This is awesome. It’s like Ron Burgundy directed this old Army recruitment video, and gave it some style. lol Classic. –Matt
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Maritime Security: JLT News–CEP Private Navy Will Have Full Funding By End Of Month
This is interesting news and JLT has been fighting to get this funded and operational for awhile now. So it will be great to see this in action. Although a couple of ‘what ifs’ have popped up as I read through the plans.
The CEP is planning to buy seven 150-foot fast patrol boats, understood to be ex-Swedish Navy, and has already earmarked 11 former offshore supply vessels for purchase and conversion.
The ships will be equipped with fast semi-inflatables, called ribs, an array of non-lethal counter-measures, and 0.50 calibre heavy machine guns. They will be operated by a crew of five and carry eight armed security personnel each.
The programme will result in convoys of up to four merchant ships closely escorted by one CEP craft along the IRTC, with additional CEP ships in support, covering east and west-bound traffic.
So this will be 8 armed security personnel covering down on convoys of up up to four merchant ships? These armed guards will be in small boats to deploy and intercept pirate attack groups? Ok, so I imagine 1 guard and the commander of the guards will have to remain on the patrol craft in order to guard that and do command and control, and that would leave 6 guys in probably two inflatables (with 3 per craft). So that is two inflatables and one patrol craft to cover down on four merchant ships? Or 2 guys for each inflatable, for 3 craft?
With that kind of force structure, pirates would have quite the juicy target (four merchant ships) with bare minimum force protection (8 guys?). And what is interesting is that pirates usually attack in groups of two skiffs. But there is also precedent for pirates attacking in packs of up to 10 skiffs. (a recent attack with 6 skiffs and 40 pirates was stopped by the Iranians)
So I have to say that this CEP sounds nice, but I question the manpower levels, and especially given the possibility of an attacking force using a swarm.
It might even be worth the investment for a pirate action group to figure out a way to sink the CEP vessel, like using guided missiles purchased on the black market. (thanks to conflicts like Libya) The reasoning here is that an investment in a couple of missiles, might result in the sinking of a CEP vessel and the capture of four merchant ships that could all bring in about 4 to 5 million dollars a piece. Maybe more if those vessels are highly valuable. So the folks at JLT should know, that a determined pirate force might attempt such an attack because of the potential for profit. Is it wise to just use one CEP patrol vessel per convoy, and especially if it takes awhile for air assets or reserve CEP vessels to show up and help?
The other thing is that JLT is trying to sell this as a cheaper option than guards on boats. Which is fine, but only assigning one CEP patrol vessel to a convoy of four merchant ships is one of the reasons why they are able to go cheap. I mean ideally you would want enough vessels to cover down on both sides of the convoy. Either CEP vessels that cover port and starboard sides, or aft and fore of the convoy. That way you don’t have vessels running from one side to the other to repel an assault.
Another point is that what if the one CEP vessel covering down on the convoy, breaks down? Do all of the merchant ships stop while the CEP vessel waits for repairs? That is another advantage of keeping armed guards on the boats. Perhaps JLT should write into the contracts that in those cases of CEP vessels breaking down, that the armed detail could board the vessels and cover that way so they can continue on with the trip? Who knows and I imagine this stuff has been worked out.
Finally, the other reason why they are pushing for this convoy concept is because it get’s the firefight off of the merchant vessels and out in the open between the CEP and the pirates. That’s so companies can distance themselves from the liability of these types of engagements. It also keeps the firefight away from merchant vessels that have explosive or flammable materials on them. Although with a swarm attack, if a CEP vessel is occupied, then how do they expect to stop other pirate vessels from attacking while they are busy? So pirates will shoot at these vessels anyways, just to signal them to slow down or draw the attention of the CEP boats.
Now one option, that might be more expensive but would definitely cover down on 4 vessels properly, is a patrol craft with helicopter launching capability. Much like the Bob Barker vessel in the Sea Shepard fleet, or the MacArther vessel. Having an eye in the sky to watch over the convoy, as well as engage multiple targets from that helicopter would be an excellent capability. That is owning the high ground!
It’s a numbers game guys, and pirates will take advantage of that. At least with guards on the boat, the advantage is with them because they have the high ground and own a pretty stable platform to fight from. That, and the enemy has to deal with that guard force if it wants to take the ship. With no guards on the boat, pirates could distract and overwhelm the CEP in order to get folks on that boat. The probability of this happening is pretty low, but it is possible.
I am also wondering what is cheaper? Slower vessels with armed guards, consuming less fuel because of a reduced speed, or this convoy model? We will see, and the market of these protection types and the pirates will dictate how this goes.
Also, nice try JLT for trying to dispel this idea that the CEP is not a private navy. lol It certainly is a private navy, that’s unless a government now owns and runs the CEP and will be collecting all of the profit from this venture? –Matt
Private navy planned to counter pirate raids
David Black
May 13, 2012
A private navy costing US$70 million (Dh257m) is being set up to escort merchant ships through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden.
It will comprise a fleet of 18 ships, based in Djibouti, and will offer to convoy merchant vessels along the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor (IRTC).
This is the world’s most dangerous shipping lane, between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. The fleet will be operated by the Convoy Escort Programme (CEP), a British company launched by the international shipping insurers Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) and the Lloyds of London underwriters Ascot.
Full funding will be in place by the end of next month, and the CEP hopes the fleet will be operational by December.
“The shipping industry needs to stand up and be counted,” said Angus Campbell, the CEP’s chief executive and a former director of Overseas Shipholding Group, the world’s second-biggest listed oil tanker company. “The time is now, not in four or five years’ time.”
Piracy in the region is costing the global economy an estimated US$7 billion a year. For the ship owners alone, every vessel sailing through the waters off Somalia is charged additional insurance premiums of between $50,000 and $80,000.
Somalia: MPRI In The News–US Trains African Soldiers For Somalia Mission
This is a cool little article that mentioned the work that MPRI is doing currently in Africa as part of the ACOTA program. It just shows how important companies like this, or Bancroft Global, Dyncorp, Halliday Finch or Sterling Corporate Services are to the task of trying to stabilize Somalia. –Matt
U.S. trains African soldiers for Somalia mission
By Craig Whitlock
May 13, 2012
The heart of the Obama administration’s strategy for fighting al-Qaeda militants in Somalia can be found next to a cow pasture here, a thousand miles from the front lines.
Under the gaze of American instructors, gangly Ugandan recruits are taught to carry rifles, dodge roadside bombs and avoid shooting each other by accident. In one obstacle course dubbed “Little Mogadishu,” the Ugandans learn the basics of urban warfare as they patrol a mock city block of tumble-down buildings and rusty shipping containers designed to resemble the battered and dangerous Somali capital.
“Death is Here! No One Leaves,” warns the fake graffiti, which, a little oddly, is spray-painted in English instead of Somali. “GUNS $ BOOMS,” reads another menacing tag.
Despite the warnings, the number of recruits graduating from this boot camp — built with U.S. taxpayer money and staffed by State Department contractors — has increased in recent months. The current class of 3,500 Ugandan soldiers, the biggest since the camp opened five years ago, is preparing to deploy to Somalia to join a growing international force composed entirely of African troops but largely financed by Washington.
Iraq: Iraq Police Development Program–Will It Be Scrapped Or Just Reduced In Size?
The trainers are mostly retired state troopers and other law enforcement personnel on leave from their jobs back home, and a number of officials who criticized the program questioned what those trainers have to offer Iraqi police officials who have been operating in a war zone for years.
Mr. Perito said that the State Department never developed a suitable curriculum and that instead, advisers often “end up talking about their own experiences or tell war stories and it’s not relevant.”
Retired Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, now a senior fellow at the Institute for the Study of War, who oversaw the training of Iraqi security forces from 2007 to 2008, said, “The evidence suggests that the State Department never really engaged the Iraqis to find out what they need and what they want.”
In an effort to ‘right size’ the US mission in Iraq, and adjust to Iraq’s desire to enforce their sovereignty, we are seeing an adjustment happening. Which makes sense and is totally reasonable. It is the Iraqi’s show now, and it will be very difficult to sell them on a massive program that they think they do not need or even want.
Or, like the quote up top and what SIGIR identified in the report, that DoS should work a little harder at creating a curriculum or program that the Iraqis actually like and want more of. And that would take talking with them, and using some kind of metrics to determine what is working with the course, and what is not.(as SIGIR recommends)
Also, more work needs to be done to convince the police commanders and leaders of Iraq that courses like this actually do increase the effectiveness of their police. But that takes action, not words, and the service out in the field must be evaluated and surveys taken in order to get a feel for what is effective. That old Jundism of ‘get feedback’ comes to mind.
Another point was brought up in the article below that was interesting. And that is security for these police advisers in Iraq. With the military gone, the security these days for operations are contractors.
The Iraqis have also insisted that the training sessions be held at their own facilities, rather than American ones. But reflecting the mistrust that remains between Iraqi and American officials, the State Department’s security guards will not allow the trainers to establish set meeting times at Iraqi facilities, so as not to set a pattern for insurgents, who still sometimes infiltrate Iraq’s military and police.
So as Iraq hassles contractors, or as the Iraqis do a terrible job of securing places that these advisers might visit or the people they might train, that operations in this environment becomes very complex and dangerous. But it isn’t impossible, and security contractor will make it happen–just as long as DoS is working hard about the issue of how Iraqis treat security contractors.
If you are on this program and disagree with what was said in this NYT’s article or what was said in the SIGIR, definitely come up in the comments section and speak up. Also, if anyone at DoS wants to come up and speak about the program on this blog, by all means feel free to do so. Although DoS did make a public statement in regards to this article, and I posted that below along with the SIGIR report done last year about this program. –Matt
U.S. May Scrap Costly Efforts to Train Iraqi Police
By TIM ARANGO
May 13, 2012
In the face of spiraling costs and Iraqi officials who say they never wanted it in the first place, the State Department has slashed — and may jettison entirely by the end of the year — a multibillion-dollar police training program that was to have been the centerpiece of a hugely expanded civilian mission here.
What was originally envisioned as a training cadre of about 350 American law enforcement officers was quickly scaled back to 190 and then to 100. The latest restructuring calls for 50 advisers, but most experts and even some State Department officials say even they may be withdrawn by the end of this year.
The training effort, which began in October and has already cost $500 million, was conceived of as the largest component of a mission billed as the most ambitious American aid effort since the Marshall Plan. Instead, it has emerged as the latest high-profile example of the waning American influence here following the military withdrawal, and it reflects a costly miscalculation on the part of American officials, who did not count on the Iraqi government to assert its sovereignty so aggressively.
“I think that with the departure of the military, the Iraqis decided to say, ‘O.K., how large is the American presence here?’ ” said James F. Jeffrey, the American ambassador to Iraq, in an interview. “How large should it be? How does this equate with our sovereignty? In various areas they obviously expressed some concerns.”
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Sunday, May 13, 2012
Quote: Hammurabi’s Code And Contracting
This is a great quote and a pretty effective rule. lol It is a reminder that there was a time some 4,000 plus years ago, when kings actually understood the concept of creating ‘effective’ rules that held contractors responsible for their work.
It is also why I keep hounding on this idea that SAMI, the ICoC, and associations like the ISOA should all have enforcement mechanism or effective grievance processes in place to keep their members in line and to allow contractors and clients a way to get justice.
If there is a violation of the code/rules that these companies signed onto within these organizations, then there must be effective punishments for those violations. If there isn’t, then how could any client or contractor respect the company’s association with these groups? Where is the value of such an arrangement, other than some kind of perceived value to somehow attract more business for members with ‘the stamp’?
I say make that membership worth something, and enforce the codes and rules with fair and effective punishments. To actually kick out members or fine them, as opposed to looking the other way because of the money that those companies pay to be a member. (which right there shows the conflict of interest that can happen with these groups)
Because there is another problem associated with not enforcing codes and rules. If one member violates the organization’s rules/codes, and nothing is done about it, then what will the other members think? Better yet, why would the other members even follow these rules/codes, if the organization has not effectively dealt with those companies that violated them? Food for thought… –Matt
“If a builder builds a house for a man and does not make its construction firm, and the house which he has built collapses and causes the death of the owner of the house, that builder shall be put to death.” –Hammurabi
Link to code here.
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