Industry NewsEmployee News | Company News | Industry News | Book Reviews | Apollo Annual Security Survey for January 2008 Apollo Security Now a Member of TransNational Security Group LLC | Scams and Schemes | Holiday Season Safety Tips | Certified Protection Professional (CPP) | Apollo Security Awarded Acceleron Pharma Contract SECURITY FORCES INC. AND APOLLO SECURITY ARE AWARDED THE SECURITY OPERATIONS FOR ANHEUSER BUSCH Walpole, Massachusetts – Kenneth D. Jenkins, President, Apollo Security, Inc., is pleased to confirm that the company is providing security services for the Anheuser Busch brewery in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Security Forces Inc. (SFI), an owner/member of TransNational Security Group LLC, was awarded the contract, expanding their relationship with Anheuser Bush. Apollo, the northeast partner in TransNational Security, is providing the services locally for SFI. “We look forward to growing the relationship with Anheuser Busch by providing them with outstanding security services,” said Jenkins. Adhering to the highest degree of professionalism and integrity, Apollo and SFI provide customized security services based on the needs of each client. “Our employees are trained to provide both high-end customer service and security functions,” said Jenkins. Apollo Security thrives on developing and implementing solutions in a variety of environments, making them the ideal company for Anheuser Busch’s 294-acre facility. Serving the New England region, the Anheuser Busch Merrimack Brewery has the capacity to produce 3.1 million barrels of product a year and employs approximately 400 employees. Some of the brands brewed at this site include Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Light, Stone Mill Pale Ale, Busch Light, and Demon’s Hop Yard IPA. As a member of TransNational Security Group, LLC (TSG), Apollo Security is in partnership with the leading U.S. regional security companies. “Clients of the TransNational Security partners have the ability to ensure consistent high end service provided locally by the owners of the regional company ,” explained Jenkins. In addition to Apollo and SFI, the other TransNational Security partners include Whelan Security (Central United States) and Universal Protection Service (Western United States). Some of TransNational’s better-known clients include Boston Scientific, Nissan, Avista, and Seagate Technology. Founded in 1990, Apollo Security has been one of the fastest-growing companies in the Northeast/Middle Atlantic region. Locally-owned and managed by a highly regarded and experienced management team, Apollo provides an extensive range of security solutions to corporations and institutions throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Maryland.. These include uniformed guard services, investigative operations, fire and life safety training, concierge/desk attendant services, intellectual property investigations, due diligence, threat analysis, and customized security training programs With affiliations worldwide, Apollo has the ability to support its clients’ national and international requirements, whether these are related to executive protection, background checks or investigative operations, site surveys for new or existing premises, or security guard services. Apollo Security’s corporate headquarters are located at 2150 Boston Providence Highway, Route 1, in Walpole, Massachusetts. For more information, visit: www.apollosecurity.com or call Apollo at: 800.640.3287. Gustin Advertising APOLLO SECURITY RESPONSIBLE FOR SECURITY AT NORTHAMPTON’S COOLEY-DICKINSON HOSPITAL Walpole, Massachusetts – Kenneth D. Jenkins, President, Apollo Security, Inc. is pleased to announce that the company has taken over responsibility for security services for Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts. “We are very excited to be working with one of the premier medical centers in the Pioneer Valley,” said Jenkins. Jenkins explained that, “…Apollo’s range of responsibilities includes patrols of the facility, monitoring access control, and supporting emergency responses.” Apollo is currently the security provider for leading medical centers and hospitals throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. The highly rated Cooley-Dickinson Hospital has been providing a wide range of medical treatment services at its main campus in Northampton since 1886. The medical team also offers outpatient services, including a broad spectrum of health care, hospice, and visiting nurse services, at satellite locations throughout Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The 125-bed, JCAHO-accredited hospital was recently recognized by HCIA/Sachs and The Health Network as one of the top 100 regional hospitals in the country. Commenting on its new security partner, the Cooley-Dickinson Security Director, Brian Rust, stated that, “…it has been a pleasure having ASI as our new security vendor. The transition was seamless, and Apollo has become a real partner with the hospital. I look forward to many years of continued, outstanding support and service.” Founded in 1990, Apollo Security has been one of the fastest-growing companies in the Northeast/Middle Atlantic region. Locally-owned and managed by a highly regarded and experienced management team, Apollo provides an extensive range of security solutions to corporations, hospitals and institutions throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Maryland.. These include uniformed guard services, investigative operations, fire and life safety training, concierge/desk attendant services; intellectual property rights investigations, due diligence, threat analysis, and customized security training programs A member of TransNational Security Group, LLC (TSG), a partnership comprised of leading U.S. regional security companies nationwide, and with affiliations worldwide, Apollo has the ability to support its clients’ national and international requirements, whether these are related to executive protection, background checks or investigative operations, site surveys for new or existing premises, or security guard services. Apollo Security’s corporate headquarters are located at 2150 Boston Providence Highway, Route 1, in Walpole, Massachusetts. For more information, visit: www.apollosecurity.com or call Apollo at: 800.640.3287. Apollo Security Awarded Acceleron Pharma Contract Walpole, Massachusetts - Robert Devane, Vice President of Operations at Apollo Security, Inc., has announced that Apollo has been selected to provide security services for Acceleron Pharma. "We are very pleased to have Acceleron join our list of clients who are revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry," noted Devane. Located in a 24,000 square foot facility in Cambridge, MA, Acceleron is a biopharmaceutical company that develops innovative biotherapeutics for the treatment of musculoskeletal, metabolic and cancer-related diseases. Acceleron was founded to take advantage of its unique insight on the Growth and Differentiation Factor (GDF) protein family. Acceleron utilizes a novel approach to modulate the activity of various GDF's that control the growth of bone, muscle, fat and the vasculature. The company is establishing itself as the premier company in their field with its lead program, ACE-011, in clinical development for the treatment of bone loss. Commenting on Apollo's new contract, Devane added "we recognize that every client is unique and our site-specific training programs ensure that we can provide services that meet any client's particular challenges. We are very confident that we will meet and exceed Acceleron's expectations of the highest quality security services." In addition to Acceleron, Apollo provides security services for several other major pharmaceutical and medical supply companies including Boston Scientific, Millennium, Wyeth, Shire Pharmaceuticals, and Purdue Pharma. Founded in 1990, Apollo Security has been one of the fastest-growing companies in the Northeast/Middle Atlantic region. Locally-owned and managed by a highly regarded and experienced management team, Apollo provides an extensive range of security solutions to corporations and institutions throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Maryland.. These include uniformed guard services, investigative operations, fire and life safety training, concierge/desk attendant services, intellectual property investigations, due diligence, threat analysis, and customized security training programs. A member of TransNational Security Group, LLC (TSG), a partnership comprised of leading U.S. regional security companies nationwide, and with affiliations worldwide, Apollo has the ability to support its clients' national and international requirements, whether these are related to executive protection, background checks or investigative operations, site surveys for new or existing premises, or security guard services. Apollo Security's corporate headquarters are located at 2150 Boston Providence Highway, Route 1, in Walpole, Massachusetts. For more information, visit: www.apollosecurity.com or call Apollo at: 800.640.3287. Apollo Annual Security Survey for January 2008 Introduction On January 28th, President Bush will issue his eighth and final State of the Union address before the US Congress. As was the case last year, we believe this speech gives us an opportunity to review the state of play in several places around the globe which impact on our nation's security as we move into 2008. "al-Qa'ida" and the Continuing Threat of International Terrorism Topping the list of potential threats to our security, and the one underscored particularly by Senator John McCain in his current bid for the White House, is that of international terrorism. JFK's Secretary of State Dean Rusk once stated that "...at any time of the day or night, two-thirds of the world's people are awake, and some of them are up to no good." In the bipolar world which existed before the collapse of the Soviet Union, we were threatened with extinction by the push of a nuclear button. The threat of destruction in this manner has now been greatly reduced, although Russia's President Putin seems determined to remind us periodically that this possibility still exists. However, since 9/11, the specter of a serious attack on the US with thousands of dead and injured has been greatly magnified from a new source, that of the Islamic terrorist. The nature of our principal enemy has changed from an easily identifiable "evil empire" into an amorphous enemy, one who has no one patron we can blame and who seems, thus far, impervious to harm in a fashion that is both palpable and meaningful. To be sure,
Thus far, these tragedies have occurred in distant lands and not in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, or Baltimore. How we thwart this new enemy and keep it from repeating its initial eye-opening strike against us is a continuing challenge for which we are unable to offer any definitive answer. But we should be aware that it could happen here. In a particularly serious recognition of this point, US Director of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell, reported in July 2007 that "al-Qa'ida" had successfully regrouped and was capable of attacking the United States. He confirmed that "al-Qa'ida" is striving to develop a network of supporters in our country, and that the threat from homegrown terrorists is increasing. Hopefully, our tightened visa and border controls are keeping potential terrorists from entering our borders. Even if this is the case, from the tone of McConnell's remarks, we appear to be having some difficulty in ferreting out those who may already be here. In addition, the next attack could, in theory, have a domestic component. Polls in 2007 showed that 26 percent of US Muslims under 30 years of age believe that suicide attacks are sometimes necessary in defense of Islam. In addition, intelligence sources claim that a very small number of the 15,000 US Muslims who attended last year's pilgrimage to Mecca and Madina were contacted or approached by "al-Qa'ida" agents or sympathizers. A large proportion of these American pilgrims were young professionals, precisely the demographic component that currently forms "al-Qa'ida's" most important recruitment pool. We can be sure that the FBI is maintaining a close vigil on potential sources of trouble. But in this regard, it is perhaps pertinent to note that, while the July 2007 attacks in London and Glasgow by Muslim doctors were militarily ineffective, the plotters successfully defeated the British intelligence services' multi-layered detection capabilities. Despite periodic flurries of excitement emanating from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), there are, at present, no indications that there are any active plots afoot to launch a "terrorism spectacular" in 2008. However, given the sobering statement by McConnell, this is hardly the time to let our guard down. To the contrary, we should take advantage of the current lull to review and revise various in-house protocols and preparations to counter any of the ugly eventualities which might occur and which might disrupt commerce or endanger lives and property. Iraq The Surge: Well, those of us who were skeptics were all wrong. Under leadership from a particularly bright general and an accomplished career diplomat (General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker respectively), the surge has worked much better than expected, a point which we have had an opportunity to witness first-hand. Granted, in isolation this would not have been the case. However, there have been coincident developments in Iraq which have resulted in sharp reductions in the deaths of Iraqi civilians and of US military service personnel during the last six months of 2007 as compared to any time since 2004. These coincident events have included a cease-fire promulgated by radical Shi'a Muslim leader Muqtada al-Sadr, the mobilization of Sunni tribes against Islamic terrorists in Iraq supported by "al-Qa'ida", and the successful deployment of provincial reconstruction teams in Baghdad and in several of Iraq's 18 provinces to oversea the distribution of central government oil revenues and the inauguration of badly needed local projects. Al-Sadr's Ceasefire: Al-Sadr is noted for his animosity towards the US, exceeded perhaps only by his equal abhorrence of his Sunni Muslim co-religionists. It was al-Sadr's armed militia units that essentially ethnically cleansed whole neighborhoods in Baghdad of both Sunnis and Christians and who mounted the majority of rocket propelled grenade and mortar attacks against the much vaunted Green Zone from 2004 to 2006. Al-Sadr also has strong differences with the leading Shi'a political party in Iraq headed by Sayyid Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim. In recent years, he has provoked attacks against Shi'a elements loyal to al-Hakim in both the holy city of Najaf and in Iraq's second city, Basrah, in the south. But the good news is that al-Sadr appears, for the moment at least, intent on cementing his ceasefire arrangements and on bolstering his ties with al-Hakim and with the Iraqi government itself as is indicated by reporting coming from discussions among the two parties in al-Kuf in southern Iraq earlier this month. Sahwat al-Iraq: Based largely in an expansive Anbar province which covers most of the western part of the country with the two large cities of Ramadi and Fallujah as important population centers and economic focal points, the Sahwat movement has galvanized the local Sunni population into a coalition with US forces against a common enemy - the Muslim extremist group known as "al-Qa'ida in Mesopotamia". No one knows for certain the number of supporters of this terrorist organization. What is certain is that the core of its strength comes from cadres of non-Iraqis from places as diverse as Yemen, Palestine, Morocco, Lebanon, the UK, Pakistan, Chechnya, and Saudi Arabia. At the beginning of the insurgency in late 2003, these radical Islamists worked in an uneasy harmony with Sunnis and former regime Baathist elements and seized control in parts of a number of outlying provincial areas of Iraq, including in Fallujah. Under their first leader, Abu Musnid al-Zarqawi, they inflamed sectarian relations by the 2003 assassination of a leading Ayatollah or supreme Shi'a religious leader, Sayyid Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim, and by the bombing of a sacred Shi'a mosque in the central Iraqi city of Samarrah. They also showed extreme intolerance for their fellow Sunni Muslims who failed to heed their particular teachings. Their brutal control over Fallujah was a good case in point. Three years ago, "al-Qa'ida" supporters orchestrated the ambush of a convoy in Fallujah and grabbed three Blackwater security guards whose desecrated bodies were dragged through the streets of the city and strung up on a bridge, which until this day is called "Blackwater Bridge. The US Marines mounted an attack on Fallujah which, over a period of several weeks, routed "al-Qai'da" partisans from the city. In the process, the military operation laid waste to about 60 percent of Fallujah's buildings and caused some 40,000 of its inhabitants to flee. The Sunni population was incensed at what had been done to one of their cities. The then Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad al-Alawi, a moderate, capable, and strong-willed Shi'a was condemned for agreeing to the US attack and paid his price at the subsequent elections where his party was squashed, garnering only a handful of seats in the new parliament. But in what is certainly one of the most remarkable turnabouts in recent Iraqi history, the Sunni tribes in mid-2007 came to the conclusion that it was al-Zarqawi and his like-minded Islamic radicals, and not the Americans, who were to blame for the appalling situation which had befallen them. The "Sahwat al-Iraq" or "Reawakening movement" was born. With a defacto alliance between the Sunni tribes and the US, "al-Qa'ida" no longer enjoys a safe-haven in Western Iraq. The result has been a new sense of cooperation between local Iraqi government and US forces and with the provincial reconstruction teams which have been established in most of Iraq's 18 provinces. For the first time since the fall of Saddam, marked improvements are being recorded in many of these provinces in the provision of aid projects, in the rehabilitation of public utilities, and in the restoration of a semblance of public order. Symbolizing this turnabout is the current situation in Fallujah. An Apollo representative visited the city and the Marine contingent which was working with the local authorities in November 2007. Buildings have been rebuilt. Most of the population has been returned. Local Iraqis now guard the city itself, with the US Marines nearby. The Marines periodic armed patrols are now greeted with waves by young children in contrast to the actions of older siblings who greeted them with stones or worse in earlier times. The last IED was exploded last May, and no serious incidents have been reported since that time. A small US provincial reconstruction team is working with a civilian council to plan and execute needed public works projects, a successful effort which is serving as an important confidence-building measure between the two sides. To be sure, problems remain in Iraq which will have to be resolved before we can (or should) begin a rapid and wide scale withdrawal of our troops. "al-Qa'ida" has not been defeated, nor have the Baathist diehards centered in Mosul in northwestern Iraq. However, our military is gradually putting the squeeze on both groups - most recently in Diyala Province north of Baghdad. However, the main problem remains the central government which, by our own government's admission, is ineffective. The current Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is regarded even by key Iraqis as part of the problem, not only from the ineptitude of his ministers but because of the blatantly sectarian and horrendously corrupt nature of his rule. For example, many of the thousands of persons kidnapped have reportedly been seized by militias with loyalties or ties to al-Maliki. Under his regime, few Sunni Arab and not even all Shi'a or Kurds (most of whom are also Sunni Muslims) can secure or maintain positions in government ministries or in universities which fall under the Prime Minister's patronage prerogatives. Part of al-Maliki's problem is that his "Dawa Party" is not from the dominant Shi'a political group in the country - that belongs to al-Hakim. It is also true that it will take al-Hakim and the Kurds to depose him. Both of these groups - and especially the Kurds who continue to operate the increasingly prosperous and stable Kurdish region in the three northeastern provinces - will make this happen. But this will only occur when the timing is ‘right', and it will be the Iraqis - and not the Americans - who will have to script his departure in order to make it palatable to Iraqis generally. And what should be the US role now that the surge has reached its inevitable draw-down stage? -- We should follow General Petraeus' advice in working out the cautious redeployment of our presence from urban areas and the withdrawal of units from the country. Petraeus has been right in his assumptions to date. Let's not play arm-chair general now at this critical juncture. -- We should quietly but firmly support those in Iraq who want to see Maliki replaced as prime minister sooner rather than later and work with a replacement worthy of our support. NSC Advisor Stephen Hadley was correct when he expressed doubts about Maliki's effectiveness in the now well-known memo which was leaked in late 2006. His government is overtly sectarian and will never support our efforts to be even-handed in Baghdad or the country as a whole. -- In addition, the federalism provisions of the constitution (which was approved by an overwhelming majority of Iraqis in a 2005 election which was broadly regarded by international observers as ‘fair') should be supported and not undermined by our ill-advised efforts to create a strong central government focused on Baghdad which probably cannot be sustained in the future. This includes support for the plebiscite for Kirkuk and possibly for other regions seeking some measure of autonomy which is mandated in the new Iraqi constitution. Afghanistan: Our effort to remove the Taliban regime and destroy the country's use as a training center for "al-Qa'ida" and like-minded terrorists was initially well-focused but in recent years has lost its punch. The Taliban gained control of more territory in 2007, and, unfortunately, we are now seen as an occupying force in many parts of the country and have endowed the resurgent Taliban with nationalist credentials which they do not deserve. Moreover, we have failed to kill or capture Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban leader, let alone Usama bin Ladin, Ayman al-Jawahiri, or Abu Yahya al-Libi from "al-Qa'ida". Meanwhile, the number of non-Afghan Islamist fighters entering Afghanistan was steadily increasing at the end of 2007. The number of suicide attacks in the country is also on the rise. In addition, Afghan heroine production apparently set new records in 2007, and the drug is now reported to be entering the United States as well as Europe. The strength of the Taliban insurgency has moved some NATO leaders to suggest that Afghan Prime Minister Karzai's government consider negotiating with elements of the Taliban in an effort to co-opt them, an effort which is being cautiously advanced, but not without some strains amongst the NATO allies. With US forces suffering more casualties than at any time since 2001, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has urged NATO members to deploy more combat forces to Afghanistan, something that few are likely to do. Pakistan: The assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto last month has thrown the political future and stability of this 158 million strong Islamic republic into question. Although Islamic extremists are believed to be the culprits behind this attack, Pakistani President Pervez Musharaf will be blamed for failing to provide sufficient security to Ms. Bhutto who barely survived an earlier attempt on her life last October when she returned to Pakistan following several years in political exile. Islamic radicals were implicated in that attack, as well, and Bhutto had called upon Musharaf to intensify the security measures around her. Since the events of last October, Pakistan has been in political turmoil. President Musharaf imposed martial law after demonstrations against him threatened public order. Martial law was rescinded shortly after Musharaf was reelected to the post of president by parliament, gave up his key military position as chief of the general staff, and promised to hold parliamentary elections in January 2008 (now postponed until next month). However, these measures failed to pacify an embroiled electorate. The return of Musharaf's political nemesis, Nawaz Sharif, whom Musharaf had deposed in 1999, further complicates the political scene in Pakistan. Sharif's supporters, along with the newly remobilized Bhutto loyalists, will continue to put further, boisterous pressure on Musharaf, whose legitimacy as Pakistan's president has been called into question. With Nawaz Sharif now calling for Musharaf's immediate resignation, reconciliation would appear to be impossible. The implications for the US of the Bhutto assassination are significant as they strike further, significant blows in Pakistan's stability, our key "ally" in our battle against Usama bin Ladin. Indeed, the principal beneficiaries of this assassination are the influential radical Islamic parties in Pakistan whom bin Ladin has cultivated and who were given a chance to take root and multiply during the administrations of both Prime Ministers Bhutto and Sharif during the 1990s. The assassination has also caused great concern in neighboring India, which remains very leery about the prospect of a nuclear armed Pakistan in political chaos, let alone under the control of Islamic elements hostile to any Indo-Pakistan rapprochement. Embattled by his civilian foes, President Musharaf must also contend with a significant and growing threat from these Islamic radicals and from tribal elements in the border provinces who have been in an undeclared state of war with the Pakistani army for the past several years. Musharaf has been the target of several assassination attempts himself, and one can say with certainty that these will continue. Deprived of his key military position, Musharaf now has somewhat less room to maneuver than before. The threat of weakening support for his actions among the current military hierarchy is something that will be of concern to him and of worry for both the US and India, as well. Despite the current restraints imposed on him, Musharaf is unlikely to relent on his antagonism towards Sharif or his desire to keep as much control over the Pakistan polity as he can. This situation places the US in a most difficult situation. We have to find a way to balance our desire to destroy "al-Qa'ida's leadership and to forge a Pakistan that is democratic and stable, while not giving an electoral opening to radical Islamic elements who are inimical to our interests and to those of neighboring India. Israel/Lebanon/Palestine: Much to everyone's surprise, Israel lost what it calls the Second Lebanon war in August 2006. The war was fought with two principal objectives: to bring about the release of the two soldiers seized by Hizballah in its July 12 raid on an Israeli defense force position and to destroy Hizballah's ability as a fighting machine capable of hitting Israeli villages, outposts and cities with rockets and missiles. Israel failed to achieve either objective. In the wake of the UN resolution which ended the fighting, Hizballah has resurged as the dominant political movement in Lebanon with enhanced popular appeal across a broad spectrum of the Middle East, including in such Sunni strongholds as Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Hizballah has largely rearmed - no surprise here -- with the UN supposedly charged with preventing this from happening. Now Hizballah, along with a newly emboldened Syria, are trying to play king maker in Lebanon which is trying to elect a new president. One of the key purposes of President Bush's visit to the Middle East is to support the legitimate government of Lebanon and to try to marginalize and isolate violent extremists and their state sponsors. Meanwhile, in the Palestinian territories, what started as an Israeli effort to force Hamas to obtain the release of an Israeli corporal seized in late June 2006, escalated into what amounted to full-scale civil war between the two principal Palestinian political movements, Fatah and Hamas. Fatah currently physically controls the West Bank Palestinian territories, while occupying the Palestinian presidency in the person of Yasir Arafat's successor, Mahmud Abbas. Abbas has formed a new government replacing the one formed following Hamas January 2006 electoral victory and has announced his intention, with US and Israeli support, of holding new elections. Hamas physically controls the West Bank and maintains that its leader is the lawful prime minister and that its government is the only legal one in the Palestinian entity. More importantly, Hamas continues to have the loyalty or support of at least a strong plurality of the people in both Gaza and the West Bank. While some Israelis are concerned by the dangers emanating from the Palestinian rupture, others are pleased and are trying to take advantage of the situation. Israeli policy is anything but conciliatory. Its siege of Gaza, detention of the Palestinian speaker of the Palestinian assembly and most of the Hamas-dominated cabinet, and periodic raids, arrests, and targeted assassinations of Palestinian leaders have not resulted in the return of their missing corporal. For its part, Hamas continues to authorize missile attacks on Israeli settlements and towns from bases within Gaza, while Israeli settlements continue to be expanded in both East Jerusalem and on the West Bank. There have been some bright spots. Throughout 2007, the US has pushed Israel and the Palestinians under Mahmud Abbas to come together for the ostensible purpose of opening final status negotiations for the establishment of a Palestinian state. The late November meeting in Annapolis was the culmination of this difficult effort. The negotiating teams have held their first meeting. President Bush made a historic visit to both Jerusalem and to Ramallah where he hopefully gained first-hand insight into the challenges faced by both the leaders of Israel and of the Palestinian entity (at least that part of it controlled by Abbas). Both the President and the Secretary have spoken of the potential for establishing a Palestinian state by the end of the year and have promised active US support to help secure this end. However, the odds are against the current and proposed talks between Israel and the Palestinians bearing much edible fruit. Abbas cannot maintain that he is the sole representative of the Palestinian people given the situation with Hamas. And the latter movement, strongly akin to the Muslim Brothers in terms of its organization and core beliefs, still has to come to grips with the reality of the state of Israel, something it has not yet done. For his part, Olmert faces a conundrum in trying to satisfy even the US on the settlements question, let alone the Palestinians and most of the rest of the world. He is caught between the proverbial rock and the hard place on this question and has never indicated that he has either the political or leadership skills to hammer out an agreement acceptable to various Israeli factions or to the Palestinians. Similarly, Syria must be engaged. The Syrians were represented at Annapolis by a Deputy Foreign Minister, and President Bashir al-Asad has indicated a willingness to negotiate anew with Israel as long as the Golan Heights is on the agenda. But Syria is playing a dangerous game with support from Iran and through its Lebanese proxies, Christian General Aoun and Shi'a Hizballah. Perhaps the Syrians need some kind of shock to their current sense of security before they can be brought to the table. For the moment, neither the US nor Israel seems capable of sorting out how to approach the Syrian challenge. Iran The US publicly maintains that the UN Security Council, which has placed modest sanctions on Iran, will pass a third resolution during the next few months. However, neither Russia nor China is likely to move towards any harsher treatment of Iran, even in the face of the somewhat farcical provocations by Iranian fast boats against US warships in the Strait of Hormuz. Without their active support, economic sanctions against Iran will not be increased. As it is, domestically, President Mahmoud Ahmadinjad is feeling increased pressure through setbacks at last year's local elections and through uncharacteristically critical newspaper commentary which are read as growing criticism about both his foreign and nuclear policies and the lack of progress in confronting Iran's serious domestic difficulties. Formulating a strategy that further complicates Ahmadinjad's life with Iran's volatile students, petroleum and other public sector workers would prove much more effective in slowing down Iran's pursuit of symbolic nuclear weaponry than saber-rattling, which could result in a costly miscalculation. Any US (or Israeli) military action against Iran, aside from the probable lack of intended results, would play into the hands of Iranian nationalists who want a foreign adventure in order to mobilize the country in a new campaign against "the great Satan" which remains their code word for the United States. Russia: Because of this, Russia largely left our scope as a threat to national security. The collapse of the Soviet navy and the rest of the awesome Soviet military machine removed the threat of instant annihilation that had hung over our heads since at least 1962. The ending of space and missile development programs and serious military procurement efforts left thousands of highly trained engineers and scientists in Russia and other members of the former Soviet Union unemployed. The rise of Vladmir Putin, coincident with the quintupling of oil and natural gas prices, has changed this landscape. Putin, as Time points out, is an angry and ambitious man. He believes the US dismisses him and his country as afterthoughts, and he doesn't like it. Billions of new petro-dollars and massive revenues from Russia's huge natural gas reserves have greatly empowered Putin who will be around for years to come following his careful orchestration of recent Russian parliamentary elections. As part of his effort to resuscitate Russia's image both domestically and abroad, Putin has announced his country's renewed interest in an independent space program. He has spent vast sums of money recalibrating old ICBMs and has developed new ones, such as the RS-24, which was described, during a successful and widely publicized test launching in late December, as a multi-warhead ICBM capable of defeating any anti-missile system designed to deflect weapons of this kind. A submarine-launched version of another new missile was test-fired later on. Renewed visits by Russian bombers along the US East Coast and near Western Europe, plus renewed submarine patrols along the Atlantic seaboard, are additional ways that Russia has flexed its military muscles. New Russian spy services, built upon the revamped KGB and GRU, are reenergizing and targeting western and US commercial enterprises as well as military sites. Russia is working to improve its diplomatic ties in the countries of Central Asia, Iran, and China. It is using its critical supply of gas to Europe as a diplomatic tool and is bringing enormous pressure to bear on the new Polish government to abandon its tentative deployment of the US anti-missile system. Russia argues that this project is directed against it and not against any putative Iranian threat. The odds are that the Poles will find a way to renege on their tentative agreement with Washington on this matter. All of these actions can be viewed as in Russia's self-interest, but they have often been undertaken with an anti-American spin of which we should take careful note. The US will have to respond to these provocations without letting them get worse. We have already sullied our copy book with Iceland by closing our NATO surveillance base of the Barents Sea and Arctic approaches to North America at Keyflavik in 2005. We may want to try to secure a new agreement and get it back. Latin America: But when we do focus on potential political threats, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela enters the picture. Chavez may lack the charisma of a Fidel Castro or a Che Guevara, but he is endowed with billions of euros in oil wealth with which to create mischief, and he counts Iran's President Ahmadinjad as one of his best friends abroad. His instructions to his national oil company to find alternative sources for his oil exports (China is eagerly anticipating a windfall) are done despite the high cost these decisions could have for the Venezuelan economy. Chavez's recent failure to amend the constitution has hurt his reputation, but this decisive vote is regarded by him as only a temporary setback. His success, after several false starts, in securing the release of two Colombian hostages earned him rare, if muted applause from our State Department earlier this month. But this will not mollify Chavez, who is eager to press ahead with his principal goal which is to limit US influence on the continent. As the fifth largest supplier of crude oil to the US, Venezuela also has a knife at our jugular (despite the fact that US-Venezuelan economic ties are booming in the non-petroleum sector, too). The announcement late last year of the discovery of a huge underwater oil reserve by Brazil could, over time, lesson this impact, but development of this new bonanza will take several years before any benefit might accrue to the US. In the meantime, we must remain alert to Chavez's propensity for miscalculations. The US will want to always keep Venezuela in mind when calculating any action in areas where Chavez has declared special interests (including in Iran and Cuba), lest he decide to try to turn off the oil spigot. With Chavez allies or wannabes recently elected to office in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua, and with sympathetic leaders ruling in three of the largest economies -- Brazil, Chile, and Argentina -- the US needs to revamp its thinking about our Latin American neighbors sooner rather than later. Many of these governments will overreach and at one point set into motion indigenous forces for change (as Evo Morales in Bolivia may already have done), so our approach must be deftly managed. Chavez's hero and bosom buddy, Fidel Castro, appears to be on borrowed time, but once he goes, one suspects that his creaky regime will find a way of limping on. One reason will be oil. Not only is Castro being supplied by Venezuela, but Cuba is working to exploit its own oil reserves in the continental shelf shared with the US some 50 miles off the Florida Keys. And guess which country is helping to supply the expertise and oil rigs for this venture? Not surprisingly, it's China. China This view is "politically incorrect" because China has been the darling of Wall Street and of businesses throughout the world for at least the past twenty years. For the past decade and more, western economic and political observers have dubbed the 21st century as the "The Chinese Century". Articles heralding "The Chinese Miracle" and "China, the New Superpower" have been hitting the streets in increasing numbers. Virtually overnight, China has gone from a pre-industrial, rural society operating under a highly totalitarian and communist system to the world's manufacturing capital. It is now the largest producer and exporter of consumer electronics, footwear, luggage, textiles, apparel, toys, household appliances, seafood, and numerous other products. It has produced its first commercial aircraft and is starting - with help from US, European and Japanese partners - to mass produce automobiles for both the domestic and, soon, international markets. Militarily, it is also producing its own missiles, naval ships (including submarines and aircraft carriers) and an advanced fighter plane which is alleged to be comparable to our much vaunted F-22. It has an ambitious space program and has already managed to intercept and knock out a satellite in earth orbit, a significant achievement, the implications of which appear to have caught the attention of the Pentagon if not other parts of the US Government. Of perhaps even greater significance, China has amassed the largest foreign-exchange reserves in history, reportedly in excess of $1.4 trillion, compared to a paltry 64 billion dollars held by the US, and these have been increasing on average by $300 billion a year for the past several years. And China has been quietly flexing that financial muscle in the global arena, investing in Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East - and the United States. That money is now being used to buy up Western assets, including in the United States. Foreign investment can be a good development, but China plays by a different set of rules than does the US, Europe and even Japan. Geopolitics is at the core of China's foreign trade and investment policy. Energy resources are critical, and it has worked hard to take advantage of US distraction in Iraq to move into areas where there is oil but where US and other western companies have either withdrawn or not competed for political, environmental, or moral reasons. While the US is spending hundreds of billions of dollars and losing lives almost every day, it is a Chinese oil company which was until recently drilling for new oil in northern Kurdish Iraq. Only Hunt Oil of Texas has bid for a sector. Other US companies are either waiting for central government permission or are reluctant to proceed because of security concerns. Not so the Chinese (or the Indians or Norwegians for that matter). In addition to Iraq and Cuba, Sudan, Iran and Central Asia are other areas where China's oil strategy is at odds with US interests. Similarly, its purchase of the port operations at both ends of the Panama Canal and investments in large natural resource companies in Australia and Canada should also be seen as a way to place itself in a position of economic predominance during this century. Indeed, an argument can be made that, its impressive advances notwithstanding, China remains an inefficient, oppressive, one-party communist state. Perhaps 300 million people in the country are benefiting from China's rapid rise, but one must not forget that over one billion Chinese languish outside the thriving cities in a situation which should give any Chinese government great pause. Be that as it may, China's current wealth is astronomical. And this could not have been achieved except for the misguided (some might say ‘suicidal') policies of the US government and American business which have transferred enormous capital, technology, and know-how to China for short term financial gains and with a myopia which staggers the imagination. Our national debt, balance of trade and balance of payments deficits, and annual budget deficits in excess of $200 billion, put enormous pressure on the US dollar. Every day, we must ask foreigners, increasingly the Chinese, to lend us more that two billion dollars so that we can keep our government in business, our interest rates low, and our employment high. How long this will last is anyone's guess, but it could end at any time. If these investors pull the plug, the dollar will collapse. Interest rates will climb through the roof to levels not seen since the late 1970s. The stock market will implode, the costs of all imported goods (nearly everything it seems) will skyrocket, and unemployment will hit the double digits. One would hope that, in spite of its enormous gains and momentum, China would quickly atrophy and crumble if the American people forced our politicians to end the destructive trade, spending, regulatory, and monetary policies that are destroying our middle class and transferring our manufacturing and technology base to China. Unfortunately, given the hold that the Chinese currently have over our finances, this is probably not an option. In any future crisis between Taiwan and China, the US will not be able to interject an aircraft carrier battle group into the Formosa Strait without serious repercussions.
The year 2008 will be a time for China to showcase for the world its achievements at the Beijing Olympics, which start fittingly on 08-08-08 - symbolically lucky numbers to most Chinese. Let us hope that these games will come to symbolize more of the camaraderie epitomized by the Sydney Olympics of 2000 and not the dark pages of the Berlin games in 1936. APOLLO SECURITY NOW A MEMBER OF TRANSNATIONAL SECURITY GROUP LLC Apollo Security has joined TransNational Security Group LLC (TSG), a group of the nation's most highly regarded privately-held local and regional security companies, who have agreed to work together to secure national contracts. Apollo will be the member company in the Northeast, responsible for the New England States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and eventually other states in the Northeast. TSG was formed recently and asked Apollo Security to become a member. The invitation came only after an extensive process conducted by TSG members of potential partner companies located in the Northeast. The members wanted to assure themselves that the selected company would meet the high standards of TSG and would commit to benchmarking and supporting TSG's goals and strategies. TSG is the only national company in the contract security industry with regional/local ownership and offices coast-to-coast. Through its membership in TSG, Apollo can now compete nationwide for contracts from companies based in the Northeast that have facilities elsewhere in the country. Apollo can also participate with TSG members on contracts awarded elsewhere in the country for component facilities located in states where Apollo is licensed. Apollo is in no way restricted in any of its current strategies by its membership in TSG and no member is. Each can continue to manage in accordance with its own goals while working with the other members to expand every member's opportunities. What makes TSG different from the national and international security companies is that they can offer each location or region local ownership which means: the decision makers are immediately available at a local level; less management turnover; account visitation commitment; executive level single point of contact; and service at each location delivered by one of the most highly respected local firms. Apollo's membership also provides us with the ability to benchmark with other very successful security companies which, like Apollo, are privately-held by local owners who are security professionals and are committed to the success of their companies. Our membership also provides us with an opportunity to meet with our peers on a regular basis without fear about discussing and sharing confidential information. Other TSG members are partners, not competitors. Apollo Security will also be participating with other TSG member companies in exhibiting at the ASIS International Seminars and Exhibits in Dallas, Texas, in September. This will be the first time that Apollo has been represented at the exhibits with a booth. The TSG booth is in the final design stages and will feature the logos of all member companies as well as their marketing materials. The booth will be a place where Apollo clients attending ASIS will be able to get together with Apollo's executives and meet other owner/executives of TSG companies. SCAMS AND SCHEMES "There's a sucker born every minute" is an old saying, but with the advent of the Internet, that saying has become "there's a sucker born with every e-mail scam." I've always been amazed at the willingness of people to trust someone they don't know more than one they do. Over the years, I've seen quite a few scams and schemes, but since I've had e-mail, anything I've seen in the past has been surpassed in sheer gall. The worst part is, that as incredible and unbelievable as some of these scams are, people still get taken. Recently, I received several scam e-mails. My favorite is the modern twist on the old "Nigerian Fee" scam. I received an e-mail from an IP address in France and, as with the "Nigerian fee" letters I used to receive quarterly, this sender had a bundle of money (with the Nigerians, it is usually money or diamonds) totaling about sixteen million. The money was in boxes that her husband had smuggled out of some country where he was a mercenary. She was looking for a foreign investor who was reliable and honest (like me) to move the money out of its hiding place in return for $2 million. Tempting as the easy money was, I passed and so should anyone who receives this or similar letters. I'm always amazed to learn that there are persons out there who have been victimized by the Nigerian Fee scam and I expect there will be others taken in by this one. Another recent e-mail advised me that my credit card had been charged for pornographic materials and asked if this was a legitimate charge. If it wasn't, I was to fill out my credit card number and expiration date and click on "send". If it was, I was to click on "yes". Either way, they would have had me since "yes" would have indicated they had reached a good e-mail address to which they could continue to send spam. The other option would have given them my credit card information. AOL users have been targeted with a similar scam called the "flower scam". You receive an e-mail notification of a charge for flowers through AOL. If you didn't authorize the charge, you are asked to click on a link and fill out a form. Doing so will give the sender your screen name and password and will also load a virus onto your hard drive. Best Buy, Microsoft, and EBay have been used by scammers in similar schemes. Those companies will never ask you for a credit card number, a password, or personal information in an e-mail. When you see such an e-mail, you should immediately delete it and never respond. Recently, I received a warning about the "809" scam. For this to work, you have to respond to an e-mail using an 809 area code. The e-mail may tell you that you have won a prize or have some other reason to call the number. The fact that the number starts with an "8" would lead some recipients to believe it is a toll free number. It is anything but toll free. It is a "pay per call" number and you will find yourself listening to a recording which is designed to keep you on the line. Your long distance bill will be charged up to $25 per minute for the call. Some of the e-mails even indicate that you need to call because a relative has been injured, is ill or has been arrested. That makes the hoax even crueler. Another scam using the Internet is the lottery scam. You will receive an e-mail from an overseas individual and address which appears official indicating you have won a large sum of money in a lottery. You are asked to contact the sender with your bank account information so the money can be transferred into your account. Unfortunately, the sender has a different idea for using the account information. Instead of money in, it will be money out. If you want to know more about scams that are out there, go to www.scambusters.org. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Don't open those e-mails with attachments or links unless you know the sender. HOLIDAY SEASON SAFETY TIPS Apollo Security would like to wish a Happy Holiday Season to everyone. Although this season is a festive time, it certainly can be spoiled by a negative event or experience. The attached "Holiday Safety Tips" brochure highlights many of the tips that can be helpful in promoting a safer holiday season. Please print out the brochure and pass it along to colleagues, friends, and family. We wish everyone a joyous and safe holiday season.
HISTORY OF THE CPP DESIGNATION American Society for Industrial Security founders considered the concept of certification shortly after the Society was formed in 1955. Between 1957 and 1958, the Society's Professional Criteria Committee, chaired by Timothy Walsh, CPP, set a professional recognition program as a long-range goal. But because the energies of ASIS leaders at the time were focused on keeping the society afloat, the idea only simmered for nearly 15 years. In 1972, a special task force was empowered by the ASIS Board of Directors to commence a year-long study to determine whether a certification program was needed. Chaired by Loren Newland, CPP, the task force reviewed the results of an independent nationwide survey and concluded in its written report: "If the security vocation is ever to become a security profession, then certainly, meaningful credentials are required." The task force proposed granting certification to persons who met stringent education and experience criteria and who passed a comprehensive written examination. Thus, the seeds of the current examination process were planted. The vast majority of those members surveyed at the time agreed that certification should indeed be a priority for ASIS. But many viewpoints were aired over the years on implementation specifics, such as the need to allow non-ASIS members to be certified and the need for an initial period of certification by review. Also discussed were eligibility requirements, recertification, and a code of ethics. "When I look back at those early years, the question we were really grappling with is, 'How does security become a real profession,'" says Don Walker, CPP, another participant in those early meetings. For more information regarding the history of the CPP please visit the ASIS website at www.asisonline.org/certification/cpp/about/history.xml |
Certified Protection Professional (CPP)Home | About Us | Services & Capabilities | Training | Testimonials | News & Articles | Links | Employment | International| Contact Us