Feral Jundi

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Industry Talk: EODT Awarded Security Contract To Protect Camp Duffman, Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Jobs — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:18 AM

    Congrats to EODT and I hope the contract goes well.  Perhaps someone from the company would care to comment on this? Tim is located in Jalalabad and I am sure he knows a little something about this camp.

   What is interesting is that there were a ton of FOB security solicitations that I posted awhile back, and no word on the awarding for that stuff. I did hear about a company called SSSI winning a contract, and Blackice Security posted the job ad for it. Here is a thread on SOCNET about them and the pay was pretty low if you ask me.

    Also, I wanted to say that EODT is doing a fantastic job of getting their news out there.  I got the heads up about this through an RSS feed they have. This ‘really simple syndication’ tool makes it very handy for getting the latest scoop about companies.  Hopefully other companies will follow their lead and set up RSS feeds for their news and jobs. –Matt

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EODT Awarded Security Contract to Protect Camp Duffman, Afghanistan

LENOIR CITY, TN (September 27, 2010) – EODT was awarded a contract by the Afghanistan Regional Contracting Center to provide comprehensive security services at Camp Duffman, located near Jalalabad. The contract was the latest in a series of awards made to EODT under the AO Mountain Warrior ID/IQ security services base contract covering Eastern Afghanistan. The area has seen substantially increased insurgent activity over the past several months.

“While we are pleased to have won this contract, we are mindful of the danger our men and women in uniform routinely face in this region of Afghanistan,” said EODT’s President and CEO Matt Kaye. “We take our being selected as an expression of confidence in the capabilities and professionalism of our people, and we are anxious to begin work in support of their important mission”.

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Maritime Security: Insurance Firms Plan Private Navy To Take On Somali Pirates

Filed under: Industry Talk,Letter Of Marque,Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:01 AM

Sean Woollerson, a senior partner with JLT, told The Independent: “We are looking at setting up a private navy to escort vessels through the danger zones. We would have armed personnel with fast boats escorting ships and make it very clear to any Somali vessels in the vicinity that they are entering a protected area.

“At the moment there is a disconnect between the private security sector and the international naval force. We think we can help remedy that and place this force under the control of the multi-national force. We look after about 5,000 ships and have had 10 vessels taken in total, including a seizure where one crew member was shot and killed. Piracy is a serious problem, these are criminals basically extorting funds, so why not do something more proactive?” 

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Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (JLT), which insures 14 per cent of the world’s commercial shipping fleet, said the unprecedented “private navy” would work under the direct control of the military with clear rules of engagement valid under international law. Early discussions have also been held with the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Transport and the Foreign Office. 

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     I posted an article back in April that hinted at this private navy concept, and I had no idea that it would get to this level.  This is fantastic news and I totally support such a thing.  Mr. Woollerson is right and companies must do something more proactive.

    Now on to the control mechanism for this force. Perhaps now would be a time for Britain to re-evaluate their position on the Letter of Marque and Reprisal?  The Declaration of Paris might have been a nice concept at the time of ratification, but it removed a tool of the British government for dealing with non-state actors like pirates? They could actually license this private navy to do what it is doing.

     Within the terms of the license, that is where they can define who the companies answer too and what legal mechanisms they are to abide by. They can also put fail safe measures on this private navy, like an expiration date or something similar. Because if this private navy ‘would work under the direct control of the military with clear rules of engagement valid under international law’, then you guys might as well go all the way and issue the LoM?

    Another thing that I was thinking about here is that if JLT is successful with this insurance/private navy model, then will other insurance companies get the hint and be ‘proactive’ as well?  I guess time will tell and if the action does equate to a cost savings and safer voyages for the shipping industry, I am sure it will catch on.

    Finally, there is the cost factor.  It is extremely costly for the navies of the world to continue these anti-piracy operations using these large vessels/expensive air assets to go after pirates armed with AK’s in little motor boats. How is this sustainable economically? Eventually, the work load would have to be shared in order for it to continue, and perhaps private industry is looking into the future here. They are also looking at the fact that boats are still being taken, and all these fancy high tech navies are not able to stop these pirates. Nor is there anything being done on land, and the profitable piracy industry has no where to go but up.  Being proactive makes sense given the current state of things.

    Interesting stuff and I would like to know what company JLT will go through for raising this private navy?  If any readers, or even JLT can answer that one, that would be very cool. Hell, I will even post the recruitment ad for this ‘private navy’, and I will guarantee that JLT’s contractor will get a huge response. –Matt

Edit: 10/01/2010 -Be sure to check this show out in regards to the story. They discuss how the LoM could be used as a legal mechanism for this private navy.

Insurance firms plan private navy to take on Somali pirates

Somali Pirate Attacks Sink Premiums as Insurers Leap Aboard

Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Plc

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Insurance firms plan private navy to take on Somali pirates

By Cahal Milmo

September 28, 2010

Patrol boats crewed by armed guards to protect valuable ships in Gulf of Aden

Insurers have drawn up plans for the world’s first private navy to try to turn the tide against Somali pirates who continue to plague the global shipping industry by hijacking vessels for ransoms of more than £100m a year, The Independent has learnt.

The new navy, which has the agreement in principle of several shipping groups and is being considered by the British Government, is the latest attempt to counter the increasingly sophisticated and aggressive piracy gangs who operate up to 1,200 miles from their bases in the Horn of Africa and are about to launch a new wave of seaborne attacks following the monsoon season.

A multi-national naval force, including an EU fleet currently commanded by a British officer, has dramatically reduced the number of assaults in the Gulf of Aden in recent months. But seizures continue with 16 ships and 354 sailors currently being held hostage. The Independent has seen Nato documents which show both ransom payments and the period that pirates are holding vessels have doubled in the last 12 months to an average $4m and 117 days respectively.

In response, a leading London insurer is pushing ahead with radical proposals to create a private fleet of about 20 patrol boats crewed by armed guards to bolster the international military presence off the Somali coast. They would act as escorts and fast-response vessels for shipping passing through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Industry Talk: More Contractors Than Troops Killed During Past Year In Iraq And Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:38 PM

Indeed, the total number of what might be termed “total U.S. fatalities” now should exceed 7,500. That’s because, as of June 2010, more than 2,008 contractors have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another 44 contractors killed were in Kuwait, many of whom supported the same missions. On top of that, more than 44,000 contractors have been injured, of which more than 16,000 were seriously wounded. 

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     This is probably the most under reported and least known aspect of this war. And these are just the deaths that can be identified through the Labor Department’s insurance claims database.  I would speculate that the amount of deaths is much greater if there was a full accounting of all Iraqi and Afghan contractor deaths. In my view, those lives mean just as much as any other contractor’s life. These figures also do not take into account those families that did not file an insurance claim for the loss of their loved one.

    The wounded figures are startling as well. Especially the seriously wounded.  Do we have double, triple or even quad amputees? How many TBI cases? How many burn victims? I imagine we have many of the same types of injuries as the military. For that, if there are any wounded contractors reading this, thank you for your sacrifice and I hope the pain diminishes and healing continues.

     Probably the most elusive numbers out there about our wounded, are the mentally wounded contractors.  Many veterans come into contracting with a brain filled with their past military experiences–to include PTSD. But what happens to contractors who might have PTSD caused by their time on contracts? Or how about the suicide rates for contractors?

     I know Propublica/T. Christian Miller has done some great reporting on these types of subjects, but what I would really like to see is the government get more involved with this stuff. That is the right thing to do in my view, and it has been severely lacking. –Matt

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More contractors than troops killed during past year in Iraq and Afghanistan

By Katherine McIntire Peters

September 22, 2010

Recent data show that more contractors were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan than U.S. troops during the first six months of 2010, according to a George Washington University law professor.

“Contractors supporting the war effort today are losing more lives than the U.S. military waging these wars,” wrote Steven L. Schooner, co-director of the Government Procurement Law Program at The George Washington Law School, and Collin D. Swan, a student there. Their article appeared in the September issue of Service Contractor magazine, a quarterly publication of the Professional Services Council, an industry group.

The data show that in the first half of 2010, contractor fatalities in Afghanistan for the first time exceeded troop fatalities — 232 and 195, respectively. Contractor deaths in Iraq surpassed military deaths there beginning in 2009. Between January 2009 and June 2010, there were 204 contractor deaths and 188 troop deaths in Iraq.

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Industry Talk: Is The UK Preparing To Scrap The Security Industry Authority?

Filed under: Industry Talk,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 10:44 PM

     This is odd, and it is kind of funny to read. Here is the US trying to regulate and license our guards to keep a check on the industry, and yet here is the UK trying to ‘reduce burdensome regulation’. lol

     I will not say too much about this because it is a little out of my lane.  In the past, we had some guest authors and readers discussing the pros and cons of the SIA and I really don’t know how effective it is right now? Maybe it is not needed or that it is not effectively screening folks and too costly? Perhaps government is not able to regulate it because of how inefficient and slow it can be?

     Who knows but either way, the whole world is watching the UK and how it treats this issue.  I have mentioned the US, India, and China as three countries looking hard at regulating this industry and the UK is one of the few places that has actually done this.  Imperfect–maybe, but none the less they have licensed and regulated their industry.

     The other thing I was thinking about was how this might impact contracts throughout the world?  If the SIA is no longer in existence, then British and commonwealth type companies would have one less means of sifting through folks. It would be interesting to hear what Andy Bearpark and others have to say about this one? –Matt

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Security sector quango faces axe in cost drive

By Glenn Campbell Scotland correspondent

22 September 2010

The Home Office is preparing to scrap the body which regulates bouncers and other security workers across the UK.

The Security Industry Authority has been placed under the axe as part of a wider plan to cut the number and cost of public bodies.

Abolishing the SIA will not save taxpayers money because it is largely self-financing, but a Home Office document, seen by the BBC, suggests the move would save security firms money and contribute to “reducing burdensome regulation”.

The document suggests the industry has matured enough to police itself.

A Home Office spokesman said no final decision had been made but the department expected to “make an announcement in due course”.

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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

PMC 2.0: Innovation Prizes For Private Military Companies

Filed under: Bounties,Building Snowmobiles,Industry Talk,Letter Of Marque,PMC 2.0 — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:04 AM

“I’m worth a million in prizes..” Iggy Pop

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     Wow, I really liked this article at the Economist and I wanted to share.  It kind of shows how desperate private industry and governments are for really good ideas.  And as everyone here knows, I am all about new ideas or ‘building snowmobiles’ and I try to promote that process as much as I can.

    But imagine adding incentive to the ‘building snowmobiles’ theme?  That is what makes innovation prizes such an interesting and potentially lethal concept for our industry and the war effort. Perhaps I should consider raising prize money for the best construction of a Letter of Marque concept for modern warfare use?  How about an innovation prize for low cost, high return warfare ideas?  Really open it up to the public, or just offer the contests within the boundaries of an organization. How about an innovation prize for new types of war or business strategies? Or how about for a company logo? To really put it out there, how about using mobile cash as a means to reward locals as a means of gaining ideas for COIN and reconstruction in Afghanistan?

    Companies could also offer innovation prizes to those who can come up with the best cost saving ideas, or to new directions in business?  There are many complex problems a company could try to solve by putting it out there for their employees to solve through a prize system.  It is just one more way to create that unique situation that would allow for your employees to create something important to the company or ‘people will support what they help to create’.

    Now the one thing that is most valuable and truly the prize, is business success or victory in war. A company would be smart to not only offer prizes for innovations, but to reward their company as a whole by increasing salaries because they are more profitable. Or offer the benefit in one way or another, which would reward your employees for participating in this innovation prize concept in the first place.

    The articles below indicate that this is a major theme throughout the world, and it sounds like most of the experts agree that it works.  For companies reading this, InnoCentive is the company that the Economist identified as a platform for innovation prizes.  Or you could just start your our prize initiatives. If the US government is jumping all over this stuff with their Challenge.gov site, then our industry could probably stand to benefit from it as well. I would even post it here on the blog if it was open to the industry and public?

    As for the problem solvers out there, there are plenty of prizes to go after if you have some big ideas.  Thousands of dollars are available and it sounds like these prizes are only increasing in size and number.  Just check out the chart below. –Matt

And the winner is…

Challenge.gov looking for great ideas

For Corporations (from InnoCentive website)

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And the winner is…

Offering a cash prize to encourage innovation is all the rage. Sometimes it works rather well

Aug 5th 2010

A CURIOUS cabal gathered recently in a converted warehouse in San Francisco for a private conference. Among them were some of the world’s leading experts in fields ranging from astrophysics and nanotechnology to health and energy. Also attending were entrepreneurs and captains of industry, including Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, and Ratan Tata, the head of India’s Tata Group. They were brought together to dream up more challenges for the X Prize Foundation, a charitable group which rewards innovation with cash. On July 29th a new challenge was announced: a $1.4m prize for anyone who can come up with a faster way to clean oil spills from the ocean.

The foundation began with the Ansari X Prize: $10m to the first private-sector group able to fly a reusable spacecraft 100km (62 miles) into space twice within two weeks. It was won in 2004 by a team led by Burt Rutan, a pioneering aerospace engineer, and Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft. Other prizes have followed, including the $10m Progressive Automotive X Prize, for green cars that are capable of achieving at least 100mpg, or its equivalent. Peter Diamandis, the entrepreneur who runs the foundation, says he has become convinced that “focused and talented teams in pursuit of a prize and acclaim can change the world.”

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