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Thursday, January 19, 2017

Industry Talk: Erik Prince Discusses Libya And Europe’s Migrant Crisis

Filed under: Industry Talk,Libya,Video — Tags: Becky Anderson, CNN, Erik Prince, interview, Libya — Matt @ 2:13 PM

This is excellent and Erik Prince did a great job defending his former company in this interview with Becky Anderson. What I thought was very interesting was the discussion of Libya and the immigration crisis plaguing Europe right now.

I would agree with Erik that the EU does not have the political will to do what is necessary in Libya to actually lock down it’s borders. But one point needs to be made when it comes to PMSC’s in Libya–they are already there. Europe’s oil interests in Libya have required security in one form or another for years now. I wrote about all sorts of security related stories in Libya starting in 2011, so it should be no shock to any observer of that conflict that industry has provided services there, or has ‘offered’ solutions to frustrated clients. Hell, the CEO of a major French PMSC, Secopex, was killed in Libya.

I would also argue that any security plan like this, should also be coupled with a grand strategic plan for Libya. The border might be squared away under a contract like this, but that will not remove the cause of why people are wanting to leave. The war needs to end there, and reconstruction along with the rule of law needs to be reestablished if they want to stop this migrant crisis. Security on the border is just one piece to a plan like that. But private industry can provide a solution for that.

The other thing that was interesting in this interview was the mention of Erik and the Trump administration.(he is a supporter) The question was posed wether the new administration will be good for the PMSC industry. At 06:58, this is where the video get’s interesting. “Is Libya a quick win for a Trump administration?” the interviewer asks, and I will let the reader check out what Erik had to say….

So maybe Libya is a space to be watching in 2017? –Matt

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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Maritime Security: Maersk Discusses Anti-piracy Issues In Interview

Filed under: Maritime Security — Tags: anti-piracy, interview, Maersk, Maritime Security, operations, security, Video — Matt @ 5:56 PM

This is a nice little interview with one of Maersk’s operations folks and it gives you a good idea as to their thought process and concerns. I really liked it when he mentioned that armed security has a 100 percent success ratio. Hard to argue with those kinds of statistics.

Reuters also posted some good graphics that showed a increase in ransom amounts over the years, but a decrease in the amount of hostages taken in the last year. So the more painful the ransom amounts, the more focus the shipping industry has had in not putting their crews into a position of being taken. Also, if the crews know that the company does not care about their well being, then that could lead to labor disputes. Meaning, striking crews can impact a shipping company’s pocket book.

So bottom line, armed guards on boats protect assets, diminish the possibility of paying more ransoms, protects goods so they make it to port on time and in one piece, and gives the crews the security they deserve during transits. –Matt

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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Games: Medal Of Honor Tier 1 Interview Series

Filed under: Video — Tags: Afghanistan, Cool Stuff, Games, interview, Iraq, medal of honor Tier 1, military, special forces, Video, war — Matt @ 2:17 PM

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Thursday, June 24, 2010

Industry Talk: Erik Prince On CNBC

Filed under: Afghanistan,Finance — Tags: Blackwater, CNBC, Finance, Industry Talk, interview, private military company, Video, war, Xe — Matt @ 6:17 PM

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Sunday, March 22, 2009

Pakistan: A Conversation With David Kilcullen

Filed under: Afghanistan,Pakistan — Tags: counter-insurgency, interview, Kilcullen, Pakistan — Matt @ 10:38 PM

Dr. Kilcullen’s statement on Pakistan is just eery to read. We all know those are the stakes in Pakistan, but it just doesn’t seem to sink in with most of the west. There is so much else going on out there, but this kind of dwarfs everything in terms of threats when you really think about it. A Pakistan that collapses, would not be good, and would be a huge loss in this war.

The other thing that is interesting is that he has given numerous interviews about his thoughts on the way forward, and it seems each interview keeps presenting a more refined viewpoint. So that is why I keep posting them, and trying to get in the right mindset for what is required for this war. I know he lives this stuff daily, and it really helps to hear his thoughts on the matter.

Now on to the one area that continues to get ignored when ever he talks, and that is the role of the contracting industry in his vision of the war effort. I mean there are more of us than US troops, yet still we get no mention as to what we need to be doing in this war to help? Doesn’t anyone else see a problem with this? We are very much a part of the population interaction out there, and our actions do have an impact on the war. So why we continue to be treated like the elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge is beyond me.

Further more, we are a resource, that if used correctly, can certainly add to the effort. What is all this talk of diplomatic efforts, or taking care of the people? Is a soldier with a gun, the best tool for that job, or is a civilian helping a civilian the best tool? I tend to think that both are important to the equation out there, but we tend to fall back on using the soldier with a gun for all problem solving.

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