Private US firm training both sides in Balkans [Free Republic]

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THE US government’s favourite private security service has trained both sides in the latest ethnic flare-up in the Balkans.

Only two years ago the rag-tag Kosovar Albanian rebels were taken in hand by the Virginia-based company of professional soldiers, Military Professional Resources Incorporated.

An outfit of former US marines, helicopter pilots and special forces teams, MPRI’s missions for the US government have run from flying Colombian helicopter gunships to supplying weapons to the Croatian army.

Among its most recent tasks - training the Macedonian army, now shooting it out with the Albania guerrillas in and around the farming village of Tanusevce, just across the border from Kosovo.

The twist symbolises perfectly how the sympathies of NATO and the UN are changing in and around Kosovo.

About 200 black-uniformed Albanian fighters have taken control of Tanusevce in the last ten days and this week have clashed at least four times with some of the 300-plus Macedonian soldiers and policemen surrounding the village, which lies above the snow-line at 4,200ft in northern Macedonia. Only last summer, MPRI began working with the Macedonians.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR estimates that over 500 refugees have fled the area since the fighting began last week.

"There was more shooting last night, in the evening, over there beyond the ridge-line," says US Lieutenant Jeff Wilbur, from Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 325th Parachute Infantry Regiment, stationed with a squad of men a half mile back from the village of Debelde, some 800 yards from the border.

Lt Wilbur points at a line of oak trees standing in the snow, marking the Macedonian border. Further on, inside the village, officers from the 82nd Airborne Division have their binoculars out and are watching the movements of Albanian rebels and Macedonian forces in the woods on the facing hillside. Smoke rises from a house that villagers say was set alight on Wednesday night.

NATO’s senior commander in Kosovo, Italian General Carlo Cabigiosu, has said Kosovo will not become a haven for rebels seeking to export violence from Kosovo, and has strengthened his troops on the border accordingly. His hand is made stronger by the training programme MPRI is giving to the higher echelons of the Macedonian army.

"They’ve got a former two-star general heading up the programme, I think, it’s high-level stuff," says one US army major inside Debelde. "If you’re an ex-communist country, then MPRI are the guys for you," he says, watching a group of refugee children walk past.

"MPRI have been training the Macedonian army and border police since spring of 2,000," says one MPRI employee based in the Macedonian capital, Skopje. MPRI armed and trained the Croatian army in the mid-90s, in preparation for "Operation Storm" in 1995, which saw the Croats liberate the Krajina region, forcing up to 100,000 Serbs out.

Then in 1998 and 1999 MPRI was tasked with training and assisting the ethnic Albanians of the Kosovo Liberation Army in their struggle against the oppressive regime of the then-president, Slobodan Milosevic.

MPRI sub-contracted some of the training programme to two British private security companies, ensuring that between 1998 and June 1999 the KLA was being armed, trained and assisted in Italy, Turkey, Kosovo and Germany by the Americans, the German external intelligence service and former and serving members of Britain’s 22 SAS Regiment.

Two years later, and a wave of ethnic cleansing of Kosovo’s remaining Serbs at the hands of ethnic Albanians has left nearly 1,000 people murdered in 18 months.

This week the two latest victims of Albanian extremism were two elderly Kosovo Serbs, axed to death in their homes in eastern Kosovo, the latest in a series of violent attacks on Kosovo’s beleaguered population of ethnic minorities which is rapidly turning international sympathy away from the Kosovar Albanian cause.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on Kosovo’s minorities populations by extremist Albanians, designed to intimidate Serbs who fled Kosovo in 1999 from returning.

Two weeks ago at least ten people died and up to 30 were injured in a bomb-attack on a bus carrying Serbs near the Kosovan town of Podujevo.

"Day by day, the province is losing the sympathy of the international community," says Eric Morris, head the Kosovo mission of UNHCR.

"Then in 1998 and 1999 MPRI was tasked with training and assisting the ethnic Albanians of the Kosovo Liberation Army in their struggle against the oppressive regime of the then-president, Slobodan Milosevic.

Two years later, and a wave of ethnic cleansing of Kosovo’s remaining Serbs at the hands of ethnic Albanians has left nearly 1,000 people murdered in 18 months."

that pretty much sums it up especially the last paragraph, the result of u.s./british training= 1,000 dead!

THAT IS WHY NATO HAS THE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL ON A LEASH! IF THEY WERE TO INVESTIGATE THE KLA, BOTH U.S. AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS WOULD BE FOUND GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES!!!

"Bill Clinton and George W. are quite fond of the KLA and Sen. Joseph Lieberman has said:

"[The] United States of America and the Kosovo Liberation Army stand for the same human values and principles. . . . Fighting for the KLA is fighting for human rights and American values." ('Washington Post' April 28, 1999)"

Macedonia is a country, not a group of thugs like the kla. Why would Macedonia need Usa's training? Can't they train their own troops? Or did I miss something in this article?

UG, Look up the principals {principles?} of this corporation to see "what you missed". Arming and training both sides has LONG been a way for the insiders to keep the "military Industrial Complex" healthy and make MUCHO dinero. Peace and love, George.

Maybe this is something only Americans can understand. I still don't see why Macedonia would want foreigners to train their troops when they are perfectly capable of training them themselves.

UG, Mostly because the U.S. of A. private sector taxpayer is paying the tab. I read one the other day that was complaining that the money we sent to one country or another for the same kind of operation wasn't getting to the U.S. gov approved mercenaries. I think I read it at Stratford. Peace and love, George.

You did not seem to understand the article. MPRI is in Columbia as well. They are also a government and in much better position that Macedonia is. MPRI is used to do the dirty work for the US government and to consolidate US influence in states. There is more to training and the training it self. Australia used to train Indonisian troops even though it was known that the only war Australia will have will be with Indonesia. With training they can assess capabilities and they do know the officers in charge when time comes. Also through training one can establish contacts that can be used to gather information at later date.

"With training they can assess capabilities and they do know the officers in charge when time comes. Also through training one can establish contacts that can be used to gather information at later date."

Sometimes we're too cute by half. I'm sure when our GIs are being shot at by the KLA (it's already happened)they'll take comfort in knowing that some fatcat in D.C. will have established a contact. It seems that the senior officers and NCOs who make up MPRI will take their 30 pieces of silver wherever they can get them and, if some GI pays for it with his blood, that's just the price of doing business in the New World Order.

Yes, I can see why they would want to train Macedonian troops. They can gather info about them, etc. But surely Macedonia must know the risks of having foreigners train your troops, yet they still want them to train their troops?

Keep an eye out for DynCorp, also.

The MPRI is active in Africa, as well.

So much for U.N. treaties.

MPRI is a dynamic company with expanding requirements for top quality former and retired military and DOD civilians.

MPRI is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

Requirements are listed under one or more of these categories:

IMMEDIATE NEEDS: Current vacancies exist.
CONTINUING REQUIREMENTS: Major ongoing programs that will have unanticipated needs from time to time.

Job Start Date: Future

Position Location
Various U.S. Locations

Job Reference Number N145

Category of Position Homeland Security / Counter terrorism

Title of Position Homeland Security Specialist

Description of Position MPRI is soliciting resumes from functional experts in various skill areas (see position criteria section of this notice) related to homeland security in anticipation of a wide range of short-notice, short-term contracts requiring consultant services nationwide. If interested in this future work, send an email (subject: Homeland Security) with attached military style (chronological order) resume supporting skill area of interest to the Program Manager shown below. Ensure twenty-four hour contact information and security clearance data is included in body of email message. POC will acknowledge receipt— no phone calls at this time please. If your data in the MPRI database is not current, please go to www.mpri.com, click on Job Opportunities, and complete an Individual Information Form. Please note interest in Homeland Security in the comment section of the form.

Position Criteria Military or civilian personnel with the following expertise/skills: WMD /NBC threats and responses; Physical security/vulnerability assessments; Installation security; Criminal investigations; law enforcement; Inspector general inspections; Doctrine development for anti-terrorism and counter terrorism; Intelligence analysts focused on terrorism related activities; Knowledge and skill in ORSA techniques for analyzing data; Knowledge of critical asset assurance program and activities; Specific knowledge on analyzing telecommunications, structural engineering, transportation, traffic /highway engineering, and energy; Airfield security; Port Security; Rail security; Industrial security engineering; Medical responses to WMD, major crises (emergency room procedures, first responder activities), and natural disasters; Simulations and gaming (JANUS, BBS, JCATS, etc.), and exercises; Logistics expertise (all areas); Operations security (OPSEC) and information systems security; VIP protection; HAZMAT planning and management; Interagency planning and coordination; Surveillance techniques and high tech surveillance equipment.

Salary Range Contract Dependent

Benefits Contract Dependent

Clearance Requirements Contract Dependent

Point of Contact Ron Townsend, Program Manager
Tel: Fax:
Email: rtownsend@mpri.com

They're everywhere!

Seems as though I first heard of MRPI about 10 years ago. As I remember it was started by a group of recently retired flag officers and HQ'd in Alexandria, VA. I just found their website on a search. Looking around their site it does appear they are into everything.

They were headed by retired Army Chief of Staff Carl Vuono; we used to call him General VooDoo.

They are into everything, and they've been periodically criticized because they're good at what they do.