Blackwater / Xe / IDS / Academi - R2

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La Iniciativa Mérida es para el territorio de México, son 15.000 millones de dólares durante 5 años.

[NEM0]

Cierto, pase por alto tu comentario que hacia referencia al Plan Mérida. Mis disculpas.

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¿Recordáis que hace unos meses en el foro FAS se habló de que habría que montar un curso para los conductores de MRAP?

Nuevo curso de BW para conductores de MRAP, ya hay cola entre varias unidades que no tienen los MRAPs asignados pero que se van a hartar a usar estos vehículos en zona de operaciones.



MRAP Driver's Safety Course

For more information please call: (252) 435-1317

New two day Blackwater Training Center course available to U.S. uniformed personnel only. This new training course offers standardized basic driver instruction and operating experience common to all MRAP style military vehicles. Curriculum focuses on operability, vehicle capabilities and limitations, common vehicle characteristics and safety. This is not a course intended to teach tactics or provide tactical driving. The course will address the root cause of most MRAP accidents, roll-overs, speed issues, and braking issues. It will also address climbing, descending, and controlling the vehicle in steep angles of attack Emergency vehicle egress training will also be covered.

Day One:

Driving Emergency Response (Classroom and Practical in Sedans) – ABS and NON-ABS

Straight Line Braking Drills

Turning and Braking Drills

Braking and Turning Drills

Slalom

Multiple Avoidance Driving Drills

Instinctive Response Drills (with surprise drills)

Skid Control on Skid Pad

Off Road Recovery

City streets and heavy traffic driving

Unknown or uncertain "Rules of the Road"

Driving in close proximity and constant movement

Driving Beyond Normal Limits (Classroom and Practical)

High speed driving techniques

Minimum visual distance considerations

Intersections and Stop Signs

Whole Road Concepts

Restricted Lane Concepts - Cornering Techniques

Braking Zones

Setting up for the corner - Turning and Braking entering the corner

Getting the vehicle pointed and balanced

Exiting the corner under control

High Center of Gravity Vehicle Operations

Managing Steep Angles of Attack

Climbing and Descending

Day Two:

Operator Introduction to MRAP

Drive Train Specifics

Transmission

Transfer Case

Differentials

Geared Hub Assemblies

Inflation System (CTIS)

Runflat

MRAP operations on Hard Surface

Driving Emergency Response (Classroom and Practical in MRAP)

Straight Line Braking Drills

Turning and Braking Drills

Slalom

Multiple Avoidance Driving Drills

Off Road Recovery

Skid Control on Skid Pad

Driving Beyond Normal Limits (Classroom and Practical)

High speed driving techniques

Minimum visual distance considerations

Intersections and Stop Signs

Whole Road Concepts

Restricted Lane Concepts - Cornering Techniques

Braking Zones

Setting up for the corner - Turning and braking entering the corner

Getting the vehicle pointed and balanced

Exiting the corner under control

Night Drive with NVG (optional)

Graduation and Course Critique

[Loopster]

Viendo el currículo de uno de los directores que Blackwater tiene asignados al CNTPO... me da a mí que los Supertucano son para este programa, y que van a incluir algo más que ametralladoras y cohetes. Al parecer la cosa podría extenderse más allá de la Iniciativa Mérida.

El MacArthur ya está en aguas del Índico, oficialmente en ejercicios con unidades del NSWC que andan por el Cuerno de África.

[pagano]

¿Cómo va a influir dentro de las PMC (a nivel corporativo como al de sus empleados) el que pierdan la inmunidad y por tanto queden sujetos a las leyes iraquíes en los próximos meses?

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Me "corto y pego" desde el foro FAS:

Fionn1 escribió...

US contractors lose immunity in Iraq security deal

By MATTHEW LEE – 2 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of contractors, both private Americans and non-Iraqi foreigners working in key roles for the United States in Iraq, will lose immunity and be subject to Iraqi law under new security arrangements, Bush administration officials say.

Pentagon and State Department officials notified companies that provide contract employees, like Blackwater Worldwide, Dyncorp International, Triple Canopy and KBR, of the changes on Thursday as the Iraqi parliament continues contentious debate on a security deal that will govern the presence of American forces in Iraq after January.

That so-called Status of Forces, or SOFA, agreement, which gives the Iraqi government only limited jurisdiction over U.S. troops and Defense Department civilians, excludes Defense Department contractors, two officials said.

The officials spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity after giving the same information to representatives of 172 invited contracting companies in two separate meetings earlier Thursday in Washington.

"Contractors and grantees can no longer expect that they will enjoy the wide range of immunity from Iraqi law that has been in effect since 2003," a State Department official said, reading from the text of a statement presented to the contractors.

Iraq will have "the primary right to exercise jurisdiction over" such workers, who are employed in various support roles for the U.S. military, including food service, transportation and sanitation, they said.

The agreement does not mention State Department contractors, who mainly provide security for U.S. diplomats in Iraq, but their immunity is expected to be revoked by the Iraqi government after the agreement takes effect pending Iraqi parliamentary approval, the officials said.

"In the future, contractors and grantees can expect to be fully subject to Iraqi criminal and civil laws and to the procedures of the Iraqi judicial system," the official said, adding that contractors faced similar situations in all other areas of the world, including in Afghanistan.

It was not immediately clear if any contractors would choose to stop working in Iraq because of the changes. The Pentagon official allowed that some contractors had expressed concern, but stressed that none so far had said specifically that: "If I lose immunity, I will walk."

The Pentagon employs some 163,000 contractors in Iraq. Of those, about 17 percent are U.S. citizens, 34 percent are third-country nationals and 49 percent are Iraqis. The State Department employees 5,500 contractors in Iraq, of which all but 1,000 are U.S. citizens. The U.S. Agency for International Development employees another 4,800 contractors. A breakdown of their nationalities was not immediately available.

Under existing rules that date from 2003 and the occupation government of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority non-Iraqi citizens working for companies under contracts to U.S. government agencies in Iraq are immune from Iraqi law.

That status has become increasingly controversial, particularly after a September 2007 incident in which private Blackwater security guards protecting a State Department convoy opened fire in a crowded Baghdad square, killing 17 Iraqi civilians and prompting a huge outcry in Iraq.

The State Department official said he expected the U.S. and Iraqi governments would be able to reach a separate understanding under which private security guards protecting American diplomats would be allowed to use "appropriate defensive force" if they were attacked. But, he could not say when that understanding might be reached.

A lo que respondí...

Si te pasas por los foros que llevan los brokers verás que el apartado de los contratistas en el SOFA es algo que ya se sabía.

Sin embargo la cosa no debe de ser tan preocupante, porque en Iraq se trabaja desde 2003 pero en Afganistán se trabaja desde 2001... y nunca ha existido esa "inmunidad". Ni en el Sudeste Asiático, ni en Jordania, ni en México, ni en Colombia, ni en Ecuador, ni en Brasil, ni en Israel (y territorios palestinos), ni en Kirguizistán,... vamos, que el estatus de Iraq era la excepción y no la norma.

De todas formas es sorprendente ver la desinformación referente al estatus legal que rodea a los contratistas armados, cuando precisamente los que gozaban realmente de esa "inmunidad" eran los que trabajaban para ministerios iraquíes. Los contratistas que trabajan para el DoD estaban bajo el UCMJ y MEJA, y los contratistas del DoS estaban bajo protocolo especial (la tarjeta negra).

Además, ¿recuerdas la frase que surgió en 2007 acerca de "throw Blackwater under the bus"? no solo Blackwater ha renovado dos veces sus contratos con State (WPPS y Task Order 10, que ahora anda por la 13 pero tú sabes... shhhhhhhh ) sino que la misma noticia lo dice:

The State Department official said he expected the U.S. and Iraqi governments would be able to reach a separate understanding under which private security guards protecting American diplomats would be allowed to use "appropriate defensive force" if they were attacked. But, he could not say when that understanding might be reached.

¿Quién protege a los "American diplomats"? pues Blackwater Worldwide, Triple Canopy y Dyncorp. Los niños mimados del State no llevan protegiéndoles el culo en los peores rincones del mundo a casi 6.000 diplomáticos y agentes federales durante los últimos 7 años en vano.

Y ojo, que de las 170 empresas autorizadas a llevar armas en Iraq (en realidad 310, pero muchas son la misma bajo diferentes denominaciones y absorciones) más de la mitad son iraquíes, para las que Maliki ya ha dicho que tendrá un "apartado especial" del acuerdo.

Nada del otro mundo, todo sigue igual y seguirá igual, de hecho las empresas se están frotando las manos porque la retirada de tropas en Iraq implica más gente e instalaciones a proteger por parte de las PMCs y en Afganistán acaban de tener un marrón enorme en logística porque les han cerrado la vía de aprovisionamiento desde Karachi, habiendo solicitado el DoD que le envíen propuestas para que las empresas se hagan cargo del aprovisionamiento logístico de las fuerzas en Afganistán.

Puede ser curioso ver convoys de 40 vehículos de Erinys y Armorgroup pero por Pakistán.

Pues eso es lo que pasa, la tal inmunidad nunca fue tal, porque dependiendo de quien fuera tu cliente estabas sujeto a una jurisdicción u otra. Curisamente eran los que trabajaban para el gobierno iraquí quienes más libertad tenían.

En Afganistán trabajan las mismas empresas occidentales, y allí el control sobre las PMCs es mucho más estricto, estando prohibida la tenencia de chalecos y cascos antibala, radios, armas o vehículos blindados. Para todo ello exigen licencias individuales que hay que renovar cada X tiempo (dependiendo de a quien untes) e incluso los clientes suelen viajar con dos juegos de chalecos antibalas, uno puesto y otro de repuesto por si la policia afgana te lo "confisca" para su propia protección.

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Tom Ridenour, comandante del MacArthur.

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Sobre lo ya dicho aquí acerca del curso de conducción de MRAPs

Blackwater will teach driving in armored vehicles

By Mike Baker - RALEIGH, N.C.

With a surplus of heavily-armored vehicles it didn't sell to the military, Blackwater Worldwide plans to teach driving skills to improve safety on rollover-prone vehicles widely used by U.S. troops.

Jim Sierawski, vice president for training of the Moyock-based private military contractor, said heavy patrol vehicles are scarce for training because so many are deployed overseas.

"We're another school to go to - another training option and training solution for the military," Sierawski said. "They get the same level of training they would in the military."

Blackwater has a surplus of heavily-armored vehicles it developed that were once meant to fulfill contracts that it eventually did not win.

The two-day courses, set to begin in December, will teach basic driving techniques common to all vehicles that are mine-resistant and ambush-protected - known as MRAP in military jargon. Participants will learn how to climb and descend hills and control the vehicles at steep angles. Instruction includes accident prevention skills.

Sierawski said participants will also learn how to operate with damaged or deflating tires - a skill often needed in hotspots.

"It's a basic course - it's a safety course," Sierawski said. "It's nothing high-speed."

Thousands of the MRAP vehicles are being used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their hard shell and design protect occupants; the trucks sit high on a raised chassis and have V-shaped bottoms to shield their underbellies. But they have one drawback: the MRAP vehicles aren't as agile as Humvees.

The military has warned troops to be careful behind the wheel after five deaths where connected to vehicle rollovers. The military has also logged dozens of other accidents.

"Overseas, a lot of traffic accidents are happening because the guys aren't used to the characteristics of the vehicles," Sierawski said.

Blackwater said earlier this month that it has laid off an undisclosed number of employees after failing to win a government contract for its Grizzly armored vehicle, which the company had hoped would replace the Humvee. Blackwater had also developed a newer version of the heavier MRAP vehicles before the military decided to stay with its current version.

Sierawski said the company is training instructors for the course and identifying areas on its Moyock campus where the vehicles can operate.

Y un artículo de la viuda de Arthur Laguna, piloto de Little Bird abatido en la batalla de Karrada (Blackwater Down)

My Husband Was a Blackwater Hero

By Marybeth Laguna - Sunday, November 30, 2008



My husband, Art Laguna, was a hero. He was a man of honor -- he kept his word and he valued truth and honesty, and he expected no less from anyone else. His life was spent in service to his country and his family.

Here at home, Art served as a sheriff's reserve deputy. He was a volunteer helicopter pilot and flew medical evacuation missions with the California National Guard out of Sacramento 's Mather Field. He was the father of four and grandfather of six.

Art was proud of his three-decade career with the U.S. Army and the National Guard. He served in Iraq three times and he deployed once to Bosnia. In 1998, he was awarded a medal of valor from the California Department of Corrections for piloting a National Guard helicopter that helped save a California man who'd been stranded by floodwaters on the roof of his car. And last June, the military awarded him the Legion of Merit for exceptional conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. I accepted this most recent honor on his behalf.

And this past week, as our family gathered around the table to give thanks for our blessings, one very important blessing was missing. Art was killed last year in Iraq when the helicopter he was piloting was shot down while assisting a U.S. Embassy convoy that had come under fire in a violent Sunni neighborhood in central Baghdad.

Art could have chosen a safer profession. He knew that -- and so did I. But from the time he was a child, all he'd ever wanted to do was to fly and to help people. At the time of his death, he was flying rescue missions into Iraq's most dangerous areas to help evacuate teams of U.S. government employees who had come under attack.

Since the horrible day in January 2007 when the telephone rang with the news that Art had been killed, I've experienced the breadth of emotions that anyone feels when they lose a loved one. There's intense pain, loss and grief. There's pride in his accomplishments, the choices he made and the way he lived his life. And, yes, there's anger.

My anger, however, doesn't come from the direction you might expect. I'm not angry at Art for the risks he took in life, or at the war that took that precious life. Instead, I too often find myself operating at a slow boil, sometimes exasperated and sometimes irate at those who never knew my husband or his colleagues, yet who insist on tarnishing their memories each day.

Because when Art died, he wasn't working for the military. He was working for Blackwater.

Art considered his job with the private security firm that protects U.S. diplomats in Iraq a continuation of his service to this country. He told me that he believed in the job and respected the mission. But somehow, this one word -- Blackwater -- gets in the way of a lucid, reasoned discussion.

Art first went to work for Blackwater in August 2006 and was on his second deployment with the company when he was killed. When I tell people these facts, they rarely express appreciation for his services. Instead, most suggest that he was crazy to go back. I've had people repeat the ridiculous urban legend that Blackwater instituted martial law in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and ask me whether Art had been a part of that. At a recent social event, someone asked me whether Blackwater was the same company that "goes around shooting people." I've heard the news media and even elected officials casually throw around words such as "cowboy" and "mercenary" to describe men and women who voluntarily go into harm's way to protect others. Those caricatures are wrong. They might describe someone's antiwar agenda, but they don't describe my husband or his colleagues.

This public relations spin on contractors by antiwar activists has unfortunately gained traction, and the smearing got worse after an incident in September 2007, when a Blackwater team found itself in trouble and opened fire, tragically causing the deaths of several Iraqi civilians. What I know about this comes only from the media; the company said the security guards were responding to an ambush. But when this newspaper reported that federal prosecutors had sent letters to six Blackwater Worldwide security guards involved in that incident, there was a resurgence of unfair mischaracterizations of the company and its contractors.

I don't know the Blackwater men involved or the details of that day. But as the wife of someone who was deployed to a war zone four times, I do know that whether you're a member of the military or a private security contractor, if you think you're in trouble, you're going to protect yourself. I also know that, in addition to his prior extensive military experience, Blackwater required Art to go through rigorous training before sending him to Iraq. The same was true of all his colleagues.

Our all-volunteer military is overwhelmed and doesn't have enough soldiers with the experience it takes to guard the kinds of high-profile and highly targeted Americans who must travel around Iraq. That's why veterans working for contractors such as Blackwater, DynCorp, Triple Canopy and others are stepping up to serve their country again.

My husband and his fellow contractors answered a call. Art didn't do it for the money. He wanted to contribute in any way possible so that his kids and grandkids could continue to enjoy the American dream. He wanted to test himself and give back to his country using the training he'd received throughout his life.

Just like soldiers, security contractors based in Iraq face daily threats to their lives. Rather than demonizing these men and women, we should be thanking them for the essential service they provide. Whether they are working for Blackwater or directly for the U.S. military, they are all risking their lives to work for the United States. And they deserve our respect.

[Mod. 4]

Hola amigos, estaba mirando como funcionaba el foro, normas etc..
Tenía la curiosidad de responder esta pregunta, que ví por ahí
Para comprar en la web de BW hay que tener un domicilio legal en EE.UU
como conseguirlo:
1.- Identificarse ante las autoridades postales de EEUU (formulario + compulsa de pasaporte por Notario Español)
2.- Contratar un domicilio en un centro de negocios

Or recomiendo http://www.usabox.com Desde allí podeis descargaros los formularios necesarios. Os darán dirección legal EEUU. gratuita (no es un PO BOX). Sólo se paga por envío (FEDEX). Seguimiento on line hasta el destino

P.D. Hace tiempo que compro en BW con una dirección adquirida allí sin problema

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