Interesting Article from a Contractor in Iraq

[Red Shrek]

Info from Iraq

From Someone who is Doing the Run and Gun
Ben Thomas
Yesterday a friend of mine who runs a small security company here in Iraq emailed me. He is standing up a protection detail and wanted my opinion on tactics and equipment running the roads of Iraq; Tactics, SOP's, hard car or soft? I have been giving it some thought and here is where I am at.

I am willing to speculate I’m as well traveled in Iraq as anyone I’ve met. I’ve been just about everywhere between Kuwait and Iran, all points in between. And I’ve traveled every way possible.

I’ve gone in military convoy up armored hummers at 40MPH. I’ve run the Fallujah Baghdad gauntlet in a 15 truck convoy, thin skinned white F350's. I’ve rolled all over in blacked out Pajeros in local dress. Diplomatic convoys with armored suburbans and helo cover.

I’ve done the whole hide the guns and smile a lot all the way to showing just about everyone the front sight post.

I’ve done 140KMH up MSR Tampa and weaved through Sadr city at a near standstill.

I, like nearly everyone have made mistakes and been lucky to be here writing this.

I think the most important and neglected aspect of survival in theatre is training. Every freaking day your crew should practice "actions on" - At least do it on a dry erase board. Actions upon anything and everything. What usually happens is we start going through the "what ifs" and all the sudden every guy in the crew has a different idea of what should happen. After all we come from many different backgrounds. After about 30 minutes of that we all end up scratching our head debating which idea is best and say "let’s get chow". Decide on some fundamental concepts. And stick to them, but of course always remembering that the plan is just something to deviate from anyway. As long as we all know the end goal and work towards it. i.e. If the vehicle is stalled in the ambush, driver flicks it in neutral so the rear car can ram us out and we prepare to un-ass the vehicle on the opposite side of the contact.

Article

 

[gentlman]

have you ever been in action there or you got lucky?

 

[Stonker]

Info from Iraq
From Someone who is Doing the Run and Gun
Ben Thomas
Yesterday a friend of mine who runs a small security company here in Iraq emailed me. He is standing up a protection detail and wanted my opinion on tactics and equipment running the roads of Iraq; Tactics, SOP's, hard car or soft? I have been giving it some thought and here is where I am at.

There's not enough money in the Western World - don't f*cking go - that'd be my favoured tactic!

 

[hairyhandbag]

The fact that you and your friend are both in Iraq (Nice OPSEC) and he runs a security company which I presume makes him in Command.
If he has not got a f**king clue about his own tactics then he is probably going to get someone killed or VSI.
Tell him to go home and grow up and stop playing with other peoples lives.
PS: Name his company so everyone can avoid it like the Garrison bike with a gungy STD.

 

[PartTimePongo]

Opening post edited by me, to show this is a quote from an article posted by Red Shrek , as opposed to Red Shrek's own words.

 

[DigitalGeek]

Theres this thing on top of my torso which I am quite attached to. I dont fancy getting separated from it by some disgruntled camel jockey with a Woolworths breadknife. Especially when the so called "security" experts last job was pumping the barrier up and down in Colchester. Not enough beer tokens, or beer for that matter.

 

[hairyhandbag]

ZEV. Fair one but what is the name of the Company.

 

[NoshPiece]

The soldiers around us are deployed for a year sometimes more. They make a fraction of the pay. And are ordered to do stupid, dangerous shit everyday. Keep that in mind when you are upset that instead of 60 days you’re extended to 68.

And keep that in mind when dealing with soldiers. Treat them well, nobody else does.

At least they got something right.

 

[Stonker]

ZEV. Fair one but what is the name of the Company.

Well, from the article, the author is Ben Thomas (email: diabloboy99@hotmail.com), who signs aoff as "Ben"

Below that is this little lot, which is not the sender's address block . . . soo I'm guessing that

Mike Benish
Al Kasik Project Manager
The Steele Foundation
"Enterprise Risk Management Solutions"
Al Kasik, Iraq

is the dude in need of serious counselling . . . .

 

[woodyb]

saw this article a long time ago. it's on the website of a pretty infamous character who's an ex-SWAT team member that was involved in an ugly contact on the airport road in Baggers April 05 that led to 3 blokes being killed. all due to some staggeringly bone drills that all went pete tong. There's a video of the sad incident that's been knocking around for ages. And no, i won't link to it!!
One of the phrases i always loved was 'I’ve rolled all over in blacked out Pajeros in local dress'. Which pretty much sums up a lot of US PSD team's attitude to low profile!! That and the 'I'll try & dress like a local (well, their version of one), grow a big beard, wear a 'man dress' (as the spams call it) and a shemagh and they'll never know!! But then I'll cover my body in all the kit from the blackhawk catalogue, 5 wpn systems, knives and axes and jump into my F350 with guns pointing out the windows........yeehaww!!
The sights you see out on the ground (and the IZ car park!) are mind boggling at times......

 

[woody]

Are they still doing that ? buying blacked out state of the art 4 by 4 thinking thats makes them covert ? Some yanks gave theirs up when they realised everyone in basra knew it .And that was 03/04.

 

[Red Shrek]

saw this article a long time ago. it's on the website of a pretty infamous character who's an ex-SWAT team member that was involved in an ugly contact on the airport road in Baggers April 05 that led to 3 blokes being killed. all due to some staggeringly bone drills that all went pete tong. There's a video of the sad incident that's been knocking around for ages. And no, i won't link to it!!
One of the phrases i always loved was 'I’ve rolled all over in blacked out Pajeros in local dress'. Which pretty much sums up a lot of US PSD team's attitude to low profile!! That and the 'I'll try & dress like a local (well, their version of one), grow a big beard, wear a 'man dress' (as the spams call it) and a shemagh and they'll never know!! But then I'll cover my body in all the kit from the blackhawk catalogue, 5 wpn systems, knives and axes and jump into my F350 with guns pointing out the windows........yeehaww!!
The sights you see out on the ground (and the IZ car park!) are mind boggling at times......

The person who wrote the article is not SWAT. He is a former Military guy. Even British PSD teams kit up and point guns out the windows. Low profile in Iraq? I guess the PSD teams now need to get Sunni Id cards now since they obivously stand out in such an environment.

 

[woodyb]

didn't say the article was by the ex-SWAT bloke. It's posted on that guy's website. He runs 'shooter' courses in the states and a lot of people think he's a complet cokc.........never met him but have his awesome AAR from that route Irish contact that's an er, 'interesting' read!!
Plus I've been doing low profile work in Baggers since 2004. Lots of pros & cons and it's getting a lot harder to get away with it. Not to mention getting brassed up by MNFI/IP & other PSD's.. (yes including brit ones)But still a lot better than rampaging around in a big bullet/IED magnet IMHO.....

 

[Red Shrek]

didn't say the article was by the ex-SWAT bloke. It's posted on that guy's website. He runs 'shooter' courses in the states and a lot of people think he's a complet cokc.........never met him but have his awesome AAR from that route Irish contact that's an er, 'interesting' read!!
Plus I've been doing low profile work in Baggers since 2004. Lots of pros & cons and it's getting a lot harder to get away with it. Not to mention getting brassed up by MNFI/IP & other PSD's.. (yes including brit ones)But still a lot better than rampaging around in a big bullet/IED magnet IMHO.....

My mistake.

On the PSD thing,it is a common complaint in the US PSD community that the bad PSD types are the ones who get all the attention and suck out all the good air. Like you said,there are some bad types out there who should not be.

 

[Stonker]

I posted on this thread yesterday.

I got my copy of "Sport Parachutist" today, with an Obituary for an ex Red Fred. I never met him, but he was clearly an outstanding young man.

He married in April this year, quit the Army in May, went to Iraq as a bodyguard, and was dead before Remembrance Sunday.

He leaves 3 kids and a widow.

Read it and weep:
http://www.exairborneforces.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1951&sid=bbe1f30ead537196a2c7ba57798644d7

I mean it.

 

[yamkwak]

didn't say the article was by the ex-SWAT bloke. It's posted on that guy's website. He runs 'shooter' courses in the states and a lot of people think he's a complet cokc.........never met him but have his awesome AAR from that route Irish contact that's an er, 'interesting' read!!
Plus I've been doing low profile work in Baggers since 2004. Lots of pros & cons and it's getting a lot harder to get away with it. Not to mention getting brassed up by MNFI/IP & other PSD's.. (yes including brit ones)But still a lot better than rampaging around in a big bullet/IED magnet IMHO.....

Saw that vid if its the one were the cars are stationary and they get 'opened up on' and basically there is a big flap and no contact drills!!! Fookin painfull to watch