wrighty

But surely OFP cannot support the sheer dimensions of most British Army female's rear ends? The sheer amount of time needed to create an arse texture would have me vomiting.

Hi walker, some good points. I agree with the majority. Convoy protection is best suited to Iraqis with regards to non coalition equipment etc. What you are seeing at the moment are convoys where western contractors are in command of the gun trucks but crewed by Iraqis, eventually this will change and Iraqis will have full control but not until they are completely confident. Early 2004 was where most private companies picked up contracts everywhere in Iraq. This tapered out towards the end of the year and steadily declined through 2005. What you are left with now are essential contracts ie US state department and so on, these cannot get any smaller. As to the funding, well this will inevitably dry up publicly but will just find another hidden channel to flow through. Eaten up in the "reconstruction" budgets etc. The problem is no company involved in reconstructing in Iraq can afford to do so without security in some shape or form. Although the perfect scenario would be to use coalition troops, they are vastly overstretched in man power and equipment. The only alternative is for Iraqi security forces which are also still under manned, or civilian contractors generally incorporating Iraqi civilians as well. I agree with the cash being spent on the army as it rightfully should however you cant buy soldiers, you can buy civilian contractors. Hence why specialised units are losing so many quality people to work for private security companies. Contractors have always been around in some shape or form throughout the years its just Iraq takes the biscuit. The small professional outfits that have been operating for decades increased dramatically to fulfill contracts and also some "cowboy" units sprung up to take advantage of the money being thrown around for security. These cowboy units have gone down in size if not collapsed completely and what will remain in future will be the same professional companies just decreasing in manpower.

Balschoiw, i was fully aware Iraq wasnt the garden of eden. I thought long and hard before i deployed. As to money being a factor. Well of course it is, tell me you havent changed jobs because you were offered a better salary? Making Iraq a better place, well considering i provide security to my clients who are involved in the reconstruction of power stations, schools, roads, sewage treatment plants, and other basic amenities yes i am helping because without that security they could not function. But im sure your doing a lot more to help sat in front of your computer. You talk about private contractors as if Iraq is the only place they work in. What about Afghan, Africa, former Yugoslavia etc. The list is endless. Who do the UN call when they need a stretch of land demined in Africa? And other NGO's who need security to function in a world hotspot. Iraq may have the vast majority but its by no means a new fad. I suppose they are all blood thirsty mercs as well? The security industry is huge, jobs as diverse as providing security to oil fields in Saudi Arabia to diplomatic protection in Europe to burning the cocaine plantations in Columbia. Yes Iraq is at one end of the scale and at the other you may have unarmed static security in the UK etc. Its all the same, no one company can operate anywhere on this planet without security. Thats the line of work im in, i might do high risk for a few years then push into a low threat job back home. As for operating outside any legal framework, youve been taking the press at face value again. As i said before, in Iraq were contracted to the US department of defence therefore we fall under their jurisdiction. Every chef clerk and soldier comes under this umbrella as do we. You have your opinion as do i, discussions would be boring without a difference of opinion. However opinions are like assholes, and you seem to have the biggest opinion around here.

Ive never witnessed such an outburst from a community which i believed to be mainly mature with a decent grasp on reality. Ive been working as a civilian contractor in Iraq from Jan 2004. Some of the views expressed here are so totally out of touch with whats going on i dont know wether to laugh or cry. I suppose thats to be expected because 99.9% of you have never been in a dangerous situation in your life. As for the footage from Aegis defence, well its pretty obvious the footage is edited complete with sound track and the cutting of the footage leading upto the incidents. The correct procedure is hand signals, flash panels, hand flares, followed by warning shots then finally disable/destroy said vehicle. Funnily enough these are rules of engagement as used by US convoys throughout Iraq. Well they would be as all security contractors are employed by the US department of defence and therefore directly responsible to them. Why is that, well you know all those suicide car bomb attacks that you witness on CNN? well believe it or not they actually happen. And unless somone comes up with a fantastic new operating procedure to stop these slamming into your convoy its always going to be about putting metal into a vehicles engine block or windscreen to stop it. As for the signs on the rear of convoy vehicles, well yes you cant read them at 100m distance but you will read them at 50m and then pull back to 100m along with the rest of the traffic. Its there as a warning to traffic, generally under 30m and the vehicle will be fired upon. Mercenary is a dirty word. Technically yes we are paid by another country. So is the Foreign Legion, British Army Gurkhas and what of all the Peurto Ricans promised citizenship after they serve in the US Forces? However security contractors in Iraq conduct no offensive operations whatsoever we are entirely defensive. Our main job is to protect high profile clients involved in the reconstruction of the country. This involves taking them from A-B and protecting them on site. Why doesnt the military do this? well they do but not on the scale provided by civilian companies. Also its a lot easier to write off civilian contractors from different countries being killed on the roads than more coalition troops. As for being blood thirsty killers, well not the last time i looked in the mirror. 2 and a half years ago i was one of those brave boys going to war for my country, as the press said. Now i no longer fight for queen and country im a blood thirsty mercenary then? I dont get up in the morning with the intention of hurting anyone, just to drive from A-B safely. But make an attempt on my clients life and i will drop you. Our main defence from ambush is to floor the accelerator not get out and go toe to toe with these guys. You get idiots everywhere, but believe me the typical security company have a hell of a lot less than your regular military battalion. You get paid to do a high risk job and do it well, should you not shape up your quickly on a flight home. In the military guys that dont shape up are generally sidelined into jobs where they can do no harm. As for these elections going well. Who do you thank for that? Ive just spent 4 weeks over December missing christmas and New Year securing ballot boxes and polling centres from potential attack. Why didnt the coalition military do this? Because the Iraqi government didnt want them to have direct involvment, also the coalition didnt want the Iraqi security forces with direct access. Thats where we came in the compromise is reached with the UN for western security consultants in charge of local Iraqi security to provide a sterile environment for the ballots. The polling stations were attacked but they didnt breach our security. Anyone fancy that job then? didnt think so, but thats why i risk life and limb to try and make this world a better place for my kids to grow up in. Yeah it might all end in tears next time i go back there but at least ive attempted to do the right thing and my conscience is clear. Think about that next time your sat in your warm houses flaming people risking their lives for something you wouldnt understand because you lack the minerals necessary to try to make a difference.

The mamba is in use by PSD/CP companies operating in Iraq, ive used it. I dont think the VIP's are bothered about a bumpy ride when they know the alternative. The mamba isnt the best off road vehicle however that doesnt make a difference as most of our job takes us up the main routes. It can make about 100km an hour which is good for an APC. Also in use is the Casspir one of the best and most respected mine/IED proof vehicles on the market. Although the Casspir is a lot slower it can take a mighty beating.

Hi guys, im messiahs mate he was referring too. Ive been currently working in Iraq for just shy of 2 years as a CP operator. Any help i can offer to yourself extraction, dont be afraid to ask  . As too my funky AK, you may well laugh but that weapon has pulled me through many a scrape. Why's it good? Well most of my job involves smashing your way out of an ambush in built up areas. I can fully extend the stock and fire a lot more accurately from a vehicle than someone with a rifle which is too long to bring into the aim with stock extended. Also stopping power, it isnt an AKSU which is chambered with a smaller calibre. It uses same calibre as a full size AK. Also the aimpoint, well he who gets eyes on his target the quickest gets to go home! I used this weapon for about a year of my life, it never let me down. Also rate of fire, the gas parts are shortened therefore the firing rate is increased dramatically. I have also used the M4 in theatre which although a very accurate weapon has let me down on the range due to stoppages therefore i will not take it on the road with me. Yes it isnt the prettiest weapon but believe me that was the last thing on my mind when ive been thundering up the airport road in baghdad. Hope that answers any questions, and Messy you can upload that vid, cant make out my beautiful features anyhow Â

Hi all, Been away from OFP for about a year so excuse my ignorance! Problem as follows, clean install GOTY then patched to 1.96. Game works fine then i try to install ECP latest version and it gives me an error that it is unable to locate FlashpointBeta.exe. ECP refuses to run because it cannot locate this shortcut, ive tried renaming res shortcut to FlashpointBeta.exe but to no avail, please help! Specs, Alienware - nvidia 6800 1024 ddr3 P4 3.4EE 160GB HDD Raid0 XP pro