Steve Peacock's U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor

Kaboom! State Dept. finally gives explosive answer (via WND)

My latest article gets top-of-the-page visibility. See “Kaboom! State Dept. finally gives explosive answer” via WND. -- S.P.

Bureau boss overseeing shipments has Benghazi connections

The State Department bureau tasked with secretly sending to embassies plastic and liquid explosives operates under the guidance of Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick F. Kennedy, whom a congressional panel last year separately found to be largely responsible for security lapses in Benghazi, WND has learned.

A series of WND articles recently exposed the purchase and international transport of many hundreds of pounds of plastic, sheet and linear explosives along with thousands of containers of high-energy liquid explosives.

Weeks after a State official laughed in response to WND’s inquiry, the department belatedly reacted to a follow-up request for information about how, where and by whom the blasting equipment will be used.

Read more at WND.com...

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NightTalker Radio: Michael David McGuire Interview with Steve Peacock

Continued Silence from the U.S. State Dept. on Explosives Buy

Following three reports on the U.S. Department of State's purchase of thousands of containers of liquid explosives and many hundreds of pounds of plastic explosives, the State Dept. remains silent on the matter. Today I sent yet another request to its Press Office, advising the department that the door remains wide open to explain whether the federal government' s global diplomatic arm has legitimate uses for the blasting equipment.

There very well may be such uses. And although I don't buy into the abounding theories that the Obama administration is going to set up a disaster and corral people into FEMA camps, the fact that State will not enlighten the American people -- combined with the fact that major media as a follow-up thus far failed to press the government for answers -- is troubling, to say the least.

I will be discussing my findings on a New York-based radio program; more on that soon.

In the meantime, please check out my recent articles on this "explosive" issue:

State Dept. amassing explosives stockpile -- C4, blasting equipment destined for embassies? (WND, 5/11/14)

State Dept. laughs about buying explosives -- Officials asked to explain large purchases (WND, 5/12/14)

Feds ignite suspicion with explosive buying spree -- Blasting caps, 'linear-shaped charges' included in delivery order (WND, 5/16/14)

-- S.P.

 

A conversation with Ron Paul: Meddling in affairs of foreign nations

Recommended Site: The PMSC Observer

For those readers interested in additional resources about government contracting, specifically in the realms of global security and law enforcement, I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with The PMSC Observer.

This excellent blog is operated by David Isenberg, author of Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq (Praeger Security International). Isenberg also has a column at the Huffington Post.

Five More Contractors to Get Piece of $10 Billion Global 'Civilian Police' Pie

Five contractors this week secured another chunk of a $10 billion global law-enforcement project of the U.S. State Dept., which is deploying hired guns and consultants worldwide.

Although the department yesterday (May 11) identified the companies to whom it awarded new contracts, it did not specify the destination or mission assigned to the respective vendors. Rather, it will pay the vendors on an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity, or IDIQ, basis.

DynCorp International, Justice Services International, MPRI, PAE Government Services, and Civilian Police International will provide a variety of “civilian police” (CIVPOL), corrections, and advisement services to clients of the State Dept.’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The contractors on their websites are vigorously recruiting applicants in preparation of carrying out "task orders" that the State Dept. may submit.

According to a modified solicitation for the program, one of INL's responsibilities is:

the provision of a wide array of support to criminal justice sector development programs worldwide.  Program countries/areas include Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Sudan, and the West Bank… The contracts provide criminal justice advisors and life and mission support (LMS).  LMS includes office and living facilities, subsistence, vehicles, and associated equipment and supplies.

Contractors must be able to deploy staff to targeted nations with as little as 72 hours notice from the State Dept., the Statement of Work (SOW) says.

Below is an excerpt from Section “C” of the SOW, titled “General Program Description and Requirements Overview.

The need for law and order - as well as justice and respect for human rights - is paramount in a world of growing transnational threats including terrorism, crime, porous borders, and violent internal conflict.  Unfortunately, many nations around the world lack capable police forces and transparent criminal justice systems to counter these growing threats in a manner that upholds Rule of Law principles.  This poses a major problem not only for those countries and regions, but also for the United States.  Countries with weak law enforcement can serve as breeding grounds for crime and extremism, while abusive and corrupt law enforcement may lead to human rights violations and potential political instability.  Tackling these challenges is paramount to U.S. national security. This may include creating criminal justice structures where none previously existed, restructuring structures to provide criminal justice systems consistent with internationally recognized principles of democratic policing and the rule of law, or substantially enhancing criminal justice capabilities in countries or regions emerging from conflict, or attending training or consulting trips.  For these reasons, the development of efficient, fair, and effective criminal justice systems around the world is among the most important U.S. national security and foreign policy goals. 

The Department of State (DOS) Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is mandated to pursue these goals by furnishing assistance to countries and international organizations for the control of narcotic drugs, controlled substances, and other anticrime purposes, including strengthening foreign police and criminal justice systems, countering the flow of illegal narcotics, and minimizing transnational crime.  INL’s authorities are found in Chapter 8, Part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended.  In furtherance of its counternarcotics and anticrime mandates, INL has assumed an increasing role in stabilizing post-conflict societies and strengthening democracies through the institutional development of criminal justice systems.  INL designs, implements, coordinates, and oversees approximately $3 billion in funding each year. Since 1994, INL has deployed over 7,000 U.S. law enforcement personnel to 14 post-conflict and conflict missions throughout the Department’s six geographic regions (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Palestinian Territories/West Bank, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Haiti, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Lebanon and Liberia). 

Today, INL plays a central role in guiding the DOS on current and future post-conflict international police and criminal justice missions.  INL frequently implements its programs in partnership with the U.S. inter-agency and military, as well as international organizations including the United Nations (UN), the European Commission and European Union (EU), and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). 

This contract will serve as a key vehicle for INL in implementing civilian police (CIVPOL) and criminal justice assistance programs overseas, both as contributions to broader international peacekeeping missions (i.e. “multilateral missions”)and as stand-alone U.S. missions (i.e. “bilateral missions.”)  This contract builds on a similar outgoing INL contract and incorporates evolving U.S. requirements and methodologies in the field of international civilian police and criminal justice assistance.

For multilateral missions, INL provides – or “seconds” – U.S. civilian police and criminal justice personnel to a larger mission which has operational control.  This contract will serve as a mechanism for providing such personnel and supporting them in country as required.  Multilateral missions draw their mandate and authorities from UN Security Council resolutions and/or other international bodies.  Direction of such multilateral missions (including goals, areas of focus, timelines, and operational considerations) is handled by the relevant multilateral entity to which the U.S. support personnel, such as the UN, EU, or OSCE.  These multilateral missions may be focused solely on providing civilian police officers who provide law and order training or serve as law enforcement officers.  They may also focus solely on reform and development of criminal justice systems including the police, prosecution, defense, judicial, and corrections services.  Increasingly, such multilateral missions provide a combination of the above.  As a contributor to such missions, the U.S. (i.e. INL) plays a supporting role, not an operational leadership role.

In addition to contributions to multilateral missions, the U.S. also implements assistance programs aimed at improving police and criminal justice systems on a bilateral basis (i.e. directly between the U.S. and the host country).  This form of assistance comes under the authority of the U.S. Secretary of State and the U.S. Ambassador to the host country, with responsibility for implementation delegated to INL in Washington and at the Embassy.  For bilateral missions and programs, INL is responsible for setting overall mission/program policy, goals, budgeting, implementation, direction, and oversight.  Consequently, INL support to bilateral missions may require more than just the provision of personnel and in-country support.  As required and directed by the Contracting Officer (CO), task orders for bilateral programs may include work plans that guide all in-country assistance activities (vice in-country support activities).  The Contractor shall identify, hire, deploy, and provide in-country support for U.S. and other task order personnel for bilateral criminal justice missions. 

INL on Feb. 15 had awarded the first round of contracts to four other vendors: BlueLaw International, Bering Strait Orion Management Joint Venture, Team Crucible, and Navigator Development Group.

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Feds to Unveil New Initiatives for Public Schools

An additional federal infusion of funding for public schools is slated for this summer, according to new contracting documents that The Peacock Report (TPR) located today. In two particular cases, however, the funds will not be invested in U.S. schools; on the contrary, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in one instance will transfer an unspecified amount of cash to support the standardized testing efforts of the government of Ghana, Africa.

According to a "presolicitation notice" dated April 24, the USAID endeavor seeks to provide -- free of charge -- 4,034,000 testing packages that will be distributed for nationwide assessments of Ghana school children on July 23. The agency is accepting project estimates from potential contractors until May 14.

TPR also has learned that American taxpayers will foot the bill for another Africa-based USAID education project separately implemented this week that will deliver, "at a minimum," 300,000 textbooks to the nation of Liberia.

These projects are the latest in a series of U.S. investments into African education programs. As TPR reported earlier this year (TPR 1/16), USAID also was scheduled to arrange the delivery of 128,000 math and science textbooks to Tanzania.

U.S. to Infuse Tons of New Textbooks in Schools

Over 128,000 brand-new math and science textbooks are being purchased by the federal government for nationwide distribution to schools -- nationwide, that is, in Tanzania. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is soliciting bids from textbook suppliers capable of delivering the textbooks and related teachers' guides to the Tanzanian Ministry of Education and Vocational Development, according to a USAID request for proposals that The Peacock Report has located.

The USAID document says the goal of this project is to improve the quality of education in Tanzania "by strengthening primary and secondary education performance, especially in areas of sciences and mathematics."

Air Force Ups Ante For PR, InfoWar R & D

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) continues to seek private-sector help in carrying out population "influence operations" and other forms of information warfare, according to a recently renewed call for research and development ideas on the topic. The Peacock Report (TPR) broke the story on the program in 2006, when it was discovered that the USAF was incorporating network disruption and defense R&D into areas such as "psychological operations, military deception, operations security, counterintelligence operations, counterpropoganda [sic] operations and public affairs operations." Although the agency had initially budgeted $40 million for the program, it has raised that total to about $50 million. It will accept "white papers" on potential R&D concepts through Dec. 31.

See Air Force Seeks to Creat Hybrid Infowar/Public Relations Technologies (TPR, 03/24/2006) for more information.

Details of U.S.-Funded Pakistan Media Plan Revealed

Details of a plan to blanket Pakistani media with U.S. government-supplied messages were discovered this past week, when the U.S. Agency for Internatonal Development (USAID) stepped up its search for a contractor capable of carrying out a propaganda mission on its behalf. USAID on Thursday (June 19) released a formal Request for Proposals/Statement of Work containing specifics of the public-perception endeavor. The document asserted that, despite annually providing about a half-billion dollars in "developmental" aid to Pakistan, U.S. assistance does not receive adequate recognition." It did not, however, refer to military and technical assistance that the U.S. provides to that nation. Rather, the agency pointed out that:

A September 2007 survey by the U.S. Institute of Peace indicates that a remarkably high 86 percent of urban Pakistanis agreed that it was a U.S. goal to "weaken and divide the Islamic world," and that view is growing. The survey also highlights the urban Pakistani view that the United States is an untrustworthy superpower. A 64 percent majority expressed doubt that the United States could be trusted "to act responsibly in the world.

The U.S. Secretary of State has made the showcasing of America’s development work a priority foreign policy goal. To support this goal and to alter anti-American perceptions, the USAID Mission will launch an intensive public awareness campaign designed to reach the greatest number of Pakistanis (urban and rural) via newspaper, billboard, radio and television communication. These messages will communicate how USAID-assisted programs make Pakistan a healthier, better educated and more prosperous country.

The Peacock Report recently broke the story on this project, which formally is known as the "USAID/Pakistan Outreach Campaign" (TPR, 6/08). The initiative, though ambitious in scope, is modest in financial terms. The estimated value of the contract -- which could be awarded by summer's end -- is $600,000.

U.S. Information Blitz to Unfold in Pakistan

An information blitz aimed at swaying Pakistani citizens' views on U.S. involvement in the region is about to unfold, The Peacock Report (TPR) has discovered. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) yesterday commenced its search for a contractor capable of carrying out the euphemistically titled "USAID/Pakistan Outreach Campaign," as the project officially is known. According to a "presolicitation notice" dated June 5 that TPR has located, the agency envisions a multi-language delivery of U.S. government messages in urban as well as rural areas of Pakistan. The contractor will execute the campaign in English, Urdu, Pashtu, Punjabi, and other regonal languages. This USAID endeavor will place messages in newspapers, magazines, and billboards as well as radio and television broadcasts, according to the document. The agency will make available a formal and more detailed solicitation later this month. USAID hopes to launch the Pakistani campaign by summer's end.