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

U.S. Escalates Contractor Roles in Africa (WND)

My latest from WND. - S.P. 

The Obama administration suddenly is hunting for contractors to help haul military equipment and supplies to and from Egypt and other nations within the U.S. Africa Command’s area of responsibility, WND has discovered.

The endeavor comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Mideast and North Africa, as U.S. warships already have arrived in the Mediterranean and warships from Syrian ally Russia reportedly are on the way.

Though it remains unclear which specific operations the initiative may support, the Army nonetheless is rapidly moving toward obtaining private-sector assistance in the AFRICOM Surface Distribution Services, or ASDS, endeavor.

Continued at WND.com...

U.S. Modernization of Egyptian Air Force Continues as Planned (PatriotUpdate.com)

My latest from Patriot Update.

U.S to Demilitarize & Dispose Depleted Uranium Ammo for Taiwan

The cost of removing and destroying of depleted-uranium ammunition in Taiwan may be borne by American taxpayers, as the U.S. Army is looking for industry sources capable of performing that service on behalf of the Taiwanese government.

The Demilitarization and Disposal of 20mm and 105mm Depleted Uranium Ammunition in Taiwan Project at this stage only seeks to identify “potential sources possessing the capabilities, experience, and expertise necessary” for the endeavor.

If indeed the Army fully pursues this, the selected contractor will “go to Taiwan and either perform the demilitarization service for Taiwan or instruct them in how to do it.”

The Sources Sought Notice (Solicitation # W52P1JDUDEMIL), which U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor located through routine database research, defines demilitarization, or DEMIL, as the act of:

(1) disassembling chemical or conventional military munitions for the purpose of recycling, reclamation, or reuse of subcomponents; or (2) rendering chemical or conventional military munitions innocuous or ineffectual for military use (i.e., removing the military offensive or defensive characteristics), which may include disposal of unusable components of the munitions.

If further added that DEMIL “encompasses various approved methods such as mutilation, alteration, or destruction to prevent further use for its originally intended military purpose.”

The Taiwan government needs to DEMIL and dispose of 4,000 20mm depleted uranium shells and 150 105mm depleted uranium shells, the notice said.

Bids Due on $100 Million Afghan Slaughterhouse

The U.S.-funded construction of an Afghan National Army slaughterhouse -- whose estimated cost reaches upwards of $100 million -- is coming closer to fruition, as contractor bids are due this Saturday (July 21) .  The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers project, as spelled out in a 1,300+ page solicitation released earlier this year, will provide a modern, climate-controlled facility to help the U.S. achieve its policy goal of making the Afghanistan military more self-sufficient. The facility will be located in the Deh-e-Sabz District, Kabul Province.

Source document: Solicitation #W5J9JE-12-R-0078.

Obama's Spending Grows 'Exponentially' in Kenya

Obama administration spending and projects in Kenya have become so voluminous that the U.S. Agency for International Development must hire more contractors to oversee endeavors other providers already carry out across the African nation.

USAID in its own words admits that the “overall USAID/Kenya program has increased rapidly and exponentially, outstripping workforce resources available to effectively perform assessments and rigorous analyses … track results … manage recordkeeping, and other project development and program office functions.”

According to a Statement of Work for the USAID/Kenya program-support initiative – which WND located through routine database research – the agency acknowledges the level of U.S.-financed Kenyan operations has outpaced Washington’s ability to adequately manage it.

“All levels of personnel ceilings are constrained by a limited U.S. government footprint in Kenya,” the SOW says. “In order to address these constraints, certain project development and program office functions … have been identified for delivery through external contracting.

“This group of functions will be contracted as one support activity to reduce the burden on mission staff,” the SOW continued.

USAID views with urgency its selection of a contractor, describing the procurement as a “high-priority requirement with high visibility” at the U.S. Mission.

The $480 million program at USAID/Kenya encompasses numerous assistance projects in general areas such as health, population and HIV/AIDS; basic education; youth; governing justly and democratically; and economic growth, environment and natural resources management.

The $480 million is specific to U.S. Department of State and USAID initiatives only. The amount comprises over half the U.S. government’s annual foreign-assistance budget for Kenya, the largest recipient of such aid in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Budgeted separately are Kenyan programs administered by the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Treasury, Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Peace Corps and Department of Defense.

The new USAID/Kenya program-support initiative will cost upwards of $23 million, which the agency will pay based on “task orders” individually awarded to the selected contractor.

The contractor furthermore must launch an “Information Dissemination and Public Education services” component to the project, deploying a “full time Communications Advisor” to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi for the duration of the contract.

Responsibilities for that position include press release- and speech-writing, developing and distributing newsletters and reports, and producing USAID/Kenya videos for distribution via YouTube and other digital and traditional outlets.

In addition to providing management support functions, the contractor also will conduct mid-term and final evaluations of 18 specific projects that USAID identified in the SOW. The initiatives include the “Kenya Dryland Livestock Development Program” and “Kenya Elections and Political Processes Strengthening 2012 Program.”

The targeted program list does not include recently launched endeavors. As the Monitor reported in April, a spike in Kenyan projects was under way at the Obama administration, which at the time of the report had not yet disclosed the estimated cost of those endeavors.

The Kenya Agricultural Value Chain Enterprises, or KAVES, program, for instance, will cost U.S. taxpayers an additional $40 million over five years, the Monitor has learned. Separately, USAID devoted $22 million toward the Resilience and Economic Growth in the Arid Lands-Accelerated Growth, or REGAL-AG, program, documents reveal.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded a no-bid contract extension to PAE Government Services Inc. to continue working on Camp Simba in Kenya and Camp Lemonnier in neighboring Djibouti, U.S. Trade and Aid Monitor recently documented.

That $75 million base-support initiative will cost an additional $65 million for a nine-month extension.

USAID in its new program-support plan reiterated its strategy for Kenya, which aims to “foster a healthier, better-educated, and more productive population” as well as “increase the effectiveness of Kenyan institutions in promoting a vibrant private sector and democratic governance.”

A similar version of this article originally was published via WND.com on June 20, 2012. Under agreement with WND, rights have reverted back to the author, Steve Peacock.

FOR ADDITIONAL REPORTING ON THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, SEE THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

FOR MORE REGIONAL COVERAGE, SEE THE MONITOR'S KENYA PAGE AND AFRICA PAGE.

Kenya Sees Spike in Obama Administration-Funded Projects

Kenyan businesses lately are increasingly becoming recipients of U.S. government largesse, as the Obama Administration, among pursuing other endeavors, aims to expand "livestock-related economic opportunities" in that nation. Although this and other recently released presolicitation notices for unrelated programs serve as advance alerts to potential vendors—and therefore do not offer cost estimates and other details— a review of U.S. government contracting actions nonetheless indicates a spike of activity in Kenya in a variety of sectors.

The White House is committing to a five-year effort to "improve the inclusiveness and competitiveness" of the livestock industry specifically in Marsabit and Garissa counties, Kenya, according to a presolicitation notice released April 12 that U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor located via routine database research.

The Feed the Future-related initiative, known as the Resilience and Economic Growth in the Arid Lands-Accelerated Growth, or REGAL-AG, program, will be carried out by contractors hired by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), according to the document.

The agency did not disclose the project’s estimated cost: "No additional information regarding this planned RFP [Request for Proposals] is available at this time."

USAID that same day separately alerted potential contractors to the launching of yet another endeavor in that nation, known as the Kenya Agricultural Value Chain Enterprises, or KAVES, program.

The KAVES presolicitation notice simply states the agency’s intention “to use full and open competition for the contract, which will be performed in Kenya. USAID intends to release the solicitation within the next 45 days.”

The agency pointed out that the presolicitation number——will change upon release of a bid request, but the program name would remain the same.

Other recent contracting actions include:

• Up to $50 million in U.S. Navy-coordinated military construction projects on the horizon at Camp Simba, Kenya, and at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti.
• Deployment to Kenya of a privately contracted Regional Advisor for USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). as well as an Emerging Pandemic Threats Advisor.
  
• A U.S. Trade & Development Agency-led search for a contractor to perform a “definitional mission” exploring possible funding of geothermal energy projects in Kenya and Rwanda.

The above-mentioned endeavors have taken place in recent weeks; however, other notable U.S.-funded Kenyan projects thus far in 2012 include the launching of a National Institutes of Health-led initiative to hire contractors to conduct genetic research of Kenyans with Type-2 diabetes. Separately, the U.S. Army embarked upon a market survey of potential vendors to provide helicopter flight-training simulators to the Kenyan government.

ALSO SEE: "Response to Commenters."

FOR ADDITIONAL REPORTING ON THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, SEE THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE U.S TRADE & DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, VISIT THE MONITOR'S USTDA PAGE.

FOR MORE REGIONAL COVERAGE, SEE THE MONITOR'S AFRICA PAGE.

Nearly Half-Billion Army Corps Award Goes to Contractor Led By ex-CIA, Defense Officers

A U.S. Army  Corp of Engineers contract potentially worth about a half-billion-dollars has been awarded to GLOBAL Integrated Security, a Reston, Va.-based company largely run by former CIA and military personnel. GLOBAL will provide a range of security and transportation services in Afghanistan. The Army Corp's Middle East District announced today that it awarded the contract -- which has a first-year value of up to $120 million -- last week. If it exercizes all three option-years, this support-services arrangement alone could cost taxpayers a total of $480 million.

Official U.S. Army Site Links to U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor

An official publication of the United States Army late last week deemed the Monitor article "DoD Prepares Follow-Up to $15 Billion Counterdrug Contracts" worthy enough to provide a link to its readers.  Stand-To!, an Army daily news roundup, linked to the piece in its Friday, Aug. 12 online edition.

The Monitor's mission is to reveal programs, contracts, and expenditures that often are underreported or simply do not make it to the public realm; sometimes its editorial decisions are based on the possibility that many readers would find it infuriating that the federal government is spending taxpayer funds on particular endeavors -- nonetheless, the Monitor strives to avoid the biased drivel that is emblematic of many blogs and has even creeeped into mainstream media, on both sides of the ideological spectrum, left to right.

The decision of Stand-To! to link to the above-mentioned Monitor article reinforces this website's goal to offer true news coverage rather than just offering emotion-charged opinion. While there''s room for opinion and debate in media, there's a greater need -- to borrow a phrase from the fictional character Joe Friday -- for "Just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts."

$100 Million Prison for Afghanistan?

Construction of a new detention facility costing upwards of $100 million tentatively is planned for Afghanistan, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers revealed today in a Sources Sought notice. (#W5J9JEDETENTIONFACILITY). The Army emphasized that it is assessing potential sources capable of designing and building such a facility; it is not seeking bids on the endeavor.

As the Monitor recently reported, the Obama administration has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into supporting Afghanistan criminal justice  entities and will spend millions more by the end of the year (See: "Afghanistan police get millions in U.S. funding; At same time, White House slashes support for state, local officers" -- June 25, 2011)

According to the above-mentioned notice, which the Monitor located via routine database research:

This Project is not currently authorized or funded and this announcement does not constitute any commitment on the part of the Government. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this synopsis.

Information from contractors is due July 6.

FOR ADDITIONAL REGIONAL COVERAGE, PLEASE VISIT THE MONITOR'S AFGHANISTAN PAGE.

(This article was modified July 2, 2011)

U.S. to Ramp Up Afghan Infowar with 'Aggressive Actions' -- Contractor to Bring About 'Desired Effects' in Global Media

The next phase of a global information-warfare campaign to influence public and media perceptions about U.S. operations in Afghanistan is unfolding, according to an updated U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) planning document that U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor has located.

“The information domain is a battlespace, and it is one in which USFOR-A must take aggressive actions to win the important battle of perception,” according to the project’s modified Performance Work Statement (PWS), dated June 7.

Consequently, the Dept. of Defense, via the U.S. Army Contracting Command-Rock Island unit, is enlisting the assistance of the private sector not only to monitor how the media reports on Afghanistan, but to sway the opinions of the Afghan people about their government:

USFOR-A requires the ability to develop and implement a comprehensive, self-sustaining, long term media operations capability, to include stand-alone studio and regional communication collection and distribution hubs. This initiative also addresses efforts to collect public information and interpret it to support senior leader decision making, specifically regarding the attitudes of the public and the media concerning political, social and economic issues. This initiative will allow Government representatives in USFOR-A to inform key audiences (media and civilian populations internationally and within the region) to achieve desired affects. (Emphasis added)

Although dozens of vendors have expressed interest in the Public Affairs Operations-Afghanistan endeavor—and though no contract award has been announced—the Arlington, Va. and Los Gatos, Cal.-based Strategic Social Holdings already is hiring specialists to carry out duties for a USFOR-A project in Kabul that mirrors the above-mentioned initiative.

The co-founder and CEO of Strategic Social is Matt Bigge, whom the corporate website describes as a former U.S. Army ranger and Harvard Business School graduate.

Among the various duties and positions that the PWS describes (and for which Strategic Social is hiring) are Afghan Linguists/Media Monitors, who would provide “a minimum of 300 media monitoring hours per week.” At least one Pashto- and one Dari-speaking linguist/monitor “should be available at all times.”

An English-speaking media monitor also would be hired for the project, for which that person will assess and summarize “international, regional, and Afghan” Internet, radio, audio, video, and print media outlets.” That position will provide at least 144 media monitoring hours per week to “supplement three media monitor military personnel” who also will perform those tasks.

The contractor also will provide a comprehensive suite of public affairs services to USFOR-A and to Afghan authorities, including the deployment of media analysts,  media monitoring website/database developer and manager, the provision of social media and new media management, and advisement on how to engage in “strategic communications.” The management and maintenance of a Defense Video Information Distribution System (DVIDS) also will fall under the purview of the contractor.

This project is critical, according to the PWS, because insurgents have succeeded in undermining the credibility of USFOR-A, the international community, and Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) “through effective use of the information environment, albeit without a commensurate increase in their own credibility.”

Consequently, U.S. Forces and the GIRoA must “wrest the information initiative from the INS” in order to “maintain and strengthen the Afghan population's positive perception” of Afghan government institutions and the support that USFOR-A and the international community provide, the document says.

As a courtesy to readers and researchers, tomorrow, July 1, the Monitor will make available for download the full text of the Army's Performance Work Statement for the Public Affairs Operations-Afghanistan initiative.

FOR ADDITIONAL REGIONAL COVERAGE, PLEASE VISIT THE MONITOR'S AFGHANISTAN PAGE.

PLEASE ALSO CHECK OUT THE MONITOR'S INTELLIGENCE/SPYING PAGE.