Insights on Hostile Environments & Security Politics
Afghan private security
When Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants to show who’s in charge he doesn’t do it by halves. His decree this week ordering all foreign and domestic PSCs operating in the country to disband by December is his most audacious power grab since he stole the Presidency last year– provided of course he really means to see it through. Continue reading ‘Karzai’s PSC Bluff?’
Moving in the Shadows
They don’t come home in flag draped coffins. Crowds do not line the street in silent tribute to their sacrifice. They are the fallen heroes the government keeps in the shadows; private security contractors who’ve lost their lives servicing British interests in hostile environments. It’s high time they were honoured.
Those familiar with my writings will know that this is a topic very close to my heart. For years I’ve been shouting from the rafters for government to externally regulate private security firms with operations abroad. Continue reading ‘BRITAIN’S HIDDEN HEROES’
Political Pawns?
Private security contractors working for Western PSCs in Kabul added another occupational hazard to their already considerable portfolio this week after Bill Shaw, a manager for Britain’s largest security firm was convicted of bribery by an Afghan court and sentenced to two years in prison. I have no doubt that Mr. Shaw was acting in good faith when he paid a $20,000 fine for the release of two improperly licensed vehicles owned by his employer, G4S; parent company of ArmorGroup. By all accounts, he is an upstanding manager who got caught in a political pissing match between Karzai’s government and the West over who is fuelling corruption in Afghanistan. Continue reading ‘Bombs, Bullets and Political Pissing Matches’
The headline in Sunday’s New York Times sent chills down my spine. Contractors Tied to Efforts to Track and Kill Militants. Sadly, the story that followed justified my reaction. In a nutshell, the New York Times reported that a US Defense Department official, Michael D. Furlong, established a network of private contractors in Afghanistan and Pakistan to gather intelligence on suspected insurgents — intelligence which may have been used to track and kill them.
As the New York Times pointed out, it is ‘generally considered illegal’ for the military to hire private contractors as spies. If it were up to me, it would be expressly outlawed. Continue reading ‘PMJs: Private Military Journalists?’
Taking Aim at PSC Reform
It looks like ArmorGroup North America will be down one lucrative contract next year. The US State Department is reportedly severing its relationship with the private security firm following an investigation into allegations of lewd, drunken behaviour and sexual misconduct by ArmorGroup contractors protecting the US Embassy in Kabul.
I have long argued against outsourcing military jobs – such as guarding embassies – to private security firms. The reason is simple. The military exits to protect and serve the national interest whereas PSCs operate for one reason and one reason only; to turn a profit. Continue reading ‘When Security and Profits Don’t Mix’
