Feral Jundi

Friday, July 23, 2010

Industry Talk: The DoS Army, And Their List Of 14 Security Tasks That Must Be Filled As DoD Leaves Iraq

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:13 AM

     State addressed some implications of the lost-functionality issue in Ambassador Kennedy’s April 7, 2010, letter to DoD: After the departure of U.S. Forces [from Iraq], we will continue to have a critical need for logistical and life support of a magnitude and scale of complexity that is unprecedented in the history of the Department of State. … And to keep our people secure, Diplomatic Security requires certain items of equipment that are only available from the military.

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     Ambassador Kennedy wrote, State would “essentially have to duplicate the capabilities of the U.S. military” using less effective gear, so “As a result, the security of [State] personnel in Iraq will be degraded significantly and we can expect increased casualties.”

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     I wanted to get this one out there as a reminder as to how significant this really is.  We are talking about a major effort here, and contractors will be front and center of all of it.  And because of the terms of the SOFA that outlines how many troops can be in Iraq, DoS and other civilian groups will increasingly have to look at new ways of replacing ‘lost functionality’.

     This post is also important in terms of cost in blood for this endeavor.  I just posted three Triple Canopy deaths in the Green Zone who were part of the Embassy protection force, and I wanted to make it very clear that the lives of these men tasked with protecting civilians in Iraq, are precious resources.  We must give these contractors the tools necessary to effectively do their job in Iraq and elsewhere, and if big brother military isn’t going to be around to back up these security forces, then some planning and new thinking about security needs to take place.  Hence why the DoS request for hardware and manpower and this Commission on Wartime Contracting report is so important.

     Definitely check out the entire report that the CWC put out about this matter, because they do bring up some interesting potential problems with this.  The point I got with the whole thing is that DoS definitely needs to get their stuff together if they want to effectively organize and manage this massive contractor effort.  From the logistics to the security, to everything involved with maintaining the Enduring Presence Posts-DoS will need to be organized and on top of this stuff.  State is also wanting to jump on the LOGCAP train, just so they can get some help in the logistics area.  Hopefully they can keep up and effectively manage all of this during the transition period, but like I mentioned in my other article, the enemy has their own agenda during this time period.

     The 14 security-related tasks were very interesting to me.  As was the questions asked about all the what-ifs?  The bottom line is that if DoS is going to have this massive security contractor army, and they are going to be asked to do some security functions that could put them in some legal trouble with the Iraqis, will DoS step in and protect their people?  I mean if you read through the 14 tasks, and you have that many guys with guns out there doing these kinds of tasks, the odds of engagements with the enemy will increase.  The odds of possible civilian casualties increase as well.  What protections will DoS offer to their ‘much needed’ security contractor force?  Because as it stands, the SOFA is not very kind to contractors and I know the enemy doesn’t care about that SOFA.

     I guess my point is, if you are going to use contractors for jobs that used to be done by the military, then you must give them the same protections that the military had.  I cannot see it done any other way.  And like the quote up top said, if DoS cannot have the same military hardware as the troops had, then their ability to protect their people diminishes.  If you look at a military infantry platoon, they have all sorts of weapons and support at their fingertips.  From tanks to mortars and artillery, to close air support and a whole myriad of lethal weapons.  Will this security contractor force have the same tools at their disposal?  No.  Will they have enough to adequately protect their DoS principles? That is the question that goes through my mind as the military packs up and leaves.

   Contractors can be very capable and be trained to a proficient level, but they are not supermen and they cannot make the enemy magically disappear if they decide to attack these EPP’s.  They must have the same rules of engagement, same legal protections and same tools that the military has right now in order to cover those 14 security-related tasks. That’s if they are asked to perform these tasks. It’s either that, or trust the Iraqis to do it?….(yikes)

    With that said, Ambassador Kennedy is partly correct in stating that the DoS will “essentially have to duplicate the capabilities of the U.S. military” using less effective gear. They will also have less legal protections, and less effective rules for the use of force.  I strongly suggest to State that if they do plan on going down this path, that they square away all of these loose ends and put at ease the minds of this contractor army. In other words, give them everything they need to be successful in their mission to protect you. –Matt

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Better planning for Defense-to-State transitions in Iraq needed to avoid mistakes and waste

July 12, 2010

‘LOST FUNCTIONALITIES’

The Departments of Defense and State have listed more than 1,000 tasks and functions that must be addressed in the DoD-to-State transition in Iraq. They range from real-estate management and portable toilets, to fire prevention

and environmental clean-up. To complicate the transition further, most of the functions rely on long-standing DoD relationships with the Government of Iraq that currently have few parallels at State. Of special concern is State’s “lost functionality” list—presented in a briefing to the Commission—of 14 security-related tasks now performed by DoD that

State must provide as the military drawdown in Iraq proceeds:

Recovering killed and wounded personnel

Recovering damaged vehicles

Recovering downed aircraft

Clearing travel routes

Operations-center monitoring of private security contractors (PSCs)

PSC inspection and accountability services

Convoy security

Explosive-ordnance disposal

Counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar notification

Counter-battery neutralization response

Communications support

Tactical-operations center dispatch of armed response teams

Policing Baghdad’s International Zone

Maintaining electronic counter-measures, threat intelligence, and technology capabilities

(more…)

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Industry Talk: DoS Doubling Their Security Contractor Force In Iraq?

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:55 AM

     But according to a joint statement issued by commission co-chairs Michael Thibault and Christopher Shays, the State Department may also need to more than double its private security force, from around 2,700 today to 6,000 or 7,000 personnel. 

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     All I have to say, is wow!  That is a lot of jobs for the industry.  I posted awhile back about the DoS’s coming requirements in Iraq as troops draw down, and it is amazing to me that congress or anyone covering this would be surprised by what will be required of this contractor force. Rescuing downed air crewmen or diplomats won’t be the only jobs for these types of forces, now that the troops will be gone.  Other scenarios might present themselves as well, and taking care of these problems was usually the task of troops.

     With the troops in Iraq, the mission of searching for and destroying mortar teams or rocket teams was their task.  (even counter sniper missions, but DoS and others have always had their own contractor designated marksmen)  But now that the troops will be leaving, who will take over these jobs?  The Iraqis?  Well I hope for the sake of the DoS and their various camps throughout Iraq, that they trust the Iraqis enough to take care of these kinds of attacks. Because as the troops leave, I think attacks will surge, and the insurgency or others will be focusing on making the phased withdrawal look like a bloody retreat.  That means an increase in attacks, and it is what I would do if I was the enemy.

     With that said, it does not surprise me that DoS would want this kind of hardware and manpower.  It would also not surprise me that the missions of contractors will include a lot more responsibilities.  Rescuing downed crewmen in aircraft or sending quick reaction forces to aid convoys and motorcades in trouble will require equipment and capability that mimics what the military had for such operations.  Anything less, and now you are putting those crews at risk, as well as putting the lives of folks doing work in the field at risk.  Congress must know that if DoS does not have dedicated reserves, either military or contractors, that it cannot safely do what it has to do.

      I will take it a step further.  Contractor QRF’s will be the ones responding to these indirect and direct attacks on the bases, and these QRF’s must have all the tools necessary to do the job.  Whatever a platoon in the military has, a contractor force should have, and I see no reason for limited that QRF or hamstringing them by only allowing them small caliber weapons with limited range or capability.  I say contractor QRF’s, because what happens when the Iraqis refuse to do the job?  It’s either use that contractor QRF, or sit in your base and take fire indefinitely, and watch as your casualties grow and your compound gets reduced to ashes and rubble?  Or you could send up a Blackhawk with weapons mounted on it, and that contractor crew will have to take care of the problem from the air.

     My point with all of this, is that in order for us to achieve this troop draw down, as well as maintain a civilian presence in Iraq so we can continue to help that government stay on track, congress is going to have to face some realities. I think that is the overall message that DoS was sending to congress, and it is the message I got out of all of this.  The way I see it, security contractors are all they have….. unless congress wants to implement the draft or halts the troop drawdown. But then of course you have Afghanistan and all their troop requirements.  So yet again, we are presented by a scenario where contractors are the best thing we got in order to fill a manpower/security vacuum, during a crucial phase of a war…..  Your welcome. lol –Matt

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U.S. Contractor Use in Iraq Expected To Rise

By WILLIAM MATTHEWS

12 Jul 2010

As the U.S. military pulls troops and equipment out of Iraq, the State Department will have to rely increasingly on contractors to perform such services as flying rescue helicopters and disarming roadside bombs, a congressional commission warned.

That is not an ideal solution but none other seems available, members of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan said during a July 12 hearing.

While the Defense Department works to reduce its dependence on contractors, the State Department will have to greatly increase its use of hired help.

“Boy, that really troubles me,” said Dov Zakheim, a commission member and former Pentagon budget chief. “You’re going to be getting contractors not only doing what they’re doing today, but doing things that are inherently governmental.”

(more…)

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Afghanistan: Update On Robert Langdon, By Elena Fon

Filed under: Afghanistan,Legal News — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 8:36 AM

     Elena has been kind enough to give us all an update on the condition of Robert Langdon, and it doesn’t sound good.  Bill Shaw made a comment on how horrible the prisons are in Afghanistan, and I certainly do not doubt that Robert is suffering there. And with the great news about Bill Shaw’s release, and the dismal report he gave about the prisons there, Robert Langdon (and Phil Young for that matter) should be the next focus.

     So what needs to be done?  Well for one, it takes pressure on the Australian government and their folks in Afghanistan, for them to influence the Afghans with the hopes of getting Rob back to Australia. You can sign the petition below and you can get the word out. You can also join the Robert Langdon FB page and pass this stuff on to any media types and your friends.  The more publicity for this case, the better. Also, you can write your consulate in Afghanistan, and hopefully they can apply some pressure on the Australians to do more. –Matt

Facebook for Robert Langdon here.

Edit: July 11, 2010- Here is an update from Elena.  Check it out:

Hi again Matt,

Would you please add the following to your latest post on Rob( and spread the word on Facebook and Twitter)?

First of all want to thank those people who have signed the petition and have spread the word.

However, there are still only 324 signatures on the petition and I am disappointed at the very few people who actually contacted me offering their help. I truly appreciate those who did so, but I was surprised that those who did respond  I can count on the fingers of one hand – what I did get was an overflow of Nigerian scammers offering to make me their heiress if only I supplied them with my bank account details. Not quite what I was hoping for.

Rob’s Legal Position at a Critical Stage.

 Rob is currently awaiting the final stage of the appeal process which will decide whether he is to hang or not.

Karim’s family have agreed on the amount of the ibra (compensation) payment to be paid and Rob’s family have raised the money. There will be a civil hearing

where this matter will be recorded. This will clear the way for Rob’s final appeal against his death sentence to the Afghan criminal division of the Supreme Court. This hearing will decide his fate; his sentence of death by hanging will either be upheld or commuted to a term of imprisonment.

If his death sentence is upheld there is no further avenue of appeal except a plea of clemency to President Hamid Karzai by the Australian government. There is every indication that the Australian government have decided Rob is expendable. Indeed they are doing their utmost to keep Rob’s case out of sight and deter those who want to save Rob and bring him home  I speak from personal experience of this.The Appeal hearing is slated to take place within the next 2-3 months. Now is the time to let the Australian government know what you think .  After the hearing, it may be too late; if it suits the current political agenda Rob could be executed shortly after sentencing.

So please everybody get writing. See above for details of the Australian Embassy in Kabul. But also it is so important to write to the Australian PM Julia Gillard, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, Australia 2600.  With a copy to the Leader of the Opposition: Tony Abbott, address as above. It will only take a few minutes but it could help save Rob’s life.

Bad faith of the Australian government The Australian government is renowned for it’s uselessness in helping it’s citizens in trouble abroad. There is an old joke here that if you’re in trouble overseas, throw away your Aussie passport and say you’re a US citizen. A few recent examples of the general policy of inaction of the Australian government.

Nigel Brennan was an Australian aid worker kidnapped in Somalia along  with a Canadian woman. The Brennan family were told by the Dept of Foreign Affairs and

Trade  to do nothing on their own behalf to help their son. Seven months later DFAT coolly informed them there was nothing they could do; case closed.  The Brennans then hired a Canadian hostage expert who had to start from scratch as the Australian authorities refused to fill him in.  Finally, after eight more months of negotiations, Nigel Brennan was released and came home to his family.

There are currently 3 young Australian drug mules on death row in Bali (part of the Bali 9). Now I hold no brief for drug-smugglers but the news report that our

former PM Kevin Rudd had asked his Indonesian counterpart if he would kindly delay   their executions in an election year took my breath away for it’s sheer cynicism.

Britt Lapthorne was a young Aussie backpacker on holiday in Croatia in 2008 when she disappeared, to be found later in the sea reduced to a headless, limbless torso. The Australian govt put it about she had probably committed suicide and forbade her family to do anything off their own bat ( sound familiar?)  but to leave it all up to them as they didn’t want to damage trade relations with Croatia.  Witnesses came forward ….. and were ignored and by the time the Lapthorne family decided to take matters into their own hands, it was too late, a cover-up had taken place. To this day nobody has  been tried for Britt Lapthorne’s murder.

So what chance Robert Langdon?

As the organiser of the campaign to Save Rob Langdon I urge you to contact me if you want to help, know rRob, have any news of him or have any suggestions what to do.

I am on Facebook and you can email me: fon_elenaisabel.com.au

Again a big thank you to those who have shown their support so far.  I need lots more of you.

Elena

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Robert Langdon

Where’s the support for Rob Langdon that he so badly needs ?

By Elena Fon

The great news is that Bill Shaw has been released from his ordeal at Pol e Charki and his innocence vindicated.

His release was due in no small part to the huge efforts of Lisa and Liz, his daughter and wife, in their very active and public  campaign for his release. Thousands of people signed the on-line petition and wrote to their MP and the British PM David Cameron to protest at the blatant miscarriage of justice Bill was subjected to.  No clearer proof exists of people- power. The British government could not afford to ignore the collective opinion so forcefully expressed. Without the efforts of Liz, Lisa and everyone who joined them Bill Shaw might still be in an Afghan prison

 So why aren’t people flocking to help Rob Langdon in his time of need?  If it’s left up to the Australian government he will likely be executed according to the wrongful sentence handed down by the corrupt Afghan courts. Rob needs more than good wishes, he needs help right now. Help from his mates, from strangers, from anybody who doesn’t want to see a man wrongfully hanged.

I have very recently received a report that Rob ” is in a very bad way” and that for some unknowable reason he refuses to join the other European prisoners in the relative safety of the  high security wing in Pol e Charki prison in Kabul. And that he recently refused an invitation sent by the other European prisoners, including South African  psc Philip Young),see feraljundi 19 June2010, to join them, the only people who can offer Rob some support and solidarity. Instead Rob apparently prefers to remain in a cramped crowded cell with 22 other men, Afghans and drug-smugglers,  with no English conversation at all.

 In fact I’m wondering if Rob does receive any visits, food, mail? Is he even aware that people wish him well and want to help him? Does anybody have any hard facts here?

Rob, needs your help and sooner rather than later.

For full details of Rob’s case I refer you to my article in the June issue of the Overwatch Report here.

There is also a petition you can sign here.

But come on, guys, you can do more than just a signature. Help me to organise a Bill Shaw type campaign, and bring Rob home to Australia to serve his sentence.

Contact Elena:  fon_elenaisabel@yahoo.com.au

Australian Embassy in Afghanistan here.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Industry Talk: DoS Awards Northrop Grumman African Training Contract (ACOTA)

Filed under: Africa,Industry Talk,Training — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 6:14 PM

    Interesting news and I know a few guys out there will be glad to find this out.  If any of the readers have anything to add, please feel free to comment below. –Matt

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U.S. Department of State Awards Northrop Grumman African Training Contract

July 6, 2010

The U.S. Department of State has awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman Corporation to continue providing staff to conduct peacekeeping operations and humanitarianism assistance training for the African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program.

The contract has a potential value of $150 million over five years.

“The ACOTA program is to arguably the most successful engagement program that the U.S. State Department has had in Africa. The objective is to enable participating nations’ militaries to develop their own trained unit capacity to provide peacekeeping support operations where required,” said Mike Devlin, Northrop Grumman Technical Services International Program Director. “We are most pleased that we have been again selected to continue successfully supporting the ACOTA mission.”

(more…)

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Call To Action: Free South African Security Contractor Philip Young From Afghan Prison!!!

Filed under: Afghanistan,Call To Action,Legal News,South Africa — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 3:13 PM

     One operator said Phil Young had shot the Afghan guard in order to stop the bloodbath. According to the operator, the dead man’s brother was well-known in Taliban ranks. His family lived in a Taliban stronghold on the Pakistani border.    

     Trouble maker. The guard had apparently been a troublemaker for some time and was about to be fired. The six guards had apparently been conspiring for some time to kidnap or kill the foreigners on a certain day early in October. Young and the guards worked for the American company Anham, which is linked to the American government’s Counternarcotics Advisory Teams (CNAT), in Lakshar Gah. The Macedonian guard commander apparently knew of the plot but did nothing to stop it. 

     “Phil and some of his colleagues returned that day from a mission and when he saw the six in civilian clothes but armed with AK47s, he immediately suspected trouble,” said the operator. “He confronted the men, upon which one aimed a weapon at Phil and fired a shot.” The shot missed Young and in self-defence, he fired three shots at the guard as he apparently realised that the lives of many of his colleagues would be in danger if all six of the men started firing at them. According to the operator, the central government in Afghanistan had rules and regulations for security guards, which stated that a person could fire back if he was being shot at.

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     This makes me sick.  All of these contractors that I have posted lately who are currently imprisoned in Afghanistan, are at the mercy of a corrupt government and pathetic justice system.  Just look at the facts with Philip Young’s case?  He should be given a medal and not a prison sentence. From the sounds of it, his actions probably saved the lives of his fellow contractors on that day, and yet he is currently being jerked around by a pathetic justice system in Afghanistan.

     So what can we do?  First, pass this around to everyone.  Second, write to the British Embassy in Kabul and let them know how you feel.  South Africa does not have diplomatic representation in Afghanistan, and the British government has agreed to help.  I say write the US Embassy as well, because what is going on with this man is just plain wrong. Thanks to Cassie for giving me the heads up on this. –Matt

Facebook for British Embassy in Kabul here.

Facebook for Philip Young here

Address: British Embassy, 15th Street Roundabout, Wazir Akbar Khan,PO Box: 334 Kabul, Afghanistan

Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday  08:30  to 16:30

Telephone:  (93)  (0) 700 102 000 (Switchboard)

Fax:  (93)  (0) 700 102 250  (Management)

E-mail: BritishEmbassy.Kabul@fco.gov.uk

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SA man gets longer sentence

2010-06-18

Erika Gibson, Beeld

Pretoria – A South African man who appealed against his five-year prison sentence in Afghanistan was given even worse news when his imprisonment was extended to 16 years.Security specialist Philip Young was devastated by the news, his brother Pat Young said.”My brother is dismayed, angry and frustrated.”

(more…)

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