Feral Jundi

Sunday, June 20, 2010

War Art: A Man With A Heart For Stone

Filed under: Cool Stuff,Strategy,War Art — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:09 AM

     “I can’t understand why people do what they do just from looking in their eyes, but when I see what they make I see different creative views,” said Wagner. “Everybody has a different opinion of how life is, and you can see that when someone is given a piece of stone and turns it into a unit crest, a shot glass, or even just a ball.”

*****

     The reasons why I keep coming back to art on this blog is not only do I enjoy the art itself, but I have a profound respect for the process and inspiration needed to make that piece of art.  It requires analysis and synthesis, and it is a great ‘building snowmobiles’ exercise.

     One of my favorite examples of artists/strategists was Myamoto Musashi.  He was a big fan of art and for good reason.  For problem solving or developing unique strategies, you need a brain that can look at situations from different angles and find multiple solutions.  It takes creativity and the ability to really bend and mix the concepts to come up with unique solutions, much like an artist does on a canvas or with marble.

     Of course you need to know yourself and your enemy, but if your enemy has that same mindset, you must have something a little different in your strategy to gain the upper hand. Getting inside his OODA loop is important too, but what if your enemy is aware of OODA as well? The real winner in this fight, is the one that is able to take all strategies and all inputs, and create a winning strategy that is more effective that your enemy’s. It is something to think about when trying to figure out how a ‘John Boyd’ could defeat a ‘John Boyd’. Having a creative mind is just one factor of many that will help you to get there.

     On a side note, it is also interesting to go back to the patterns of battlefield innovation that I keep seeing. (here, and here)  Where the dominate combatant’s strategy is copied by the weaker combatant’s strategy, and then the weaker combatant adds something to that newly adopted strategy to make it even more effective.  A technological advantage could be one addition, or a multitude of little changes, all born from a different point of view, all from a creative mind. Borrowing brilliance seems to be a good way to go, just like artists get inspired by other artists. Interesting stuff and bravo to Charles Wagner for producing some beautiful marble work. –Matt

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Charles Wagner, a native of Rainier, Wash., explains the process of carving the 2nd Infantry Division shield into the emblem of 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd ID. Wagner worked during his down time for almost a month to create the marble carving, which he will present to the brigade at the end of their deployment.

*****

A Man With a Heart for Stone

Story by Pvt. Zach Zuber

June 19, 2010

DIYALA, Iraq — It all started with grief in 2004-05 timeframe. Three Soldiers lost their lives, and a U.S. civilian contractor, who had befriended them, was left with a loss. Charles Wagner, a mechanic for General Dynamic Land Systems, was working in Mosul, Iraq, at the time and had to find a way to deal with his pain.

In an effort to relieve the pain felt from the passing of his friends, Wagner began shaping marble stones into crests, crosses and hearts. Since that time, he has created many works of art to escape from the stress that comes during deployment.

“This started out as a way to displace myself from what’s going on over here, working during off hours to focus on other things,” said Wagner, a native of Rainier, Wash.

Wagner said he lost three Soldiers on one mission, and he created hearts, crucifixes, and lancers for each of the parents as a way to connect to them.

During that first tour, in 2004-05, he carved a full-size lancer for 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. Then, during the 2006-07 tour with 3rd SBCT, 2nd ID, he created a replica of the Indian-head shield that represents 2nd Infantry Division. When he traveled with the Arrowhead Brigade to Iraq last August, he received the request to make the 3rd Stryker Brigade crest, which includes the 2nd ID shield on top of an arrowhead, with the number three located above the shield.

(more…)

Friday, June 11, 2010

Call To Action: Help iCasualties.org Update Their Statistics On Contractors

Filed under: Call To Action,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 7:29 PM

     Ok, this pisses me off.  I totally respect what Michael White has done over the years as far as counting the deaths in this war. But to depend on a hobbyist to keep this record as to whom has died is not right, and his list is not complete.  This should be a function of the US government and every death should be counted in my opinion.

     I say every death, because the icasualties.org list is missing a ton of contractor deaths, and especially in Afghanistan.  It counts US deaths, and Coalition deaths, but it is lacking in contractor deaths.  Especially this year.  I have listed several deaths that were sourced in the media on this blog, and there has been no mention at icasualties about it. This supports the idea that depending on just one lone hobbyist to count these deaths does not work.

     We are basically counting on the poor guy to keep up, and for him to fund his own little show. Meanwhile the entire world links to his website for their stories and studies, and holds his website as the top source for casualties.  Even governments link to iCasualties.org, and it pisses me off that this is what we have for accountability.  Contractor deaths count for something, as do all deaths in this war, and there must be a better effort to do this.

     My suggestion is for the US government to take it upon themselves and start a casualty count website of their own. It should be an organization that strives to be current, complete, and staffed with the appropriate amount of people and funds to keep it running properly.  This crew’s job is to count every single death coming out of the war.  I say count the civilian deaths too and there should be no question what so ever as to how much blood has been spilled.  But for the sake of this conversation, at the very least, contractor deaths should be counted.

     I also believe that this contractor death count should include expats, third country nationals, and local nationals.  Local nationals are never counted, yet they died in that convoy operation supporting our war effort and the least we can do is recognize their sacrifice. Why do we ignore the sacrifices of an Afghan or Iraqi contractor?

     The other thing that gets me is that I know why we are not counted.  Politically speaking, the less numbers of deaths on ‘the list’, the better.

     As for the compensation factor for those deaths, if no one knows about the death, then a company can say that it never existed, and thus not pay any compensation.  Now of course contractors are smart enough to know, that if the company does not have a life insurance policy for them, or that they know that DBA is not afforded to them (for local nationals, etc.), then obviously the family of that dead contractor will receive nothing. That is the contractors choice when they sign the contract. I would like to think that we could compensate the families of these men in some way, but that is the way things are at this point.  Private industry in those countries is not forced to provide this kind of compensation or insurance, and many industries in the global economy operate with this kind of dynamic.

     But at the least, a contractor’s death(expat, third country national, local national) should be counted and we should not be depending on some hobbyist who might be able to put up a contractor’s death on his website, if he catches it or decides to put the effort into it. I commend Mike for doing as much as he has, but if there was ever anything that should be a function of government, this is it.

     Another idea is for the government to issue a grant to this guy.  Help him do the job that government should be doing anyways.  Hell, contract him out and put him on the payroll to do what he is already doing.  Or if the IPOA or similar association wanted to do something cool, they could kick some money into Mike’s fund, just so he gets the hint to count ‘contractors’.  Also, if folks wanted to individually give iCasualties.org a hint to count our dead, just send Mike an email with a link to the media source that lists the death. What I will try to do in the future, is list Mike’s email under each death I find, and I will ask the readership to send the link of contractors deaths to him to make sure these deaths are counted.  I am sure if he gets a couple emails from several guys that he will add it.  If you find stuff that has not been posted here, feel free to send it to him first. –Matt

Emails for Michael White and icasuatlies.org here:

michaelw@icasualties.org

michaelw@speedfactory.net

or try this one.

icasualties@bellsouth.net

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As a hobby, he counts the war dead

By Moni Basu, CNN

Stone Mountain, Georgia (CNN) — Fall leaves blanket Michael White’s deck at his suburban Atlanta, Georgia, home. In the cluttered attic study, the software engineer slouches over his Hewlett-Packard laptop.

A full-length floor lamp stands on top of his desk — the overhead light went out a while back. Next to him is his 1960s Stratocaster, a reminder of the rock-star career that never blossomed.

Jillian, his Vivaldi-loving, violin-playing 10-year-old, has gone off to school. Wife Ashley is at work. The house is quiet except for the occasional mew from Izzy, the atypically friendly Tonkinese cat.

And yet, from the humdrum of this ordinary subdivision home comes an arresting daily statement.

For six years, White has faithfully produced a number that is critical to shaping the legacy of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: the death toll.

Every day, White, 51, updates a Web site he launched in 2003, icasualties.org, to keep count of the dead: American troops, coalition troops, contractors and Iraqi civilians. He eventually began documenting deaths in Afghanistan as well.

He knew the wars would carry on, but he did not anticipate casualties continuing at this pace. October proved to be the deadliest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the beginning of that conflict in 2001.

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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Publications: Contracting In Conflicts–The Path To Reform, By John Nagl And Richard Fontaine

Filed under: Afghanistan,Iraq,Letter Of Marque,Publications,Strategy — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:12 PM

     Now this is a better product and I can tell they actually listened to their contributors.  So bravo to CNAS for putting together a great report.  If you look at the cast of contributors, you will also see that they took advice from guys like Doug Brooks, David Isenberg and a whole bunch of private military companies and military professionals. For the record, I was not a direct contributor, but I know some of the ideas of FJ made it out there in one way or another.

     For one, they actually brought in Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution as a counter to Max Weber’s definition of the state. (the Second Amendment could also be looked at as a counter as well) I was beside myself when I read this in their ‘inherently governmental’ section, and I had to read it a couple of times to make sure they actually went there.  They did and bravo to them for having the courage to challenge this sacred cow of thought.

     This kind of sets the pace for the entire publication, because CNAS and all of it’s contributors were actually making the argument for the use of contractors in war time.  It is an acknowledgement of that ‘elephant in the room’ called contractors, and it is an excellent first step towards combining private industry and government for the good of the nation and the wars it fights. To me, it has always been about unity of effort and command, and ensure private industry only helps government, not hurt it.  If we can figure out how to achieve that unity of effort and command, I think the next step is what will really be radical.

     I have argued on this blog that today’s war planners, leaders and strategists should make an effort to at least acknowledge that elephant in the room called contractors or private industry.  We are getting there and I am enthused about the process.  But to me, the next level of discourse about private industry is how do you turn that animal into a war elephant?

     To me, it is not enough to just acknowledge our existence and say ‘oh well, private industry is that big dumb animal that we all have to get used to’. That is like using a pistol to hammer nails.  I would make the argument that instead, private industry should be looked at from a strategic point of view and the question should be asked is ‘how do we use private industry to help win our wars and maintain a position of strength in the world today’?  That is the next level of discourse about this subject, and that is the kind of thinking that could possibly lead to victory in our current wars. I say this, because there is a tremendous effort taking place to actually figure out how to regulate and utilize private industry during times of war, and this paper and current legislative action is proof of that process. So once we figure out how to shoot the pistol, as opposed to using it to hammer nails, we can then start discussing how to use that pistol in warfare.

     Now on to the paper.  Below I have listed some of the issues that popped up as I was reading it. Just little things that came to mind, that could help refine the product.  Ideas are cheap, and I throw them around freely here. I have also listed some interesting portions of the paper to give the reader a taste. Be sure to check out all of the contributors, to include Allison Stanger (she provided the forward). Enjoy and let me know what you think.-Matt

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Contracting In Conflicts: The Path To Reform

By John Nagl and Richard Fontaine

06/07/2010

CNAS

In both Iraq and Afghanistan today there are more private contractors than U.S. troops on the ground. This exploding reliance on contractors costs U.S. taxpayers tens of billions of dollars and has grown with inadequate government oversight.   This report – authored by Richard Fontaine and John Nagl – details the urgent need for comprehensive reform. The United States must embark on a path of ambitious reform that will require: new laws and regulations; an expansion of the government’s contracting workforce; a coordination mechanism within the executive branch; greater scrutiny, more transparency and clearer standards for private contractors; a strategic view of the roles contractors play in American operations; and a change in culture within the government.

Download the paper here.

Link to website here.

(more…)

Monday, June 7, 2010

Industry Talk: Two DynCorp Contractors Killed In Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 10:48 AM

     This just came up on my virtual desk, and this is all that is known about it so far. I do not know the names and there isn’t any chatter on the forums yet. This attack was at the police training center in Kandahar.  I will post any edits if anything pops up. Ms Sparky has it up on her blog as well.

     Rest in peace to the fallen, and all condolences go out to the friends and families of these brave men. –Matt

Edit: 06/08/2010- Two Killed in Attack on Afghanistan Police Training Facility– An American police mentor and a Nepalese security guard working under DynCorp International’s Afghan police training contract were tragically killed yesterday, when insurgents attacked a police training facility in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Gary W. Willard, 44, of Resaca, Georgia, deployed to Afghanistan as a police mentor on June 22, 2009. Prior to his work in Afghanistan, he was a sergeant with the Calhoun Police Department in Georgia. Earlier, he spent almost ten years with the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office in Dalton, Georgia. Before his law enforcement career he was a member of the United States Marine Corps.

Hit Bahadur Gurung, 39, of Nepal worked as a security guard at the Kandahar police training facility.

“These men supported the mission in Afghanistan with courage, honor and excellence, and gave their lives in pursuit of a more secure Afghanistan,” says CEO Bill Ballhaus. “We extend our deepest sympathies to their families, loved ones and colleagues.”

Link to release here.

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US Contractor, NATO Troops Killed In Afghanistan

6/7/2010

Two foreign nationals, including a U.S. contractor, were killed on Monday in a suicide-bomb attack by Taliban on a police training camp in southern Afghanistan, reports said.Also on Monday, three soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed in the country.The U.S. Embassy said an American working for Dyncorp, a U.S. security company, was killed when a suicide-bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a police training center in the southern city of Kandahar. It did not disclose the nationality of the other person killed.Moments later, an attempt by two other bombers to enter the compound was foiled by security forces who shot them to death, reports quoting a spokesman for the provincial Governor said.

(more…)

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Publications: Tribal Engagement–The Jirga And The Shura, By Major Jim Gant And William ‘Mac’ McCallister

Filed under: Afghanistan,Iraq,Publications — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:58 PM

     Excellent little paper on the nuances of calling for and attending a Jirga or Shura.  I put this up on the blog because contractors attend these meetings all the time, as well as the military.  That means we can hurt the war effort or help the war effort, all based on how we conduct ourselves at these kinds of meetings. Do you want to be the guy or the company that completely pisses off a region or village because you did not know how these meetings worked?

     My intention here is to get individual contractors thinking about this stuff, and try to apply some of these lessons learned to their own processes out there.  That is Kaizen and that is what is required of any company or individual that claims to have a learning organization or claims to be a student of warfare. Check it out and let me know what you think.

     Also, if you go to this link at Small Wars Journal, you can follow along in the conversation and talk with the authors about the subject. Enjoy. –Matt

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Tribal Engagement: The Jirga and the Shuraby Major Jim Gant and William “Mac” McCallister

According to NATO’s military chief of intelligence in Afghanistan, the Taliban now maintain shadow governors in thirty-three out of thirty-four provinces. While we like to see the world in black and white, the complexities of relationships and alliances in the village and valley make it anything but a straightforward contest between two parties. The U.S. strategy of stripping away Taliban loyalists is not easy in a very complex socio-political landscape. This landscape includes different types of traditional authority, local rivalries and the various configurations of social power in each village and valley.

The rubber of U.S. strategy meets the road in the village assembly. It is in the local assemblies where Coalition Forces speak directly with the local inhabitants and indirectly with the shadow governors of the Taliban. Identifying ahead of time the familial, sectarian, security, economic and political alliances represented in a given village or valley assembly will assist in identifying how these alliances might influence group decisions. We must also contemplate, identify and differentiate between two very different village assemblies: the jirga and shura.

*****

Major Jim Gant is currently assigned to the Afghanistan Pakistan Hands (AFPAK Hands) Program as a Tribal Engagement Advisor. AFPAK Hands is designed to develop cadres of officers (and civilians) from each of the military’s services who agree to three to five year tours to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. He will be returning to Afghanistan in the near future.

William “Mac” McCallister is a retired military officer. He has worked extensively in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has applied his study of tribal culture in assessing reconstruction efforts, as well as insurgency and counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror.

Download the paper here.

Link to Small Wars Journal post and discussion here.

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