From The Editor August 21, 2006
   
 

Dear Subscriber:

Today I am announcing a new Editorial Calendar for the Blackwater Tactical Weekly! While we remain committed to providing a valuable tactical security publication for the professional, our increased readership has compelled us to broaden our scope of interest (see below for the new editorial calendar). Each week we will continue to provide you with informative and interesting information regardless of the industry or government sector of which you are part. Nevertheless, moving forward, each week of the month will be geared specifically toward the following communities: First Responder; Military; Homeland Security; Corporate Security. We trust that you will remain a valued subscriber, and we continue to be dedicated to our mission:

The Blackwater Tactical Weekly is a free weekly e-publication.
The BTW provides readers valuable information from diverse sources regarding tactical and strategic security issues.

Gary Jackson
President
Blackwater

The New Band of Brothers

TERRORIST-INFESTED RAMADI in the wild west of Iraq is for U.S. troops the meanest place in the country, "the graveyard of the Americans" as graffiti around town boast. There is no better place to observe American troops and the fledgling Iraqi army in combat. That's why I came. When military public affairs asked where I wanted to be embedded, I told them, "the redder, the better" (red means hostile). So they packed me off to Camp Corregidor in eastern Ramadi with the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The 506th's official motto is "Currahee," Cherokee for "stands alone." But they're better known as the "Band of Brothers"--so dubbed by author Stephen Ambrose and HBO (although the term originally applied to just one company in the regiment).

During the Battle of Falluja in November 2004, many of the enemy who had vowed to fight to the death, including foreign terrorists, slipped the U.S. cordon. Ramadi, a city of 400,000, was a logical destination. The southwest point of the Sunni Triangle, it lies about 30 miles west of Falluja and that much closer to Syria--a reliable source of both supplies and foreign jihadists. It's also the capital of Al Anbar province and a favorite stomping ground of al Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al Zarqawi until two 500 lb. bombs blew apart his hideout last Wednesday.


Full Article

or visit

Michael Fumento's Website for Videos and Pictures

Gary Jackson
President
Blackwater
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
   
  Better to fight for something than live for nothing.

George S. Patton

PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS
   
 

Risk.

HOW MUCH ARE WE WILLING TO TAKE?

We should be feeling safer right now. British officials appear to have foiled a plot to blow up as many as 10 U.S.-bound passenger jets with liquid explosives hidden in carry-on luggage. Another batch of alleged operatives has been discovered and taken out of commission. Several thousand men, women and children did not die ghastly deaths over the Atlantic Ocean. "This," said Republican Congressman Christopher Shays when the arrests of 24 suspects was announced last week, "was a good day."

Then why did it feel so bad? Why did a bullet dodged feel like the beginning of something and not the end? Minutes after the news broke, counterterrorist experts popped up on TV screens like Pez dispensers to remind us that our homeland-security system is ill equipped to stop the kind of attack the suspected London bombers were said to be planning. President George W. Bush warned against false comfort, saying although he believes the U.S. is more secure than it was before 9/11, "we're still not completely safe." Worst of all, the Brits, who can normally be counted on to snuff out hysterics, warned that we had narrowly avoided "mass murder on an unimaginable scale."


Full Story

When The Candidate Goes to War


When politicians usually travel to Iraq, they go on "fact-finding missions" and are photographed shaking hands with U.S. troops. Arizona Rep. Jonathan Paton is going to fight. The 35-year-old is a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves and a freshman Republican state representative for District 30, which extends from parts of Tucson to the Arizona-Mexico border. Paton, who is not married but has a girlfriend, will leave for Iraq at the beginning of September and will return in mid- to late-January. While he is in the war zone, he will miss the primary election on Sept. 12, the general election on Nov. 7 and - if he wins - the first few weeks of the legislative session.

Paton volunteered for the deployment knowing he'd miss much of the campaign and both elections. "This is something I can actually do to defend what I believe in," Paton says. "There's the whole argument about weapons of mass destruction, but I really just felt that what Saddam Hussein was doing was wrong, and we needed to finish the job that we had started years before." He adds that the first few weeks of session are usually devoted to issues like naming the state butterfly and not hammering out the state budget. The move also leaves his opponents in a sticky position: do they attack Paton in his absence? Or even suggest that his volunteering is an election gambit?

Time Magazine

Poisoned Heroes


ONE New York City firefighter recently told me about the health problems he has suffered since working at the World Trade Center site nearly five years ago: skin rashes, an inflamed colon, coughing and trouble breathing. He showed me a six-page list of the antibiotics and steroids doctors had prescribed over the years. These drugs helped mask his symptoms. But the problems never went away - until he began a new treatment to rid his body of the toxic substances he had inhaled and absorbed at Ground Zero.

This firefighter is among an estimated 40,000 police, firefighters and other workers who did rescue and cleanup on "the pile" after Sept. 11, 2001, while the remains of the buildings - not to mention their contents, jet fuel and other debris - smoldered for weeks, poisoning the air with mercury, lead, dioxin, asbestos, copper and dozens of other substances.

Full Article

BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
   
 

Mystery 9/11 Rescuer Reveals Himself

For years, authorities wondered about the identity of a U.S. Marine who appeared at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, helped find a pair of police officers buried in the rubble, then vanished. Even the producers of the new film chronicling the rescue, "World Trade Center," couldn't locate the mystery serviceman, who had given his name only as Sgt. Thomas. The puzzle was finally solved when one Jason Thomas, of Columbus, Ohio, saw a TV commercial for the new movie a few weeks ago as he relaxed on his couch.

Full Story

Bomb squad sweeps plane, man questioned

Bomb-sniffing dogs swept a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta upon landing Saturday after authorities said a passenger tampered with a smoke detector and moved ceiling panels in a lavatory. The passenger, a San Antonio man who was not identified, was being questioned by federal authorities at San Antonio International Airport, FBI spokesman Erik Vasys said. "We're just trying to determine what his intentions were," Vasys said. "It may be a simple issue which does not result in an arrest."

Full Story

Bush Blasts Court Ruling on Surveillance

President Bush on Friday criticized a federal court ruling that said his warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional, declaring that opponents "do not understand the nature of the world in which we live." "I strongly disagree with that decision, strongly disagree," Bush said, striking his finger on a podium to underscore his point. "That's why I instructed the Justice Department to appeal immediately, and I believe our appeals will be upheld." U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit on Thursday was the first to find the National Security Agency surveillance program unconstitutional. The program involves monitoring international phone calls and e-mails to and from the United States involving people with suspected ties to terrorists.

Full Story

Probe Ordered Into Air Marshal Charges

The Homeland Security Department has been ordered to investigate whether it fails to protect the identities of its undercover air marshals from flight passengers, as alleged by a whistleblowing employee. Air marshals work undercover on high-risk and random flights to stop terrorists or other disruptive passengers from overtaking the plane. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel ordered the investigation after finding a "substantial likelihood" that Homeland Security policy may have violated laws, resulted in mismanagement or put its employees in danger.

Full Story

Feds Estimate 10.5M Illegal Immigrants

About 11 million illegal immigrants were living in the U.S. at the start of this year, the federal government said in a report Friday. That's up from an estimated 8.5 million living in the country in January 2000, according to calculations by the Office of Immigration Statistics in the Department of Homeland Security. The office estimated that 10.5 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States in January 2005 and that the number grew at a national average of 408,000 a year.

Full Story
JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
   
 

TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND SUBMIT YOUR RESUME AND DD-214 CLICK HERE

Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training at Blackwater (252) 435-2488

SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
   
 

Rand: Port Blast Would Be Devastating

A nuclear explosion at the Port of Long Beach could kill 60,000 people immediately, expose 150,000 more to hazardous radiation and cause 10 times the economic loss of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to a new Rand Corp. study. The study released Tuesday by the Santa Monica-based think tank was the latest to address concerns about the possible vulnerability of the nation's ports. It analyzed the possible effects of terrorists detonating a 10-kiloton nuclear bomb in a shipping container unloaded onto a pier at Long Beach, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.

Full Story

DHS Terror Research Agency Struggling

The federal research agency in charge of countering emerging terrorist threats such as liquid explosives is so hobbled by poor leadership, weak financial management and inadequate technology that Congress is on the verge of cutting its budget in half. The Homeland Security Department's Science and Technology Directorate has struggled with turnover, reorganizations and raids on its budget since it was established in 2003, according to independent scientists, department officials and senior members of Congress.

Full Story

Old-School Academy in Post-9/11 World

In a classroom at the FBI Academy in Quantico, instructor Rodney Loose was trying to introduce the history of Islam to a new group of future agents. He had one hour. The 50 men and women would be joining the ranks of an agency whose top officials have declared fighting terrorism to be its No. 1 priority. They listened intently as Loose rushed through his topics: Sunnis and Shiites, the Koran, Mecca and Medina, four-part Arabic names, and the five pillars of Islam.

Full Story

Faces, Too, Are Searched at U.S. Airports

As the man approached the airport security checkpoint here on Wednesday, he kept picking up and putting down his backpack, touching his fingers to his chin, rubbing some object in his hands and finally reaching for his pack of cigarettes, even though smoking was not allowed. Two Transportation Security Administration officers stood nearby, nearly motionless and silent, gazing straight at him. Then, with a nod, they moved in, chatting briefly with the man, and then swiftly pulled him aside for an intense search.

Full Story

Bolstering crisis communication

Effective information sharing between government agencies during a crisis has proved to be a real challenge, and one that is compounded when the information also needs to be communicated to the public in real time. An interesting solution for the latter problem is a coast-to-coast system of message boards that can be updated as information becomes available. On the Op-Ed page, Rep. Rob Simmons describes this intriguing program that uses existing technology to successfully fill the communications void at times of crisis. The message boards could function as an outlet for local, state and federal agencies to share important -- and, at times, critical -- information with the public on an up-to-the-minute, nationwide basis.

Full Story
TRAINING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
 

Mirror Image Training: Training to Combat Terrorism


Mirror Image is a tactical and strategic training course developed and owned by the Terrorism Research Center. TRC instructors have trained hundreds of military personnel that are subsequently deployed to active combat operations, as well as large numbers of first responders, law enforcement, and security professionals. Mirror Image is an intensive one-week classroom and field-training program, designed to realistically simulate terrorist recruiting, training techniques, and operational tactics. During the course, participants will receive insight into the mindset and rationale of the terrorist through hands-on experience with the methods and means terrorist employ, education about terrorist ideologies and the cultural dimensions that influence their decision making process. Military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security professionals will, in turn, be able to see themselves as the terrorists see them and understand the weaknesses in their own environment that the terrorists will seek to exploit, and which all too often they miss. Armed with these insights participants will leave the course better able to anticipate, prevent and respond to multiple terrorist threats.

September 17-22, 2006: Blackwater Training Center, Moyock, NC

A detailed brochure may be downloaded at: www.terrorism.com

A Registration Form/Information may be downloaded at: www.terrorism.com

Questions on TRC training, please contact Betty O'Hearns-Hines, Training Coordinator for the Terrorism Research Center.
Email: betty@terrorism.com
Phone: (727)360-4302 voice or (727)409-1754

FRANKS REVIEW
   
 

Service Equipment Review

Polarion H1 Helios HID Flashlight

At the SHOT Show this past February I got to see and handle the prototypes of the Helios High Intensity Discharge (HID) searchlight. On display by the folks from Strategos International - a company recognized for its excellence and leadership in developing / training tactics for low-light engagements - the prototype Helios boasted a 3,500 lumen output in a package that wasn't much larger than the old 12V searchlights I first became accustomed to when I was a volunteer fireman. The production Helios, Model H1 as produced by Polarion, actually puts out 4,000 lumens in the same size package - and it does so for an incredible 90 minutes.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/lights/helios.htm


Recreational Equipment Review

Greatland 7-Person Dome Tent

For a great many people, spring and fall are the preferred camping times each year. Winter is too cold for most folks and summer is too hot. Camping is, for recreational purposes, supposed to be comfortable and fun. Gone are the days (mostly) of putting everything on your back and sleeping in a single-person bivy type shelter tent. With the advent of shock-corded fiberglass poles and light weight nylon materials, larger tents could be stored and carried in smaller lighter packages. Even better are the tents that are supported by air-filled structure, but they get a bit expensive... This week I'm going to take a look at a tent that is FAR too large and heavy to be considered a backpacker's tent, but is excellent for the three-to-seven person camping trip supported out of your truck, ATV or SUV (or even your car if you just that suburban!).

Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/campback/greatland7pdome.htm

 

CHAPLAINS CORNER
   
 

...ALL THINGS...


work together for good for those who love God and are called according to HIS design and purpose. Romans 8:28b

I had another of those experiences last night that shakes up my efforts and my goals and points me in another direction much different from the one I was pursuing. I had followed instructions. I had been there early to be assured of being on time and followed the directions to the letter... and I waited. No sign on the door. No contact number available. Shortly a security guard comes along and states that I am at the wrong location. I arrive at the location he gives me and I am too late to gain admission. Sometimes we do everything just as it was set up to be done and it does not work out. On the way home I concluded that this was the hand of my Commander-in-Chief at work and this was not to be or at least not to be at this time.



Full Story Can Be Viewed At:
../../btw2006/article/082106chaplain.htm

 
BUMPER STICKER
   
 

Bad government results from too much government
CONTACT INFORMATION
   
 

The Blackwater Tactical Weekly is a free weekly e-publication.

The BTW provides readers valuable information from diverse sources regarding tactical and strategic security issues.

Editor-in-Chief – Gary Jackson (btw@blackwaterusa.com)
Managing Editor – Brent Heminger (btw@blackwaterusa.com)
IT Manager– J Harrison (jharrison@blackwaterusa.com)
Frank’s Review – Frank Borelli (frank@borelliconsulting.com)
Chaplain’s Corner - Chaplain D. R. Staton(chpln1@verizon.net)
Advertising – David Niccolini (niccolini@terrorism.com)

Editorial Calendar:
Each week, the BTW will be geared toward a distinct market sector.

1st Monday of Month First Responder
2nd Monday of Month Military
3rd Monday of Month Homeland Security
4th Monday of Month Corporate Security
5th Monday of Month (if applicable) Editor’s Choice

The weekly theme may change at the discretion of the Editor based on current events.

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