tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56450452201110142582012-01-21T05:47:33.310-08:00private military companies (PMCs) and defense and security contractors : exploring unfolding trends and alternative futures for their use. This year: we explore the Coming Global Revolution and Private Security. Please contribute with your comments!PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.comBlogger1041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-44736800205404012742011-09-24T13:04:00.000-07:002011-09-24T13:09:12.516-07:00

Private security seems to be the only immediately available alternative to alleviate the widening security gap engendered by Delta One-like financial activity and Operations Twist.Delta One financeIn terms of revenues, Delta One is perhaps the fastest growing segment of large financial institutions. Think of a small corner of a large financial institution where mathematical geeks and cowboy

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-61203132498693061432011-08-10T11:31:00.000-07:002011-08-10T12:20:00.163-07:00

Three short paragraphs to help us reflect on the riots in London and other parts of the United Kingdom over the last week. As the response of society and the private sector to the riots has shown, these citations illustrate three trends rapidly consolidating and converging on one another. From Private Armed Forces and Global Security: On a different level, through many parts of the world,

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-80763572230966081142011-05-02T14:39:00.000-07:002011-05-02T14:46:53.768-07:00

Also known as Usama Bin Muhammad Bin Ladin, Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin, The Prince, The Emir, Abu Abdallah, Mujahid Shaykh, Hajj, The Director, >> Osama bin Laden was killed by US Special Forces on a compound in the city of Abbottabad, Pakistan:May 2, 2011: a good day for freedom, a day to remember!In memory of the victims of 9/11 and 7/7: http://www.privatemilitary.org/911.html

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-55080373841876877852011-04-22T07:36:00.000-07:002011-04-22T07:41:44.072-07:00

The administrations of Prime Minister David Cameron (U.K) and President Nicolas Sarkozy (France) wanted the protagonist role in Libya, and so France and the United Kingdom got the job to impose a so-called “no fly zone” on behalf of the fragmented NATO response to the Libyan crises. Off course the no-fly-zone mission keeps metamorphosing by the day and now also embeds regime change and the

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-32752077150380154902011-04-01T12:50:00.000-07:002011-04-01T13:09:11.239-07:00

[This comment was originally posted on our Facebook page. But as we have had 3 private messages already about the issue, we thought about sharing it here]In reply to the private messages sent last week, we went ahead on our previous blog post and stated that the operation in Libya was NATO led before it was actually NATO. This is because in our opinion there was no other way it could have been

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-84150592009449639222011-03-22T13:44:00.000-07:002011-03-22T13:51:14.179-07:00

In our previous post, we commented that one of the issues that concern us is the eroding connection between government and people. The onset of the military campaign in Libya appears to corroborate the issue. Critically, in addition to Libya itself, the obvious example here, the “no-fly-zone” military campaign is a multilateral example bringing together many leading governments. For some of us

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-12095602363080611132011-03-07T14:36:00.000-08:002011-03-07T14:45:40.950-08:00

Early in 2010, we were at one of those gathering in which people from all sectors discuss global politics and the private military industry. We commented that we saw all the elements in place for what can be referred to as the early stages of a global revolution. We did not suggest Armageddon, but that levels of violence and social unrest across the world would significantly and systematically

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-84977599208512975412010-06-27T15:05:00.001-07:002010-06-27T15:11:20.134-07:00

In the preface to the first edition of Private Armed Forces and Global Security, Ortiz writes that when he started researching the subject of his book, back in the mid 1990s, people sometimes thought of him as perhaps an arms dealer disguised as an academic. Times have changed and now nearly everyone has an opinion about the growing use and proliferation of Private Military Companies (PMCs). PMCs

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-10396740995676580182009-11-27T05:35:00.000-08:002009-11-27T05:43:25.470-08:00

Security contractors in the final series of Lost? Well, when commercial interests meet risk, we will always find security contractors. Not just now, as the use of contractors has been a constant throughout modern history. However, we are not talking here about Lost, the popular TV series in which security contractors have featured. We are talking about the new “lost generation” because of the

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-3120843214615958552009-04-25T09:48:00.000-07:002009-04-25T10:09:27.485-07:00

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), headed by David Miliband, announced last Friday the endorsement of the establishment of a Code of Conduct for UK-based Private Military and Security Companies. Some analysts were excited to hear something was finally happening since the release of the Green Paper “Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation” in February 2002. Think twice

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-7149530981655108182009-04-03T15:04:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:44:04.519-07:00

Old, new, and quantitatively easedSo the US and the UK wanted the world to replicate their strategy of printing money (called ‘quantitative easing’ when it is not done by Third World countries) at the touch of a computer key and old Europe to push for new standards of global financial regulation.At world summits, heads of state always win. The strategy is simple: argue loudly that you want to

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-79349210594168756552009-03-29T12:12:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:30:42.742-07:00

...That is the questionFirst of all, let us remind you why we are paying a great deal of attention to the health of the world economy. This is because the private security response needed to keep things stable is so far attainable, but probably not if the world economy spirals down to an unsuspected deeper bottom. This is also the reason why the G20 meeting this week, ordinarily the most

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-41677008848513437642009-03-26T05:30:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:32:15.624-07:00

This is an answer to a question posted by an insisting reader.He would like to know who provides security to the bank bosses behind the global financial downturn. However, we warn the reader that trying to link somehow financial wrongdoing on Wall Street and the City of London to Xe (the Private Military Company formerly known as Blackwater) is pathetic. We understand a young audience produces

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-1124313014415207432009-03-25T14:58:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:33:38.293-07:00

Today, the house of the former head of RBS (the one behind the collapse of the bank, thereafter rewarded with a multi-million pension) was vandalized. The people behind the attack have the profile of a bunch of aspiring anarchists about whom nothing is known. In France, workers at a 3M (the US corporation) plant have been holding its boss hostage since last night after dozens of workers were laid

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-40876235198514690982009-03-13T05:29:00.000-07:002009-03-13T05:34:57.798-07:00

The UK is hosting the G20 Meeting, the so-called London Summit, on April 2, 2009. In light of the ongoing global financial downturn, there is no need to elaborate on the importance of this particular summit. Spirits are running high, not only among heads of state and finance ministers, but also among those of us who do not live on the state or profited from the burst financial bubble.How big is

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-23928193863125635932009-03-13T05:20:00.000-07:002009-03-13T07:40:17.389-07:00

Luxembourg’s official name is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a name that reflects its patrician origins. The country is one of the founding members of key international organizations such as the UN, NATO, and the European Union. Accordingly, it has its citizens well positioned in, for example, the IMF and the World Bank. It is a very prosperous country with a well-groomed multilingual population

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-4047166096050054052009-03-06T07:09:00.000-08:002009-03-06T07:25:13.448-08:00

Who would have thought about it a few months back? Today, March 6, 2009 (please mark it in your calendar), the United Kingdom set the press rolling and started to print money to prop up its economy. Off course in the modern world new banknotes are not simply printed. It is done at the touch of a computer key, has fancy names such as ‘quantitative easing’, and it is used to purchase assets,

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-72644961495939773002009-03-04T13:00:00.000-08:002009-03-04T13:03:12.359-08:00

Today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the arrest of Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, the president of Sudan. The ICC press release read:“Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, President of Sudan, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is suspected of being criminally responsible, as an

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-45177415994685124672009-02-28T13:06:00.000-08:002009-02-28T13:24:04.233-08:00

During the period of most intense fighting in Iraq, a common story making the rounds was about the apparently excessive wages paid to security contractors. Many of these reports misrepresented pay in the private military sector as a whole and certainly within Iraq. Often, it was alleged a wage of $1000 per operative per day –some even argued that per hour– was the going rate. Generally, that

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-58056370802911724462009-01-21T12:02:00.000-08:002009-02-08T12:11:37.541-08:00

Not a single American president before Barack Obama has faced such an overwhelming and multidimensional agenda upon his inauguration. Expectations are high. However, he will not be able to perform miracles. The unfolding crisis has been gestating over the last decade. It not only enmeshes the global financial downturn, but also a deteriorating global security outlook and the dislocation of the

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-80280761990863215832008-10-17T13:06:00.000-07:002008-10-22T12:22:38.433-07:00

A tragedy in three actsThe third debate between Barack Obama and John McCain converged to free trade. The elephant in the room was NAFTA. In spite of being the largest and most successful such agreement, the presidential contenders failed to acknowledge either Canada or Mexico as important trade partners. In this light, to McCain the strongest ally of the United States in the Americas is Colombia

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-66139455769231228642008-10-04T13:00:00.000-07:002008-10-04T14:01:53.463-07:00

As the global financial crisis has inevitably taken center stage, security contractors are not likely to figure in John McCain’s election agenda. In fact, other than a collection of brief statements, concrete policy proposals pertaining their use and control failed to materialize. Nevertheless, there is an item about the military-industrial complex that throws some light on his views about

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-87261451747494619142008-09-18T13:41:00.001-07:002008-09-18T14:24:22.145-07:00

Full name of the document: Montreux Document on Pertinent International Legal Obligations and Good Practices for States Related to Operations of Private Military and Security Companies During Armed Conflict.Background: A text containing rules and good practices relating to private military and security companies operating in armed conflict. The initiative for this document, which is the first of

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-46710096688381996522008-09-03T14:04:00.000-07:002008-09-03T14:09:25.397-07:00

Imagine you are on a fix. For the current state of world affairs shows already a minefield ahead. Imagine you want to lead the way forward. Here, pretend for a few minutes that you are John McCain. You have the means to put together a good team to help you deal with the manifold issues involved. But given advanced experience paralleling your age, your first task is finding a capable deputy to

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-77019244878235588412008-08-24T13:33:00.000-07:002008-08-24T13:42:31.126-07:00

On the campaign trail, Senator Barack Obama offered an insight into his conceptual understanding of security contractors and their relationship with the state. Although to people new to private military affairs he scored well, to a more advanced audience he sounded amateurish. Senator Obama was asked by the editorial board of Military Times about his thoughts on economic efficiency of security

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-35801962082335021942008-07-30T06:18:00.001-07:002008-07-30T14:24:10.922-07:00

A review inspired by Stephen Armstrong’s War Plc: The Rise of the New Corporate Mercenary.Let’s say you are a journalist who suddenly and just in 2005, yes 2005, discovered that Private Military Companies exist and are part of a thriving industry. You are excited about your ‘discovery’ and want to share this never-before-told story with the men in the street. Given the 10 year gap since the

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-20305513463505805342008-06-24T16:07:00.000-07:002008-07-04T16:14:33.709-07:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is planning to modernize the French armed forces, finally. His ambitious plans are already angering traditionalists, who want to continue seeing defense through twenty-century lenses. Sarkozy presented the new defense white paper on 17 June 2008. In a very French style, officers writing under the pseudonym “Surcouf” promptly attacked the plan. Sales of Le Figaro

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-92220643276933334682008-06-12T03:13:00.001-07:002008-06-12T03:13:39.227-07:00

A portrait of average Taliban fighters emerges from a research project by Canada's The Globe and Mail: a dangerous assignment with 42 video recordings of fighters answering a standarized list of questions.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-72588819944983618002008-06-05T12:37:00.001-07:002008-06-05T12:37:17.520-07:00

As the role of the US shrinks and the Baghdad government takes on more responsibility for reconstruction, Iraq's new business class fears the disappearance of the opportunities and the business environment that have allowed it to flourish. "If the Americans leave Iraq, I will leave Iraq," says Mohammed al-Shamari, a 35- year-old businessman from the Shia al-Khadimiya district of Baghdad. "The

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-14285256917087452532008-06-05T01:28:00.001-07:002008-06-05T01:28:33.945-07:00

In the UK, more than 20,000 personnel left the Forces last year, many citing the poor salary as their reason. The lowest paid soldiers are on just £12,572 a year while traffic wardens receive a basic salary of £17,000. Servicemen and women were given a pay rise of just 2.6 this year. Still questioning why the join the private military industry?read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-66524792576707849522008-05-26T06:21:00.000-07:002008-05-26T06:29:59.396-07:00

29 May 2008 marks one year since five British hostages have been held in captivity in Iraq, possibly Iran. At noon on 29 May 2007, five British security guards employed by GardaWorld, a Canadian-owned security company, and a computer specialist working for BearingPoint, the US-based management consultancy firm, were kidnapped at gunpoint in Iraq. The kidnap occurred in broad daylight in central

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-67554729937332722432008-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:002008-05-25T14:12:41.449-07:00

Early in the decade Great Britain was at the forefront of the debate about the role and regulation of security contractors. The green paper exploring avenues for their regulation was entitled Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation, because Private Military Companies (PMCs) is an adequate term differentiating this type of firms from those offering soft services such as the guarding of

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-26875544007694668552008-04-30T15:01:00.001-07:002008-04-30T15:01:06.991-07:00

Cerberus Capital Management could have invested $200 million for a stake in Blackwater, said a source close to the negotiations. Other sources said auditors from Cerberus had been examining Blackwater's books since the beginning of the year. Cerberus, which owns a controlling stake in Chrysler had been in negotiations to buy the controversial security firm Blackwater USA, which has millions of

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-19050288150164251272008-04-15T09:46:00.001-07:002008-04-15T09:49:19.916-07:00

British defence policy is coming apart at the seams. Having tried to bring order to a chaotic system of arms procurement, the government is to revert to bad habits. The Ministry of Defence plans to scrap its biennial budget cycle and go back to planning on a yearly basis. Successive Labour governments have fallen victim to unrealistic ambitions that the British armed forces can continue to

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-5755799040376666552008-04-13T06:01:00.000-07:002008-04-13T06:22:38.473-07:00

On 11 April, French commandos captured several Somali pirates who took hostages the 30 crew members of the luxury yacht le Ponant. Apparently a ransom was privately paid for their release. The French government admitted that they responded militarily to the incident. The pirates captured will be tried in French courts. The French president called for the establishment of an UN-sponsored

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-62772674548472667792008-04-06T13:46:00.001-07:002008-04-06T14:02:01.470-07:00

Five British hostages who were kidnapped in Iraq last year may be being held in Tehran, the Iranian capital, according to intelligence reports received by the UK Foreign Office. The disclosure, supported by two security sources in London and officials in Iraq, means that any rescue attempt by British special forces would be almost impossible. The contractors, GardaWorld and BearingPoint employees

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-33821364979063138342008-04-01T09:00:00.000-07:002008-04-07T12:37:43.686-07:00

During presidential campaigns, foreign policy pledges (P) can be on many occasions a little detached from the real world. Because the real world as presented by a candidate would often be a summary of what enhances his/her P, let’s call it background (B). How to get to P given B is the plan (X), which can be understood as a collection of bullet points and sound bites likely evolve during the

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-90787684765139689572008-03-17T12:28:00.001-07:002008-03-17T12:28:34.814-07:00

The poll shows that a majority of Iraqis believe the security situation is improving. They're optimistic and living in peace but a quarter of Iraqis say they've seen a relative killed since the US invasion five years ago. These are the findings of a Channel 4 poll of 4,000 people throughout Iraq on the fifth anniversary of the start of the war.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-51700648235690234192008-03-11T12:37:00.001-07:002008-03-11T15:49:27.807-07:00

Tonight Channel 4 News broadcast the first interview with the former British army officer Simon Mann. Mann led an attempted coup against the West African state of Equatorial Guinea in 2004. The programme has overturned an injunction obtained by lawyers acting for Mr Mann. They claimed he had been forced to take part in the interview by the prison authorities in Equatorial Guinea two weeks ago.

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-46157415925087687582008-03-02T14:48:00.000-08:002008-03-03T11:23:56.781-08:00

Presidential campaigns inevitably produce rushed pronouncements and media analysis. Inasmuch as policy promises sometimes filter down with unintended consequences, they can also communicate the wrong message, be misinterpreted, or both. And so this week security contractors hit the Democratic campaign trail. Considering that the use of contractors in contingency operations has a long trajectory

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-28232097474895428752008-03-01T16:16:00.001-08:002008-03-01T16:16:52.398-08:00

"From this war's very beginning, this administration has permitted thousands of heavily-armed military contractors to march through Iraq without any law or court to rein them in or hold them accountable. These private security contractors have been reckless and have compromised our mission in Iraq."read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-13879224899767683302008-03-01T16:00:00.001-08:002008-03-02T14:53:35.700-08:00

The families of five British men kidnapped in Iraq nine months ago today issued an emotional plea to their captors in the Islamic Shia Resistance, urging them to recognise that the hostages were "not responsible for the actions of the British and American governments." They were contractors working for GardaWorld and BearingPoint.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-89592553736089476482008-03-01T15:52:00.001-08:002008-03-02T14:56:36.450-08:00

The hostage, who has been identified as Peter Moore, was kidnapped by heavily armed men in police uniforms in May 2007 from the Iraqi Finance Ministry, together with four of his British security guards. They were driven away in a convoy of 19 four-wheel-drive vehicles toward the Shiite enclave of Sadr City in Baghdad.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-186943448490034362008-03-01T15:36:00.001-08:002008-03-02T14:58:22.452-08:00

Senator Hillary Clinton broke her longstanding silence on private security contractors in Iraq. Her senate office announced late Thursday that she is co-sponsoring a bill to ban "Blackwater and other private mercenary firms in Iraq." The timing of the announcement is particularly curious.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-91901033285985514682008-03-01T15:31:00.001-08:002008-03-02T14:55:19.186-08:00

A senior foreign policy adviser to leading Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told me that if elected Obama will not "rule out" using private security companies like Blackwater Worldwide in Iraq. The adviser also said that Obama does not plan to sign on to legislation that seeks to ban the use of these forces in US war zones by January.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-61657012560890948492008-02-05T09:36:00.001-08:002008-02-05T09:36:18.189-08:00

If the appeal succeeds, it could open the door for Equatorial Guinea to gain access to bank accounts in the Channel Islands that would prove who financed the attempted coup. It would also overturn a longstanding precedent of British judges refusing to interfere in the political affairs of another state.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-31952937885759220182008-01-01T09:00:00.000-08:002008-01-03T15:36:40.974-08:00

actors, events, issues, and trends in the private military world. The Browning, or not, of the private military debate Regulation of Private Military Companies (PMCs) is overdue in the UK. It is important to remember that the ‘Options for Regulation’ Green Paper was released in 2002, during the premiership of Tony Blair and a year before the onset of the Iraq occupation. It is difficult to

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-64334228193949034422007-12-09T23:43:00.000-08:002008-03-03T12:07:04.047-08:00

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was in Iraq the past weekend to announce the handing of control of Basra province to the Iraq government. Basra handover "in two weeks" – PM read the headline of the news release in the 10 Downing Street website. One wishes the headline message would have been handover after having had accomplished the planned mission, or something along those lines. For

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-44833758367750839322007-12-05T15:01:00.001-08:002007-12-05T15:05:34.001-08:00

They were not real policemen but gunmen in stolen uniforms in a stolen car. However, eyewitnesses say their disguise enabled them to enter the street, and walk straight past ministry guards. They got inside a room where staff were being trained by a BearingPoint computer expert, who was protected by a quartet of GardaWorld security guards.read more | digg story | Do not forget the missing Five

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-80850707036795768942007-12-04T12:01:00.001-08:002007-12-05T15:06:45.292-08:00

Kidnappers who have held five Britons since May have released a video threatening to kill one hostage in 10 days unless Britain pulls out of Iraq. The video shows a hostage sitting on the floor flanked by masked gunmen pointing rifles at him. The footage broadcast by an Arabic satellite station, was dated November 18, but does not make clear whether the deadline has now expired.read more | digg

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-63292386659134922002007-12-01T08:11:00.000-08:002007-12-01T08:14:24.978-08:00

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-76907792373407460142007-11-25T00:01:00.001-08:002007-11-26T15:19:52.663-08:00

This week marks six months five British hostages have been held in captivity in Iraq, possibly Iran. At noon on 29 May 2007, five British security guards from GardaWorld, a Canadian-owned security company, and a computer specialist working for BearingPoint, the US-based management consultancy firm, were kidnapped at gunpoint in Iraq. The kidnap occurred in broad daylight in central Baghdad.

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-79268204542042975552007-11-18T05:15:00.001-08:002007-11-18T05:15:03.384-08:00

The men, an IT consultant and four GardaWorld bodyguards who were kidnapped from the finance ministry, have recorded messages for their families in a video passed to officials in Iraq. The kidnappers have said they could be held for years if demands for the release of an Iranian-backed militia leader are not met.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-26792120384034955342007-10-12T18:08:00.001-07:002007-10-12T18:08:13.813-07:00

Blackwater USA has ended an inquiry into the private security contractor's performance by withdrawing from an industry group that initiated the review after the company's guards were accused of killing 17 Iraqis in Baghdad last month. All member companies are required to follow the group's conduct code.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-35645929012152070322007-10-04T16:34:00.001-07:002007-10-04T16:34:47.167-07:00

Blackwater USA, the private security firm that has been publicly castigated without the benefit of a completed investigation regarding the Sept. 16 shooting incident in Iraq is responsible for safely moving diplomats, visiting government officials, members of Congress, and others through the dangerous streets of Baghdad and beyond.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-11214410751026994362007-10-03T12:04:00.001-07:002007-10-03T12:04:19.041-07:00

Left out was the fact that the overwhelming number of contractors in Iraq are Iraqis - the people who one would hope would be doing the security and reconstruction of their country. In fact, as many as 100,000 Iraqis have jobs with private sector companies supporting U.S. policies, it may be the single greatest factor countering the insurgency.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-4004583994579869672007-10-03T05:14:00.001-07:002007-10-03T05:14:26.067-07:00

Top State Department officials and the head of their beleaguered private security firm, Blackwater USA, put forth a unified defense Tuesday against an onslaught of congressional criticism over the company's violent encounters with Iraqis. DOS and security officials attempted to portray Blackwater's armed guards as highly trained professionals.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-6901651016591037232007-09-29T04:11:00.001-07:002007-09-29T04:11:50.636-07:00

A suicide bomber wearing an army uniform blew up an Afghan military bus in Kabul Saturday, killing around 30 people and wounding many more in one of the deadliest attacks of the Taliban's insurgency. The attacker detonated his explosives at the entrance of the bus as it picked up army personnel going to work.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-74679321093287331662007-09-24T15:46:00.001-07:002007-09-24T15:48:54.084-07:00

Taliban militants active in the south of the country ambushed a fuel convoy on a key road in Farah province, police said. The attack sparked an hour of heavy fighting between the Afghan security guards escorting the convoy and the rebels. Three of the guards, from the US-based USPI company, were killed, three captured, and five wounded.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-64707266847658943252007-09-23T12:00:00.000-07:002007-09-23T12:52:32.334-07:00

Upon reflecting on another summer of ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, Christina Lamb wrote that “during the four months that the British media has been consumed by the disappearance of a blonde four-year-old girl from a holiday apartment in the Algarve, 26 British families have lost sons as young as 18 on the dusty fields of Afghanistan, but barely a word has been written. Death in Helmand

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-22793110919920158922007-09-22T16:36:00.001-07:002007-09-23T12:58:29.035-07:00

Blackwater USA denied Saturday any involvement in illegal weapons smuggling, responding to reports the private security contractor is a target of federal prosecutors. "Allegations that Blackwater was in any way associated or complicit in unlawful arms activities are baseless," the company said in a statement. "The company has no knowledge"read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-85808707821843042422007-09-21T11:27:00.001-07:002007-09-23T12:59:49.918-07:00

General Richard Dannatt said on Friday the conflicts Iraq and Afghanistan were winnable and the troops fighting there deserved more respect. Describing the war in Iraq as "clearly unpopular" at home, and the conflict in Afghanistan as misunderstood, he lamented the fact the British public showed far less for their armed forces than Americans do.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-8167471276184943952007-08-17T09:34:00.001-07:002007-09-23T13:01:08.147-07:00

Saving hundreds of thousands of lives in Darfur doesn’t require protests or divestment or U.S. troops. It requires only that we recognize that there is a commercial value to humanitarian security, and then pay to deploy private forces to the region. But the activist campaigns to “save Darfur” don’t seem to be ready to take this immediate step.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-55782300425342169782007-08-17T00:31:00.000-07:002007-09-23T13:00:20.189-07:00

17 August - 17 September 2007: Someone's got to have it!

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-40088317649747854132007-08-15T10:58:00.001-07:002007-09-23T13:03:34.193-07:00

At the energy summit for Iraq on 2-4 Sep the best-in-breed operators and companies will be represented at board level in order to build the relationships that will be crucial to the future of the Iraqi energy sector and include the likes of Aegis, ArmorGroup, Janussian, Control Risks Group, Unity, Hart, Olive Security, GardaWorld and Triple Canopy.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-11264869705618246592007-08-08T13:31:00.001-07:002007-09-23T13:02:44.478-07:00

In response to a request from Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., the Labor Department revealed that 1,001 civilian contractors had died in Iraq as of June 30, including 84 during the second quarter of the year. Those contractor fatalities are in addition to the 3,668 military personnel the Defense Department had confirmed dead in Iraq so far,read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-19529184927463129572007-08-07T10:22:00.001-07:002007-09-23T13:02:02.009-07:00

The House early Sunday approved a $460B defense spending bill that includes measures aimed at helping the department improve the way it contracts for goods and services. It also would withhold award fees payments to contractors who fail to abide by their contract terms and it would create minimum training requirements for security contractors.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-10054304610360842032007-07-31T14:09:00.000-07:002007-08-05T14:14:40.142-07:00

In a June post, ‘Supporting Britain’s Public and Private Security Personnel’, I commented on a British initiative aimed at encouraging business leaders to support the reserve forces: Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers (SaBRE). I noted that SaBRE implicitly highlights the fact that a number of the people involved in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are not regular soldiers, but

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-30446992414053565622007-07-28T05:54:00.001-07:002007-07-28T06:23:20.218-07:00

Mike Turner, the chief executive of BAE Systems, has demanded a meeting with the Prime Minister after the responsibilities of the Defence Export Services Organisation (Deso) were transferred to the Trade and Industry department, The Daily Telegraph has learned.read more | digg storyRead the letter (pdf) from Mike Turner, the chief executive of BAE Systems, to Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-15105418725394807792007-07-28T05:46:00.001-07:002007-07-28T06:06:50.680-07:00

BAE Systems successfully tested a mobile ground station for use by emergency services at a simulated crisis exercise in Valencia, Spain. The ground station is a key element of MARIUS — the Mobile Autonomous Reactive Information System for Urgency Situations — a technology project funded by the European Commission.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-86626637776630142752007-07-28T05:44:00.000-07:002007-07-28T06:19:13.482-07:00

BAE Systems has a proud heritage of ground breaking inventions including Concorde, Radio communication, and the Harrier Jump Jet. In the changing world of defence and homeland security, technology and innovation are still at the heart of our business.read more

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-25004314841987195672007-07-28T05:43:00.001-07:002007-07-28T06:05:58.165-07:00

BAE Systems' Information & Electronic Warfare Systems group in Nashua, NH produces electronic IED jammers that disrupt the remote signals (often cell phones) used to set off land mines in Iraq, Afghanistan, et. al. They're referred to as "Dismounted Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare (CREW) systems".read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-29056563840142263152007-07-28T04:10:00.001-07:002007-07-28T06:04:53.726-07:00

In what has become a contentious competition, Aegis Defence Services and ArmorGroup International are considered top contenders for a contract worth up to $475 million to provide intelligence services to the U.S. Army and security for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on reconstruction work in Iraq. Aegis won the initial contract in 2004.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-51876951764044496032007-07-28T04:00:00.000-07:002007-07-28T06:20:10.230-07:00

AEGIS specialises in the identification, analysis and mitigation of risk, providing a commercially focused and innovative approach to security and risk management through three distinct but complementary divisions: Research and Intelligence, Security Operations and Technical Services.read more

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-36145824124821257752007-07-08T06:52:00.000-07:002007-07-08T23:06:52.284-07:00

Peter Singer’s ‘Corporate Warriors. The Rise of the Privatized Military’ Industry was published in 2003. The timing was excellent, as that was the year the Iraq war started. I do not need to elaborate on the visible role Private Military Companies (PMCs) and Private Security Companies (PSCs), the focus of Dr. Singer’s book, have played in the conflict. Off course Singer or Cornell University

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-63282103678708456042007-07-01T07:46:00.001-07:002007-07-09T22:48:16.615-07:00

the Pentagon has decided to inject some competition into its long-term troop support arrangement, the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, better known as LOGCAP IV. Three companies, KBR of Houston, DynCorp International of Fort Worth and Fluor Intercontinental of Greenville, S.C., will compete for projects in the Middle East worth up to $150 B.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-33431435270352350722007-06-21T04:42:00.001-07:002007-06-25T08:56:13.522-07:00

Stéphan Crétier, once a guard at The Bay, now heads one the world's largest security firms. The hard-driving Crétier, who is CEO and chairman of Garda, at 43 sits atop one of the Canada's fastest-growing companies, which expects to rake in $1.4 billion in revenues next year, started with four employees and a cramped, ramshackle office in 1996.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-87418119776075743012007-06-20T07:28:00.001-07:002007-06-25T08:54:29.532-07:00

When the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on what it calls "War Profiteering and Other Contractor Crimes Committed Overseas", David Hammond, the lead partner handling Iraq liability issues at Crowell & Moring, was there. He represents top military contractors operating in Iraq such as Blackwater USA, Triple Canopy, DynCorp International, and Erinys.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-28195256705290754262007-06-18T05:28:00.001-07:002007-06-18T06:06:40.428-07:00

The desperate lack of air transport in Afghanistan could have been resolved if ministers had agreed last year to an offer from Security Support Solutions Ltd to provide four Mi17 Hip helicopters and an Mi26 Halo transporter, capable of carrying 20 tons. But the deal foundered because the MoD was reluctant to fly troops in Soviet era helicopters.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-74346441728267387972007-06-18T05:20:00.000-07:002007-06-18T06:09:54.748-07:00

The current ground-based threats and the uncertain nature of world events have led many Governments, NGOs, corporate clients and individuals to seek effective helicopter solutions for secure travel arrangements. Helicopters provide a bespoke, cost-efficient, fast, safe form of travel.read more

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-175580521393234342007-06-18T05:00:00.000-07:002007-06-18T06:05:36.549-07:00

A senior army surgeon has said that British troops injured in fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan faced delays of up to seven hours before reaching a field hospital, more than the time it took US soldiers in Vietnam to be evacuated 40 years ago. He made his comments in an article for the Royal Army Medical Corps Journal after a tour of duty.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-68223556289211648872007-06-13T07:13:00.001-07:002007-06-25T08:57:48.643-07:00

The UN Security Council should ensure that the Sudanese government's acceptance of a hybrid force consisting of UN and African Union (AU) troops for Darfur is matched by immediate action to protect civilians and end abuses, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-11883816345376184622007-06-10T09:06:00.000-07:002007-06-12T09:09:04.993-07:00

Sir Christopher Bland, chairman of BT Group until September 2007, and Patrick Snowball, head of Norwich Union until the end June, although not strange to boardroom and outdoor pursuits found themselves in strange surroundings and heading unusual gatherings on 4-5 July. They were visiting Basra, in south-east Iraq, while helping to launch a campaign to encourage business leaders to support the

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-10861132396968942052007-06-09T09:14:00.001-07:002007-06-12T09:21:11.078-07:00

Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers (SaBRE) is a Ministry of Defence (MOD) campaign. For employers, it is a one-stop source of advice and information on the benefits and practicalities of employing Reservists.read more

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-48309113046747584032007-06-07T13:30:00.001-07:002007-06-07T13:30:49.980-07:00

hile greed may be good, war is better. Security contractors have benefited from a dangerous world: one with non-stop news coverage of military campaigns and casualties. One company that has done especially well is DynCorp, which turned in financial results Thursday morning that blew by Wall Street expectations.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-23259323589297031672007-06-06T09:36:00.001-07:002007-06-06T09:36:48.701-07:00

BT's chairman is in Basra this week to underline the commitment of British firms to support employees with a vital second role. As the only remaining FTSE 100 chairman to have done National Service, Sir Christopher Bland seems fairly well qualified to put his name to a campaign for business to support Britain's Reserve Forces.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-54117841696627758462007-06-03T15:41:00.001-07:002007-06-04T10:26:11.246-07:00

Mortar bombs, rockets and the threat of kidnapping are daily risks faced by hundreds of Western consultants in Baghdad who offer advice and expertise to the fledgling Iraqi Government. Far from the promise of a fat pay cheque, many of these people say they choose to do the job because they believe their input can make a difference.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-3426592105160779612007-06-03T07:54:00.001-07:002007-06-04T10:26:25.338-07:00

War is the hardest place to make judgments. Last Tuesday morning four armed British security guards protecting a British computer expert, who had the misfortune to be working inside the finance ministry building in one of the most dangerous parts of Baghdad, had to make a snap judgment: whether to shoot first or to surrender.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-16457420214022197382007-06-02T13:09:00.000-07:002007-06-04T13:11:34.839-07:00

We are proud to be a part of the Garda family of companies, which offers clients a comprehensive suite of consulting and investigation, physical security, cash logistics, and background screening services. Garda employs 50,000 professionals and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.read more

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-31088944467299637392007-05-29T07:59:00.000-07:002007-05-29T08:09:54.194-07:00

At the UN headquarters in New York and in peacekeeping missions throughout the world, the fifth International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is celebrated today. This solemn occasion is a timely reminder of the invaluable and risky work UN peacekeeper undertake in attempting to bring peace to conflict regions. In the background of the occasion, however, the blue helmets find themselves

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-24451588608892420832007-05-29T05:59:00.000-07:002007-06-04T13:08:30.168-07:00

A leading supplier of private military and private security personnel, South Africa has stirred passions since early drafts of the Prohibition of Mercenary Activity and Prohibition and Regulation of Certain Activities in an Area of Armed Conflict Bill started to circulate a year ago.read more

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-49900217413465867262007-05-29T05:19:00.001-07:002007-06-04T10:25:11.626-07:00

The UK is pressing South Africa to soften the impact of a controversial anti-mercenary bill that could stop South Africans serving in the British Army and prevent them from working for private security companies worldwide. South Africa’s parliament passed the bill last year after international criticism of the role of South African mercenaries in events such as the high-profile alleged plot in

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-25612712452330405302007-05-13T12:46:00.000-07:002007-06-04T12:49:15.519-07:00

As the British Airways flight from Washington to London touched down at 10.30am at Heathrow last Monday, the most powerful woman in the American defence industry was nervously checking her Blackberry. Linda Hudson, president of Land & Armaments at BAE Systems, was flying in to host a leadership conference for top company managers but her plans were derailed when an e-mail pinged up just hours

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-15189819784809278232007-05-12T12:57:00.000-07:002007-06-25T08:50:04.571-07:00

Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Armor Holdings operates with 25 facilities in nine countries, with revenue of $1.6 billion in 2005. Armor Holdings' products and systems are used domestically and internationally by military, law enforcement, security and corrections personnel, as well as governmental agencies, multinational corporations and individuals.read more

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-1252900879473489762007-05-09T18:52:00.000-07:002007-05-18T05:21:55.515-07:00

The re-invention of military forces into leaner and more specialised machineries through downsizing and contracting-out has engendered both opportunities and problems for authorities to consider. An issue of particular concern for governments has been that pay rises in the military have not kept pace with the private sector. Whilst authorities try to retain their most talented military personnel

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-25781480883691068172007-05-08T15:15:00.000-07:002007-06-04T10:25:57.897-07:00

About 300,000 armed forces personnel are to be offered life assurance under a Ministry of Defence (MOD) scheme. Until now, they had found it difficult and costly to get insurance, because insurers feared the costs of high casualties from a major war. The Service Life Insurance (SLI) will be offered by insurer Sterling Life, but major losses will be underwritten by the government. SLI will be

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-69212294900229677702007-05-07T12:39:00.000-07:002007-06-04T12:44:12.212-07:00

Armor Holdings Inc., maker of military vehicles and bulletproof vests, has agreed to a $3.37 billion takeover by global defense contractor BAE Systems Inc. The purchase price of $88 a share in cash represents a 7 percent premium to the closing price of Armor Holdings stock on Friday, 4 May 2007.

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-1521677323270010642007-04-20T12:32:00.001-07:002007-06-04T12:37:11.342-07:00

On 29 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina (a category 4 tropical storm) ravaged the coastal states of Louisiana and Mississippi. The immediate public response to the unfolding human disaster left behind by the storm did not match its scale, geometry, and deadly pace. Leaving the controversial involvement of some firms aside, however, private sector response alleviated some of the early

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-17728199876432910772007-04-18T16:01:00.000-07:002007-05-05T16:04:22.664-07:00

In a recent report by the Center for Naval Analyses the argument was raised for linking climate change to terrorism. Admiral T. Joseph Lopez, former commander-in-chief US Naval Forces Europe and of Allied Forces Southern Europe, was quoted stating "Climate change can provide the conditions that will extend the war on terror" "Rising ocean water levels, droughts, violent weather, ruined

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-14230841850726845732007-04-12T12:08:00.000-07:002007-06-04T12:18:09.319-07:00

Or maybe not. In the Post-9/11 World, Virtually Any Security System Can Be Breached. The bomb that rocked Iraq's parliament building Thursday and killed at least eight people was a reminder that even the most-guarded places on earth can be penetrated by deadly forces. James Schmitt, senior vice president of ArmorGroup, comments on the Iraq parliament bombing.read more | digg story

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