Feral Jundi

Monday, August 26, 2013

Industry Talk: SOFREP Buys SpecialOperations.com

Filed under: Industry Talk — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 5:21 PM

This is some interesting news.  Apparently SpecialOperations.com was sold to SOFREP. Here is the quote from Soldier Systems.

Now, SOFREP plans to take SpecialOperations.com back to its roots and reinvigorate it as a SOF wiki that contains history, education and serves as a learning portal for worldwide SOF. If anyone can do it, it’s the staff at SOFREP.

I asked Brandon Webb if they were going to keep the forum and at this point he was unsure. Brandon updated me that SOCNET is a separate entity and will remain in place.

If you are not familiar with SpecialOperations.com, you should really check it out if you are interested in researching this industry or special operations. A big hat tip to Soldier Systems blog for the heads up on this.

The other really smart thing about this move is the URL of specialoperations.com has some incredible search value. Type ‘special operations’ into Google and it captures first page of search for those key words.

So will this will be a paid for subscription or a free service? According to SOFREP, it will continue to be free and open to the public as a special operations academic and historical resource. Congrats to SOFREP and good luck with revamping the site. –Matt

Edit: 08/27/2013 The owners of SOCNET forum have contacted me to say that their forum is a completely separate thing from specialoperations.com and that SOFREP does not own it.

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Industry Talk: Karzai’s Decree Regarding PSC’s And The Buzz On The Forums

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:55 AM

     This is a translation that I wanted to put up just so folks have something to reference. But what is really cool is all the buzz on the forums about this one.  Lots of opinions all over the place.

     The photo below is a mystery.  I have no clue if these guys were PSC’s or not.  But what the photo symbolizes is all the years that good men like them spent putting their lives on the line for Karzai. Do you think he even thanked them for their protective services? –Matt

Edit: 08/23/2010 – Tim wrote up a great post on the subject, and has a better translation of the decree.  Check it out here.

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Karzai

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, center, is surrounded by heavily armed bodyguards as he arrives for a groundbreaking ceremony in Parwan, some 34 miles, 55kms north of Kabul, Monday, March 14, 2005. Karzai was surrounded by dozens of US security personnel as he attended a ceremony of groundbreaking for a road linking the Panjshir Valley to Parwan in the district of Bayan. (AP Photo/Shah Marai, Pool)

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President Karzai’s decree regarding PSCs in Afghanistan:

For tackling corruption and ensuring security of our citizens and prevention of security irregularities as well as exploitation of arms and military equipment and uniforms by the security companies which has caused some tragic incidents, after some thorough and legal review I am approving the annulment of foreign and national security companies within four months as per the following conditions.

The members of security companies who can meet the military recruitment conditions of provided that they meet the conditions they can join the police forces with or without their registered arms or weapons. And the Interior Ministry is obliged to annul it within four months from today.

For foreign companies who are registered with IM, if they agree, then the IM, Def Min and NDS will buy their weapons and the resident visas of the foreign members will be cancelled. If the companies do not agree to sell their arms their resident visas will be cancelled and they can leave the country with their arms.

Those companies who are not registered with IM their arms will be confiscated.

Embassies or diplomatic offices, NGOs who are operating in Kabul and provinces can still use their own security personnel within their premises. They should not be visible outside their premises. The number and conditions for this will be spelled out by the IM. The MOI’s must take charge of the external security of embassies,NGOs in Kabul and other provinces.

It is the MOI’s task to implement this decree.

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(You must sign up to read a few of these forum discussions)

SOCNET Forum discussion here.

Tactical Forum discussion here.

Lightfighter Forum discussion here.

Secure Aspects Forum discussion here.

Close Protection World Forum discussion here.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Industry Talk: Jax Desmond Revealed, and It Ain’t Pretty

Filed under: Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 12:27 PM

     So here it is folks.  I am officially removing the company link from the site, and I have removed all connections to the company at Facebook.  Feel free to do whatever you want.  My reasons are simple.  There are three conversations that the reader can check out, which helped me to come to my own conclusions.  One is at SOCNET, one is at Tactical Forums, and one is from a post I did on them back on November 7th of this year. Check out the comments on that post, because my readership called it.

     And to highlight the power of the forums, this is a prime example of what they can do.  Over the years I have seen these forums, along with others, do some amazing investigative work on companies that claimed to be bad ass or something they weren’t.  Doom on you if you try to play games on those forums. Jax Desmond is the latest topic de jour, and they did a great job revealing what JD was all about.

     My readership here did a good job of pointing out JD’s stuff as well, but when you watch an entire crew of security professionals, investigators, law enforcement, and everything inbetween guys pick apart a company like this, it is really quite impressive to watch.  It is how this industry has named and shamed these groups in the past, and it ain’t pretty.  I saw them do the same thing with Top Cat and Custer Battles, and it is impressive to say the least.  That is all. –Matt

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Building Snowmobiles: PMC’s and the Streisand Effect

Filed under: Building Snowmobiles,Kaizen,Leadership — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:55 AM

    I know, I know, this is ridiculous and far to immature to pay attention to….. Or is it?  We see PMC’s continue to try and hide stuff, along with politicians and celebrities and a multitude of other types of organizations and individuals, and that evil internet just keeps facilitating the discovery of wrong doings.  The Streisand Effect (SE) is a prime example of how trying to hide stuff is sometimes not the best idea.

   I wanted to put this together for the readership, to emphasize how important it is to the true Jundi-ist to ‘have the courage to do what is right’ and ‘be the guy that does it right, when no one is looking’.  Especially for the companies out there who claim to have cleaned up their act or try to sweep under the rug any kind of wrong doing.  Pay heed, you will be found out, and it will get all over the net, and especially if you didn’t want it to.

    Companies have to know, that at one point or another, what comes around, goes around.  If you treat an employee bad, or screw over another company, or damage the reputation of a customer, all because of your lack of Kaizen/leadership/customer service and satisfaction, then of course someone is going to tell the world about your crap.  And the way they do it these days, is through the internet. You may want to censor it, but unfortunately for you, the internet usually finds a way.  That is not a threat from myself or anything, that is just the reality of what we are talking about.

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Monday, March 30, 2009

Job Tips: Disaster Response Security Work and Cohort International

Filed under: Disaster Response,Job Tips — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 6:41 PM

  I was perusing Lightfighter the other day, and came across this awesome thread from the guys at Cohort International.  So after asking their permission, I was given the go ahead to post this awesome write up on what they are looking for for disaster security work.  

   To me, this is one area that could continue to be the silent bread winner in this industry, and disasters come in some shape or form every year it seems.  The last couple of years has really been nuts.  So get your resumes in and do what you gotta do to keep in shape and do well on the shooting tests, because disasters strike at any time.  Thanks again to the guys at Cohort for putting this together.  –Matt

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 The diaster relief contracts are with the third largest energy suppler in the US. Cohort has been helping them out and has the contract already. (We have been under contract with them since Katrina)

We are looking for former military, LEO, medics, and National Guard units. (Last seasnon we hired 50 NG from the Montana guard.) YES females may apply with the same qualifications as the men,you will be treated like everybody else.

If last season is any indication of things to come according to NOAA this year is supposed to be worst. Cohort put 400 operators in the region and kept them there for over three months.

With the hurricane season starting in three months we are compiling a list of good solid people willing to work these disasters.

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