| http://www.aci.net/kalliste/lfctimes/afghan_security.htm
A Phoenix Program for Afghanistan? by Richard S. Ehrlich KABUL, Afghanistan — Security is dangerously lax at U.N. compounds, Bagram Air Base and other facilities, according to a U.S. Vietnam War veteran from the former CIA-backed Phoenix Program who now runs a professional security service. "The enemy, in this case the Taliban, have certainly now mixed in and assimilated in with the local population," John Muller, president of MPA Security Services, said in a one-hour taped interview. "The U.S. has just recently dropped bombs on the town [Kabul] and there were some accidents of course, so there are probably some very frustrated natives out there that could do something. "They could possibly be a threat to foreigners." Mr. Muller was shocked to discover a security threat on Thursday (Jan. 3) at Bagram Air Base, 42 miles (67 kilometers) north of Kabul, where U.S. and British forces are based. "At Bagram Air Base, we found a Russian helicopter was flown by a local [Afghan] pilot from the new army and he was doing stunts next to parked cars and U.N. people. "It turned out, in this instance, when he stepped out of the helicopter and people asked why he acted like that, he said, 'I hate foreigners.' "There are always idiots and misfits and people on substance abuse who don't like our presence here," Mr. Muller, 52, said. Asked if Taliban or al Qaeda fighters may have infiltrated Kabul to study the international community's security, Mr. Muller replied: "Absolutely, absolutely. "There are certainly people physically surveilling. "If you don't take your security seriously and take some precautions — very, very sensible precautions — it could flame up real quick. "People are looking. They are maybe working for the Taliban or were certainly for the opposition. "They are watching to see what the expats are doing here, exactly what we're doing, where we are going and things like that," Mr. Muller said. "Security certainly needs improvement across the board. It is not professional. The private guarding industry here, hired by NGOs [Non-Government Organizations], has a long way to go," he said. "There haven't been any direct incidents or casualties yet, significantly. "But I think when you employ security it should just be professional security, particularly in a situation where we've just had bombings and attacks in a country that has not accepted foreigners easily." The Vietnam Phoenix Program Mr. Muller has 33 years of security experience starting with the CIA-backed Phoenix program in South Vietnam. He stressed, however, a Phoenix-style strategy would not be advisable against the Taliban, al Qaeda or suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. "I was in Vietnam in the Phoenix program, of all things, in 1969-70. I ran 70 Chinese Nung [Chinese-Vietnamese] guards. "We would protect villas and VIPs and I wore civilian clothes. I had a year-and-a-half of experience running Vietnamese guards and that was the start of my security experience. "They were guarding high diplomatic installations, like back-up embassies, things like that, purely providing protection for administrative staff. These were White House people, White House diplomats, who came out and ran this program called Phoenix. "It was a program designed to identify [communist] Vietnamese intelligence agents and put a stop to their networks and their activities. "It was a highly successful program, but it was a very secret program. "The problem with the Phoenix program is sometimes it was abused. The locals would pinpoint people who were not agents and they settled family scores that way. So that's not the perfect solution at all." MACV Mr. Muller, from Seattle, Washington, was a corporal at Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV). "I spent two years with the Department of Defense, Air Force, also as security supervisor in Alice Springs, Australia, from 1975-77, running a very sensitive joint defense space research facility with the Australians and the Americans. Mr. Muller is now president of MPA Security Services, headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. "We have over 3,000 guards there. We offer electronic security systems, VIP protection, counter-surveillance protection and almost any kind of security services that you would want." MPA provides security for 10 embassies in Bangkok, plus airlines, banks, offices, international organizations, shops, schools, residences and industries, he said. "In Cambodia, we have over 1,000 guards. We started in New Delhi this year. "All U.N. agencies in Cambodia use us," he said. "UNDP [United Nations Development Program] asked me to come down here, so that's why I'm in Kabul," he said. "In my life I've run Americans, Vietnamese, Australians, Cambodians, Thais and perhaps I'll soon be running Afghans" as security guards. "I personally think it is very poor security that I've seen in this country." Afghan Security In Kabul, foreigners who hire Afghan guards have "no idea if the weapon works, or whether the person knows how to use that weapon, whether he ever cleans it, or has any skills with that weapon whatsoever. That's very, very poor. "I notice at all installations that I've gone to, access was easy to gain. Very, very easy. Particularly the U.N. here. "You can just walk through if you're — in Thailand we say 'farang' [Caucasian]. It's easy. You're not challenged. "They don't really have any skills. They don't have any equipment. There are no batons, no handcuffs. You can just tell they're not even trained. "They are just strictly opening doors and trying to ask you, 'What are you doing here?' Maybe. That's the best you can get. "I have not found what I would define as 'good security' except with the ISAF [U.N.-mandated International Security Assistance Force] and the U.S. forces here," Mr. Muller said. "I think it is very high risk to leave your security like this." He recommended electronic systems such as closed-circuit cameras, computer-locked access doors, alarms and motion sensors, plus color-coded identification cards, vehicle checks, searches and other basic security procedures. "There is probably a market for maybe 300, 400 guards in this town serving the Red Cross, CARE, World Vision, all of the U.N. agencies, embassies that set up here and airlines — airline security is one of our big ones," he said. Mr. Muller said he received strong support from the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the U.N. "I recently joined OSAC, which is the State Department-sponsored Overseas Security Advisory Council out of Washington DC. "This organization consists of the U.S. State Department working together with the private sector to help American companies by sending them new directives in intelligence on crime and so forth, and at the same time getting that information back in the field to help improve security." |
