirates armed with AK’s in little motor boats. How is this sustainable economically? Eventually, the work load would have to be shared in order for it to continue, and perhaps private industry is looking into the future here. They are also looking at the fact that boats are still being taken, and all these fancy high tech navies are not able to stop these pirates. Nor is there anything being done on land, and the profitable piracy industry has no where to go but up. Being proactive makes sense given the current state of things.
Interesting stuff and I would like to know what company JLT will go through for raising this private navy? If any readers, or even JLT can answer that one, that would be very cool. Hell, I will even post the recruitment ad for this ‘private navy’, and I will guarantee that JLT’s contractor will get a huge response. –Matt
Edit: 10/01/2010 -Be sure to check this show out in regards to the story. They discuss how the LoM could be used as a legal mechanism for this private navy.
Insurance firms plan private navy to take on Somali pirates
Somali Pirate Attacks Sink Premiums as Insurers Leap Aboard
Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Plc
—————————————————————–
Insurance firms plan private navy to take on Somali pirates
By Cahal Milmo
September 28, 2010
Patrol boats crewed by armed guards to protect valuable ships in Gulf of Aden
Insurers have drawn up plans for the world’s first private navy to try to turn the tide against Somali pirates who continue to plague the global shipping industry by hijacking vessels for ransoms of more than £100m a year, The Independent has learnt.
The new navy, which has the agreement in principle of several shipping groups and is being considered by the British Government, is the latest attempt to counter the increasingly sophisticated and aggressive piracy gangs who operate up to 1,200 miles from their bases in the Horn of Africa and are about to launch a new wave of seaborne attacks following the monsoon season.
A multi-national naval force, including an EU fleet currently commanded by a British officer, has dramatically reduced the number of assaults in the Gulf of Aden in recent months. But seizures continue with 16 ships and 354 sailors currently being held hostage. The Independent has seen Nato documents which show both ransom payments and the period that pirates are holding vessels have doubled in the last 12 months to an average $4m and 117 days respectively.
In response, a leading London insurer is pushing ahead with radical proposals to create a private fleet of about 20 patrol boats crewed by armed guards to bolster the international military presence off the Somali coast. They would act as escorts and fast-response vessels for shipping passing through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Leadership: The Next Petraeus–What Makes A Visionary Commander?
“One day you will take a fork in the road, and you’re going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go. If you go one way, you can be somebody. You will have to make your compromises and … turn your back on your friends, but you will be a member of the club, and you will get promoted and get good assignments. Or you can go the other way, and you can do something, something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. … You may not get promoted, and you may not get good assignments, and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors, but you won’t have to compromise yourself. … In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you have to make a decision: to be or to do.”
-Col. John Boyd
*****
As I read through this I was thinking ‘What makes a visionary PMC/PSC CEO?’ You really don’t hear much about that kind of thing in our industry. Although there is plenty of good stuff to learn from the military community, and that is why I wanted to post this.
I also had that famous quote running through my head ‘to be, or to do…’ from the mighty Col. John Boyd. One of the points of this article is that the military has a hard time producing leaders that are there ‘to do’ the job, primarily because the system really doesn’t lend itself for that. It is more restrained and not very flexible. Everyone has a specific career track, with boxes that must be checked off. God help you if you draw outside the lines in this world, or dare to take a different path.
The other point made was that of life experiences and preparation for the real world of being in the high command. That these guys are having to not only be masters of the combat arms and strategy, but must also be the ultimate ‘everyman’. They could be working with civilians, talking with Rolling Stone reporters, hanging out with Presidents that could care less about winning wars and more about politics, working with disaster relief organizations in disaster zones, trying to manage a massive civilian contractor force and ‘building snowmobiles’ on a daily basis just to win the numerous political wars, as well as the real wars. Being a general these days is no joke.
I would also apply the same standard to today’s CEO of PMC’s and PSC’s. This is an incredibly fast paced and technological world we live in. In order to stay competitive, a company and it’s leaders must always stay ahead of the game and their competitors. At least in our industry, CEO’s either do well and keep the company profitable, or fail miserably and be kicked to the road. The free market is what produces our ‘visionary commanders’.
Good article and check it out. –Matt
—————————————————————–
What makes a visionary commander, and why the military isn’t producing more of them
By Renny McPherson
September 26, 2010
President Obama recently demoted General David Petraeus, the man who led the turnaround in Iraq and is widely acknowledged to be the most effective military officer of his generation.
In June, the president needed a new commander to lead the war effort in Afghanistan, after General Stanley McChrystal spoke too openly with a Rolling Stone reporter and was forced to resign. And, while few may realize this, when Petraeus was appointed to take over in Afghanistan, he was replacing a subordinate. Petraeus may yet be hailed for saving the day. But he also got a new boss and moved one step down the chain of command.
How does this happen to the best our military has to offer? Why was there no other general to take the job?
The short answer is that the US military has failed to produce enough leaders like Petraeus–the kind of broad-minded, flexible strategic thinkers needed to lead today’s most difficult missions. And a large contributor to this failure is the military’s inflexible system of promotion, which can actively discourage young officers from getting the mind-expanding, challenging experiences that could turn them into potent generals.
Jundism: ‘Have The Courage To Do What Is Right’– Security Contractor Shane Schmidt Rest In Peace
I wanted to post this story as an example to us all. ‘Have the courage to do what is right’ is a Jundism concept that I have hit on before here on the blog, and Shane Schmidt is a prime example of what this means.
For circumstances like this when a co-worker or leader has crossed the line, it is your responsibility and moral obligation to do what is right and turn that bastard in. If you don’t, who will? And if you don’t, then these heathens will take you, your company, and your customer down with them and everyone in the company and industry suffers.
Do not listen to those in your company who are weak minded and lack that moral standard to do what is right. Listen to your heart and listen to your soul and do what you have to do. That is all.
Bravo to Shane Schmidt (and Charles Sheppard) and Semper Fi. –Matt
—————————————————————-
Shane Schmidt, shown in Iraq, and others with Triple Canopy said a colleague fired unprovoked into an occupied taxi and pickup truck. (Courtesy Of Shane Schmidt)
Sued U.S. defense contractor in Iraq
By Emma BrownFriday, September 24, 2010
Shane Schmidt, a private security guard in Iraq who raised questions about lax government oversight of U.S. defense contractors when he accused his boss of randomly shooting at, and perhaps killing, civilians in Baghdad, died Sept. 19 at a hospital in Marshfield, Wis. He was 33.
Mr. Schmidt, a Haymarket resident who was visiting family in Wisconsin, was crossing a road near Marshfield just after midnight when he was struck by a vehicle. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died, according to a news release from the local sheriff’s department. The incident was under investigation.
Mr. Schmidt was a Marine Corps sniper who served two tours in Afghanistan before taking a job in 2004 with Triple Canopy, a Herndon-based company and one of the largest defense contractors working with the U.S. military in Iraq.
For $500 a day, he provided protection for American bases and visiting military personnel and contractors.
On July 8, 2006, the former Marine was one of four Triple Canopy employees traveling in an armored sport-utility vehicle to the Baghdad airport.