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More on the SF-based paramilitary firm that 'protected' Aristide
The San Francisco-based Steele Foundation ran Haiti's Presidential Protection Unit, staffing it with former apartheid soldiers and special forces. Now, the firm is militarizing the corporate invasion of Iraq. Its recent CEO, Richard Wilmot worked for US Army Intelligence and helped further the Afghan jihad.
Posted on Mon, Mar. 01, 2004
ARISTIDE SECURITY
U.S. allegedly blocked extra bodyguards
The United States allegedly blocked Haitian President Jean
Bertrand-Aristide's last-minute attempt to bolster his personal
bodyguards.
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
jtamayo at herald.com
The Bush administration blocked a last-minute attempt by Haitian
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to bolster his bodyguards -- mostly
former U.S. Special Forces members -- fearing he wanted them to organize
and lead a counterattack against the rebels who threatened his
presidency, knowledgeable sources said Sunday.
U.S. officials also forced a small group of extra bodyguards from the
San Francisco-based Steele Foundation to delay their flight from the
United States to Haiti from Sunday to today -- too late to help
Aristide, said the sources, who are close to Aristide.
The Steele Foundation, which despite its name is a private
executive-protection firm, has long held the contract, approved by the
U.S. State Department, to provide Aristide's personal security detail.
Most of them are veterans of the Special Forces and the State
Department's VIP protection service.
Calls to the Steele Foundation Sunday went unanswered, and State
Department officials declined to comment.
Aristide's Steele guard rose from about 10 to about 60 in 2000 after an
apparent coup attempt the previous December, according to Herald
reports.
But it had dropped to around 20 to 25 as of recent weeks, the sources
indicated.
EMBASSY ACTION
The sources said that after the Haitian government had recently
contacted Steele to provide a large group of extra bodyguards, U.S.
Embassy officials in the Haitian capital contacted Steele
representatives and warned them off.
Reports floating around the capital in recent weeks had Aristide asking
Steele to help professionalize his security forces.
Other reports indicated he wanted them to organize and command a
counterattack against the rebels.
Haiti's National Police -- a force of 6,000 that had shrunk to 4,000 --
virtually evaporated in the face of a rebel force estimated at a few
hundred since the uprising against the president began Feb. 5. Aristide
abolished the army in 1995.
''The embassy took it as if the Steele guys were going to go after these
guys,'' said one source, who would not confirm whether Aristide had
indeed intended to have the new bodyguards prepare his forces for a
counterattack.
The smaller group of bodyguards that was scheduled to go Sunday ''was
just additional protection, not a number large enough to go after these
guys,'' the source added.
Most of the Steele Foundation's contracts to protect foreign dignitaries
-- it also provides security for Afghan President Hamid Karzai -- must
be approved, officially or indirectly, by the U.S. government.
Government officials in Haiti and Washington told The Herald in early
2002 that Aristide was paying $6 million to $9 million a year for the 60
or so bodyguards, a considerable sum for the hemisphere's poorest
nation.
PROTECTION UNIT
The contract also called for a ''weapons package'' for the guards worth
just under $1 million, one of the officials said at the time.
Ken Kurtz, a managing director of Steele, confirmed that his firm
provides Aristide's ''presidential protection unit,'' but declined to
comment on the reports that it had been expanded or any other
``operational questions.''
Aristide's reliance on foreign bodyguards reflected the political crisis
facing the controversial president, toppled in a military coup in 1991,
restored after a U.S. invasion in 1994 and then reelected in 2000. ''The
government of Haiti, like any government after a violent incident such
as happened, would be interested in improving security,'' Kurtz told The
Herald.
C 2004 The Miami Herald and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
The Miami Herald
February 1, 2002
Former U.S. Special Forces guard Aristide
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
Fearing for his life after an apparent coup attempt in December, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti has significantly expanded his team of bodyguards, most of them veterans of U.S. Special Forces, according to sources in Haiti and Washington.
One U.S. government official said the number of bodyguards grew from about 10 to about 60 men and estimated the total cost at $6 million to $9 million a year, a considerable sum for the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Aristide's contract with the California-based Steele Foundation, a private executive protection firm despite its name, also calls for a ``weapons package'' for the guards worth just under $1 million, the official added.
The tightened security reflects the political crisis facing the controversial Aristide, toppled in a military coup in 1991, restored after a U.S. invasion in 1994 and then re-elected in 2000.
Ken Kurtz, a managing director of Steele, confirmed the firm provides Aristide's ``presidential protection unit,'' but declined to comment on the reports that it has expanded or any other ``operational questions.''
``The government of Haiti, like any government after a violent incident such as happened [in December], would be interested in improving security,'' Kurtz said on the phone from San Francisco.
DEC. 17 ATTACK
On Dec. 17, two dozen heavily armed men attacked the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, killing two policemen and two passersby in an apparent coup attempt allegedly led by a former army colonel and two former police officials. Aristide was not in the palace at the time.
The president's opponents charged the attack was staged by the government to justify the mob violence against critics that followed, which left four more dead, but offered no evidence to support their claims.
Since then, Aristide is regularly escorted by a helicopter carrying bodyguards and a caravan of vehicles that includes a truck mounted with a machine gun, which was used by the attackers in the assault on the palace, Haiti residents said.
HEAVY WEAPONRY
``There has been a significant increase in the security, from 10 to 60 bodyguards and a lot more heavy weaponry,'' said the U.S. official, an expert on security issues who declined to be identified.
The bodyguards are mostly veterans of U.S. Special Forces -- SEALs, Delta Force, Army Rangers and Marine reconnaissance units -- but include a handful of non-Americans, the U.S. official said.
Kurtz, a former Los Angeles police department official who joined Steele in 1997, has described the Haiti operation in public speeches as that country's first-ever ``privatized presidential unit.''
CONTRACT FOR YEARS
Kurtz said the Steele Foundation has had an ``executive protection'' contract with the Haitian government ``for years'' but declined to comment on the specifics.
Another firm offering high-level bodyguard services said it would normally charge $100,000 to $150,000 per man per year on a foreign assignment, more if the job is considered risky.
Most of Haiti's political violence in recent months has come from Aristide supporters attacking what they see as a disloyal opposition blocking the work of the former priest.
The Organization of American States voted earlier this month to send a permanent mission to Haiti to ensure the country's stability and called for an independent investigation of the Dec. 17 attack.
----------------
Ex-SA apartheid force members Haitian president bodyguard
By -SABC
Jan 6, 2004, 11:53
JOHANNESBURG: The men, who were recruited through a South African agency, work for an American company. Aristide has come under fire from opposition leaders accusing him of spending millions of dollars on the unit. -SABC
Meanwhile, South Africa's Wits University's Professor Hussein Solomon says President Thabo Mbeki's Haitian visit was a diplomatic blunder. Professor Solomon says it's wrong to link South Africa's 10 years of democracy with the situation in Haiti, given the mass human rights abuses occurring under the Aristide government.
Moreover, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, South African foreign affairs minister, is expected to consult with Haiti's major role players on the political situation in the country. Caribbean organisation (CARICOM), is trying to resolve the problems being experienced in Haiti. Bheki Khumalo, the President's spokesperson, says Dlamini-Zuma will assist wherever possible.
Opposition groups in Haiti will again take to the streets today where they will call for President Jean Bertrand Aristide to step down. They will make known their proposals for a new government. The proposals do not include President Aristide. Tensions have grown in Haiti since elections in 2000, which the opposition says were flawed. President Thabo Mbeki attended independence celebrations last week amid reports of violence.
----------------
http://www.steelefoundation.com/
The Steele Foundation is a multinational firm providing a broad range of specialized risk management services that are designed to control loss by providing innovative and strategic business solutions. Since 1989, The Steele Foundation has been partnering with our clients and industry to provide strategic safety and security services that mitigate risk and minimize loss, both financially and physically. As a respected professional service firm, our daily preoccupation is to raise industry standards through extraordinary customer care, exceptional subject matter depth, and by employing a proactive business practice with the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and professionalism. We are a world-class provider of security, safety and enterprise risk management solutions.
The Steele Foundation has been servicing a multinational clientele of governments, corporations, individuals and non-profit organizations to protect their interests 24/7 - proactive and comprehensive, our services eliminate business risks that affect your bottom line before they happen.
The Steele Foundation has six core business groups including Business Investigations, Executive Security, Crisis Management, Behavioral Sciences, Information Security, Crisis and Environmental Services. Recognized as a leader in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) solutions and risk mitigation strategies, The Steele Foundation specializes in the areas of physical threat assessments, social contingency planning, crisis management, architectural and personal safety and security, information and intelligence management, and corporate program development. Our global operations are supported by 24/7 support staff, a global administration team, and backed by a dynamic corporate infrastructure.
Global Presence
With global headquarters in San Francisco and regional headquarter offices in Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Asia, The Steele Foundation provides clients a global presence on all seven continents and in over twenty strategic business centers worldwide. Contact Us/Locations
Mission Statement
Our mission is to partner with our customers and industry to provide strategic professional services that mitigate risk and minimize loss, both financially and physically. As a respected professional service firm, our daily preoccupation is to raise industry standards through extraordinary customer care, exceptional subject matter depth, and by employing a proactive business practice with the highest standards of ethics, integrity and professionalism.
Worldwide Headquarters
388 Market Street
5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.781.4300
Northwest Region
Seattle
Two Union Square
42nd Floor
Seattle, WA 98101
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Denver
9800 Mt. Pyramid Ct.
Suite 400
Englewood, CO 80112
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Midwest Region
Chicago
203 North LaSalle
Suite 2100
Chicago. IL 60601
+1 312.332.4300
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Minneapolis
3601 Minnesota Drive
Suite 800
Minneapolis, MN 55435
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
St. Louis
17295 Chesterfield Airport Road
Suite 200
Chesterfield, MO 63005
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Northeast Region
New York
One Penn Plaza
250 West 34th St.
Suite 3600
New York, NY 10119
+1 212.832.7700
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Fairfax
Random Hills Center
11350 Random Hills Road
Suite 650
Fairfax, VA 22030
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Southwest Region
Los Angeles
445 South Figueroa Street
Suite 2700
Los Angeles, CA 90071
+1 213.253.4700
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Southeast Region
Miami
801 Brickell Avenue
9th Floor
Miami, FL 33131
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
[...]
Secure Operations Center
Baghdad
Iraq
+964 (0)790 191 57 40
+964 (0)790 191 57 30
iraq [at] wwsteele.com
---
Presidential Protection Unit
The Steele Foundation is writing a new chapter in the field of Executive Protection and represents the first organization in history to be hired directly by a Sovereign nation to provide the full time protection for its Heads of State. Our organization has established the first private full-time Presidential Protection Unit. As industry leaders, The Steele Foundation brings this same high caliber of experience, organization, and professionalism to the private sector.
Academic and Field Experience
Our organization employs professionals from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. As an organization, we provide our clientele with an international team, not individual operators. A Close Protection Agent reflects both academic and field experience in providing protective services in the corporate environment and public arenas.
Prepared for unseen challenges
While many executive protection companies focus their training skills on hand to hand combat and firearms, The Steele Foundation recognizes the realistic challenges of the corporate security detail. Our personnel receive extensive training in conducting advance operations and are prepared for unseen challenges and change.
We believe that personal protection should encompass more than a presence
The Steele Foundation's approach to providing personal protection, sets it apart from other companies in the industry. We believe that personal protection should encompass more than a presence. Our personnel are trained to be interactive facilitators; to professionally ensure that all aspects of the client's protection and security are addressed. Our attention to detail ensures that the principal is neither embarrassed nor inconvenienced. Employing personal protection provides more than physical protection from harm. An effective protection detail will ultimately maximize the principal's time. By either facilitating travel arrangements to and from an airport or confirming a destination's address to avoid delay, the benefits of utilizing a personal security aid is invaluable.
The Steele Foundation is skilled in maximizing available assets
We understand the parameters of a protection detail at all levels of threats and environments. Our protection details operate in environments requiring unobtrusive low visibility to arenas of high threat. In the private sector where resources may be limited, The Steele Foundation is skilled in maximizing available assets.
Personal protection is an art, not a science
The Steele Foundation believes that providing personal protection is an art, not a science. No two protection details are the same. Lifestyle, corporate culture, family, and other considerations make each principal's needs unique. Personal protection requires an established level of comfort with personalities and a discussion of fundamental methodology. Each of our agents recognize the enormous amount of faith, trust, and confidence placed in a personal security assistant. We value each relationship and are diligent in protecting the confidential nature of the association.
Always maintaining discretion and finesse
All of our Executive Security personnel are trained to operate in both public and private environments; always maintaining discretion and finesse. Our personnel are trained to operate in environments ranging from high threat to low threat, and within established infrastructures to unstable arenas. We are one-of-a-kind because our personnel in Asia, Europe, and in The Americas all receive the same in-service training, receive the same corporate support, and share the same high standards of customer service and attention to detail. While other companies utilize independent or individual resources according to geography, The Steele Foundation is the only Executive Protection Firm in the world which can provide a uniform and immediate Executive Security response within The Americas, Europe, and Asia - all with continuity and an established standard of service. We are able to provide an unmatched level continuity and international experience that your organization can expect regardless of location or culture.
Interactive Facilitators
Our personnel are trained to be interactive facilitators; to professionally ensure that all attributes of the client's security and well-being is addressed. Agents are articulate and well organized and are capable of addressing all aspects of the social, business, and personal needs of their principal and his or her family. As a pure service firm, our personnel set us apart from others in our industry.
Our firm prides itself on the education and experience level of its employees
Our employee retention of more than 95% is considered excellent by any industry's standards. Our firm prides itself on the education and experience level of its employees. The majority of our staff and management have achieved at least a four year degree; some have the distinction of higher levels of education such as their J.D., C.P.A., and Ph.D. Many of our staff speak a second language and have a multicultural background. Training of our personnel is paramount considering our spectrum of the security industry. The Steele Foundation supplements the costs of continued education as well as providing regular in-house training.
Being discreet and unobtrusive is paramount
Agents reflect quality experience from respected details in the private or government communities. The protection details that we provide are generally low profile. We recognize that in a corporate and private environment being discreet and unobtrusive is paramount. Our agents have good common sense and are well-versed in etiquette and political change. They present a professional image, are familiar with the responsibilities of a personal assistant, and recognize and respect the intimate nature of the assignment.
THE STEELE FOUNDATION EXPANDS SECURITY & RISK MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS IN IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST
PRESS RELEASE, February 23 2004
Enabling companies working in the Middle East to focus on their core business while we focus on ours – managing your risks.
San Francisco, CA (February 23, 2004) – The Steele Foundation, a global enterprise risk management firm, continues to enhance its Enterprise Risk Management operations in Iraq, offering companies there the resources of an international firm complemented by unique local knowledge of the region.
With a shift in military operations in local business centers, the Iraq Program Management Office (PMO) has required private and government contractors to provide their own security plans, staff and infrastructure to safeguard their operations and civilian employees in Iraq.
“The availability of an expert security force with localized knowledge enables companies engaged in the rebuilding of Iraq to focus on their core business while still complying with PMO requirements,” Said Kenn Kurtz, CEO, The Steele Foundation.
The Steele Foundation assists companies with the development of security plans, risk and vulnerability assessments, staffing of security personnel, EOD / UXO mine clearance and overall security project management. Steele has regional offices in Baghdad, Iraq; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Our company has been protecting the business interests of private corporations, NGOs, and governments in the Middle East for many years,” said General Richard W. Wilmot (Ret.) Executive Director, The Steele Foundation. “We have a proven track record of providing multinational businesses with a partner who understands the realities of conducting business in Iraq.” General Wilmot, who has extensive operational experience in the region, noted that The Steele Foundation has built strong relationships with tribal leaders and Sheiks throughout Iraq and the Middle East.
In addition to providing workforce and personal protection, convoy protection, business intelligence and kidnap/ransom mitigation, The Steele Foundation offers specialized expertise in mine clearance, unexploded ordnance detection and depleted uranium detection -- critical competencies for clients with large-scale infrastructure and construction projects. The company is currently working with contractors to rebuild the country's electrical sector, public works and water systems, military courts and borders, building, housing and health, transportation, communications, and oil infrastructure.
“More than $100 billion has been allocated to fund reconstruction projects throughout Iraq,” said John W. A. Didden, Managing Director, The Steele Foundation – Middle East. “This region is host to hundreds of multinational and local companies who are combating the security threats and high-risk exposures of terrorism and social instability. The Steele Foundation provides a suite of critical safety and security services for environments with absent or developing public security infrastructures.”
For more information on the company’s capabilities in Iraq and the Middle East, please visit The Steele Foundation’s website at: http://www.secureiraq.com
About The Steele Foundation
The Steele Foundation is a global firm providing a broad range of specialized risk management services that are designed to control loss by providing innovative and strategic business solutions. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Asia, The Steele Foundation services a multinational clientele of governments, corporations, individuals and non-profit organizations. The Steele Foundation has six core business segments including Business Investigations, Executive Security, Crisis Management, Information Security, Environmental Health and Safety and Behavioral Sciences.
For more information contact: (415) 781-4300 USA or +44 (0)207 242 7400 UK
---End Steele Foundation text---
http://www.leadingauthorities.com/21251/Richard_Wilmot.htm
Advertisement for Steele Fdn’s CEO as a Public Speaker:
Richard Wilmot
[Wilmot was Steele Foundation CEO Until Janury 2004]
General Richard Wilmot comes from a varied and unusual career in both government and the private sector. Before retiring from the Army, General Wilmot, a Vietnam war veteran, held several key positions in the defense sector: as the Commanding General of the US Army Intelligence Center and School, the Director of Intelligence Systems in the Pentagon, and as a former Special Forces soldier. Currently, General Wilmot is the CEO of the Steele Foundation, one of the "Big Five" global risk management companies. Steele, with offices around the world, is on the front lines in the fight against terrorism today.
Having been in 106 countries, his life is replete with fabulous true adventures from around the world. For example, he traveled into Afghanistan and was an advisor to the Afghan rebels when they were fighting the Soviet Army in the mid-1980s. This foray alone has resulted in many interesting anecdotes, realizations, and a broad understanding of events from that time which are tied to the international terrorist situation we face today. To hear him masterfully weave together his experiences with the Afghan Rebels in the context of today's events is spell binding. In another "hair raising" operation, he successfully engineered the removal, unknown to the Russians, of twelve T-72 tanks from the inventory of the Soviet Army, which changed the fortunes of the ground war against Iraq during operation Desert Storm. This real life adventure is being documented in a soon-to-be-published Plausible Denial, a book involving foreign governments, the KGB, the Pentagon, and a cast of sinister but interesting characters.
General Wilmot is a successful entrepreneur and today a powerful international businessman. He doesn't study and write theories about leadership; he practices leadership in tense areas of the world and in crisis situations where leading has no room for error. He is a motivator, strategic planner, doer, and a man with unbelievable and engaging stories about his adventures from around the world.
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Traveling From: Kansas
ARISTIDE SECURITY
U.S. allegedly blocked extra bodyguards
The United States allegedly blocked Haitian President Jean
Bertrand-Aristide's last-minute attempt to bolster his personal
bodyguards.
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
jtamayo at herald.com
The Bush administration blocked a last-minute attempt by Haitian
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to bolster his bodyguards -- mostly
former U.S. Special Forces members -- fearing he wanted them to organize
and lead a counterattack against the rebels who threatened his
presidency, knowledgeable sources said Sunday.
U.S. officials also forced a small group of extra bodyguards from the
San Francisco-based Steele Foundation to delay their flight from the
United States to Haiti from Sunday to today -- too late to help
Aristide, said the sources, who are close to Aristide.
The Steele Foundation, which despite its name is a private
executive-protection firm, has long held the contract, approved by the
U.S. State Department, to provide Aristide's personal security detail.
Most of them are veterans of the Special Forces and the State
Department's VIP protection service.
Calls to the Steele Foundation Sunday went unanswered, and State
Department officials declined to comment.
Aristide's Steele guard rose from about 10 to about 60 in 2000 after an
apparent coup attempt the previous December, according to Herald
reports.
But it had dropped to around 20 to 25 as of recent weeks, the sources
indicated.
EMBASSY ACTION
The sources said that after the Haitian government had recently
contacted Steele to provide a large group of extra bodyguards, U.S.
Embassy officials in the Haitian capital contacted Steele
representatives and warned them off.
Reports floating around the capital in recent weeks had Aristide asking
Steele to help professionalize his security forces.
Other reports indicated he wanted them to organize and command a
counterattack against the rebels.
Haiti's National Police -- a force of 6,000 that had shrunk to 4,000 --
virtually evaporated in the face of a rebel force estimated at a few
hundred since the uprising against the president began Feb. 5. Aristide
abolished the army in 1995.
''The embassy took it as if the Steele guys were going to go after these
guys,'' said one source, who would not confirm whether Aristide had
indeed intended to have the new bodyguards prepare his forces for a
counterattack.
The smaller group of bodyguards that was scheduled to go Sunday ''was
just additional protection, not a number large enough to go after these
guys,'' the source added.
Most of the Steele Foundation's contracts to protect foreign dignitaries
-- it also provides security for Afghan President Hamid Karzai -- must
be approved, officially or indirectly, by the U.S. government.
Government officials in Haiti and Washington told The Herald in early
2002 that Aristide was paying $6 million to $9 million a year for the 60
or so bodyguards, a considerable sum for the hemisphere's poorest
nation.
PROTECTION UNIT
The contract also called for a ''weapons package'' for the guards worth
just under $1 million, one of the officials said at the time.
Ken Kurtz, a managing director of Steele, confirmed that his firm
provides Aristide's ''presidential protection unit,'' but declined to
comment on the reports that it had been expanded or any other
``operational questions.''
Aristide's reliance on foreign bodyguards reflected the political crisis
facing the controversial president, toppled in a military coup in 1991,
restored after a U.S. invasion in 1994 and then reelected in 2000. ''The
government of Haiti, like any government after a violent incident such
as happened, would be interested in improving security,'' Kurtz told The
Herald.
C 2004 The Miami Herald and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
The Miami Herald
February 1, 2002
Former U.S. Special Forces guard Aristide
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
Fearing for his life after an apparent coup attempt in December, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti has significantly expanded his team of bodyguards, most of them veterans of U.S. Special Forces, according to sources in Haiti and Washington.
One U.S. government official said the number of bodyguards grew from about 10 to about 60 men and estimated the total cost at $6 million to $9 million a year, a considerable sum for the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Aristide's contract with the California-based Steele Foundation, a private executive protection firm despite its name, also calls for a ``weapons package'' for the guards worth just under $1 million, the official added.
The tightened security reflects the political crisis facing the controversial Aristide, toppled in a military coup in 1991, restored after a U.S. invasion in 1994 and then re-elected in 2000.
Ken Kurtz, a managing director of Steele, confirmed the firm provides Aristide's ``presidential protection unit,'' but declined to comment on the reports that it has expanded or any other ``operational questions.''
``The government of Haiti, like any government after a violent incident such as happened [in December], would be interested in improving security,'' Kurtz said on the phone from San Francisco.
DEC. 17 ATTACK
On Dec. 17, two dozen heavily armed men attacked the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, killing two policemen and two passersby in an apparent coup attempt allegedly led by a former army colonel and two former police officials. Aristide was not in the palace at the time.
The president's opponents charged the attack was staged by the government to justify the mob violence against critics that followed, which left four more dead, but offered no evidence to support their claims.
Since then, Aristide is regularly escorted by a helicopter carrying bodyguards and a caravan of vehicles that includes a truck mounted with a machine gun, which was used by the attackers in the assault on the palace, Haiti residents said.
HEAVY WEAPONRY
``There has been a significant increase in the security, from 10 to 60 bodyguards and a lot more heavy weaponry,'' said the U.S. official, an expert on security issues who declined to be identified.
The bodyguards are mostly veterans of U.S. Special Forces -- SEALs, Delta Force, Army Rangers and Marine reconnaissance units -- but include a handful of non-Americans, the U.S. official said.
Kurtz, a former Los Angeles police department official who joined Steele in 1997, has described the Haiti operation in public speeches as that country's first-ever ``privatized presidential unit.''
CONTRACT FOR YEARS
Kurtz said the Steele Foundation has had an ``executive protection'' contract with the Haitian government ``for years'' but declined to comment on the specifics.
Another firm offering high-level bodyguard services said it would normally charge $100,000 to $150,000 per man per year on a foreign assignment, more if the job is considered risky.
Most of Haiti's political violence in recent months has come from Aristide supporters attacking what they see as a disloyal opposition blocking the work of the former priest.
The Organization of American States voted earlier this month to send a permanent mission to Haiti to ensure the country's stability and called for an independent investigation of the Dec. 17 attack.
----------------
Ex-SA apartheid force members Haitian president bodyguard
By -SABC
Jan 6, 2004, 11:53
JOHANNESBURG: The men, who were recruited through a South African agency, work for an American company. Aristide has come under fire from opposition leaders accusing him of spending millions of dollars on the unit. -SABC
Meanwhile, South Africa's Wits University's Professor Hussein Solomon says President Thabo Mbeki's Haitian visit was a diplomatic blunder. Professor Solomon says it's wrong to link South Africa's 10 years of democracy with the situation in Haiti, given the mass human rights abuses occurring under the Aristide government.
Moreover, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, South African foreign affairs minister, is expected to consult with Haiti's major role players on the political situation in the country. Caribbean organisation (CARICOM), is trying to resolve the problems being experienced in Haiti. Bheki Khumalo, the President's spokesperson, says Dlamini-Zuma will assist wherever possible.
Opposition groups in Haiti will again take to the streets today where they will call for President Jean Bertrand Aristide to step down. They will make known their proposals for a new government. The proposals do not include President Aristide. Tensions have grown in Haiti since elections in 2000, which the opposition says were flawed. President Thabo Mbeki attended independence celebrations last week amid reports of violence.
----------------
http://www.steelefoundation.com/
The Steele Foundation is a multinational firm providing a broad range of specialized risk management services that are designed to control loss by providing innovative and strategic business solutions. Since 1989, The Steele Foundation has been partnering with our clients and industry to provide strategic safety and security services that mitigate risk and minimize loss, both financially and physically. As a respected professional service firm, our daily preoccupation is to raise industry standards through extraordinary customer care, exceptional subject matter depth, and by employing a proactive business practice with the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and professionalism. We are a world-class provider of security, safety and enterprise risk management solutions.
The Steele Foundation has been servicing a multinational clientele of governments, corporations, individuals and non-profit organizations to protect their interests 24/7 - proactive and comprehensive, our services eliminate business risks that affect your bottom line before they happen.
The Steele Foundation has six core business groups including Business Investigations, Executive Security, Crisis Management, Behavioral Sciences, Information Security, Crisis and Environmental Services. Recognized as a leader in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) solutions and risk mitigation strategies, The Steele Foundation specializes in the areas of physical threat assessments, social contingency planning, crisis management, architectural and personal safety and security, information and intelligence management, and corporate program development. Our global operations are supported by 24/7 support staff, a global administration team, and backed by a dynamic corporate infrastructure.
Global Presence
With global headquarters in San Francisco and regional headquarter offices in Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Asia, The Steele Foundation provides clients a global presence on all seven continents and in over twenty strategic business centers worldwide. Contact Us/Locations
Mission Statement
Our mission is to partner with our customers and industry to provide strategic professional services that mitigate risk and minimize loss, both financially and physically. As a respected professional service firm, our daily preoccupation is to raise industry standards through extraordinary customer care, exceptional subject matter depth, and by employing a proactive business practice with the highest standards of ethics, integrity and professionalism.
Worldwide Headquarters
388 Market Street
5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.781.4300
Northwest Region
Seattle
Two Union Square
42nd Floor
Seattle, WA 98101
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Denver
9800 Mt. Pyramid Ct.
Suite 400
Englewood, CO 80112
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Midwest Region
Chicago
203 North LaSalle
Suite 2100
Chicago. IL 60601
+1 312.332.4300
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Minneapolis
3601 Minnesota Drive
Suite 800
Minneapolis, MN 55435
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
St. Louis
17295 Chesterfield Airport Road
Suite 200
Chesterfield, MO 63005
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Northeast Region
New York
One Penn Plaza
250 West 34th St.
Suite 3600
New York, NY 10119
+1 212.832.7700
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Fairfax
Random Hills Center
11350 Random Hills Road
Suite 650
Fairfax, VA 22030
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Southwest Region
Los Angeles
445 South Figueroa Street
Suite 2700
Los Angeles, CA 90071
+1 213.253.4700
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
Southeast Region
Miami
801 Brickell Avenue
9th Floor
Miami, FL 33131
+1 800.576.5423
northamerica [at] wwsteele.com
[...]
Secure Operations Center
Baghdad
Iraq
+964 (0)790 191 57 40
+964 (0)790 191 57 30
iraq [at] wwsteele.com
---
Presidential Protection Unit
The Steele Foundation is writing a new chapter in the field of Executive Protection and represents the first organization in history to be hired directly by a Sovereign nation to provide the full time protection for its Heads of State. Our organization has established the first private full-time Presidential Protection Unit. As industry leaders, The Steele Foundation brings this same high caliber of experience, organization, and professionalism to the private sector.
Academic and Field Experience
Our organization employs professionals from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. As an organization, we provide our clientele with an international team, not individual operators. A Close Protection Agent reflects both academic and field experience in providing protective services in the corporate environment and public arenas.
Prepared for unseen challenges
While many executive protection companies focus their training skills on hand to hand combat and firearms, The Steele Foundation recognizes the realistic challenges of the corporate security detail. Our personnel receive extensive training in conducting advance operations and are prepared for unseen challenges and change.
We believe that personal protection should encompass more than a presence
The Steele Foundation's approach to providing personal protection, sets it apart from other companies in the industry. We believe that personal protection should encompass more than a presence. Our personnel are trained to be interactive facilitators; to professionally ensure that all aspects of the client's protection and security are addressed. Our attention to detail ensures that the principal is neither embarrassed nor inconvenienced. Employing personal protection provides more than physical protection from harm. An effective protection detail will ultimately maximize the principal's time. By either facilitating travel arrangements to and from an airport or confirming a destination's address to avoid delay, the benefits of utilizing a personal security aid is invaluable.
The Steele Foundation is skilled in maximizing available assets
We understand the parameters of a protection detail at all levels of threats and environments. Our protection details operate in environments requiring unobtrusive low visibility to arenas of high threat. In the private sector where resources may be limited, The Steele Foundation is skilled in maximizing available assets.
Personal protection is an art, not a science
The Steele Foundation believes that providing personal protection is an art, not a science. No two protection details are the same. Lifestyle, corporate culture, family, and other considerations make each principal's needs unique. Personal protection requires an established level of comfort with personalities and a discussion of fundamental methodology. Each of our agents recognize the enormous amount of faith, trust, and confidence placed in a personal security assistant. We value each relationship and are diligent in protecting the confidential nature of the association.
Always maintaining discretion and finesse
All of our Executive Security personnel are trained to operate in both public and private environments; always maintaining discretion and finesse. Our personnel are trained to operate in environments ranging from high threat to low threat, and within established infrastructures to unstable arenas. We are one-of-a-kind because our personnel in Asia, Europe, and in The Americas all receive the same in-service training, receive the same corporate support, and share the same high standards of customer service and attention to detail. While other companies utilize independent or individual resources according to geography, The Steele Foundation is the only Executive Protection Firm in the world which can provide a uniform and immediate Executive Security response within The Americas, Europe, and Asia - all with continuity and an established standard of service. We are able to provide an unmatched level continuity and international experience that your organization can expect regardless of location or culture.
Interactive Facilitators
Our personnel are trained to be interactive facilitators; to professionally ensure that all attributes of the client's security and well-being is addressed. Agents are articulate and well organized and are capable of addressing all aspects of the social, business, and personal needs of their principal and his or her family. As a pure service firm, our personnel set us apart from others in our industry.
Our firm prides itself on the education and experience level of its employees
Our employee retention of more than 95% is considered excellent by any industry's standards. Our firm prides itself on the education and experience level of its employees. The majority of our staff and management have achieved at least a four year degree; some have the distinction of higher levels of education such as their J.D., C.P.A., and Ph.D. Many of our staff speak a second language and have a multicultural background. Training of our personnel is paramount considering our spectrum of the security industry. The Steele Foundation supplements the costs of continued education as well as providing regular in-house training.
Being discreet and unobtrusive is paramount
Agents reflect quality experience from respected details in the private or government communities. The protection details that we provide are generally low profile. We recognize that in a corporate and private environment being discreet and unobtrusive is paramount. Our agents have good common sense and are well-versed in etiquette and political change. They present a professional image, are familiar with the responsibilities of a personal assistant, and recognize and respect the intimate nature of the assignment.
THE STEELE FOUNDATION EXPANDS SECURITY & RISK MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS IN IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST
PRESS RELEASE, February 23 2004
Enabling companies working in the Middle East to focus on their core business while we focus on ours – managing your risks.
San Francisco, CA (February 23, 2004) – The Steele Foundation, a global enterprise risk management firm, continues to enhance its Enterprise Risk Management operations in Iraq, offering companies there the resources of an international firm complemented by unique local knowledge of the region.
With a shift in military operations in local business centers, the Iraq Program Management Office (PMO) has required private and government contractors to provide their own security plans, staff and infrastructure to safeguard their operations and civilian employees in Iraq.
“The availability of an expert security force with localized knowledge enables companies engaged in the rebuilding of Iraq to focus on their core business while still complying with PMO requirements,” Said Kenn Kurtz, CEO, The Steele Foundation.
The Steele Foundation assists companies with the development of security plans, risk and vulnerability assessments, staffing of security personnel, EOD / UXO mine clearance and overall security project management. Steele has regional offices in Baghdad, Iraq; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Our company has been protecting the business interests of private corporations, NGOs, and governments in the Middle East for many years,” said General Richard W. Wilmot (Ret.) Executive Director, The Steele Foundation. “We have a proven track record of providing multinational businesses with a partner who understands the realities of conducting business in Iraq.” General Wilmot, who has extensive operational experience in the region, noted that The Steele Foundation has built strong relationships with tribal leaders and Sheiks throughout Iraq and the Middle East.
In addition to providing workforce and personal protection, convoy protection, business intelligence and kidnap/ransom mitigation, The Steele Foundation offers specialized expertise in mine clearance, unexploded ordnance detection and depleted uranium detection -- critical competencies for clients with large-scale infrastructure and construction projects. The company is currently working with contractors to rebuild the country's electrical sector, public works and water systems, military courts and borders, building, housing and health, transportation, communications, and oil infrastructure.
“More than $100 billion has been allocated to fund reconstruction projects throughout Iraq,” said John W. A. Didden, Managing Director, The Steele Foundation – Middle East. “This region is host to hundreds of multinational and local companies who are combating the security threats and high-risk exposures of terrorism and social instability. The Steele Foundation provides a suite of critical safety and security services for environments with absent or developing public security infrastructures.”
For more information on the company’s capabilities in Iraq and the Middle East, please visit The Steele Foundation’s website at: http://www.secureiraq.com
About The Steele Foundation
The Steele Foundation is a global firm providing a broad range of specialized risk management services that are designed to control loss by providing innovative and strategic business solutions. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Asia, The Steele Foundation services a multinational clientele of governments, corporations, individuals and non-profit organizations. The Steele Foundation has six core business segments including Business Investigations, Executive Security, Crisis Management, Information Security, Environmental Health and Safety and Behavioral Sciences.
For more information contact: (415) 781-4300 USA or +44 (0)207 242 7400 UK
---End Steele Foundation text---
http://www.leadingauthorities.com/21251/Richard_Wilmot.htm
Advertisement for Steele Fdn’s CEO as a Public Speaker:
Richard Wilmot
[Wilmot was Steele Foundation CEO Until Janury 2004]
General Richard Wilmot comes from a varied and unusual career in both government and the private sector. Before retiring from the Army, General Wilmot, a Vietnam war veteran, held several key positions in the defense sector: as the Commanding General of the US Army Intelligence Center and School, the Director of Intelligence Systems in the Pentagon, and as a former Special Forces soldier. Currently, General Wilmot is the CEO of the Steele Foundation, one of the "Big Five" global risk management companies. Steele, with offices around the world, is on the front lines in the fight against terrorism today.
Having been in 106 countries, his life is replete with fabulous true adventures from around the world. For example, he traveled into Afghanistan and was an advisor to the Afghan rebels when they were fighting the Soviet Army in the mid-1980s. This foray alone has resulted in many interesting anecdotes, realizations, and a broad understanding of events from that time which are tied to the international terrorist situation we face today. To hear him masterfully weave together his experiences with the Afghan Rebels in the context of today's events is spell binding. In another "hair raising" operation, he successfully engineered the removal, unknown to the Russians, of twelve T-72 tanks from the inventory of the Soviet Army, which changed the fortunes of the ground war against Iraq during operation Desert Storm. This real life adventure is being documented in a soon-to-be-published Plausible Denial, a book involving foreign governments, the KGB, the Pentagon, and a cast of sinister but interesting characters.
General Wilmot is a successful entrepreneur and today a powerful international businessman. He doesn't study and write theories about leadership; he practices leadership in tense areas of the world and in crisis situations where leading has no room for error. He is a motivator, strategic planner, doer, and a man with unbelievable and engaging stories about his adventures from around the world.
A graduate of Michigan State University, the US Army War College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, the Command and General Staff College, and having studied at Oxford, General Wilmot will more than entertain an audience. He will provide instructive ideas, useful opinions, insights, and concepts from the world of international business, politics, government, crisis management, leadership, and security. He will also motivate and move the audience along to higher levels of inspiration, loyalty, productivity, and business skills.
Traveling From: Kansas
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aristide
Tue, Mar 2, 2004 4:42PM
insecurity
Tue, Mar 2, 2004 2:34PM
Why was Aristide using these bastards, anyway?
Tue, Mar 2, 2004 2:08PM
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