From The Editor October 16, 2006
   
 

Understanding the Privatization of National Security

During most of the twentieth century, a strong and well-funded military had limited need for private contractors. But, post-Cold War cuts in defense spending and staffing along with the changing nature of national defense gave rise to the critical need to turn to Private Military Contractors (PMCs) to offer expertise and supplement U.S. military resources.

Determining the appropriate roles for both government resources and PMCs was the topic of discussion at the McCormick Tribune Foundation's conference on "Understanding the Privatization of National Security," held at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Ill., on May 11-12, 2006. Forty distinguished legal scholars, first responders, military personnel and other representatives of the private and government sectors were on hand to define and refine the key issues.

Two main areas of concern framed the discussion. First, the roles assumed by PMCs and their resulting responsibilities and, second, the legal and humanitarian concerns that arise from private contractors assuming certain tasks.


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Gary Jackson
President
Blackwater
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
   
  I think patriotism is like charity -- it begins at home.

Henry James

PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS
   
 

Iraqi Jihadists May Have Tried Their Hand at Non-Conventional Weapons

 On October 8, several hundred Iraqi soldiers were poisoned as they ate their iftar (Ramadan fast-breaking) meal. Some reports allege that a small group of them have already died. While Iraqi military officials said they had not ruled out spoiled food as the cause, the soldiers' symptoms-immediately falling over and bleeding from the ears and nose--are inconsistent with simple food poisoning. Media sources citing individuals involved in the investigation say the food may have been laced with cyanide.

Incidents involving non-conventional weapons, especially chemical weapons, are increasingly likely because of the evidence of experimentation and development of these weapons in the Iraqi theater. Coalition troops have discovered crude chemical weapons' (CW) laboratories, and an Iraqi terrorist group, Ansar al-Islam, developed rudimentary CW capability before the onset of the war in 2003. During his terrorist career in Iraq, Abu Musaab al-Zarqawi was believed to have been involved in these efforts.

Full Story

The Soft War in Europe's East

The Caucasus has become the new Balkans--a forgotten region where an old, hostile empire chafes against less powerful peoples.

ON THE FAR SHORES of the Black Sea, just south of the Caucasus mountains, mounting tensions between the Kremlin and tiny Georgia seem to have gotten out of hand.

Russian military intelligence officers were arrested in Tbilisi last week for espionage, which in that part of the world means trying to destabilize the Georgian government. At a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers in Slovenia, Russian Defense Minister Ivanov berated the attendees for arming Georgia as part of a plan to use military force to expel Russian troops from Georgian territory. And President Putin compared the actions of Georgia's young president, Misha Saakashvili, with Lavrenti Beria, who ran the murderous NKVD under Joseph Stalin. In Washington, few can remember the last time there was this much venom in Russian foreign policy. With the assassination of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow over the weekend, the situation looks as though it could get even worse.

Full Story

Getting the UN into Darfur


The impasse over deploying a major UN peacekeeping force to Darfur results directly from the international community's three-year failure to apply effective diplomatic and economic pressure on Sudan's government and its senior officials. Unless concerted action is taken against the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), Khartoum will continue its military campaign, with deadly consequences for civilians, while paying only lip service to its many promises to disarm its Janjaweed militias and otherwise cooperate. No one can guarantee what will work with a regime as tough-minded and inscrutable as Sudan's, but patient diplomacy and trust in Khartoum's good faith has been a patent failure. The international community has accepted the responsibility to protect civilians from atrocity crimes when their own government is unable or unwilling to do so. This now requires tough new measures to concentrate minds and change policies in Khartoum.

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BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
   
 

The face of terror: Inside al Qaeda's plot to bomb Newark

For New Jerseyans, it was perhaps the most chilling image evoked since the Twin Towers fell: An al Qaeda operative sitting patiently in a Newark coffee shop, eyeing the exits and entrances at the nearby Prudential tower, studying security shifts and employee traffic, and sketching out a plan to bomb the city's skyline jewel and kill thousands of people. Yesterday, a British national said it was all true. Dhiran Barot, 32, pleaded guilty in London to conspiracy to murder, admitting that he plotted with others in 2000 and 2001 to attack high-profile targets in Great Britain, New York, Washington, D.C., and Newark.

Full Story

From SWAT to Counter Terror Unit

No one in Law Enforcement doubts that terror will eventually rear its ugly head in the USA. Given that unfortunate certainty, will today's well trained US SWAT and SRT Teams be able to tackle terrorists in the same way they valiantly handle some of the worst criminals? Are the tactics for terror the same? To make things more difficult, SWAT teams must deal constantly with different situations and adapt quickly to new equipment and weapons both lethal and less lethal. Even if that were enough there is always policy and procedure.

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Restraints Fray and Risks Grow as Nuclear Club Gains Members

The declaration last Monday by North Korea that it had conducted a successful atomic test brought to nine the number of nations believed to have nuclear arms. But atomic officials estimate that as many as 40 more countries have the technical skill, and in some cases the required material, to build a bomb. That ability, coupled with new nuclear threats in Asia and the Middle East, risks a second nuclear age, officials and arms control specialists say, in which nations are more likely to abandon the old restraints against atomic weapons.

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Multiple Terrorist Doctrine #2

Posse Comitatus: Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

For three years I did some contracting / consulting work that had me literally playing a role in between the Army and the civilian law enforcement community and the one thing that was constantly being put in my face was, "Posse Comitatus." When I was making a presentation at FBI Headquarters and made the suggestion that military installations could be used to train law enforcement, and vice versa, I was asked, "Doesn't Posse Comitatus prohibit that?" Um, no.

Full Story

Biggest U.S. cities not ready to evacuate: study

Los Angeles, Chicago and New York are among the least prepared cities in the United States to evacuate quickly in case of a catastrophe, a report by a transportation advocacy group showed on Thursday. The American Highway Users Alliance study of the 37 largest urban areas showed that 25 of the biggest cities were less prepared for a major evacuation than New Orleans, which struggled during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to empty the city before and as it flooded.

Full Story
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SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
   
 

Lawmakers ask for increased limits on airspace above NYC

The fiery crash of Corey Lidle's single-engine plane into a Manhattan high-rise underscores the security risks posed by small airplanes flying low over the river corridors around Manhattan, virtually unmonitored and with no questions asked. Scant restrictions are imposed on low-flying aircraft over Manhattan, despite their proximity to high-profile targets like the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations and the Empire State Building - and despite FBI warnings that terrorists have considered using small aircraft to wage attacks.

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New York Crash Shows Gaps, Challenges in Tighter Air Security

The crash of a small plane into a Manhattan high-rise renewed post-Sept. 11 questions about whether U.S. cities should be protected at all costs, even the crippling of the aviation industry. Yesterday's television images of smoke and flames pouring from a skyscraper rekindled New Yorkers' memories of 2001. Charles Slepian, chief executive of the Foreseeable Risk Analysis Center in New York, said the U.S. remains vulnerable to terrorists at the controls of light aircraft.

Full Story

FBI Agents Still Lacking Arabic Skills

Five years after Arab terrorists attacked the United States, only 33 FBI agents have even a limited proficiency in Arabic, and none of them work in the sections of the bureau that coordinate investigations of international terrorism, according to new FBI statistics. Counting agents who know only a handful of Arabic words -- including those who scored zero on a standard proficiency test -- just 1 percent of the FBI's 12,000 agents have any familiarity with the language, the statistics show.

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British tactic to sideline radicals

THE Blair Government has unveiled a much more demanding attitude towards Britain's leading Muslim organisations, announcing that it will cut off public funds to any groups that "sit on the sidelines" of the battle against Islamic extremists. Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, said she would stop supporting groups that did not "proactively" fight extremism and defend mainstream British values, warning that a "fundamental rebalancing" of relations with Muslim groups was needed to stop the spread of radical ideas among young Muslims.

Full Story

Airline terror suspects used eBay for operation's funding

The white-bearded Afghan police chief is not pleased with his village "force" of 15 rag-tag cops. They have no radios, just two AK-47 assault rifles, and a single pistol with 9mm ammunition that jams. Afghan officials have also not paid police salaries for months in this remote eastern Afghanistan province of Nuristan on the Pakistan border. An officer is said to be collecting funds now - the proverbial "check is in the mail" - but the delay is hampering US plans to start police training this week. "Of course it's a good idea to train," chief Nur Mohamed tells the US Military Police platoon leader, as they meet under a rock overhang. "The day they pay us, we will be there."

Full Story
TRAINING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
 

Heading to IACP...Know Someone Who Is


If you are, or if someone from your department is heading to the Annual IACP Conference in Boston October 14-18, be sure to leave time to catch these valuable presentations:

Solutions Presentation Theater:
Where's the Beef? Understanding Federal Grants and Assistance Programs
By James T. Kirkhope, Vice President, Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
Sunday, October 15 - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center - Halls A, B & C

This briefing will discuss the rise and now apparent decline of federal funds, highlight continuing forms of assistance, and emphasize free, readily-available information sources to help acquisition, management and budget planning.

Solutions Presentation Theater:
Why Not Here Yet? A threat assessment of the US
By Jennifer Hardwick, Senior Director, Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
Tuesday, October 17 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center - Halls A, B, & C

This presentation will include discussions on:
Who would be interested in targeting the US?
Why (Intentions)?
How?
Likelihood?
Unconventional warfare.

For more detailed information regarding these presentations or the speakers, please Click Here for the entire IACP Conference agenda.

FRANKS REVIEW
   
 

Service Equipment Review

H&K Knives from Benchmade

You know, there was a time when I felt that having a manual safety on a knife meant that the knife was obviously over designed. Then in 1999 I was asked to review an assortment of folding lockblade knives for law enforcement duty use. Two of them had secondary locks that prevented an unintentional UNlock of the blade. It wasn't until 2003 that I actually saw a folding lockblade knife that had a manual safety which had to be deactivated to open the blade. Now, it seems that such items are becoming almost fashionable. When I received the two Heckler & Koch knives that are the subject of this week's review, the first thing I noticed was that both had a manual safety. Both are automatic, though, and that manual safety is a very nice feature to have when you consider the possible alternative of the thing accidentally opening in your pocket. There are things down there you don't want a sharp knife opening at or into!

Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/knives/bmhkknives.htm


Recreational Equipment Review

Pentagon Flashlights In The Field

Most of the people I know didn't buy their "tactical" flashlight specifically to use on a camping trip. The large majority of them (if not ALL of them) bought that first light to put on their gunbelt or on their equipment vest. It was only when they were actually going to go camping, already in possession of the light, that the realized how well suited the flashlight would be to the field conditions normally experienced during that couple nights spent under the stars. I purchased my first tactical light in the mid-nineties, and it was certainly to put on my gunbelt. Here lately though, I've found myself examining the whole spectrum of "tactical" lights in an effort to find the one I feel is most suited to my needs during recreational outings. One of my most recent acquisitions is the Pentagon X2 Xenon. While this flashlight is quite comparable to some other manufacturers' basic designs, for some reason this one seemed to stand out.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/lighttools/pentagonlight.htm

 

CHAPLAINS CORNER
   
 

the DASH-


dash - noun

13. the mark or sign (-) used to note an abrupt break or pause in a sentence or hesitation in an utterance, to begin and end a parenthetic word, phrase, or clause, to indicate the omission of letters or words, to divide a line, to substitute for certain uses of the colon, and to separate any of various elements of a sentence or series of sentences, as a question from its answer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. (Italicised, bold emphasis mine to cover the proper definition of the use of the word "dash" as far as this message is concerned.)

The following is from a reader:

"Don:

I hope you are well. Another idea for you...

As I was sitting on the sofa with my eight (almost nine) year old son watching, of all things, Walker Texas Ranger (cops and karate - how cool is that?), there was a cemetery scene where a gravestone was shown.Ê My son commented on the years... and asked how old the person had been when they died.Ê It made me think about the dash...

Garth Brooks has a song wherein some of the lyrics are:

There's two dates in time that they'll carve on your stone And everyone knows what they mean But what's more important is the time that is known By that little dash there in between.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:
../../btw2006/article/101606chaplain.htm

 
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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)
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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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