Feral Jundi

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Industry Talk: Afghanistan Begins Disbanding Private Security Firms

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 6:14 PM

Afghanistan has banned eight private security firms, including the company formerly known as Blackwater, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai told reporters Sunday.

Among the companies whose operations are being dissolved are Xe (formerly known as Blackwater), NCL, FHI, White Eagles and other small companies, spokesman Waheed Omer said. Both international and domestic companies were affected.

Weapons and ammunition belonging to these companies has been seized, he said.

Xe has several operations in Afghanistan, some of which will not be immediately affected by the decision. While Xe’s transportation and highway security operations have stopped, it will continue to offer security for embassies.

“Until we have Afghan security forces up and running, private security companies will continue to operate and serve in training and protection of foreign embassies,” Omer said. 

*****

     I do not know who the other companies were, but the quote up top listed a few.  With Xe, I am thinking the company that was disbanded was Paravant, but I could be wrong on that. If anyone has further details about the disbanding of companies, feel free to comment below. If you are a small business owner or employee that will lose their job or business because of this, I definitely want to hear from you. –Matt

Afghanistan begins disbanding private security firms

8 private security firms banned in Afghanistan

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Afghanistan begins disbanding private security firms

By Sayed Salahuddin

Oct 3, 2010

Afghanistan has begun disbanding private security companies operating in the country, shutting down eight firms and seizing over 400 weapons, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

The move is part of President Hamid Karzai’s ambitious plan to take over all Afghan security responsibilities from foreign troops by 2014.

Since Karzai’s decree in August, a plan has been drawn up for the process which is expected to be complete by the end of the year, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said. The United Nations and NATO-led International Security Assistance force had given it their support, he added.

“The interior ministry is implementing this plan with seriousness and decisiveness,” he told a regular briefing.

The first targets are illegal armed groups operating as private security firms, companies with temporary permits and those who provide security escorts for foreign forces and have been engaged in criminal acts and security breaches.

The government has already closed down an Afghan security firm with 75 employees, and several smaller groups which provided security escorts for convoys, Bashary said.

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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Industry Talk: EODT Awarded Security Contract To Protect Camp Duffman, Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Jobs — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:18 AM

    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

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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”.

(more…)

Monday, September 27, 2010

Leadership: The Next Petraeus–What Makes A Visionary Commander?

Filed under: Building Snowmobiles,Jundism,Leadership,Military News,Strategy — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:43 AM

“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

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The next Petraeus

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.

(more…)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Afghanistan: Gunmen Kidnap Development Alternatives Inc. Contractors

Filed under: Afghanistan,Kidnap And Ransom — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 10:20 PM

Ziayee said the woman was wearing a burqa when the party was last seen at around 10.30am travelling through the district of Chowki. He said that she was “kidnapped by the opposition” after a brief fight with local police, who gave chase into the mountains.

An official with the Kunar criminal investigation unit said local insurgents were responsible, led by a man called Mullah Basir and an associate called Qari Ruhullah. At midday, a group of 12 senior elders from the area were sent into the area where the hostages were believed to be to try to secure their release. 

*****

     I do not know any other details other than what has been reported.  My heart goes out to the friends and families, and I certainly hope the kidnapers do not do to these folks like what happened earlier this year to the medical team. DAI has not had very good luck these days and perhaps they should reevaluate their security protocols?

     If there was only one security guy for this entire party then I don’t call that very smart. Low profile is a great method of travel, but obviously this team was busted off the get go as having a British contractor in it. Perhaps someone sold them out or they got careless? Either way, tough deal and I hope they survive. –Matt

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Afghanistan: gunmen kidnap Briton and three co-workers

British woman and Afghan colleagues part of convoy intercepted by insurgents in Kunar province

Jon Boone in Kabul and James Meikle

Sunday 26 September 2010

A British woman working for an American company and at least three Afghan co-workers have been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Afghanistan. They were in a two-vehicle convoy intercepted by insurgents in Kunar province.

Neither the Foreign Office in London nor Washington-based Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) would confirm the woman’s identity, but DAI, a contractor with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), said it was working “on a suspected abduction” and would be issuing a statement. The FO said relatives had been told and appealed to the British media not to name her.

(more…)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Industry Talk: More Contractors Than Troops Killed During Past Year In Iraq And Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:38 PM

Indeed, the total number of what might be termed “total U.S. fatalities” now should exceed 7,500. That’s because, as of June 2010, more than 2,008 contractors have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another 44 contractors killed were in Kuwait, many of whom supported the same missions. On top of that, more than 44,000 contractors have been injured, of which more than 16,000 were seriously wounded. 

*****

     This is probably the most under reported and least known aspect of this war. And these are just the deaths that can be identified through the Labor Department’s insurance claims database.  I would speculate that the amount of deaths is much greater if there was a full accounting of all Iraqi and Afghan contractor deaths. In my view, those lives mean just as much as any other contractor’s life. These figures also do not take into account those families that did not file an insurance claim for the loss of their loved one.

    The wounded figures are startling as well. Especially the seriously wounded.  Do we have double, triple or even quad amputees? How many TBI cases? How many burn victims? I imagine we have many of the same types of injuries as the military. For that, if there are any wounded contractors reading this, thank you for your sacrifice and I hope the pain diminishes and healing continues.

     Probably the most elusive numbers out there about our wounded, are the mentally wounded contractors.  Many veterans come into contracting with a brain filled with their past military experiences–to include PTSD. But what happens to contractors who might have PTSD caused by their time on contracts? Or how about the suicide rates for contractors?

     I know Propublica/T. Christian Miller has done some great reporting on these types of subjects, but what I would really like to see is the government get more involved with this stuff. That is the right thing to do in my view, and it has been severely lacking. –Matt

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More contractors than troops killed during past year in Iraq and Afghanistan

By Katherine McIntire Peters

September 22, 2010

Recent data show that more contractors were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan than U.S. troops during the first six months of 2010, according to a George Washington University law professor.

“Contractors supporting the war effort today are losing more lives than the U.S. military waging these wars,” wrote Steven L. Schooner, co-director of the Government Procurement Law Program at The George Washington Law School, and Collin D. Swan, a student there. Their article appeared in the September issue of Service Contractor magazine, a quarterly publication of the Professional Services Council, an industry group.

The data show that in the first half of 2010, contractor fatalities in Afghanistan for the first time exceeded troop fatalities — 232 and 195, respectively. Contractor deaths in Iraq surpassed military deaths there beginning in 2009. Between January 2009 and June 2010, there were 204 contractor deaths and 188 troop deaths in Iraq.

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