| October 22, 2007 Edition |
Blackwater Worldwide Acquires Leading Online Training Company
Blackwater Worldwide, a global leader in advanced law enforcement and military training is proud to announce the acquisition of The Backup Training Corporation. Developed in 1997 by Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, businesswoman Yvonne Ellis, The Backup Corporation has maintained their goal of providing US law enforcement with useful low cost training tools, up to date professional information, and state of the art training tactics. The Backup Training Corporation provides superior CD-ROM training courses and online access to training coursework. Their training products are used in over 9,600 police departments nationwide. With this acquisition Blackwater Worldwide continues to build its core capability as a premier training provider, delivering efficient, effective, and economical global training solutions for the 21st century.
While Pakistan BurnsAl Qaeda regroups in the tribal areas, the government falters. What is to be done?The Weekly StandardDaveed Gartenstein-Ross If there were any doubt about the reach of militants in Pakistan, last week's events should have put them to rest. The ostentatious procession celebrating the return home of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was tragically cut short by twin bombs that killed over 130 and wounded several hundred more on Thursday night. The attackers almost succeeded in killing Bhutto as well. The blast shattered the windows in her vehicle and set a police escort car ablaze. The sophistication of the attack was apparent from the outset, and the bombs may have been accompanied by sniper fire. Full Story |
 |
| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
|
Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment. Baltasar Gracian |
 |
| PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS |
Portents of A Nuclear Al-QaedaWashington PostDavid Ignatius Rolf Mowatt-Larssen is paid to think about the unthinkable. As the Energy Department's director of intelligence, he's responsible for gathering information about the threat that a terrorist group will attack America with a nuclear weapon. With his shock of white hair and piercing eyes, Mowatt-Larssen looks like a man who has seen a ghost. And when you listen to a version of the briefing he has been giving recently to President Bush and other top officials, you begin to understand why. He is convinced that al-Qaeda is trying to acquire a nuclear bomb that will leave the ultimate terrorist signature -- a mushroom cloud. Full Story Charisma, Corruption & CoupsWhy 'democracy' won't fix PakistanNew York PostRalph Peters We simplify the problems of others. It's bad enough when we do it to family and friends, but it can be fatal when we simplify the problems of the developing world. The generally accepted line is that all civilian leaders are good, while military coups are always bad. Like most such generalities, it's often wrong. Our prejudice is on display again as Benazir Bhutto, a feudal landlord posing as a democrat, returns to Pakistan. Full Story Tale of the TapeThe USAF vs. China.The Weekly StandardStuart Koehl In assessing the Chinese military buildup there is a tendency to swing from one extreme to the other--either to minimize the threat or to blow it entirely out of proportion. An example of this can be found in a an October 11 article in the New York Times by David Lague, "China Announces Gain in Air Defense." Drawing on press releases by the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Lague writes: A senior officer from Chinese Air Force headquarters, Fang Lei, said a seamless network of all-weather air defense radars had been installed to cover all Chinese airspace, according to a report on the Web site of the official military newspaper, the Liberation Army Daily. Full Story  |
| BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Lebanon's government by murderAn assassination campaign is targeting the pro-Western parliamentary majority.Los Angeles TimesDavid Schenker Forty Lebanese members of parliament belonging to the pro-Western, anti-Syria March 14th majority bloc currently reside in Tower 3 at Beirut's Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel. With plush couches, stereos and flat-screen TVs, the two-bedroom units at the Phoenicia are swank. But the lawmakers aren't guests; they're prisoners. To get into the Phoenicia, you have to traverse no fewer than three security checkpoints, pass through a metal detector and show ID. Armed escorts from Lebanon's Internal Security Forces accompany guests to their rooms. Inside, curtains are permanently drawn to discourage snipers from targeting the MPs. One confined parliament member described the setup as "Abu Ghraib." Full Story Europe's Power StruggleRussia looks potent. But now the continent is starting to fight back.NewsweekAdrian Karatnycky At an off-the-record discussion several months ago, a former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Russia's elite was intoxicated from the smell of oil and gas and was drunk with petroleum power. The state-controlled, cash-rich energy giant Gazprom had just attempted to purchase a British energy company and was making progress in its plan to gain control over European pipelines and gas terminals. Russia was making strides in building Nordstream, a Baltic Sea pipeline that would allow it to supply gas directly to Europe and bypass pipelines that run through Ukraine and Poland. And Central Asia's political leaders were in lock step with the Kremlin, agreeing that all energy exports to Europe should flow through Russia rather than across the Caspian and Turkey. In short, Russia was getting stronger, and it was using its prodigious resources to advance its geopolitical agenda. Full Story Eradicating the PKKThe Washington TimesA series of attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has brought Turkey to the verge of invading northern Iraq to destroy Kurdish terrorist bases there. Within the last two weeks, the PKK has stepped up attacks inside Turkey, killing 31 people, including a busload of civilians and and 13 military commandos; more than 100 people have been killed in such attacks since the beginning of the year. In response to the escalating terrorist threat, Turks have put aside their political differences and are demanding a vigorous military response to PKK attacks, and the Turkish Parliament responded Wednesday by voting 507 to 19 to order military strikes or a large-scale invasion of northern Iraq during the next year. Full Story An Internet jihad aims at U.S. viewersInternational Herald TribuneMichael Moss and Souad Mekhennet When Osama bin Laden issued his videotaped message to the American people last month, a young jihad enthusiast went online to help spread the word. "America needs to listen to Shaykh Usaamah very carefully and take his message with great seriousness," he wrote on his blog. "America is known to be a people of arrogance." Unlike Bin Laden, the blogger was not operating from a remote location. It turns out he is a 21-year-old American named Samir Khan who produces his blog from his parents' home in North Carolina, where he serves as a kind of Western relay station for the multimedia productions of violent Islamic groups. Full Story A Dramatic ReturnBenazir Bhutto is back in Pakistan-and ready to challenge Musharraf.NewsweekRon Moreau Benazir Bhutto received a tumultuous reception in Karachi today when she ended eight years of self-imposed exile. The former prime minister stepped off the plane smiling - but with tears welling in her eyes - wearing a green shalwar kameez, a white headscarf and several amulets (called imamzams) on both arms to ward off evil. Some of the airport's security forces charged with keeping supporters at bay rushed toward her, shouting welcoming slogans. Outside the heavily guarded airport, the main thoroughfare was gridlocked by hundreds of thousands of her jubilant supporters and the buses, cars and rickshaws they had come in. Full Story |
| THE WEEKLY CARTOON |
|
|
| JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
|
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 webmaster@blackwaterusa.com. |
| SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Putinism in the BalkansThe Russian president tries to recover another lost sphere of influence.The Weekly StandardStephen Schwartz Russian tyrant-in-waiting Vladimir Putin's plan to restore a one-man dictatorship in Moscow has caused anxiety in the thin ranks of Russian liberals as well as among partisans of secure independence in the former Soviet republics. It should also stimulate concern in Europe, the United States, and the Far East, since it is clear that Putin desires recovery of Russian spheres of influence, temporarily lost with the collapse of communism. Full Story America becomes saferThe Washington TimesPeter Huessy The United States recently tested a missile defense system. The interceptor from Vandenberg USAF base in California smashed into a target launched from Alaska in a demonstration of the technological prowess of U.S. industry. A message was sent to North Korea that any rocket launched at Los Angeles is going to be destroyed - in other words, that nuclear blackmail is off the table. The test also gave impetus to deploying a defense in Europe against Iranian rockets. Full Story Turkey's Iraq ThreatReal Fears on Kurdish TerrorNew York PostPeter Brookes This week, the Turkish parliament gave the central government the go-ahead to undertake cross-border operations into Iraq against the Kurdish terrorist-separatist group, the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK.) The good news is that Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan insists an attack isn't imminent. The bad news is that a large-scale incursion could have serious consequences for U.S. interests in Iraq. It's no surprise the Turks are up in arms. PKK forces based in Iraq have recently attacked both civilian and military targets in Turkey. PKK rebels reportedly killed at least 15 Turkish soldiers and a busload of civilians in the last two weeks. Full Story Putin's Persian PalsUsing Iran to Vex the WestNew York PostPeter Brookes At his press conference yes terday, President Bush seemed surprised to learn of Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments in Tehran rejecting the use of force in the Caspian region - a clear warning to the United States not to use the military option to deal with Iran's nuclear program. In fact, Putin plainly means to use Iran as a lever against America and the West. His historic visit to Tehran this week - the first by a Russian leader since Stalin met the Allies in Tehran in 1943 - was just the latest sign. Full Story O Cannabis!Canada rethinks its drug policies.The Weekly StandardJonathan V. Last One of the untold successes of the Bush administration has been the progress made in the fight against illegal drugs. During the past six years, during which John Walters has been director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, drug use among the most critical American age groups, 12- to 17-year-olds and 18- to 25-year-olds, has fallen dramatically. Usage in these age groups rose between 1993 and 2001, but under Walters, teen drug use, for example, is down more than 20 percent. 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.
| |
| FRANKS REVIEW |
Tactical Equipment EvaluationRevision Eyewear RevisitedSome folks have called me a doubting Thomas. Others seem to feel that I'll write something nice about any company that sends me equipment to test. To that second group I say, "You have no idea how much stuff I've sent BACK because it failed." In the case of this week's review item - a recheck of Revision Military Eyewear - I decided to put my own convictions to the test. I have long been a fan of Revision Eyewear and believed their ads about "X number of shots, no penetrations." I decided not to take it for granted and test it myself. This week's review has pictures of ONE pair of Revision's Sawfly eyewear protection system that we shot THREE times with 8-shot. The short report is "92 hits: no penetrations". The long report is... below.Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/other/revrevisited.htm
Recreational Equipment ReviewFall Camping Season PreparationAs fall has finally arrived in the Mid-Atlantic area, and since I've got a weekend camping trip planned, it seemed the ideal time to go through my equipment to assess what was serviceable and what needed to be replaced. As I dug into my camping gear I realized that there is much I have some folks may not have or know about, and other stuff that all you readers might have or know about that I've never heard of. So, as I type today's review, discussing how to go about inventorying and checking your camping gear, I invite you readers to send me feedback to tell me what I've missed, forgotten, unnecessarily included, etc.Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/campback/checkgear.htm |
| CHAPLAINS CORNER |
SURVIVAL...may depend upon a combination of several factors...Skill - those abilities that you possess... From talents that are naturally yours... Abilities that you have learned by the experiences and training that you have received... To the condition of readiness that you have achieved by honing the natural and learned abilities to a high degree of proficiency.... Timing - Doing the right thing at the right time... Not too soon... Not too late... Grace - Some call this facet luck... Others call it coincidence. Grace is unlearned, unearnable, undeserved favor... These are those things that happen to bring things out in your favor when it should have gone the other way and you probably should not have survived... But you did survive. Assistance - help received from some one or more people in your support system that gave you what you needed to be able to survive when you could not survive on your own. I have experienced Grace many times in my long career. I just should not have survived but I did. I experienced it also in my young life prior to becoming a Peace Keeper. I am remembering those incidents as I write today. In times of conflict we cannot depend upon grace, nor luck, nor coincidence to give us a good result. Therefore we must learn all that we can and train until we are proficient in dealing with all of those known possibilities that we could face... And pray that we also receive grace and assistance for the unknown possibilities when they arise. http://www.blackwaterusa.com/btw2007/article/102207chaplain.htm |
|
| THE PRIVATE SECURITY BLOGOSPHERE |
|
Blackwater Facts (www.blackwaterfacts.com)
Please continue to submit your suggestions to btw@blackwaterusa.com. |
|
| BUMPER STICKER |
The road to success is always under construction. |
| 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) Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training
at Blackwater (252) 435-2488 Editorial Calendar: The weekly theme may change at the discretion of
the Editor based on current events. To view an archived BTW, Click Here |
| LEGAL NOTICE |
| 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. |
 |
      
      |
|
