Readers;

This will be my last BTW as Managing Editor. As I said a couple of weeks ago on the one-year anniversary of taking this project over, it's been a lot of fun. I've learned a lot and enjoyed reconnecting with old friends.

The HBO movie Taking Chance comes out this week. Great reviews, I plan on watching it, hope you take the time if possible.

You'll find the usual analysis of our two campaigns in the GWOT, along with a recent victory over the Somali Pirates. I've included a view on the State of Jihad which presents a great examination of where GWOT is going.

There are also a couple of good articles about using robots in war. Is it Star Wars or will it be the Terminator?

It's been a good ride and as always, stay safe, keep the flint sharp and your powder dry.

John Wrenn
Managing Editor, Blackwater Tactical Weekly
Director, Corporate Communications

Ayn Rand

Breaking news as BW changes to focus on core competency of training the tactical warrior.

Blackwater Worldwide, a private security company whose work in Iraq was plagued by trouble, said yesterday that it is changing its name to Xe as it shifts its business focus.

Southwestern Community College leverages the private sector to save taxpayers money.

OTAY MESA - Southwestern College will send its police academy students to the Blackwater Lodge and Training Center in Otay Mesa for weapons training under an agreement approved by the college's governing board last week.

Report: Poland to 'Punish' Taliban Who Beheaded Polish Geologist
February 09, 2009
Fox News

Resolve from the Poles in pursuing the War on Terror.

Poland pledges to capture and "punish" the Taliban militants who beheaded a Polish engineer in Pakistan on Friday before delivering a video of the attack to the media, the Times of London reports.

Terrorists in Pakistan are proving a major threat in the GWOT.

WASHINGTON - Even as C.I.A. drone aircraft pound Al Qaeda in Pakistan’s tribal region, there is growing concern among American military and intelligence officials about different militants’ havens in Pakistan that they fear could thwart American military efforts in Afghanistan this year.

Interesting development in U.S. engagement and strategy in Middle East.

MUNICH -- Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's new point man on Afghanistan and Pakistan, is expected to engage Iran as part of a broad effort to stabilize Afghanistan and combat the country's growing drug trade, according to officials briefed on the special representative's plans.

Good assessment on the need for security before reconstruction operations can begin, and stability and civil society restored. Maybe we should focus on the lack of security and stop obsessing about Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai.

The recent Newsweek cover story "Obama's Vietnam" was full of trite analogies. There is no more reason to think that the war in Afghanistan will be "another Vietnam" than there was to think that Iraq would be "another Vietnam," as so many people once claimed.

But Newsweek's editors may have performed a public service by bringing up one of the biggest mistakes the United States made in Vietnam: backing the overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem, the president of South Vietnam, in 1963. President John F. Kennedy and his aides thought Diem was a divisive, ineffective leader, and they feared that the war could never succeed with him in power. It turned out, though, that Diem's successors were even worse and that his overthrow set off a long period of instability that handicapped U.S. war efforts.

Another nice review of a very moving HBO movie scheduled for this coming Saturday, Feb. 21, at 8 p.m.

Kevin Bacon has quietly become one of the finest actors of his generation. Though he has never been nominated for an Academy Award, over his four decades in the business he hasn't followed trends or chased the eight-figure paychecks favored by his action-movie peers. Rather, he has taken on a variety of roles, some showy, some small, and amassed an impressive body of work that any actor would be proud of.

I leave you with an interesting analysis of the GWOT and what awaits the Muslim world.

The past year has seen significant developments in the Long War. Pakistan teeters on a civil war and a potential war with India, after Taliban gains and an attack launched on Mumbai from within Pakistan. India has emerged as a central battlefield in the war. Iraq has dealt major defeats to al Qaeda and the Mahdi Army, and is moving towards reconciliation. Afghanistan experienced the worst year since the US invasion to oust the Taliban in 2001. A “surge” in Afghanistan will take place this year. Iran is close to developing a nuclear weapon, and the West has no plan to avert the crisis. Al Qaeda is poised to retake control of Somalia. Yemen remains an al Qaeda sanctuary.

These technologies could also be adapted for shipboard use to thwart pirates.

Technologies that for decades have been tested and deployed by the U.S. military are now being tailored for use by the Department of Homeland Security to protect the nation's ports. Among them are radar, unmanned patrol boats, underwater sensors and nonlethal crowd-control weapons.

The future of military aviation?

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- From their cockpit at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, the pilot and co-pilot are flying a pilotless Predator on a bombing mission over Afghanistan, 8,000 miles away. Ordnance aboard includes four Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound bombs. A forward air controller using another unmanned drone spots the target and the Predator bomber takes off under local control from Kandahar in Afghanistan. Minutes later, control of the bomber is handed over to satellite control in the cockpit at Creech. Two hours later, the crew sees on the cockpit screen two suburban vehicles stop in front of the targeted mud-baked house. Half a dozen bearded men hurry into the dwelling, which intelligence has spotted as a Taliban command post. The ultra-sensitive cameras in the aircraft's nose show a door latch and a chicken outside. Seconds later, the bombardier in Nevada squeezes the trigger and a 500-pound bomb flattens the Taliban dwelling with a direct hit. Watching the action on identical screens are CIA operators at Langley, who can call in last-minute course corrections.

Companion article to one above, describing land use of robots.

They worked on Droids in Star Wars, so why not an al-Qaeda communications center.

"They" are electro-magnetic grenades -- not something you'll find in the typical armory but apparently something that could soon be in the hands of GIs.

Cool new tool designed for firefighters could also be used for room entry and vehicle escapes.

The new Buster Tool from Paratech is the perfect compact forcible entry tool. Specially designed for fire department officers- it has the versatility and rugged strength to assist in doing what needs to be done on the fire ground.

This lightweight, yet powerful tool can force entry or exit in most interiors, open walls or remove baseboards to check fire spread. The Buster Tools extended and locked claw assembly can be used for close quarters chopping or for added prying leverage.

Window systems are not the only vulnerable OS.

Apple has issued the largest number of security patches in nearly a year after it issued multiple updates for Mac OS X and Java.

The patches are to fix 55 known bugs, including one for Apple's Safari Web browser that prompted a security researcher to blast the company for a half-hearted approach to security.

Equipment Review

Years ago, when the first Rambo movie came out, the popularity of Bowie-style knives with a serrated back edge and hollow handles exploded. Mind you that was almost 30 years ago. Since then there have been some significant changes in the metals used for such knives, differences in blade shape, sheath material, etc. Thinking about all that I found myself sitting around with a collection of "survival" knives sitting around me as I considered the pros and cons of each. This weeks review is an overview of those knives, their design characteristics and which of those might serve your needs best.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/toolknife/survivalblades.htm

Since the dawn of man everything has changed in one way or another except human nature... Human nature runs the gamut from good to evil... And the only real tool we have with which to deal with destructive human nature is other human beings which I call Peace Keepers.

Names change. Procedures change. Methods change. Weapons change... Time marches on... But in the final actions and analysis, it is human beings dealing with human beings. Short range or long range it still comes down to that. Even if we were to achieve building armies of robots, we would still need humans to oversee the final actions and maybe perform the final actions themselves.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

http://www.ustraining.com/tw2009/article/021609chaplain.htm

Another popular exercise as the weather warms up is cycling. Good overview of the benefits of cycling for fitness.

In today's fitness market, there are any number of workout options. Many people choose to purchase a membership at a local gym or fitness club. Other people decide that running is the way they want to get healthier. Some people prefer swimming, walking, hiking, etc. There are plenty of options for people looking for exercise.

Nice overview of how nutrition fits into a training plan.

For many of you, when you encounter training problems, the first place you look is at your workout. Are you lifting enough? Are you getting enough rest? Are you doing enough cardio to make fat loss happen?

All are questions that might run through your mind. You make a small tweak here, another adjustment there and you're off, hoping you'll start seeing better results.

You could be missing the mark with this strategy, however. Many times, the primary reason you are not seeing the results you want with your training program is actually due to your nutritional program. Yes, it's true -- there are nutrition solutions for training problems.

Here are some links for charitable organizations.

Blackwater does not endorse any organization over another nor encourage charitable contributions, we provide these links as a public service, and take no responsibility for the actual sites. Although we strive to validate the sites before linking we caution you to do your own research, as the internet is ripe with scams.

Welcome Back Veterans

Here is an organization sponsored by Major League Baseball that wants to help returning vets.

Ten thousand young men and women come home from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other zones of conflict every month. They've served our country well, and have made sacrifices - of health, of family, of livelihood - that most of us will never have to make.

IT'S OUR TURN

To step up to the plate and GIVE.

The players and owners of Major League Baseball have contributed their time and resources to help returning soldiers and their families through Welcome Back Veterans. Now it's up to us to join the effort and do our part by giving generously.

Keep My Soldier Safe
Packages for Soldiers

Here is a great site that is trying to organize a bill that would allow free postage for letters and packages mailed to our service people overseas. Very relevant during the holidays.

Please go here and sign the petition so that we can help get this bill passed and get more packages sent to your troops for FREE...

We ask you to join us in urging our U.S. Senators and Representatives to support the effort to pass a law that would allow for the free mailing of letters and packages to our military personnel in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operation.

Full Story

Paw Prints Dog Sanctuary

Here's an organization that cares for dogs of deployed service personnel.

Welcome to Paw Prints Dog Sanctuary & Canine Corps!

We provide a loving "home away from home" for dogs whose owners are deployed overseas in the military, as well as a safe haven for Central Pennsylvania's senior and special needs dogs. To date, nineteen of our guest have been adopted into loving homes, and we are currently caring for seven senior and special needs dogs and sixteen military pets.

Project Healing Waters Flyfishing

Great way to help our wounded brethren.

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active duty military personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings.

If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.

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)
Managing Editor - John Wrenn (btw@blackwaterusa.com)
Format Editor - Jennifer Granoff (JGranoff@blackwaterusa.com)
Frank's Review - Frank Borelli (frank@borelliconsulting.com)
Chaplain's Corner - Chaplain D. R. Staton (chpln1@verizon.net)
Advertising - Jennifer Granoff (JGranoff@blackwaterusa.com)

Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training at Blackwater (252) 435-2035

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