IRAQ: One Man's Account of How Security Companies Behave
The difference between Kroll and DynCorps, two private security companies is night and day. Kroll was like commuting to the office. We generally obeyed simple traffic laws. A trip with DynCorps is the proverbial "E-ticket" ride.
I've been waiting for something interesting or newsworthy to write about, but things have been very quiet since the Iraqi elections. I know Mom and Susan agree that's a good thing.
We did get a new PSD contract at the beginning of December. Since we were shut down for the holidays and then again for the elections, I haven't been on many trips with them until this week. We used to use Kroll Security which was staffed by an assortment of Brits, Aussies, and South Africans (Go Bokke!). When their contract ended, we switched over to DynCorps which is made up of former American Special Forces.
The difference between these two organizations is night and day. A site visit with Kroll was like commuting to the office, if you happen to ride to work in a fully armored SUV with AK-47 wielding chaffeurs. We generally obeyed simple traffic laws like driving in the northbound lane when you want to go north. And we were generally as courteous as anyone on a LA Freeway at rush hour.
A trip with DynCorps is the proverbial "E-ticket" ride. We mount up in 3 heavily armored Suburbans with all the passengers in one SUV, known as the "limo". The other two trucks are filled with PSDs, carrying AK-47s, M-4s, SAWs, grenades, and handguns. On our way out of the IZ, we rendezvous with two armored Humvees equipped with turret mounted 50-cal machine guns. And before we hit the streets of Baghdad, you hear the thump, thump, thump of our helicopter air support. Two small civilian-style black helicopters fly low over head, scouting our route and watching our flanks from above. At times, they'll swoop low enough to kick up rotor wash and you'll hear pebbles pinging off the SUVs.
Even before we leave the Green Zone, we're doing extreme defensive driving. As we approach other cars, the lead vehicles will force the cars to the right while the limo swerves to the left. Rather than stop, or even slow, for intersections, we just hit our sirens and, again, the lead vehicles will set a screen while we charge through. Once we clear the military checkpoints, everything is fair game. Apparently, it's a lot easier to clear a path through traffic when you're facing it head-on. Thus, we seem to prefer the north-bound lanes for trips to southern Baghdad.
Our lead Humvee's job is to clear a path for us which he does by waving an assault rifle at anyone that gets too close. If that doesn't get their attention, his favorite weapon seems to be half-liter water bottles. He tosses these like a Nolan Ryan fastball at the windshield of cars that don't pull to the side of the road quickly enough in his estimation. He actually has a little rack of water bottles mounted inside the turret.
The remaining vehicles in the convoy fly along over 60mph, often swerving to, I assume, prevent someone from accurately targeting us. We're rarely more than a couple meters from the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of us and it always gives you a jolt to look out the rear window at the front grill of the chase car. Occasionally, you'll hear the thump, thump, thump of the helicopters as they skim over the top of you. One of the more exciting things to see is one of these helos swoop in ahead of you and block traffic by settling into a hover 6 feet off the highway.
The end effect of all this is that you feel like a VIP, but also very guilty for the impact this must have on the Iraqi people. We only do these trips for things that are considered "Mission Critical" like Quality Assurance visits to the infrastructure plants or to meetings with the Iraqi Ministries. However, are we negating the good we are doing by improving their infrastructure everytime we drive down the road?
It sometimes makes me wish we had a less heavy-handed security detail. Of course, one week after we changed PSDs, a Kroll convoy hit an IED and lost one of our American subcontractors.
We did get a new PSD contract at the beginning of December. Since we were shut down for the holidays and then again for the elections, I haven't been on many trips with them until this week. We used to use Kroll Security which was staffed by an assortment of Brits, Aussies, and South Africans (Go Bokke!). When their contract ended, we switched over to DynCorps which is made up of former American Special Forces.
The difference between these two organizations is night and day. A site visit with Kroll was like commuting to the office, if you happen to ride to work in a fully armored SUV with AK-47 wielding chaffeurs. We generally obeyed simple traffic laws like driving in the northbound lane when you want to go north. And we were generally as courteous as anyone on a LA Freeway at rush hour.
A trip with DynCorps is the proverbial "E-ticket" ride. We mount up in 3 heavily armored Suburbans with all the passengers in one SUV, known as the "limo". The other two trucks are filled with PSDs, carrying AK-47s, M-4s, SAWs, grenades, and handguns. On our way out of the IZ, we rendezvous with two armored Humvees equipped with turret mounted 50-cal machine guns. And before we hit the streets of Baghdad, you hear the thump, thump, thump of our helicopter air support. Two small civilian-style black helicopters fly low over head, scouting our route and watching our flanks from above. At times, they'll swoop low enough to kick up rotor wash and you'll hear pebbles pinging off the SUVs.
Even before we leave the Green Zone, we're doing extreme defensive driving. As we approach other cars, the lead vehicles will force the cars to the right while the limo swerves to the left. Rather than stop, or even slow, for intersections, we just hit our sirens and, again, the lead vehicles will set a screen while we charge through. Once we clear the military checkpoints, everything is fair game. Apparently, it's a lot easier to clear a path through traffic when you're facing it head-on. Thus, we seem to prefer the north-bound lanes for trips to southern Baghdad.
Our lead Humvee's job is to clear a path for us which he does by waving an assault rifle at anyone that gets too close. If that doesn't get their attention, his favorite weapon seems to be half-liter water bottles. He tosses these like a Nolan Ryan fastball at the windshield of cars that don't pull to the side of the road quickly enough in his estimation. He actually has a little rack of water bottles mounted inside the turret.
The remaining vehicles in the convoy fly along over 60mph, often swerving to, I assume, prevent someone from accurately targeting us. We're rarely more than a couple meters from the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of us and it always gives you a jolt to look out the rear window at the front grill of the chase car. Occasionally, you'll hear the thump, thump, thump of the helicopters as they skim over the top of you. One of the more exciting things to see is one of these helos swoop in ahead of you and block traffic by settling into a hover 6 feet off the highway.
The end effect of all this is that you feel like a VIP, but also very guilty for the impact this must have on the Iraqi people. We only do these trips for things that are considered "Mission Critical" like Quality Assurance visits to the infrastructure plants or to meetings with the Iraqi Ministries. However, are we negating the good we are doing by improving their infrastructure everytime we drive down the road?
It sometimes makes me wish we had a less heavy-handed security detail. Of course, one week after we changed PSDs, a Kroll convoy hit an IED and lost one of our American subcontractors.
AMP Section Name:War & Disaster Profiteering
- 174 War & Disaster Profiteers Campaign