Blackwater Newsletter

From The Editor January 22, 2007

The Man for the Plan

"We need a man, and then a plan." So Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery is reported to have said when recommending General Sir Gerald Templer to be British high commissioner at the height of the Malayan insurgency. When, in January 1952, Templer was summoned to meet the prime minister, the British Dominion of Malaya had been under a state of emergency for almost four years. Churchill, newly returned to power and further satiated by a full dinner, waved a glass of brandy and bellowed: "Templer! Malaya!" A few minutes later: "Templer! Full powers!" And finally, "Full power, Templer. Very heady stuff. Use it sparingly."

If Gerald Templer was the face of Britain in Malaya, David Petraeus is now to be the face of America in Iraq: Perhaps as soon as Tuesday, the Senate will confirm Petraeus's promotion to four-star general and he will assume command of "Multi-National Force-Iraq" in Baghdad. But generals, wrote John Keegan in The Mask of Command, "may be many things besides the commander of an army." A general may, Keegan continued, "carry both society and army farther than they believed they wished to travel."

Americans are near the point of wishing to travel no farther in Iraq. After tolerating Saddam Hussein's outrages for two decades, we find ourselves four years past his removal with the Iraqi government still unable to govern the country. At home, there is barely enough political will to press forward. Nor is there much belief that the Bush administration can chart the way. Petraeus must be many things, indeed: He must carry Americans and Iraqis alike farther than we think we wish to travel.

Full Story

Gary Jackson
President
Blackwater

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


	"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. " George S. Patton

PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS

'We're Unable to Protect People'

An onscene report from Darfur, where ceasefires haven't brought peace and peacekeepers can do little to help.

Somewhere in the harsh landscape around the North Darfur town of Kutum, some 30,000 people have effectively vanished. It's a semi-arid area that hovers between desert and savannah, with thorn trees and grass and dry riverbeds that fill in the brief rainy season with just enough water to support either the pastoralists, like the Arab nomads known here as the Janjaweed, or the agriculturalists, who are the majority of the Darfur population, non-Arab Africans from a variety of tribes.

The dispute over how to use that land is at the root of the Darfur conflict, and with the Sudanese government supporting and arming the Janjaweed, it's easy to see who is losing. Flying over that area earlier this week in an African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) helicopter (a Russian-made Mi-8 leased by Canadians from an American company and flown by Ukrainian pilots for the South African Army), one village after another appears with mud-brick buildings and grass huts burned, fields untended, animals and people alike completely missing. It's easy enough to estimate how many had been there, but in a broad area of northern Darfur, only 2,000-3,000 of them have trickled into Kutum's refugee camps since the fighting ratcheted up in this area last month.

Full Story

A Plausible Plan B

If we were allied with an Iraqi government that, however weak, was truly national -- cross-confessional and dedicated to fighting a two-front war against Baathist insurgents and Shiite militias -- a surge of American troops, together with a change of counterinsurgency strategy, would have a good chance of succeeding. Unfortunately, the Iraqi political process has given us Nouri al-Maliki and his Shiite coalition.

Its beginning was inauspicious. Months of wrangling produced a coalition of the three major Shiite religious parties, including that of Moqtada al-Sadr. Given Maliki's legitimacy as the first democratically elected leader of Iraq, however, he was owed a grace period of, say, six months to show whether he could indeed act as a national leader.

By November, his six months were up, and the verdict was clear: He could not. His government is hopelessly sectarian. It protects Sadr, as we saw dramatically when Maliki ordered the lifting of U.S. barricades set up around Sadr City in search of a notorious death squad leader. It is enmeshed with Iran, as we saw when Maliki's government forced us to release Iranian agents found in the compound of one of his coalition partners.

Full Story

Africa: War on the Rescuers

Last Sept. 11 was a momentous day in Darfur, too. After unidentified militiamen attacked aid workers from the Nobel Prize-winning Medecins sans Frontieres at a roadblock on that date, most of the international aid groups ministering to Darfur's 6 million people stopped using the roads. On Dec. 18, in the southern town of Gereida, unrelated gunmen attacked the compounds of Oxfam and Action Contre la Faim. More than 70 aid workers subsequently pulled out of the refugee camp there-Darfur's largest, with 130,000 people-leaving only 10 Red Cross employees behind. Yet at the time no one revealed what had really sparked the dramatic pullbacks. In both cases, international staff, including three French aid workers, were either raped or sexually assaulted in territory controlled by the Sudanese government and its allies.

Rape as a weapon has become depressingly commonplace in Darfur, where 200,000 Africans have been killed and a third of the population have been sent fleeing into camps in three years of war. But the attacks on international aid workers herald a dramatic and dangerous new trend-the deliberate targeting of those helping to keep Darfur's millions of refugees alive. A dozen staffers from foreign NGOs have been killed in just the past six months, more than in the previous two years. There are an estimated 14,000 aid workers in Darfur now, the majority of them Sudanese, working for foreign NGOs and U.N. agencies and delivering $1 billion a year in aid. Just a few more horrific attacks could throw that massive operation into jeopardy. Last week 14 UN agencies working in Darfur issued a stark warning that "the humanitarian community cannot indefinitely assure the survival of the population in Darfur if insecurity continues."

Full Story

BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

Baghdad's Ground Zero

If you want to know whether a surge of US troops in Baghdad will make a difference, listen to Iraqis like taxi driver Ali Mansoor, 38. Last fall Mansoor's neighborhood in central Baghdad, a mixed Shi'ite-Sunni area known as al-Sadoon, became a sectarian killing zone. The streets around his house were the scene of scores of murders and abductions every day. And then, for one week last October, the violence stopped. "There was a big change in the security situation. Everybody noticed," says Mansoor, who asked not to be identified by his real name. "In my area, there was not a single kidnapping or killing." So what happened? For the first time since the war began, US forces had locked down the Baghdad slum known as Sadr City, haven to the militias and death squads loyal to rebel Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Looking for a missing US soldier, the Americans cordoned off much of Sadr City, preventing hundreds of killers from slipping out. On Oct. 24, the daily murder rate fell roughly 50%.

Full Story

Soldiers may not get needed mental help

Mental health screening isn't consistent for US troops returning from war, and if they don't say they need help, they often don't get it, the Army's top medical officer said Friday. "If an individual checks nothing, 'I have no mental health issues,' they're not necessarily being sent to mental health counseling," said Army Surgeon General Kevin Kiley, speaking at a hearing on military medical readiness before the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. It is estimated that about 17 percent of returning war fighters have post-traumatic stress disorder or severe anxiety and depression, compared with about 6 percent or 7 percent of the general population, Kiley said.

Full Story

Surging on the Afghan Front

The US foreign policy debate these days revolves around President Bush's "new way forward" in Iraq. While a rash of congressional hearings seek to identify the remaining options in Iraq, commanders on the less visible Afghan front say they need more troops too. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates told reporters after a recent visit to Kabul: "There's no reason to sit back and let the Taliban regroup" (NPR). Some of the impetus for US action comes from reluctance of some North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations to send more of their own troops to the fight. For this reason, Britain may also boost its numbers (FT) in Afghanistan. NATO commanders in the region expect mounting clashes with the resurgent Taliban guerillas, primarily in the south of the country.

Full Story

Gates Sees Hurdles, Hope on 2 War Fronts

On his second fact-finding mission abroad since becoming defense secretary, Robert Gates discovered some less-than-encouraging things about the two wars he inherited from former Pentagon chief Donald H. Rumsfeld. Gates returned to Washington on Saturday after a whirlwind tour that began last weekend in London and ended Friday in southern Iraq. In between he visited NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, met with troops and officials in Afghanistan and made stops in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar. He said he found "universal agreement" on the importance of averting failure in Iraq and of confronting extremism in Afghanistan. But he also saw a way ahead that is littered with obstacles, small and large:

Full Story

Pakistani Role Seen in Taliban Surge at Border

The most explosive question about the Taliban resurgence here along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is this: Have Pakistani intelligence agencies been promoting the Islamic insurgency? The government of Pakistan vehemently rejects the allegation and insists that it is fully committed to help American and NATO forces prevail against the Taliban militants who were driven from power in Afghanistan in 2001. Western diplomats in both countries and Pakistani opposition figures say that Pakistani intelligence agencies - in particular the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence and Military Intelligence - have been supporting a Taliban restoration, motivated not only by Islamic fervor but also by a longstanding view that the jihadist movement allows them to assert greater influence on Pakistan's vulnerable western flank.

This story requires you to sign-up for an account. If you do not want to sign-up for an account at the New York Times, I have created one - user e-mail: btw@blackwaterusa.com password:blackwater.
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SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

A Chance For Unity On Iraq

The change of command in Iraq offers an opportunity to move past the divisive domestic debate over the deployment of more troops to Baghdad and instead put the pressure where it belongs -- on the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. When Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, the new commander in Iraq, goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, lawmakers are likely to hear a very different presentation from what they usually get from the Pentagon. Rather than ask the senators to grant him free rein to operate as he wishes, Petraeus is ready, I am told, to invite and encourage the closest kind of congressional scrutiny of what is happening in Iraq.

Full Story

Dems in no rush to build border fence

Mayors of Texas border towns who met with Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff on Wednesday said they are confident a 850-mile fence will not be built on the U.S.-Mexico border. Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas said it is "highly unlikely" that the fence, as authorized in a law signed by President Bush, would be funded. "It's a turnaround here. It's the beginning of a new day to say no wall," Salinas said. Seven mayors and three Texas businessmen met with Chertoff at the office of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas. She voted for the fence but wants it adjusted to address local concerns.

Full Story

Pentagon and CIA expand intelligence role in US

The Pentagon has been using a little-known power to obtain banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others whom mit suspects of terrorism or espionage inside the United States, part of an aggressive expansion by the military into domestic intelligence gathering. The CIA has also been issuing what are known as national security letters to gain access to financial records from American companies, though it has done so only rarely, intelligence officials say. Banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions receiving the letters usually have turned over documents voluntarily, allowing investigators to examine the financial assets and transactions of US military personnel and civilians, officials say.

Full Story

Terrorists 'use Google maps to hit UK troops'

Terrorists attacking British bases in Basra are using aerial footage displayed by the Google Earth internet tool to pinpoint their attacks, say Army intelligence sources. Documents seized during raids on the homes of insurgents last week uncovered print-outs from photographs taken from Google. The satellite photographs show in detail the buildings inside the bases and vulnerable areas such as tented accommodation, lavatory blocks and where lightly armoured Land Rovers are parked.

Full Story

Tunisia: 'Terrorists' had embassies' blueprints

Islamic extremists involved in a deadly fire fight with police this month had blueprints of foreign embassies and documents naming foreign envoys, Tunisia's official news agency quoted the interior minister as saying Friday. Interior Minister Rafik Haj Kacem described the extremists as "terrorists" in a closed door meeting with members of Tunisia's governing party, the TAP news agency reported. "It concerns a group of terrorist Salafists who infiltrated (Tunisia) via the Algerian border," Rafik Belhadj Kacem was quoted as saying.

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TACTICAL TRAINING & INTELLIGENCE RESOURCES FOR THE PROFESIONAL

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Learn the language... and the culture... then deploy.

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INTENSITY - Live and breathe Arabic, Pashto/Dari, or Spanish
Blackwater Language School provides an intensive language learning environment in which participants challenge themselves and learn at a rate beyond normal limits. This intensive experience has proven to be very successful. Because you and your teammates have limited time to study the language and culture, we substitute time with intensity. Every student is encouraged to communicate as much as possible in the target language during the week-long course. This is no ordinary course of study- it is an endeavor that is emotionally taxing- and rewarding.

SURVIVABILITY - Cultural Awareness = Situational Awareness
If you don't understand the culture...you can cause real trouble. Our team of accomplished staff is dedicated to helping students survive and thrive in the subject culture. A series of cultural activities will take place throughout the program. Students will be encouraged to use their new skills as they eat cultural meals and engage in situational interviews- in the immersive environment. This highly intensive language environment empowers you to immediately put your language skills into action and test the boundaries of your cultural survival skills.

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and...

Armorer Training Classes

Bushmaster Carbine Armorer; Salt Lake City, Utah; February 23-24

H&K Armorer USP, UMP, G-36; Cullman, Alabama; February 26 - 3 March

H&K Armorer MP5, USP; Pineville, North Carolina; March 19-23

H&K Armorer MP5, UMP; Montville, New Jersey; April 9-13

Armorer training classes are a mixture of classroom instruction and hands-on exercises, enabling each student to achieve a high degree of familiarity with the topics covered. The course covers disassembly, parts identification and reassembly along with trouble shooting suggestions and repairs. Graduates receive a three year manufacturer's certification as an armorer. Additional information is available at http://www.blackwaterusa.com/training/coursesmobile.asp

FRANKS REVIEW

Service Equipment Review

SHOT Show 2007 Full Review

As promised last week, this week's review is a full blown look at what we found new or interesting at SHOT Show. I need to start by thanking Blackwater for sponsoring me to go. Right at the top of my list of "new and cool" is there AR-15 in7.62mm x 39mm. Yep, you read that right: an AR that shoots the AK47 round. This may well be the best weapon to have in an operational environment overseas where logistical support may be problematic. I also need to thank Brigade Quartermaster: due to their location right near the entrance doors, they were in the ideal spot for me to constantly drop my ruck as I was coming or going for whatever reason. They tolerated me without complaint and that's hard to do (ask my wife). Let's get into the meat of SHOT Show...

Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/other/shot07main.htm

Recreational Equipment Review

SHOT Show 2007 The Other Side

As always, because of my background as a soldier and a police officer, I find more in the Military & Law Enforcement section of SHOT Show than I do anywhere else. This year I made a sincere effort to find items of interest to our readers who aren't soldiers or cops. I had some success and look forward to trying again next year. What I did find of interest includes some new flashlights, boots, power tool accessories, etc. By far and away the most interesting non-duty related items I found still had to do with self-defense and I'm looking forward to testing them - but not having them tested on me. Let's take a look...

Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/huntfish/shot07rec.htm

CHAPLAINS CORNER

THOUGHTS...

I hear and see much news that attracts my attention. I usually do not get to read the daily newspaper until bedtime in the evening. During this month I have been pounding this computer keyboard and staring at the monitor screen almost continuously when I am awake except for my personally enforced evening rest periods and time out of the office on calls and patrol. All of my days are long with many demands but I am continually looking for news that concerns you... And also for news that concerns my national history and my personal history. I like to know what has happened before so that If possible I may learn from it and not make the mistakes that have been made by others who have preceded me in this life.

My days are so eventful that I must keep a daily record of my activities just to be able to recall the recent past... but all of you are always occupying a special place in my mind and heart. You are always there when I am conscious... and you are often there in my dreams while I'm sleeping.

I received a letter from a Marine Mom this past week. She wrote in response to last week's CC. Her son, Joe, (plus 11 adopted Marine sons) in Iraq, in Al-Anbar Province, wrote a letter that was published in the Appalachicola and Carabelle Times, in Florida on January 4th as follows:

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:
http://www.blackwaterusa.com/btw2006/article/012207chaplain.htm

BUMPER STICKER


	"WITHDRAW ALL TROOPS FROM IRAQ NOW: THROUGH IRAN"

CONTACT INFORMATION

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

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Editor-in-Chief – Gary Jackson (btw@blackwaterusa.com)
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Frank’s Review – Frank Borelli (frank@borelliconsulting.com)
Chaplain’s Corner - Chaplain D. R. Staton(chpln1@verizon.net)
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