| October 8, 2007 Edition |
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See THE PRIVATE SECURITY BLOGOSPHERE below for new
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BLACKWATER CREATES ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONJoin what will become the most important and far-reaching tool used to keep the Blackwater family connected and informed. The Blackwater Alumni Association is open to course graduates, employees, former employees who have left in good standing and those recognized as part of the Blackwater family. An annual $35 membership due entitles the alumnus to a certificate validating their alumni membership and redeemable for the face value ($35) and can be used towards the cost of tuition on a Blackwater training course. Other benefits include:As the Blackwater Alumni Association grows, you will find programs and opportunities to be involved including projects of good will and the chance to participate in alumni-exclusive events. In the near future, the Blackwater Alumni Association will announce an annual Blackwater Alumni shooting tournament that will be limited to association members. We look forward to growing with you! Eric R. Poole Blackwater Alumni Association alumni@blackwaterusa.com |
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| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
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Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts. Cicero |
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| PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS |
Flashpoint: Hamas havenUnder a green flag, Gaza could be a rallying point for Islamic extremistsArmed Forces JournalPeter Brookes From Lebanon's refugee camps to Iraq's desert sands to Pakistan's mountainous tribal areas, Islamic extremism is on the march across the Muslim world, while moderate, secular regimes are under siege - if not in retreat. One of the newest trouble spots is the Gaza Strip, a sliver of land wedged between the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt that just witnessed the first violent takeover of a Sunni Arab political authority by a radical Islamist movement. Welcome to "Hamastan." Full Story Ahmadinejad finds it warmer in Latin AmericaHugo Chavez and company are giving the Iranian president an entree into the U.S. sphere of influence.Los Angeles TimesDaniel P. Erikson If Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was displeased by the hostile reception he got during his trip to a United Nations summit in New York last week, the next stage of his journey surely lifted his spirits. He hopped on a plane to Caracas, where he was warmly greeted by Hugo Chavez. The Venezuelan president praised Ahmadinejad's performance at Columbia University, telling him: "An imperial spokesman tried to disrespect you, calling you a cruel little tyrant. You responded with the greatness of a revolutionary." Full Story What We Owe the BurmeseWashington PostFred Hiatt An upheaval like the pro-democracy uprising taking place in Burma over the past month tends to shake up certainties that had seemed self-evident. Certainties such as the primacy of justice. Or the sanctity of the Olympic Games. Despite an academic industry devoted to the subject, no one can predict when an oppressed people will find that precise combination of hopelessness and hope, impatience and solidarity, and recklessness and anger that leads it to rebel. Nor can anyone answer the most important question facing Burma now: When will the boys and men who prop up a corrupt regime with their guns and prison cells decide that they have had enough -- that they no longer want to shoot unarmed Buddhist monks or round up young girls for possession of cellphones with cameras? Full Story |
| BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
The Suspects Who Got AwayGerman authorities nabbed the alleged masterminds of a deadly plot against U.S. targets. But dozens of others believed to be close to their terror cell are still at large.NewsweekMichael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball German authorities have launched a worldwide manhunt for as many as 50 members and supporters of a suspected terror cell that was allegedly plotting to launch multiple car-bomb attacks against U.S. military and other American-related targets in Germany, several officials close to the investigation have told NEWSWEEK. The plot was first made public when it was foiled a month ago, and three of the group's alleged ringleaders are in custody. But the officials said as many as a dozen active members of the cell are still believed to be on the loose - dispersed to locations including Pakistan and Great Britain. Full Story The Realignment of IraqWe're winning because the Iraqis want us to--Moqtada al-Sadr included.Wall Street JournalBartle Bull The war in Iraq was always going to be won by the Iraqis, and so it has proven. But the Iraqis who have won it are on our side. It was in the spring of 2004--a month or so before I first arrived in Baghdad in a taxi to stay in a small hotel--that the Sunnis launched their disastrous insurgency. Its defeat is becoming ever more clear this autumn as new reports reach us of the patriotic stand of the Anbar tribes, the pacification and nascent prosperity of Fallujah and Ramadi, the isolation of al Qaeda, and the peace overtures of defeated Baathists. Full Story The Guards Run the Show in IranThey have a hand in the nuclear program, attacks in Iraq, and politics.The Christian Science MonitorAbbas William Samii In recent weeks, as Washington ratcheted up pressure to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, officials throughout Iran sprang to its defense. The sermon by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati last month was typical. The corps "is not separate from the people," Mr. Jannati told the congregation. "Are you introducing the 70 million people living in this country as terrorists?" This public embrace makes devising effective sanctions against the corps problematic. Still, the United States must find a way to contain the Guards - they help run Iran's nuclear program, have a hand in killing US soldiers in Iraq, and are playing an increasingly prominent role in Iranian politics. Full Story Putin's maneuvers dash hopes for Russian democracyUSA TodayAmerica's first president, George Washington, and Russian President Vladimir Putin share one thing: Nearing the end of their second terms, they were so popular that majorities wanted them to stay for a third. This week, it became clear the parallel ends there. Washington refused to run again. He established the tradition (broken only by Franklin D. Roosevelt) of American presidents serving no more than two terms that later became law. Washington understood that it's unhealthy for one person to hold the reins of power too long. Full Story Saved by the SurgeBut troop cuts look riskyNew York PostJohn Podhoretz Is the surge in Iraq working? Consider this plain, simple and overwhelmingly power ful fact: Hundreds and hundreds of Iraqis are alive today, on Oct. 2, who'd be dead by now if there had been no surge. There were 1,975 Iraqi civilian fatalities in August. In September, the number fell to 922 - a drop of 53 percent. How do we know this decline is due to the surge? We can't know for certain, of course. And there's a caveat: The fatality reduction in September is particularly dramatic because there was no attack last month to match the horrible slaughter of hundreds of members of the Yazidi sect in August. Full Story |
| THE WEEKLY CARTOON |
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| JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
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To view the latest contract opportunities at Blackwater, visit our Contract Web Page. TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND SUBMIT YOUR RESUME CLICK HERE Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training at Blackwater (252) 435-2488 or email dcarter@blackwaterusa.com. |
| SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Next Stop KandaharThe counterinsurgency begins in Kansas.The Weekly StandardMark Hemingway Captain Steve Gerber, the ranking American soldier on the scene, scans the perimeter of the Afghan village for signs of activity. There's a roar in the distance and a Humvee is hurtling down the rough dirt road, kicking up mud in its wake from the recent rain. The Humvee makes a hard right at speed, heads to the far corner of the village, spins around, and stops. The Hummer's gunner pops up like a jack-in-the-box and points the mounted machine gun at a small gully of rocks and trees at the bottom of the slope that marks the edge of town. Seemingly out of nowhere, three Afghan soldiers materialize, working in tandem with the Humvee, running out ahead of the vehicle. Full Story Iraq's Next TestCan government accept victory?New York PostRich Lowry "What do you do when Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson offer to put down their arms?" That's the rhetorical question posed by an officer of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, prior to a morning Humvee patrol here. He is analogizing Sunnis who have abandoned the insurgency to the famous rebels Lee and Jackson, and directing his question to the Shia-led central government. Inspired tactics by our troops, coupled with a Sunni turn against al Qaeda, have - in a microcosm of what's happening throughout Iraq - transformed the northwest part of Baghdad controlled by this brigade. "People ask me if we're at a tipping point," says the brigade's leader, Col. J.B. Burton. "I say, 'No, we have a window of opportunity.'" Full Story A Local Perspective on Major Event Police Planning in a Post - September 11 Environment: Super Bowl XLI, Miami, FloridaThe Police ChiefRobert Parker The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) is no stranger to having planned for and responded to major events. Miami has experienced hurricanes, aircraft disasters, and organized demonstrations; prepared for Super Bowls; and hosted the annual IACP and Major Cities Chiefs conferences. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, however, significantly modified the planning process for communities hosting a Super Bowl, with the major shift occurring with Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans, Louisiana (which was held February 3, 2002). Full Story The Inevitability of Musharraf?TimeAryn Baker Has there ever been an election campaign with so many anti-climaxes? A surprise ruling by Pakistan's Supreme Court today on President General Pervez Musharraf's eligibility to run for a second term technically threatens his bid to stay in power and has many Pakistanis scratching their head over what is going on in their country's power politics. The last few months have been rocked by controversy over Musharraf's eligibiity even as he feuded angrily with the judicial branch of government. Today's ruling appears to be another round of that tit-for-tat - though tempered by another long-running drama, Musharraf's budding alliance with his old nemesis, the exiled Benazir Bhutto. Full Story Dealing with PutinInternational Herald TribuneJames F. Hoge Jr Russia's strained relations with the West are about to get worse. The cause is Russian President Vladimir Putin's mounting frustration at being stymied in his drive to achieve "great power" influence over events at a time when he thinks the United States is weakened and Europe neutered. Moscow-based Kremlin watchers expect more antagonistic counterthrusts, spurred by Putin's failure to get his way on three current issues. Full Story |
| TACTICAL TRAINING & INTELLIGENCE RESOURCES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Mirror Image Training: Training to Combat TerrorismMirror 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.
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| FRANKS REVIEW |
Tactical Equipment EvaluationTactical Design Labs RP HolsterI've actually had this T&E holster for quite some time now. I requested and received one for my Glock 19 (a 2nd gen gun) and didn't take to it right away. At first the holster seemed bulky, difficult to draw from and, in general, way too new in concept for me to appreciate. Then I talked to Tony Blauer of Blauer Systems & SPEAR fame and his enthusiasm about the holster led me to open my eyes a little bit and give it another chance. I still can't say this is my favorite holster, but I've at least gotten to the point where I have to give it am impartial look.Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/holsters+/tdlabsholster.htm
Recreational Equipment ReviewEagle Industries A-III PackAs I've noted in the past when a product is produced for military field use it is often one of the best things to have in the field of outdoor recreation. Military use items go through more testing than is often required (or sensible) but if a product gets through all that you can safely assume it will perform acceptably for non-abuse non-combat purposes. The Eagle Industries A-III Pack was designed to meet stringent standards. Its form and function make it ideal for overnighters or weekend camping trips under austere conditions.Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/campback/eia3pack.htm |
| CHAPLAINS CORNER |
PERSPECTIVEThis question comes often in conversations between me and others.Blackwater Security Contractors - September 16 - Baghdad, Iraq - Nisoor Square... We were not there... We did not share their point of view... Facts are not yet clear and for those of us not there... For those of us not inside the Company... And not privy to the FBI investigation details... The facts may never be clear!... At least not for us! The media, much of Congress and critics are using every opportunity to express and publish anti-war and anti-Blackwater sentiments... They bash the State Department for using Security Contractors for the protection details... And ignite negative sentiments against everything that they can imagine that does not suit the people doing the inciting. Many of you who read these words will have some level of identifying with the Blackwater personnel who were in that incident. Some of you will be able to identify with them personally because you have been involved in some life threatening incident where someone else could have taken you out, or actually did try taking you out of the battle or out of this life just because you were there and they wanted to eliminate you and anyone with you. Many of our government leaders do not comprehend the logistics of the demands of duty upon our military and the Security Contractors in Baghdad and all of Iraq... Nor upon our Peace Keepers here at home. Many media reporters use the story of the incident to grind some set of details into the minds of the readers... To instill some opinion that the reporter is pushing themselves. Some of these actions are so obvious as to sicken the stomach if one pays full attention to their words and actions. http://www.blackwaterusa.com/btw2007/article/100807chaplain.htm |
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Blackwater Facts (www.blackwaterfacts.com)
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| BUMPER STICKER |
I'm Canadian. It's like being American, but without the gun. |
| CONTACT INFORMATION |
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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) Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training
at Blackwater (252) 435-2488 Editorial Calendar: The weekly theme may change at the discretion of
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| Blackwater USA (the "Company"), provides this Newsletter as a source of diverse information to its readers. The Company does not warrant or endorse the products or services advertised in or reviewed in the Newsletter. The views and statements of the reviewers and commentators presented in the Newsletter are entirely their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Company or its affiliates. The Company does not monitor or warrant the accuracy or reliability of the material provided in this Newsletter or presented at any of the third-party websites to which links are provided in this Newsletter. WARNING: Use of certain of the products and services discussed or reviewed in this Newsletter can lead to personal injury or death. It is critical to follow manufacturers' instructions in using such products or services. The Company will not accept any liability for damages, injuries, or death resulting from the use or misuse of any such products or services. |
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