Captain Philips testifies before congress about his thoughts on how to deal with piracy. Watch it here. –Matt
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Legal News: Priv-War, and Regulating the PMC/PSC Industry
Be sure to check in with their news section every now and then. This is Europe’s attempt at finding the correct model of regulation for private military companies, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with over the years. –Matt
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PRIV-WAR is a collaborative research project coordinated by the European University Institute through the Academy of European Law in cooperation with LUISS “Guido Carli” (Rome) and the other project partners: Justus Liebig Universität Giessen; Riga Graduate School of Law; Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris II), Centre Thucydide; University of Sheffield and Utrecht University. The project will assess the impact of the increasing use of private military companies and security companies (PMCs/PSCs) in situations of armed conflict. It will examine the regulatory framework at national, European and international levels, with a view to ensuring improved compliance with international humanitarian law and human rights. Launched in January 2008, the project will run for three years.
The PRIV-WAR project is aimed to
• Promote a better understanding of the phenomenon of the privatisation of war
The research project will formulate a definition of PMCs/PSCs and examine the reasons why states resort to them, focusing on the nature of the functions they exercise, the definition of rules of engagement and chains of accountability. Special attention will be paid to outsourcing in the context of peace-keeping operations, against the background of the development of a European Security and Defence Policy. The project will favour comparative research in a historical perspective.
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Sunday, October 19, 2008
News: Private Security a Necessity in Kandahar Province
Little is talked about the sacrifices that local national private security forces have made. These would be classified as local security folk who often help out local businesses operate in these war environments. I witnessed the same thing in Iraq. They are paid less, and their equipment and resources are minimal. But by local standards, it’s not a bad gig. 300 Dollars a month is probable more than what most locals make per month, and guys line up for these jobs because there is nothing else out there. But you also get what you pay for.
The Taliban know that these convoys are easy pickings as well, hence the reason why the continue to attack them. The one thing I picked up on in this article was the idea that ISAF forces, were not coming to the aid of these companies. It’s nice to know that the Canadians have been helping these guys out when they can. But really, ISAF needs to make it more of a priority to help out these guys. It goes back to winning hearts and minds. These guys are contract security, but they are also the local population. If we make it a point to help them out when they need some assistance, then maybe–just maybe, they might be a little bit more inclined to continue working for the good guys, as opposed to flipping sides. Or worse yet, selling their issued guns and ammo to the other side.(I saw this practice in action in Iraq, and you can blame low pay, mixed loyalties, and poor leadership on that one)
Either way, these men are brothers in arms, and the deserve our respect. An army cannot fight without the supplies provided by these convoys, and these men are very crucial to that process. Even if these guys are not directly protecting Coalition assets, they are still a group that should be recognized as important. We should also be reaching out to these guys and coordinating a little more so accidents do not happen in the future. Or better yet, winning over some of these guys with guns, so they don’t run over to the Taliban. –Head Jundi
Private security guards oversee the departure of a 250-truck NATO supply convoy from Kandahar to Kabul this week. Only some of the security guards wear uniforms and flak vests and none have helmets.
Photograph by : Tom Blackwell/National Post
Private security a necessity in Kandahar province
Tom Blackwell
Canwest News Service
Saturday, October 18, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – As he girded himself for another shift protecting a massive NATO supply convoy this week, Rozi Mohammed made a frank admission: the work terrifies him.
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Friday, April 25, 2008
News: Iraq Braces for Busy Signal
For you guys still in the box, here is your heads up. Zain is in a labor dispute with the Iraqi security company, tasked with protecting all the cell phone towers out there. This company is threatening to pull off all of it’s 7,000 men, off the 1,300 cell towers they are protecting. Not good. Zain owns Iraqna and Atheer by the way. Zain has until May 13 of this year, to make up their mind.
The other thing that is interesting about this, is that maybe Zain has a side deal with a different security company? I guess we will find out more in the future, and this is something to watch. -Head Jundi
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Iraq Braces for Busy Signal
Thursday , April 24, 2008
By Col. Oliver North
Washington, D.C. —
“The number you have called cannot be connected.”
Ever heard a recording like this on your telephone? On Sept. 11, 2001 messages like that were commonplace in New York and Washington and incredibly frustrating for first responders trying to coordinate rescue operations and families attempting to contact loved ones. Now think about that kind of message being heard by virtually every cell phone subscriber in an entire country. That may be about to happen in Iraq. If it does, it could well derail progress made in recent months and have long-term adverse consequences for U.S. interests in the region.
In December 2003, less than eight months after the liberation of Baghdad, two new Iraqi telecommunications companies, Atheer and Iraqna, boldly began erecting cell-towers and selling commercial cell phones and service in central and southern Iraq. In short order, everyone who could get his or her hands on a cell phone was buying one. Most had never even seen or used a “hard-wire” telephone. For Iraqis, cell phones quickly became vital to commerce and security. It was, in the words of an Iraqi soldier I interviewed, a “cellular-revolution.”
But of course Iraq is not exactly a “tranquil environment.” As Atheer and Iraqna built more than 1,300 cell towers and installed generators and satellite transceivers, the facilities became targets for Al Qaeda and other radical Islamic terror groups. To protect their expensive installations, the communications companies hired an independent security contractor with armed guards — more than 7,000 of them. As is commonplace in Iraq, the security contractor negotiated with local Sheiks, tribal, political and religious leaders to enhance protection for the towers and equipment — and it worked. The cellular companies flourished and in January this year the companies merged and were acquired by Zain, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, a Kuwaiti shareholding company traded on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. (more…)
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