On August 6, 2008, Conversations with Cops at the Watering Hole will feature an interview of John Giduck on the Beslan School Seige. According to Esquire Magazine, “On the first day of school in 2004, a Chechen terrorist group struck the Russian town of Beslan. Targeting children, they took more than eleven hundred hostages. John Giduck is the author of Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy with Lessons for America's Schools.
Program Date: August 6, 2008
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Schools as Terror Targets
Listen Live:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2008/08/07/Schools-as-Terror-Targets
About the Guest
John Giduck has a Bachelor’s Degree from Penn State and a law degree from the University of Denver. He also earned a Master’s Degree in International Affairs, specializing in Russian studies, from the University of Colorado, which included completion of the Russian Culture and Language Program at St. Petersburg State University in Russia. He has traveled extensively throughout Russia and the former Soviet Union, training with Russia’s elite Special Forces units for more than 10 years; and, is a certified instructor in Russian Special Forces hand to hand combat.
John Giduck has trained state and federal law enforcement officers and agents, including DEA, FBI, US Marshal’s Service, and SWAT teams throughout the US. He has served as a consultant on various international and terrorism subjects, and as a Russian Organized Crime instructor, for numerous federal and state agencies. He currently devotes his professional time to the Archangel Group, providing anti-terrorism consulting and training to U.S. law enforcement, government and military, part of which includes John serving as a civilian contract U.S. Army Special Forces hand-to-hand combat and firearms instructor. As well, he holds several black belts, is a multiple inductee into international martial arts halls of fame, and is a former U.S. national weightlifting champion.
John Giduck is a lifetime member of the Special Operations Association, Rocky Mountain Tactical Team Association, Russian Special Forces Brotherhood of the Red Beret Association, and is a lifetime executive member of the British Professional Bodyguard Association. He is a graduate of the FBI Citizen’s Academy and holds the highest level expert certification in Homeland Security through the American College of Forensic Examiners International, and is a former member of the Executive Advisory Board of the American College of Homeland Security and Police Marksman magazine. He is a current member of the Advisory Board of the College of Disaster Medicine and Management of Philadelphia University. In addition to other published materials and articles on terrorism, Russian organized crime and close quarters tactics, finished his book, Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy With Lessons for America’s Schools, in 2005. His second book, co-authored with Green Beret Sergeant Major John Anderson, entitled The Green Beret In You: Living With Total Commitment To Family, Career, Sports and Life, was published in late 2007.
As part of his work with Archangel, John Giduck is also a scuba, tactical diving and CQB instructor, and teaches terrorist-hostage negotiations, narco-terrorism, terrorism and global organized crime, and Russian organized crime courses. He is now working on his doctoral dissertation on the global expansion of radical Islam through King’s College of London.
About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.
About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.
Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2008/08/07/Schools-as-Terror-Targets
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
Showing posts with label organized crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organized crime. Show all posts
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Progress Continues in Iraq, Despite Singular Acts of Violence
By Melinda L. Larson
American Forces Press Service
July 21, 2007 - Success on the ground in Iraq is being overshadowed by spectacular attacks designed to draw attention from good things that are happening there, a U. S. Central Command officer told online journalists and bloggers in a July 19 conference call. "What we see is this violent and desperate enemy, as it will do these singular and very spectacular acts of violence in order to derail or to take the focus off of the good things that are happening," Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert H. Holmes, deputy director of operations for U.S. Central Command, said.
Holmes explained that spectacular acts by al Qaeda and extremists present a paradox.
"The more successful you are, the more spectacular the events," Holmes said. "The spectacular attacks are what I call attacks using weapons for mass effect. And they're designed, in my mind, to do just that, to create this mass effect for spectacular coverage in the media, to create spectacular terror in the mind of a population, to create chasms in national wills, (and) to create doubt in military forces."
For Holmes, there is no doubt that it's an asymmetric battle coalition forces are fighting because there's more than one enemy. He explained to the bloggers that the battlefield contains a combination of resistance, insurgent and terrorist fighters.
"It's a combination of all three -- resistance fighters, insurgents and terrorists -- because in my mind it's threaded through many interest groups that range from, in some cases, organized crime, to ethnic and tribal interest groups, to some external-actor interest groups, to the terrorists. And they're all in a feeding frenzy to have this terrain."
While the principles of war apply, fighting a variety of enemies is a new concept for military leaders, Holmes explained.
"This is a fight where all of the metrics and rules for conventional, linear warfare don't necessarily apply. Many of the principles apply, the principles of war apply, but the metrics that we've been comfortable with for so many years don't necessarily apply in this kind of warfare," the general said.
As the paradigm shifts from linear to asymmetrical warfare, coalition forces on the ground have to remain vigilant and anticipate an enemy's next move, Holmes said.
"The nature of the enemy is to adapt, to flex and to move somewhere else. So we've got to go, 'OK, we're being successful here, but now what does this mean elsewhere so that we don't lose our guard?' And those 'elsewheres' might even be outside of Iraq," Holmes said.
Holmes added that it's the nature of al Qaeda to proliferate.
"In addition to being very violent and very adaptive with its violence, it's very creative; it's very adaptive with regard to its transnational means to proliferate itself and to communicate across the Internet with itself, to train across the Internet and to recruit across the Internet."
While al Qaeda may be signing up new recruits, its leadership has taken a hit in Iraq, Holmes said.
"In some cases we've stripped through the leadership of that, whereas before a cell would have a leader taken out and another person was ready to step up and fill the gap," he said. "What we see in some cases, I think, is that it's becoming more difficult for certain cells to repair."
While al Qaeda in Iraq leadership may be faltering, Holmes said, tribal leaders within the country are stepping up. Holmes acknowledged that some are doubtful of tribal leaders entering the fight, but he said he is hopeful and sees it as a positive sign.
"The tribal leaders are taking up arms, working with the coalition forces, because they hate al Qaeda more than they hate the U.S. and the coalition forces," he said. "That may be, but you know what? If Iraqis are fighting for Iraq, that's OK."
Part of the fight and key to its success is not on the battleground, Holmes said.
"So we are engaged in a hearts-and-minds (struggle). That's clearly important in this kind of endeavor. It's what I like to call a guns-and-roses campaign. And while you've got the guns to do what has to be done to the bad guys, you've got to accompany that with roses that do go out to the hearts and minds," Holmes explained.
The roses Holmes hopes to deliver to the people of Iraq are cultivated from within.
"The majority of us all as people share the same kind of hopes and dreams and desires to have a peaceful and prosperous life. And that's very important," he said.
Holmes was quick to point out to the journalists that the guns-and-roses campaign is not about propaganda, but rather about sharing a common goal.
"I want to be very clear in this. It is not a propaganda campaign to go in and say, 'Made in the U.S.A.; do it our way.' It's to have an international community that shares hopes and desires and prosperity so that we live peacefully."
American Forces Press Service
July 21, 2007 - Success on the ground in Iraq is being overshadowed by spectacular attacks designed to draw attention from good things that are happening there, a U. S. Central Command officer told online journalists and bloggers in a July 19 conference call. "What we see is this violent and desperate enemy, as it will do these singular and very spectacular acts of violence in order to derail or to take the focus off of the good things that are happening," Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert H. Holmes, deputy director of operations for U.S. Central Command, said.
Holmes explained that spectacular acts by al Qaeda and extremists present a paradox.
"The more successful you are, the more spectacular the events," Holmes said. "The spectacular attacks are what I call attacks using weapons for mass effect. And they're designed, in my mind, to do just that, to create this mass effect for spectacular coverage in the media, to create spectacular terror in the mind of a population, to create chasms in national wills, (and) to create doubt in military forces."
For Holmes, there is no doubt that it's an asymmetric battle coalition forces are fighting because there's more than one enemy. He explained to the bloggers that the battlefield contains a combination of resistance, insurgent and terrorist fighters.
"It's a combination of all three -- resistance fighters, insurgents and terrorists -- because in my mind it's threaded through many interest groups that range from, in some cases, organized crime, to ethnic and tribal interest groups, to some external-actor interest groups, to the terrorists. And they're all in a feeding frenzy to have this terrain."
While the principles of war apply, fighting a variety of enemies is a new concept for military leaders, Holmes explained.
"This is a fight where all of the metrics and rules for conventional, linear warfare don't necessarily apply. Many of the principles apply, the principles of war apply, but the metrics that we've been comfortable with for so many years don't necessarily apply in this kind of warfare," the general said.
As the paradigm shifts from linear to asymmetrical warfare, coalition forces on the ground have to remain vigilant and anticipate an enemy's next move, Holmes said.
"The nature of the enemy is to adapt, to flex and to move somewhere else. So we've got to go, 'OK, we're being successful here, but now what does this mean elsewhere so that we don't lose our guard?' And those 'elsewheres' might even be outside of Iraq," Holmes said.
Holmes added that it's the nature of al Qaeda to proliferate.
"In addition to being very violent and very adaptive with its violence, it's very creative; it's very adaptive with regard to its transnational means to proliferate itself and to communicate across the Internet with itself, to train across the Internet and to recruit across the Internet."
While al Qaeda may be signing up new recruits, its leadership has taken a hit in Iraq, Holmes said.
"In some cases we've stripped through the leadership of that, whereas before a cell would have a leader taken out and another person was ready to step up and fill the gap," he said. "What we see in some cases, I think, is that it's becoming more difficult for certain cells to repair."
While al Qaeda in Iraq leadership may be faltering, Holmes said, tribal leaders within the country are stepping up. Holmes acknowledged that some are doubtful of tribal leaders entering the fight, but he said he is hopeful and sees it as a positive sign.
"The tribal leaders are taking up arms, working with the coalition forces, because they hate al Qaeda more than they hate the U.S. and the coalition forces," he said. "That may be, but you know what? If Iraqis are fighting for Iraq, that's OK."
Part of the fight and key to its success is not on the battleground, Holmes said.
"So we are engaged in a hearts-and-minds (struggle). That's clearly important in this kind of endeavor. It's what I like to call a guns-and-roses campaign. And while you've got the guns to do what has to be done to the bad guys, you've got to accompany that with roses that do go out to the hearts and minds," Holmes explained.
The roses Holmes hopes to deliver to the people of Iraq are cultivated from within.
"The majority of us all as people share the same kind of hopes and dreams and desires to have a peaceful and prosperous life. And that's very important," he said.
Holmes was quick to point out to the journalists that the guns-and-roses campaign is not about propaganda, but rather about sharing a common goal.
"I want to be very clear in this. It is not a propaganda campaign to go in and say, 'Made in the U.S.A.; do it our way.' It's to have an international community that shares hopes and desires and prosperity so that we live peacefully."
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