Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Bounties: Koevoet Bounty System During The South African Bush Wars
It was the 1978 brainchild of then Colonel Hans Dreyer (later a Major-General in the SAP) to develop and exploit intelligence and was based on the Portuguese Flechas and the Rhodesian Selous Scouts. Koevoet was based in Oshakati and suffered 153 killed in action and several hundred more wounded. They killed more than 3,681 SWAPO insurgentswhich resulted in a 1:25 or one to 25 kill ratio.
What I wanted to point out here was a very interesting piece of history that I don’t think has really been discussed out there. Maybe Peter Stiff talked about it in his Covert War book, but either way, I thought I would bring it up here and archive it.
This to me is a prime example of incentivizing warfare, and providing a means of competition within a unit for the destruction of an enemy. To create an industry (competition) out of killing your enemy basically. In this case, the Koevoet attached a value to the enemy(killed or captured) and their weapons/equipment, and established a bounty system that all of Koevoet could partake in and supplement their salaries with. The results were stunning.
Koevoet also gets a big mention for it’s innovative war fighting methods, and the proof of concept for applying the Selous Scout model to a different war and in a different country (see below). In other words, this unit would be an excellent study for how this type of counter-insurgency warfare could be taught, and even by a private company. Look at the effectiveness of this stuff in both Rhodesia and SWA and you can see exactly what I mean. –Matt
Koevoet worked on a bounty policy where anything and everything that you brought in had a price on its head. People somewhere around R2,000, large calibre mortars probably a bit more, land mines slightly less and so on, which was a great motivating factor for the combatants and the teams because you could earn double, triple your money. It also meant that score boards were kept and that the teams competed against each other for the most number of kills in a given week in the bush. –Sean Mark Callahan, Page 30 of the TRC, 17th of June, 1997
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Koevoet From Wikipedia
At the time, South Africa saw itself as the only country on the sub-continent that could stave off the onslaught of communism. As such, South-West Africa and its northern border with Angola was the one battleground that South Africa had to control if it was to weaken the Cuban-backed South-West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO).
Rising insurgency
In many countries there is a formal separation of duties between law enforcement and the military. The former is generally responsible for domestic issues while the latter is deployed in defence of the nation. At first this philosophy was adopted in South-West Africa. Guerilla operations inside the country were dealt with by the police. Insurgents were seen as common criminals that should be processed by the criminal justice system. However, insurgents used military equipment which normal police officers were not equipped or trained to deal with. A better armed and better trained unit capable of facing such challenges was established within the South-West African Police (SWAPOL) force.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Podcasts: Interview With Peter Stiff, Author Of The Covert War (Koevoet)
Friday, December 17, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Somalia: Donor Set To Fund A Second Anti-Piracy Force For Land Operations In Mogadishu
On Friday, Prosper and two other Americans, former army officer Michael Newton and lawyer Robert O’Brien, gave a presentation to the international community about the proposed projects.
But diplomats said the presentation raised more questions than it answered. They said they didn’t know how the force would be deployed, how it would be integrated with current efforts to reform the security forces or how it would work with international antipiracy navies. The diplomats did not want to be identified because they are not authorized to appear in the press.
And Saracen International will be doing the training for this as well. So this is turning into quite a deal and I am surprised by the lack of media coverage on this. This mystery donor is putting up a ton of cash for an all out war against these pirates.
One of the questions on my mind about this is if this force will be fighting any jihadists? Because if this mystery donor is from the middle east, I wonder if their intention is to try and lure some of these jihadists away from their attacks on the government and AMISOM, and get them focused on eradicating piracy? Or do they intend to fight these holy warriors along the way, and especially if some of them are moonlighting as pirates (jihadist privateers)?
Finally, I certainly would hope that Prosper and his gang lawyers would be so kind as to provide little ol’ bloggers like myself a copy of this presentation so we can comment on the thing. I also wonder if there is any talk of joining forces with the insurance companies and their planned use of private security for this anti-piracy war? Interesting stuff and stay tuned. –Matt
Edit: 12/13/2010- Here is an interesting angle on the whole deal. That Saracen could be a threat to the AMISOM mission, by giving an impression that Uganda is not at all interested in stability in Somalia. That they care more about making a profit I guess. Thanks to a reader for sending me this.
Salim Saleh’s Saracen training militia in Somalia
December 13 2010
Saracen International, a security company associated with Uganda’s Gen Caleb Akandwanaho, alias Salim Saleh, a senior advisor to President Yoweri Museveni, who is also his younger brother, has come under the international spotlight for its alleged involvement in training militia in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland state.
Intelligence sources told The EastAfrican that President Museveni’s younger brother’s interest in this private military contractor has major regional security implications that could affect the efforts to restore peace in Somalia.
Last week, the Associated Press reported that a well-equipped military force was being created in northern Somalia with the help of Michael Shanklin, a former CIA officer and Pierre Prosper, an ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues under former President George W. Bush.
The training and the equipment — which is so far estimated at over $10 million — is being paid for by a mysterious “Muslim nation.”
These sources said that this deal usurps the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), which includes security training. Ironically, Uganda has the most troops in Amisom, with the rest coming from Burundi.
The source said that the African Union is concerned that Saracen’s advent could be a propaganda gift for Islamic fundamentalist groups like Al Shabaab, because they can argue that Amisom is in Somalia to make profits and do business, not to bring peace.
“If this is not nipped in the bud, it could bring the roof down on the head of the AU in Somalia because Uganda has the largest contingent there,” he said.
The revelation comes at a time when some AU officials and members are allegedly concerned about how Uganda is handling the affairs of its troops in Somalia.
The Amisom troops are paid $750 a month. Uganda docks $200 from each soldier. Burundi, on the other hand, takes off the recommended $100.
It is understood that the AU, fearful that this could demotivate the troops, has complained to Ugandan authorities, who have agreed to deduct the standard $100 only from each soldier, and refund the rest.
Our source also said that there is “grumbling” in the AU that Uganda, because it went in with the most equipment, has already been compensated more than handsomely for use of its resources — nearly $28 million so far, compared with $170,00 for Burundi.
Story here.
Somalia mulls privately trained antipiracy force
12/10/2010
Somalia is considering allowing a private security company to train a 1,000-man antipiracy force in the capital of Mogadishu, a Somali official said Friday. It would be the second such unit funded by an unidentified country — a project that has raised eyebrows in Washington and in the U.N.
The security company, Saracen International, is already training a different 1,000-man force in Somalia’s northern region of Puntland. The project is being funded by an unknown Muslim country that those involved in the project — including and former U.S. ambassador and a former CIA officer — will not name.
Somali Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur told The Associated Press the Mogadishu force would hit the pirates on land, where their havens are out of reach of a multinational naval armada which has tried to protect international shipping.
The Somali government will decide in the next three weeks whether to have Saracen train the antipiracy force in Mogadishu, Nur said. Another program to train up to 300 men for the presidential guard is also being considered.
If approved, that could mean up to 2,400 men would be trained by Saracen International. The mystery donor has also promised to pay the men and equip them with everything except arms. The total cost of the project is unclear. A European Union-led program to reform the Somali army is training and paying for 2,000 men at a cost of around $13.2 million, indicating that at such a level of expenditure, the anonymous donor nation has deep pockets.