Feral Jundi

Monday, May 10, 2010

Military News: Secretary Gates Declares War On Defense Spending

Filed under: Afghanistan,Finance,Military News — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 4:10 AM

   This seems to be the same rhetoric that every Defense Secretary dishes out, but this time I am going to speculate that there is something a little different about this time.  Saving pennies is now in the vocabulary of the leaders of this war, because they have no other choice.  There is just too much going on out there, for the sacred cow called defense spending to not be impacted.

   I kind of look at it like this.  If the US is part of this massive globalized economy, then things that happen in the global economy will impact the US economy.  A case in point is the Greek debt crisis.   The volcano in Iceland is another, as is the current recession in the US.  The oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is another.  And of course the two wars we are fighting is costing us billions of dollars every year. Eventually all of that debt and chaos will catch up, and I am sure the administration has given the call to Secretary Gates that it is time to cinch up the belt.  Who knows what the conversations at the top entail, and all I can focus on right now is actions.

   Below I have posted three stories.  The first is how Gates’ new mission to curb spending will impact war plans.  If soldiers are costing a million a day in places like Afghanistan, then money for fancy new military equipment that is only marginally better than the current piece of equipment might be axed.  Actually, it will be axed and that is the whole point. Cost effective war fighting measures will come more into play, and the military will be asked to do more with less.  That is what happens when we go into ‘saving pennies’ mode.

   The next story is about the Greek debt crisis.  My question on this, is what will happen to the rest of Europe do to these issues?  And how that impacts the war effort, is if a country is in debt, then paying for troop deployments in the war might be a little much for the citizenry to stomach.  After all, if our Secretary of Defense is talking this kind of talk, what are the secretaries of defense of other countries saying, who are involved in this war?  Could we expect more last minute pull outs where vacuums are created that must be filled by either US troops or ….. contractors? Something to ponder I guess.

   The final story is about the cost of the war.  It is staggering, and the one figure I keep going back to is the cost per soldier for a year in Afghanistan.  $500,000 to a million for one soldier, for the year is a lot of money. –Matt

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Gates: Runaway Military Spending May Affect War Plans

May 8, 2010

ABILENE, Kansas (Reuters) – Defence Secretary Robert Gates told the U.S. military on Saturday it must rein in spending that he called out of sync with today’s tough economic times, and said budget woes could be a factor in deciding whether to use force against Iran and others.

Promising to play a hands-on role in wringing out savings, Gates held out the possibility of axing headquarters, merging whole agencies and culling the officer corps, taking on entrenched interests sure to put up a fight.

Sticker shock from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq also mean President Barack Obama and Congress may be more cautious about committing U.S. forces to another costly military engagement, he said.

“I do think that as we look to the future, particularly for the next couple of years or so while we’re in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think the Congress and the president would look long and hard at another military operation that would cost us $100 billion (67.6 billion pounds) a year,” Gates told reporters.

“If there’s a real threat out there, the president and Congress will spend whatever it takes to protect the nation. But in situations where there are real choices, I think this would be a factor,” he added.

Asked if Iran fell into the category where costs would be a factor in deciding whether to strike over its nuclear program, Gates said it was unclear. “It depends on developments over the next year or two,” he said.

Gates said his goal was to cut overhead in the Defence Department’s nearly $550 billion baseline budget between two to three percent, or $10 billion to $15 billion per year, starting in fiscal 2012. The savings would allow the Pentagon to sustain force levels and free up funds for modernization programs.

Without such savings, Gates said, “it is highly unlikely that we will achieve the real growth rates necessary to sustain the current force structure.”

(more…)

Iraq: The Forgotten Four–South Africans Kidnapped In 2006 But Families Still Wait

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq,Kidnap And Ransom,South Africa — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:47 AM

     Pierre Durant, her brother-in-law, believes that he is the only person still actively looking for the men, who were seized at a rogue police checkpoint in the north east of the Iraqi capital on December 10, 2006. He has travelled to Iraq eight times to hunt for clues and to attempt to put pressure on the authorities to investigate the case. At one point in the past year he managed to speak to his brother on a mobile phone, raising hopes of a resolution, but the trail has since run cold.

    Mr Durant, 42, and other close relatives of the four hostages contacted by The Times, appealed to the kidnappers to show mercy. “We as a family are not looking for justice or retribution,” Mr Durant said. “If these guys are alive then we want to negotiate for their release. If they’ve been killed then I just want their bodies back so we can try to get on with our lives.”

*****

   I was working as a security contractor with a different company back then when this happened, and at the time there were numerous kidnappings of contractors going on. Crescent Security was another company that was impacted by this type of assault.  The one thing that all of us thought about while running the roads back then was ‘Don’t trust anyone (Iraqi police officers or soldiers)’. Because at the time, the enemy was playing like they were cops or soldiers and doing all sorts of things under that cover. I still don’t trust any of these guys, and that is the reality of war zone work.

    The same thing is playing out in Afghanistan, with the Taliban or extremists dressing up like cops or soldiers and using that as a cover to get in close to their targets or use it like camouflage in a forest of chaos they create during the assault. Nothing new in the history of warfare, and today’s enemies are carrying on the tradition. It is the enemy’s version of pseudo operations, and it works.

   My other point I wanted to make is the good work and sacrifice that South Africans have given in this war.  I should certainly hope that if any leaders in the DoS or DoD is reading this, that your involvement in trying to secure the release of these men, would be much appreciated.  Contractors are the ones that put their lives on the line for you and your equipment, the least you can do is show some humanity and compassion and use some resources to find these guys and secure their release.

    Bravo to Pierre for keeping up the search and not giving up. My heart goes out to the family and friends, and I certainly hope this ends well and these men get released. –Matt

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South Africans who were kidnapped.

Three years on, and no ransom demands have been made for Hardus Greef, left, Johann Enslin and their colleagues.

The forgotten four: kidnapped in 2006 but families still wait

May 7, 2010

Deborah Haynes

No one knows whether they are dead or alive. The families of four South African men kidnapped in Baghdad in 2006 are desperate for news of their loved ones — but fear that their plight has been forgotten, at home and in Iraq.

Unlike the case of the recently freed British hostage Peter Moore and his four guards — three died and one is missing — no one has claimed responsibility for the South African hostage taking.

No video has emerged and no ransom or political demands have been made. Instead, the families of Andre Durant, Johann Enslin, Callie Scheepers and Hardus Greef, all security guards, have endured 3½ years of unanswered questions and silence.

(more…)

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Afghanistan: Government Has Barred Compass ISS And Watan Risk Management

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 11:21 AM

     Wow, Compass ISS and Watan Risk are huge companies that have been operating for awhile there, so I am not sure if this is a for sure deal or not.  If so, all of their competitors are probably licking their chops right now.

     Overall, this is a necessary move in order to get a handle on the situation and send a message to the 52 registered security companies in Afghanistan. Which is a good thing, because every innocent killed will only enrage the civilian population, and increase support for the Taliban shadow government.

     Now if I was the Afghan government, I would pour on the juice when the Taliban kill civilians.  Do not give them a free pass, and every time a Taliban force kills a civilian, it should be highlighted as to how un-islamic they are and how little they care for the civilian population’s safety. It’s called propaganda and it should be part of their strategic communications plan.  The Afghan government must sell itself as a better idea than the Taliban, and win over the civilian population.  –Matt

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Afghanistan bars security firms

04/09/2010

KABUL — Afghanistan has barred two private security firms from one of the country’s most dangerous highways after their guards shot and killed two civilians, the government said Sunday.

The victims were killed accidentally in separate incidents on the road that connects the Afghan capital Kabul to the south — the heartland of the Taliban militants waging a bloody insurgency against the Western-backed government.

Civilian deaths are a highly sensitive issue in Afghanistan and interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said both companies had also been ordered to pay compensation to the victims’ families.

“The perpetrators of both incidents have been arrested and are being prosecuted,” he told journalists at a press conference in Kabul following the killings, which both occurred in the last two weeks.

“The ministry of interior warns all private security firms to conduct their operations within the boundaries of the law and avoid shooting at people.”

The two firms, Compass and Watan Risk Management, are among 52 private security companies registered to operate in Afghanistan, where security has deteriorated in recent years.

Their clients include NATO and US-led forces, aid agencies and private businesses, which use them to provide armed escorts for convoys travelling on dangerous roads.

Civilian deaths caused by foreign forces fell 28 percent last year, the United Nations has said.

But such incidents continue to undermine efforts to win Afghan hearts and minds and are a source of tension between the Afghan government and foreign forces.

The United States and allies are ordering thousands of extra troops to Afghanistan, where foreign troop numbers are set to peak at 150,000 by August, in a bid to reverse the Taliban insurgency as quickly as possible.

Most of the extra troops will deploy in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, where the Afghan government said three of its soldiers had been killed over the past 24 hours.

The troops were operating with international forces in the Sangin district of Helmand, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Story here.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Publications: GAO Report On Afghanistan Security Environment

Filed under: Afghanistan,Publications — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 8:45 AM

   Let me summarize this thing for you, because this is the message I got.  We sent all of these government folks over to Afghanistan, but we don’t have enough military escorts to take them around the country to implement their projects.  In other words, there is a high demand for security. Where is the surge of security contractors needed to get this stuff done?

   They also talk about an increase in attacks and casualties, but that is largely contributed to the idea that there are more targets for the Taliban to go after and we are now in the fighting season (spring, summer).

   Now for my suggestion. If you want security and there are not enough military folks to do the job, then contract it out. Obviously security forces are at a premium there, and soldiers are kind of busy taking the fight to the enemy.  If you want to get more security in that country in order to cover down on all of these projects, and do it quickly, then contract it out.  I know security contractors are not the most favored choice of government these days, but honestly, they don’t have much choice in the matter if they want to do what they gotta do in Afghanistan.  It’s either that, or just send all of these government employees back home because they are waste of space.

   I would also recommend using expats, as opposed to using corrupt local security companies.  Or combine expat companies with local security companies for security operations.  Where there is a will, there is a way. Hell, you could contract out the security of an entire town if you wanted, and contractors could actually be a huge contributor to the ‘hold’ and ‘build’ portion of the COIN strategy.  Leave the ‘clear’ portion of the strategy to the military, and assign what you can to the ‘hold’ forces.

   One last thing, and I hate to beat a dead horse.  There are plenty of reports, lessons learned, SOPs, experienced contractors, expert input, blah blah blah out there to get this done properly.(man is it tiring to continue to read about how poor government is at learning anything. pfffft)  Either way, there should be no excuses for mismanagement of this ‘surge of security contractors’ into Afghanistan that I am talking about. Or we can continue to read about these people who are sitting around and doing nothing because of a lack of security for their operation. –Matt

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GAO Report On Afghanistan Security Environment

May 5, 2010

(one portion of the report below, follow link to read the rest)

Agencies Cite Security Challenges to Stabilization Efforts in Afghanistan 

   State’s January 2010 Afghanistan and Pakistan Regional Stabilization Strategy cites reconstruction and development as key elements of the overall effort to stabilize Afghanistan and reduce the strength of the insurgency. However, the strategy acknowledges that the success of such civilian programs in Afghanistan is contingent on improved security. In November 2009, we reported that while U.S. and international development projects in Afghanistan had made some progress, deteriorating security complicated such efforts to stabilize and rebuild the country.

(more…)

Paracargo: New Uses For UAV’s–The K-MAX Dropping LCLA Or JPADS Paracargo

Filed under: Aviation,Paracargo,PMC 2.0 — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 3:12 AM

     This is cool.  To be able to drop paracargo like this, would be a very interesting capability, and especially dropping JPADS.  The K-MAX is such a work horse as well, and can totally handle high elevations a lot better than others in it’s class.  So for unmanned cargo missions, this might be the helicopter/UAV we will see more of in the near future.

     Some other interesting uses for this helicopter, would be SPIE operations or moving around people with a long line. Although that would probably be for only special incidents where survival would depend on having a means of getting out of a spot quickly (medevacs, attacks, etc.), and manned helicopters are not available.  Weaponizing it would be cool too, and to have a dual use helicopter UAV for anything that pops up would be a nice little tool to have in the battlefield tool kit for a commander.

     Having a robotic cargo hauler like this, will probably inspire many innovative uses for the thing as troops utilize it on the battlefield.  Especially if they could harden up this bird a little to give it some more combat survivability. Kind of like the A 10 Warthog of UAV helicopters.  Interesting stuff. –Matt

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K-Max Drops ‘Em in Cargo Demo

by Graham Warwick

5/5/2010

No sign yet of an RFP from the US Navy for umanned cargo resupply of Marine Corps units in Afghanistan, but team-mates Lockheed Martin and Kaman continue to develop the capability of their unmanned version of the K-Max external-lift helicopter. In late April, they demonstrated the ability to airdrop supplies, which would improve the helicopter’s survivability in combat zones.

The 11 drop tests from 300-400ft altitude used the US Army’s LCLA low-cost low-altitude parachute, a one-time-use aerodynamic decelerator that costs just $375 and can be used with loads up to 600lb, the team says. Loads were dropped from the K-Max’s four-hook carousel. Kaman says future tests could include the JPADS precision airdrop system, a GPS-guided steerable parachute that would allow loads to be dropped from higher altitudes and take advantage of the K-Max’s ability to lift 4,300lb to 15,000ft.

The airdrop tests were conducted with a safety pilot on board, but the K-Max operated unmanned during a cargo resupply demonstration for the Marine Corps earlier this year. Boeing’s A160T Hummingbird unmanned helicopter participated. Both teams are now waiting for an RFP from the Navy. Inside Defense, meanwhile, is reporting the Army is pushing for an unmanned cargo demonstration.

Story here.

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