Feral Jundi

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Legal News: Some Thoughts on HR 3571

Filed under: Legal News — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:09 PM

There was a 19 % increase (from 10,743 to 13,232) of armed DoD PSCs in Iraq compared to the 2nd quarter FY 2009 census. This increase can be attributed to an increased need for PSCs to provide security as the military begins to drawdown forces and to our continued improved ability to account for subcontractors who are providing security services. 

. There was a 20% increase (from 4,111 to 5,165) of armed DoD PSCs in Afghanistan compared to the 1st quarter FY 2009 census. The increase correlates to the build up of forces in that AOR. -Contractor Support of U.S. Operations in USCENTCOM AOR, Iraq, and Afghanistan, June 30,2009

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   There is a lot of talk in the anti-defense industry circles these days about HR 3571 and how it could apply to the removal of a lot of the big players in the defense industry.  You don’t hear about reforming the industry or anything, just the idiotic notion of eradicating the defense industry–national security be damned. I am sure our enemies are liking this one…Pffffft.

   The other thing to note, is that HR 3571 was created as a mechanism to defund ACORN.  I don’t think lawmakers intended on inadvertently defunding the entire defense industry. It is all about the intent people, and the intent to do such a thing is not there.

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Friday, September 18, 2009

Industry Talk: Interview With AGNA Whistleblower John Gorman and How Congress Did Nothing About This in 2007!

   This is crap.  How is it that all of these politicians, to include key politicians currently on the wartime commission, knew exactly what happened in Kabul with this contract, and are now showing shock and dismay about it–two years later! This little tidbit of info, made the hearings that were on CSPAN the other day seem like a joke now.

   That is great you guys are trying to get down to the bottom of it now, but where was your outrage when this was first going on? Are you saying that it took pictures of a frat-style party, to awaken your inner responsibilities as leaders? And what committee is going to put these politicians on a stand, and ask them why they didn’t do anything about this in 2007?  Especially Shays. (I am still shaking my head on that one, as I remember watching Shays go off on Samuel during the hearing)

    Here at FJ, we have put blame on AGNA and State, but when Congress knew about this as well and did nothing about it at the time, then they are just as bad in my book.  The buck stops in DC, and this is certainly a prime example of poor leadership.

   Also check out the story below this interview.  Samuel Brinkley, VP of Wackenhut and in charge of this contract, could be in some trouble.  He swore up and down during the hearings that he just found out about this stuff in August of this year, and according to Gorman, he knew about it in July of 2008.  Interesting.

    Semper Fi John and Marie Anne, and good job! –Matt

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Interview with ArmorGroup Whistleblower John Gorman

John Gorman — Marine, Patriot, Whistleblower

By Marie Anne St. Jean

John Gorman, retired U.S. Marine, was hired by ArmorGroup (AGNA) in 2007 to support security at the American Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Numerous reports of AGNA activities are available elsewhere in the media, as well as my own articles here and here. John has previously provided a written press release as well as televised interviews with major networks, as seen here. With this interview, I’m allowing John Gorman to tell his story, what he believes needs to be said.

John, you and I go back several years. I remember how excited you were when hired by ArmorGroup to be the Camp Commandant in Kabul, to have this opportunity to once again serve your country. We never really hang up our uniforms, do we?

When you first reported AGNA’s shortfalls in 2007, what was your expected outcome? What do you think should have happened that didn’t?

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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Industry Talk: Congressman Announces Plan to Reform U.S. System to Care for Injured Civilian Contractors

    Interesting stuff, and I hope Rep. Cummings can produce something that is supported on both sides of the isle. –Matt

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Congressman Announces Plan to Reform U.S. System to Care for Injured Civilian Contractors

by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica – September 9, 2009

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said Wednesday that he will introduce legislation later this year to improve the delivery of medical care to civilian contractors injured while working with the military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cummings declined to provide details about his proposal but said he hoped it would reduce the $300 million a year paid by defense contractors to insurance companies.

“The system is broken, and the insurance companies have reaped the benefits,” said Cummings, who pushed for hearings [1] earlier this year after investigations [2] by ProPublica, ABC News and the Los Angeles Times found that insurance carriers routinely denied claims by injured contractors.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Industry Talk: Security Firms Lobby for Tougher Rules

Filed under: Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 4:36 AM

   You know, I give Doug and the IPOA a lot of credit for the hard work they have done to get this industry on the right foot.  I certainly hope congress is listening, because if they can provide the teeth to a set of standards, then things like the Code of Conduct that the IPOA has been promoting all these years could be something that could be respected.

   I have also noticed all the companies that have signed on with the ISO 9000 stuff in recent years.  That is great that they are getting that kind of certification, but I always look to the results of such things.  What really matters in all of this, is customer satisfaction and service.  That and taking care of your people–which I think is vital if you want your customers satisfied. (pissed off employees and contractors tend to pay it forward on to the customer in lots of poisonous ways) Together with happy employees and happy customers, and an application of Kaizen to your company, and the contracts will continue to come in.

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Friday, June 12, 2009

Publications: At What Cost? Contingency Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, By the CWC

 

   Interesting report and check it out.  The things I thought were interesting was the discussion about the TWISS2 contracts, the RUF, and the fear of repeating the same mistakes in Afghanistan.  You think? pfffffft.-Matt

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Wartime Contracting Report

At What Cost? Contingency Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan

By the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan 

 

Let the commission know what you think, click here. 

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