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This Week in the Blackwater Tactical Weekly…
Afghanistan–Pakistan Developments
Homeland Security–First Responder
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| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
“ The United States will have to confront many national security challenges in the years ahead, but it won’t be able to defeat those threats until the Defense Department, and the nation as a whole, starts thinking and acting differently>” – Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright |
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| WEEKLY SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS |
Pakistani Taliban Say America Will "Burn"ReutersPakistani Taliban militants have warned America that it will soon "burn" while calling for Pakistan's rulers to be overthrown for following "America's agenda". The United States is convinced Pakistani Taliban militants allied with al Qaeda and operating out of northwestern Pakistani border regions were behind an attempted car-bomb attack in New York's Times Square on May 1. |
Times Square Bombing Probe Leads to Massachusetts, New JerseyVoice of AmericaU.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says three people arrested Thursday in the United States may have provided funds to the Pakistani-American charged in the recent failed bombing in New York's Times Square. U.S. agents carried out raids on locations in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, as well as in New York and New Jersey. |
What Do You Learn at Terrorist Training Camp?Foreign PolicyFaisal Shahzad, the suspect in the failed plot to bomb New York City's Times Square, has told U.S. investigators that he received bomb-making training at a camp in Pakistan's Waziristan region. Given the botched, even amateurish nature of Shahzad's attempt -- he forgot to take the keys to his getaway car, for instance -- many observers are now asking: What exactly does one learn at a terrorist training camp? |
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| U.S. DEFENSE NEWS |
The FN SCAR Reaches Final MilestoneDefense News(FN) received notification from the USSOCOM Program Executive Office—SOF Warrior (PEO—SW) that the SCAR Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) was approved and signed on April 14, 2010, moving this FN program into the Milestone C phase. This decision authorizes the production and deployment of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) MK 16 and MK 17, as well as the Enhanced Grenade Launcher Module (EGLM) MK 13. Full StoryXM25 Lets Soldiers Eliminate Targets They Can’t SeeDefense TalkThe Army's Program Executive Office Soldier showcased some of its products May 5 at the Aberdeen Test Center here. Among those products were the XM153 Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, the M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun with M2E2 Quick Change Barrel Kit, the lighter weight M240L Medium Range Machine Gun, and the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System. Full StoryBoeing Unveils Unmanned Phantom Ray DemonstratorDefense TalkThe Boeing Company today unveiled the fighter-sized Phantom Ray unmanned airborne system, a test bed for advanced technologies. “We are on a fast track, and first flight is in sight,” said Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works. “Phantom Ray is on schedule to fly in December, about two years after this project began. This is a tremendous accomplishment for Boeing and the Phantom Ray team.” Phantom Ray is scheduled to begin taxi tests this summer. Full StoryU.S. Military Still Lacks a Winning Strategy for Fighting Roadside BombsNational Defense MagazineThe top leadership of the Defense Department has called for new and better ways to defeat roadside bombs. Nonetheless, the process of acquiring and delivering technologies to counter this threat is still too slow and cumbersome, said Army Lt. Gen. Michael Oates. Oates is the director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, which was created six years ago to help expedite the fielding of technologies to counter roadside bombs. Although the organization has the authority to bypass traditional acquisition routes, the process is still not moving fast enough, Oates said yesterday in remarks at an industry conference sponsored by AFCEA and the U.S. Naval Institute. Full StoryHow the US Military Can Win the Robotic RevolutionPopular MechanicsIn 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq with just a handful of unmanned vehicles. Now, less than a decade later, we have 7000 robots overseas in the air alone. The U.S. dominates the robot war room, for now. Here, military analyst P.W. Singer lays out a plan for how the U.S. can stay ahead, and avoid building the Pontiac Aztek of war, an over-hyped but underperforming dud. Full Story |
| INTERNATIONAL MILITARY NEWS |
Russia Plans to Develop 5th-Generation ’Stealth’ HelicoptersDefense TalkA Russian helicopter company is planning to develop the world's first fifth-generation combat helicopter, which experts say would be able to attack fighter jets and be invisible for radars, the Gazeta daily said on Thursday. "We are working on the concept of the fifth-generation combat helicopter," the paper quoted the company's CEO, Andrei Shibitov, as saying at a news conference in Moscow. Full StorySouth Korea Plans Defense OverhaulDefense TalkStrongly insinuating that North Korea was behind the sinking of a Navy warship, President Lee Myung-bak announced major changes in the way South Korea’s military will defend the country. “It has now become clear that the Cheonan did not sink from a simple accident,” Lee said in an opening address at an unprecedented meeting of military commanders on May 4. “As soon as the incident happened, I realized that it was a grave international issue, that included inter-Korean relations, and made an order to the defense minister to lay bare the cause through international cooperation.” Russia Lags United States in Space DefenseUnited Press InternationalRussia's space defense capabilities are in shambles and lag far behind the United States, a group of retired Russian military leaders said Thursday. "Frankly, our space defense capabilities are limited and insufficient to ensure our national security," former Air Force Cmdr. Anatoly Kornukov said at an air and space defense conference. South Korea Exports Its Super RifleStrategy PageSouth Korea has its first export customer for its new K-11 20mm infantry rifle, with an order from the UAE (United Arab Emirates) for the $14,000 20mm/5.56mm weapon. The UAE is buying 40 K-11s initially, to try them out. It was two years ago that South Korea revealed it had developed the K-11, which appears to be identical in concept of the U.S. Army XM-29 (or OICW, for Objective Individual Combat Weapon). The South Korean version weighs 13.4 pounds and combines a 5.56mm rifle, with one firing 20mm computer and laser controlled shells. Special Operations: Jordanian Commandos Show The WayStrategy PageJordan revealed that, three years ago, they provided training, in Jordan, for 2,400 members of the Afghan special operations (commando) forces. Members of Iraqi commando units were also trained. The Jordanians are also being asked to train Afghan police, but there is some reluctance to deal with this troubled force. Last year, Jordan opened a $200 million Special Operations Training Center. This facility will train Jordanians, as well as foreign troops, mainly those from Moslem nations. Jordan has long been recognized as having the best troops in the Arab world. |
| AFGHANISTAN–PAKISTAN DEVELOPMENTS |
From Kalashnikovs to the M-16 -- Afghan Army Transitions to NATO WeaponsNATO Training MissionAs part of a new course, Afghan National Army soldiers are putting down their Kalashnikovs and AK-47s and picking up M-16 rifles and .50-caliber machine guns. The NATO basic armor course is a six-week course designed to familiarize soldiers and teach them basic maintenance on the variety of NATO weapons they can expect to see and use in the field. The first class of students is scheduled to graduate May 15. The ANA is preparing to transition to the M-16 rifle as the primary duty weapon. With the influx of weapon inventory, familiarization is important. This transition to NATO weapons will benefit the ANA, according to Matt Bullard, HEB International chief technical officer. “They are a better weapon and you can get parts better, so that’s going to be a big help for these guys,” said Bullard. Afghanistan’s Security EnvironmentDefense TalkIn December 2009, recognizing that the situation in Afghanistan had become more grave since the March 2009 announcement of the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the administration concluded a 10-week review of the strategy's goals and the methods needed to achieve them. In announcing the results of this review, the President reaffirmed the core strategic goal of disrupting, dismantling, and eventually defeating extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan and preventing them from threatening the United States and its allies in the future. How About Those Other Private Military Contractors?Huffington PostMost media coverage or private military and security contractors focused on Western companies. There are understandable reasons for this, given their size, capitalization, monetary value of the contracts they hold, their connections, and, their clients. But there are far more non-Western companies, especially on the security side, who are essentially off the radar. Full StoryAfghan Commandos Add Special ForcesWar on Terror NewsAfghan national army commandos graduated as the first Special Forces team at Camp Moorhead, May 12, and now are the most highly-skilled soldiers in the Afghan national army. They are trained to handle any combat situation. "This begins a new chapter in the history of the ANA as they are the first and will serve as the model for the future of the ANA Special Forces," said Afghan Brig. Gen. Dadon Lawang, brigade commander for the new team. Dadon is a 25-year veteran of the Afghan military. Full StoryAfghan Elite Police Force Reduce Combat CasualtiesForeign PolicyAfghan national army commandos graduated as the first Special Forces team at Camp Moorhead, May 12, and now are the most highly-skilled soldiers in the Afghan national army. They are trained to handle any combat situation. "This begins a new chapter in the history of the ANA as they are the first and will serve as the model for the future of the ANA Special Forces," said Afghan Brig. Gen. Dadon Lawang, brigade commander for the new team. Dadon is a 25-year veteran of the Afghan military. Full Story |
| HOMELAND SECURITY–FIRST RESPONDER |
NYPD Developing CCTV Camera System That Will Rival London’sNewsweek BlogNew York Police Department is building a closed-circuit TV surveillance system which it hopes will eventually be more sophisticated and effective than the closed-circuit TV (CCTV) system used by police in London and other British cities. The widespread use of CCTV monitoring in Britain has been touted by UK authorities as a critical tool for solving crimes and maintaining public order but has been criticized by civil libertarians as a Big Brother–like widespread invasion of personal privacy. Full StoryDHS Cuts New York’s Anti-Terrorism Funds as President Obama VisitsPoliticoPresident Barack Obama traveled to lower Manhattan Thursday afternoon to thank the New York police for thwarting the attempted Times Square bombing — but also heard from Mayor Michael Bloomberg that he wasn’t happy about homeland security funding cuts. Bloomberg, who stressed in his public remarks the administration’s understanding of New York’s unique position, made clear to the president in their private meeting that he was in solidarity with Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who led the outrage chorus over the Department of Homeland Security cuts on Wednesday after a congressional briefing, a source said. FBI Expanding U.S. Mexican Border Anti-terrorist Corruption Task ForceAmerican ChronicleThe FBI is reporting that they are forming a new border task force to look for and combat possible terrorist entering the U.S. through our borders with Mexico and Canada, with a eye on dishonest federal, state and local law enforcement and other officials. Special Agent Keith Byers in the attached video describes the Bureau's interest in border protection. Times Square Plot: 3 Pakistanis Held in United States, One Suspect in PakistanDNAThree Pakistani men, who allegedly supplied funds to Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, were arrested by FBI in a slew of raids across Asian-dominated suburbs, US authorities said, amid reports that another person linked to the botched plot had been held in Pakistan. Two of the three Pakistanis were arrested in Boston suburbs yesterday while the other one in Maine, nearly two weeks after 30-year-old Pakistani-American Shahzad attempted to blow up a Nissan Pathfinder packed with explosives in the crowded Times Square. |
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| CHAPLAINS CORNER |
PROTECTIONPeace Keepers and have learned to do all necessary to give them the edge over those who oppose them. One of these areas has cycled in several ways over the hundreds and thousands of years… Body protection. In the beginning it was leather… Then it was bronze or copper… That evolved into iron, then into steel… Today it is reinforced woven material and ceramic. It started with a shield… Then chest and head protection… That was further complemented with more and more pieces of protection until the whole person was covered with layers of flexible woven chain mail and fitted sheets of iron or steel from the top of the head to the tips of the fingers and the tips of the toes… Encapsulated in steel. Then entered firearms and eventually most of it was useless because it could not resist the fired projectiles. |
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