Feral Jundi

Monday, December 21, 2009

Media News: So Why Aren’t Contractors Represented At American Forces Network?

Filed under: Media News — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 10:11 AM

AFN

   The other day I was thinking, why aren’t contractors represented at American Forces Network?  There are thousands of us overseas, and we have been a part of the war effort for years now.  So where is the acknowledgement of our existence at AFN?

   I say this, because every contractor that has ever been to Iraq or Afghanistan, has been exposed to AFN.  We watch all the DoD commercials about safety or suicide prevention or wearing reflector belts on bases, yet there is nothing about contractors.  I think the only commercial I have ever seen dealing with contractors, is a hotline that troops can call if they see contractors ripping off the government.  I wonder if there are any commercials that give information on how to turn in troops who are ripping off the DoD?  Or are contractors the only ones that can do harm?

   Furthermore, you watch all these shows like the Pentagon Channel or the Marines or Army Show, and it is great to see news about what they are doing in the war, but what about the thousands of contractors performing important and essential missions as well?  How about the guys training Afghan Army or Border Patrol folks? Isn’t that a crucial element to the strategy in Afghanistan, yet the contractor side of this is completely ignored?

     How about the munitions clearance programs, or the interpreters, or the dining facility folks?  Where’s the Christmas messages from the various company management out there? Or the thanks from Generals or Congressmen for the work we have done?  I mean you guys contracted our services, are you not thankful for that service?

   I guess my point is, is that we continue to be treated as if we do not exist, or that we really don’t matter in this war.  The reality is that we do matter and we do have a great impact on this war.  And for the DoD to not at least use AFN to communicate with their contractor force, is just stupid.

   They could be developing public service messages that communicate directly to contractors.  The DoD can also target contractors with their resiliency messages, to prevent any future Fitzsimmons type incidents.  There is so much that needs to be said and communicated to my group, yet there is silence. If in fact the DoD wants to make contracting work in this war, they need to connect with us.  To not take advantage of this media tool to create a unity of effort in this war, is yet again, a strategic mistake.

   The irony of it all, is that AFN uses civilians and contractors in the production of their shows. But shhhhh, don’t tell anyone. lol –Matt

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Military News: Georgia And The War In Afghanistan, By Mikheil Saakashvili

Filed under: Afghanistan,Georgia(country),Military News — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 7:23 AM

   This is actually pretty interesting.  This is a thousand troops that the Marines can use to do all sorts of violent things with, and with no limitations.  But the most interesting aspect is Georgia wants in NATO, and this is kind of a double sided insurance policy.

   On one side, a move like this will help to up the level of combat effectiveness of the Georgian military.  Marines are already training Georgians in their country, and they were doing that even before Georgia’s quick war with Russia.  I think a move like this is smart, because now the Georgians will have combat veterans that could make life for an invading force a little more painful if not damn near impossible.

   The other side of this is Mikheil is also trying to earn his country’s admission into NATO, so that Russia would think twice before invading again.  The question I have, is if Russia would actually care if Georgia was a NATO member or not?  Because I think Russia will do whatever they want, despite what club Georgia is a member of.

   Now if I was Mikheil, I would develop an asymmetric warfare capability big time.  Keep working on this other diplomatic stuff, but if these guys want to make life miserable for an invading force again, they need to start thinking more like Hezbollah and less like some kind of a conventional army. Get some combat time, learn from the enemy in Afghanistan, and apply those lessons to defending Georgia.  The Marines will definitely help them to get there, and help them with the asymmetric stuff as well. –Matt

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Georgia and the War in Afghanistan

December 19, 2009

Why the young democracy is sending nearly 1,000 troops to the war effort.

By MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI

Following President Obama’s speech on our common mission in Afghanistan, NATO members and other countries pledged about 7,000 additional troops. My country committed just under 1,000, which makes Georgia the highest per-capita troop contributor to the war effort.

Some might be surprised that a small country not yet in NATO—and partly occupied by more than 10,000 hostile Russian troops—would make this commitment to an Allied mission abroad. Let me explain why it makes perfect sense.

As President Obama pointed out, the threat of violent extremism endangers all nations that subscribe to the principles of liberal democracy. Those principles made America the target on 9/11. Spain was hit on March 11, 2004, and Britain on July 7, 2005. Any of our countries could be next.

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Jobs: U.K./European Close Protection Specialists, Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Jobs — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 5:23 AM

   Get the word out on this one folks.  Unity is trying to fill these positions quick, and the deadline for applications is December 21st.  I am not the point of contact or recruiter for this job, and please follow the directions below on what they are looking for.  Good luck and have a Merry Tactical Christmas. lol. –Matt

Edit: 12/21/2009- By the way, Hart Security won the EUPOL contract for Kabul, and I do not know for sure if URG is recruiting for Hart or if they thought they were going to win it.  So just to be safe, I posted the ad for Hart in the comments as well.

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UK/ European Close Protection Specialists Wanted for Afghanistan (Team Leaders and Operators)

Unity are looking for a large number of CP specialists for an upcoming contract in Kabul. Candidates will be:

1. Qualified in a recognised CP course (essential).

2. Have experience in close protection roles (essential) with Afghan experience (highly desirable).

3. Be mature, highly disciplined, well groomed and capable of working with courtesy inside complex client groups (essential).

4. Hold an EU Passport (highly desirable).

5. Ready to work from the middle of January 2010 (essential).

6. Holding a current SIA license (desirable).

Potential candidates should note that Unity has very strict Code of Conduct and is an employer with the highest ethical standards. Unity is always rigid in its enforcement of standards and professionalism. You can expect to work alongside true like minded industry professionals and inside an exceptional operating culture.

We value our staff and our employment terms and conditions are best in industry. Pay will be in Euros and highly attractive. Rotations are expected to be 12/4 for most positions.

All applications (CVs only please) should be directed to:

recruiting @ unityresourcesgroup.com

 No later than 21 December 2009. Any CVs not sent to this address can expect to be disregarded. Only successful candidates will be contacted and this should occur before 31 Dec 2009.

Website for Unity Resources Group here.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Legal News: Congress Investigating Charges of ‘Protection Racket’ by Afghanistan PSC’s

Filed under: Afghanistan,Legal News — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 8:46 AM

   You know, I would first like to see the generals in charge of this war, step up and put a stop to this practice before Congress gets involved.  It is a war after all, and you guys can say ‘hey, this practice stops now, because it directly impacts the war effort and the safety of the troops’. Generals can dismiss folks and end contracts too, and it shouldn’t take a Congressional investigation for that kind of common sense to prevail.

    And I still think we could be using this to our advantage, and using the convoys as bait to draw in the enemy.  If they want to attack convoys, then there should be a counter attack element associated with every convoy, so this practice becomes very hazardous for the enemy. –Matt

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Congress investigating charges of ‘protection racket’ by Afghanistan contractors

By Walter PincusThursday, December 17, 2009

A House oversight subcommittee said Wednesday that it has begun a wide-ranging investigation into allegations that private security companies hired to protect Defense Department convoys in Afghanistan are paying off warlords and the Taliban to ensure safe passage.

“If shown to be true, it would mean that the United States is unintentionally engaged in a vast protection racket and, as such, may be indirectly funding the very insurgents we are trying to fight,” said Rep. John F. Tierney (D-Mass.), chairman of the House oversight subcommittee on national security and foreign affairs.

Two weeks ago, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described the same situation before a Senate committee while discussing the truck convoys that bring supplies into landlocked Afghanistan. “You offload a ship in Karachi [Pakistan]. And by the time whatever it is — you know, muffins for our soldiers’ breakfast or anti-IED equipment — gets to where we’re headed, it goes through a lot of hands,” she said. “And one of the major sources of funding for the Taliban is the protection money.”

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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Afghanistan: Up To 56,000 More Contractors Likely For Afghanistan, CRS Says

Filed under: Afghanistan,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 8:24 AM

   This is a continuation from yesterday’s post about the CRS report.  You don’t hear this figure in all the crazy surge talk, but you sure do hear a lot about the troop surge or civilian surge.  I guess we are not surge-worthy? lol

   What I thought was interesting in the report, is that they don’t know how many security contractors there are in Afghanistan, but the report promises that this data will be in the next report.  Hmmmm.  Suspicious.

   There used to be data for this. They have the numbers for Iraq at about 12,684 security contractors at this time. –Matt

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Up to 56,000 more contractors likely for Afghanistan, congressional agency says

By Walter PincusWednesday, December 16, 2009

The surge of 30,000 U.S. troops into Afghanistan could be accompanied by a surge of up to 56,000 contractors, vastly expanding the presence of personnel from the U.S. private sector in a war zone, according to a study by the Congressional Research Service.

CRS, which provides background information to members of Congress on a bipartisan basis, said it expects an additional 26,000 to 56,000 contractors to be sent to Afghanistan. That would bring the number of contractors in the country to anywhere from 130,000 to 160,000.

The tally “could increase further if the new [administration] strategy includes a more robust construction and nation building effort,” according to the report, which was released Monday and first disclosed on the Web site Talking Points Memo.

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