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Friday, July 30, 2010

Afghanistan: DynCorp Contractors Attacked By Crowd After Fatal Auto Accident

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: Afghanistan, auto, Blackwater Bridge, car, contractors, crash, DynCorp, embassy, Kabul, mob, riot, security contractors — Matt @ 11:00 PM

If anyone has any information on this one, I am all ears. It sounds like to me that they were unfortunately in a part of town that is not too friendly towards contractors or foreigners. Or worse yet, the crowd was fed by some instigators who took it upon themselves to twist the story around and try to create a riot.

All I know is that some Afghanis are dead from a horrible crash, and some DynCorp contractors are wounded because of a hostile crowd. If they were attacked by the crowd, then they showed some serious discipline to ‘not’ fire their weapons in self defense. I mean this could have ended up like another Blackwater Bridge scenario, the way it sounds. Who knows, and as more information comes out, I will make the edit. –Matt

Edit: July 31, 2010 – A big thanks to Ashley Burke from DynCorp, who sent me this update and statement from the company. The thing I keep looking at here, is how quickly the crowd formed and attacked this crew. There must have been instigators in the crowd. And it sounds like the Afghans who pulled out in front of the DynCorp convoy are at fault here. But yet the crowd could care less. Here is the statement:

I saw your recent posting and wanted to make sure you had the full DI statement on this incident.

On July 30, 2010, DynCorp International (DI) personnel were involved in a car accident in Kabul when an Afghan vehicle unexpectedly pulled in front of them on a road to the airport. Several Afghan civilians were killed in the tragic accident.

When the DI personnel exited their vehicle to assess the situation and assist, a crowd quickly formed, the DI team was attacked, and their vehicle was set on fire. A second DI team arrived on the scene to assist, that DI team was also attacked by the crowd, and their vehicle was set on fire. Local police arrived quickly. DI personnel took no action against the crowd and did not fire any shots, deferring to the local police who took action to disperse the crowd and remove the DI team to safety.

Any accident involving a loss of life is tragic. Our condolences go out to the families of those who were killed or injured in the accident. An investigation into the accident is underway and, until that investigation is complete, it would be inappropriate to comment further.

The employees involved in the accident are working under a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

From Ashley Burke

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Fatal Crash Stokes Afghan-U.S. Tension in Kabul

July 30, 2010

Auto Accident Involving American Contractors Leaves 4 Locals Dead; Mob Hurls Stones, Sets Fire to Vehicles

A fatal traffic accident involving private U.S. security contractors sparked an angry demonstration in Kabul Friday, with enraged Afghans hurling stones, setting fire to two vehicles and shouting “death to America” before police fired guns into the air to disperse the crowd.

Four Afghans were killed in the accident on the main airport road, according to Kabul’s criminal investigations chief, Abdul Ghaafar Sayedzada.

U.S. embassy spokesperson Caitlin Hayden confirmed to CBS News that the SUV involved was carrying four contractors from DynCorp, a private security firm affiliated with the embassy. Afghan police officials said the Americans were traveling in a two-vehicle convoy.

There were conflicting accounts of the accident and its aftermath. Local witnesses told CBS News that the Americans were driving the wrong way down the road, though DynCorp said that version of events was “not correct.”

Witnesses also said only three locals were killed in the crash, with the fourth dying after the U.S. contractors opened fire into the crowd.

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Monday, July 26, 2010

Iraq: U.S. Orders Pullout Of All Pinoy Workers In Iraq

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: contractors, filipino, Industry Talk, Iraq, nepalese, pinoy, war zone — Matt @ 12:07 PM

Boy, this is a surprise. My thoughts with this is that if Nepalese workers have to leave, that would include security contractors. That is too bad because these are some excellent guys to have for security work. I certainly hope these countries can work on lifting their bans, because all of these workers are bringing back money earned in war zones and spending it in their local economies back home. They are also providing a much needed service in Iraq.

But yeah, if these countries do not want them in Iraq, then we should honor that. But we should also try to be working the diplomatic angle with these countries. All of these folks want an opportunity to work in Iraq, and if Iraq is alright with that and things are safer than several years back, then I do not see the what the issue is. –Matt

Edit: 08/05/2010- It looks like Nepal has lifted the ban for their citizens. It sounds like the Philippines is getting close to lifting their ban. In the comments, I posted two stories that talked about both.

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US orders pullout of all Pinoy workers in Iraq

By Dindo Amparo

07/26/2010

Thousands of Filipino workers in Iraq are on the brink of losing their jobs after the US government ordered all its military contractors to send home expatriate workers whose country imposes a travel ban in Iraq.

The deadline for expatriation is August 9.

In a memorandum issued by the United States Central Command last July 20, Colonel Richard Nolan, senior contracting officer of the Iraw CentCom Contracting Command said: “All contractors in Iraq have 20 days from the date of this letter to ensure their employees comply with US and international law and understood their redeployment responsibilities under the term of their contract.”

The memo added: “It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that it is not employing people from countries prohibited from entry to Iraq.”

The decision of the US Central Command was also triggered by reports that some expatriate workers including Filipinos were abandoned by their contractors in various camps throughout Iraq, raising concerns about violations committed by various contractors including hiring workers from countries that have imposed travel and work restrictions.

The Philippines and Nepal are among those mentioned among countries whose nationals were able to enter and work in Iraq despite the travel ban imposed by their host governments.

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Industry Talk: U.S. Pledges More Support To Battle Somali Rebels

Filed under: Africa,Industry Talk,Somalia,Uganda — Tags: AFRICAP, Al-Shabab, contractors, Industry Talk, private military companies, Somalia, Training, Uganda — Matt @ 2:06 AM

“We have reviewed since Sunday the support that we’re providing to Amisom. We are going to beef that up,” Mr. Crowley said. “We’ve been the major contributor to the Amisom mission. That won’t change.”

The U.S. State Department, under a program known as Africap, provides funding for private contractors to train, outfit, transport and supply African troops in various peacekeeping missions. The State Department’s latest contract, which began in September 2009, provides $1.5 billion to private contractors to outfit Amisom and other troops.

*****

This is the part of the article I clued in on. I imagine ‘beef that up’ equates to more money for the AFRICAP program, and similar programs. So it will be interesting to see if any new changes come down the pipe.

If you follow what is going on with Somalia right now, things are happening quickly, that will lead to the reality of more troops from throughout the region joining the AMISOM mission. My question though is that will these troops be professional enough to do the job, or will they do more harm than good and bring more support to Al Shabab?

Hopefully with this beefing up process, we also send some folks in there that can assist in organizing and helping along these new troops. Unfortunately, if what happened to Ethiopia is any clue as to how all this will go down, then these new armies have a lot of work cut out for them. I wish them well though, and I certainly hope they can stick it to the Al Shaboob. –Matt

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U.S. Pledges More Support to Battle Somali Rebels

July 16, 2010

By WILL CONNORS in Kampala, Uganda, and KEITH JOHNSON in Washington

The Obama administration on Thursday said it would bolster its support to the African Union troops providing much of the firepower in Somalia’s battle against al Shabaab, the Somali militant group that has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s deadly blasts in Uganda.

The triple bombing in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, killed 76 people, including one American, gathered in a restaurant and a bar during Sunday’s World Cup soccer final.

Ugandan officials say they believe more than 20 members of Somalia’s al Shabaab militant group entered Uganda several months before the blasts. Ugandan authorities have arrested nine people, all Somalis, in connection with the attack since Monday, according to a Ugandan military official close to the investigation.

Uganda is part of an African Union force that launched an offensive early this month, alongside Somalia’s government, against al Shabaab militants who control large swaths of largely lawless Somalia.

An Al Shabaab leader on Thursday thanked its militants who carried out the weekend attacks and said more such attacks would be carried out in Uganda. “I say to the Ugandan president what has happened in Kampala was only the beginning. We will keep revenging what your soldiers remorselessly did to our people,” Sheik Muktar Abu Zubayr said in an audio message played on Mogadishu radio stations, according to the Associated Press.

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Finance: Foreign Earned Income Exclusion Eligibility Online Tool

Filed under: Cool Stuff,Finance,Industry Talk — Tags: Afghanistan, contractors, Finance, foreign earned income exclusion, Iraq, IRS, security contractors, taxes — Matt @ 11:13 PM

This is an awesome little tool to use to see if you qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion. This is always an issue every year for contractors, and especially when you have worked multiple contracts and you are not quite sure if you qualify.

Personally, I think the FEIE should be based on a pro-rated system*. Meaning for how many days you worked in country, is how many days you earned. Guys who worked 330 days, earn the full exclusion–as they should. Guys who could only get in half that many days overseas, should be able to get half the exclusion amount. The way it is set up now, you could spend 229 days overseas, and because you couldn’t get that one day, you do not qualify.

That is a crappy set up in my view, and for many folks to get that 330 days overseas can be pretty difficult. Especially if you have family obligations, you change contract or the company only gives a limited amount of days overseas, or some unexpected issue came up that would hinder your plans for staying overseas. Then your penalized for it, as if all those days worked didn’t mean anything.

Either way, check it out and let me know what you think? –Matt

*it is only pro-rated if you start in one tax year, and promise to continue working overseas into the next tax year.

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Foreign Earned income exclusion eligibility online tool

While our online tool is designed based on years of experience and IRS source documentation, please remember that the most valuable advice we can give you for your foreign tax planning needs would be the result of proper analysis and live conversations. This online assessment can indeed give you a very good idea of your eligibility for the foreign earned income exclusion. Please click on the button below to begin the assessment (You are 5 minutes away from finding out if you qualify!):

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Monday, July 19, 2010

Publications: CRS-DoD Contractors In Iraq And Afghanistan: Background And Analysis, July 2010

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Iraq,Letter Of Marque,Publications,Strategy — Tags: Afghanistan, COIN, Congressional Research Service, contractors, DOD, DoS, Iraq, Letter Of Marque, Publications, security contractors, Strategy, war — Matt @ 2:41 AM

The 2010 QDR, which runs almost 130 pages, contains little discussion on the role contractors play in military operations. The QDR has a seven page section on counterinsurgency, stability, and counterterrorism operations, including a list of ten priorities for improvement. However, the word “contractor” does not appear once in the discussion, despite the fact that contractors make up more that 50% of DOD’s workforce in Iraq and Afghanistan, including more than 13,000 armed contractors. Some analysts argue that DOD missed an opportunity to address the issue in the most recent QDR.

*****

I like posting these, just because they are running records of where contractors stand in this war. But what I really like about this publication is that Mr. Schwartz has taken aim at the folks who wrote up the QDR.

The reason why I like that, is because I have been screaming on this blog as long as I can remember that contractors must be included into the discussion on strategy for these wars. Especially when we account for over half of the manpower in these conflicts (and probably for future conflicts).

It still amazes me that today’s strategists and war planners do not adequately cover this stuff. If you read the QDR, it’s like we don’t even exist. And yet we have thousands of expats, third country nationals, and local nationals, all interacting with today’s populations and militaries in today’s wars. We are also dying and paying our toll in blood for this war–yet nothing is really mentioned about us when it comes to strategy.

Mr. Schwartz also took the time to cut and paste some key components of today’s COIN strategy out of some manuals, and how contractors should and could intermix with that strategy. The bottom line is that if contractors are interacting with the populations of these war zones, then they ‘must’ be aligned within the strategies of COIN. We must be on the same sheet of music as the militaries are, or we will continue to inadvertently cause problems.

Now for a couple of critiques. In the beginning of this publication, Mr. Schwartz actually mentioned the use of contractors during the Revolutionary War, but he made no mention of the use of privateers or of Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 11 of the US Constitution.

It’s odd to me that he wouldn’t, because our use of privateers is actually a fantastic example of using contractors during times of war to achieve a strategic goal. Our privateer industry is what we had as a continental navy at that time. The damage they inflicted onto the enemy’s logistics, as well as the capture of enemy weapons and munitions were very significant components of that war. Not to mention the massive infusion of wealth into our young country from all of the commerce raiding done by this government licensed privateer force. And the Letter of Marque in the US Constitution is proof of that existence between private industry and government for ‘offensive’ operations against an enemy. How’s that for ‘inherently governmental’? lol

The only other critique that is missing is a combination of DoS’s and other’s numbers into a report like this. I know the DoD doesn’t want to mix with those ‘others’, but it gets kind of old for us to continue to see separate reports all the time. I say combine all of them to save a little money and time, and let’s see every last contractor be counted. I would also like to see the deaths and injuries of all, and get that stuff on one nice (and complete) report for everyone to analyze and reference. Something to think about for all of you analysts out there who keep throwing this stuff together. –Matt

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Department of Defense Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan: Background and Analysis

Moshe Schwartz

Specialist in Defense Acquisition

July 2, 2010

Summary

The Department of Defense (DOD) increasingly relies upon contractors to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has resulted in a DOD workforce that has 19% more contractor personnel (207,600) than uniformed personnel (175,000). Contractors make up 54% of DOD’s workforce in Iraq and Afghanistan. The critical role contractors play in supporting such military operations and the billions of dollars spent by DOD on these services requires operational forces to effectively manage contractors during contingency operations. Lack of sufficient contract management can delay or even prevent troops from receiving needed support and can also result in wasteful spending. Some analysts believethat poor contract management has also played a role in abuses and crimes committed by certain contractors against local nationals, which may have undermined U.S. counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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