(POC) — SOC has officially announced the opening of its operations in Ukraine. With forward-operating teams, staff, and supply chains in the region, SOC is positioned to support the ongoing mission-critical needs, as a one-stop resource with seamlessly integrated solutions.

Private Military Contractors (PMC), or private military or a security company, provides military and armed security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs euphemistically prefer to refer to their staff as security contractors or private military contractors.

The services and expertise offered by PMCs are typically similar to those of governmental, military or police forces, most often on a smaller scale. While PMCs often provide services to train or supplement official armed forces in service of governments, they can also be employed by private companies to provide bodyguards for key staff or protection of company premises, especially in hostile territories.

LONDON — Troubled British support services contractor Serco was one of three bidders to lodge proposals with the Defense Ministry on Thursday as a competition to become the private sector business partner managing military infrastructure entered its final stages.

Serco submitted the bid under the shadow of a wide-ranging investigation by the government into all the contracts it holds with the company in the wake of allegations the support services provider defrauded it on two contracts related to electronic tagging and transport of prisoners.

Department of Defense (DOD) renews Academi's (formaly Blackwater) contract for $7 million in Afghanistan to provide protective services for U.S. Army and other Amercian interests.

DOD announced:

Academi Training Center Inc., Moyock, N.C., was awarded a $7,230,998 firm-fixed-price, option-eligible, non-multi-year contract modification (P00004) of contract (W560MY-12-C-0006) to provide private security services. Performance location will be Afghanistan with funding from fiscal 2013 operations and maintenance, Army funds. This contract was a competitive acquisition via the web with four bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command - Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity.

The United States Department of State (DOS) solicited requirements for a qualified Contractor to provide local guard services at the U.S. Embassy Doha, Qatar:

The Contractor shall provide the organizational structure, management, and qualified staff at levels adequate to meet or exceed the requirement contained in this post work statement (PWS). The Embassy requires a secure environment to conduct its mission.

The U.S. Department of State intends to award a time and materials contract, with firm fixed price and cost reimbursable elements, for local guard services, on behalf of the U.S. Mission Qatar. The Government will solicit this requirement as a full and open competition using acquisition procedures outlined in FAR Part 15. The Government intends to award one contract as a result of this solicitation.

Pentagon prepares to contract for privatized flying service to fly US special forces throughout Africa. The contract will be up to $50 million.

The contracts will begin this August. Contractors will be expected to carry out medical evacuations during "high risk activities" as well as transporting equipment and commandos from the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara. The planes will operate within the borders of up to 20 different African countries.

Contracting out not only keeps the US military footprint small, but also helps out private entrepreneurs who have always been well fed by the US taxpayer for these military roles

Department of Defense (DoD) awarded FLIR Systems, Inc. $14,361,776 modification to a previously awarded multi-year contract in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Southeast Asia. FLIR designs, manufactures, and market thermal imaging and radar surveillance systems, chemical and explosive detection products, and turn-key integrated sensor solutions to governmental entities across the globe.

FLIR Systems Inc., Wilsonville, Ore., was awarded a $14,361,776 modification (P00013) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract (W9113M-11-C-0067) for the procurement of repairs and refurbishments and logistical support for sensor components of the Legacy Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment Base, Expeditionary Targeting and Surveillance Systems – combined, Cerebus and Cerebus Lite systems that are fielded in Iraq, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia.  The cumulative total face value of this contract is $43,268,391.  Performance location and funding will be determined with each order.  The Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity.

The beleaguered security company that failed for months to hire enough civilian guards to staff gates at U.S. Forces Korea installations is getting the ax.

British-based G4S is being phased out immediately, with a new security firm scheduled to take over all security operations completely by the end of October, the U.S. Army Installation Management Command Pacific Region said in a statement Friday.

The statement offered little information about the change, including why G4S is being replaced, how new provider C&S Corp. was selected or how much C&S will be paid.

An IMCOM Pacific spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment in Honolulu, where it was past business hours when the turnover was announced.

The Iraqi police project is the largest law-enforcement training mission the U.S. has ever conducted, with more than 800 private contractors helping to train more than 60% of the police.

This being the last major non-military project of the war of choice the U.S. launched 10 years ago: an ambitious, expensive post-withdrawal effort to strengthen the Iraqi police. But quietly, the Obama administration has pulled the plug on the much-criticized training program, leaving some 400,000 Iraqi cops without U.S. mentorship.

The criminal investigation into the military contractor formerly known as Blackwater concluded Thursday when two executives pleaded guilty to misdemeanor firearms charges. Former Blackwater president Gary Jackson and former vice-president Bill Matthews each pleaded guilty to one count of failure to make and maintain records related to firearms. U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan sentenced each to four months house arrest and fined them $5,000 each.

The private company Typhon is preparing to operate alongside the world’s navies, offering protection to cargo vessels sailing around the Horn of Africa.

Anthony Sharp of Typhon, wants to escort your commercial ship through pirate-infested waters.  A 50-year-old veteran of tech startups, grew up with a love for ships. On February 7, he’ll turn that boyhood affection into what might be the first private navy since the 19th century. Sharp’s newest company, Typhon, will offer a fleet of armed ex-Royal Marines and sailors to escort commercial ships through pirate-infested waters. In essence, Typhon wants to be the Blackwater of the sea, minus the stuff about accidentally killing civilians.

The Obama administration is continuing to pursue an agreement with the Iraqi government that would give U.S. defense contractors remaining there beyond 2012 immunity from Iraqi law.

While the approximately 17,000 diplomats and service members working for the State Department are shielded by diplomatic immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law, the thousands of private contractors and mercenaries no longer have such protections, pursuant to the 2008 Status of Forces Agreement.

The United States has filed a complaint against a Virginia-based contractor alleging that the company submitted false claims for unqualified security guards under a contract to provide security in Iraq, the Justice Department announced today. The company, Triple Canopy Inc. is headquartered in Reston, Va.

In June 2009, the Joint Contracting Command in Iraq/Afghanistan (JCC-I/A) awarded Triple Canopy a one-year, $10 million contract to perform a variety of security services at Al Asad Airbase – the second largest air base in Iraq. The multi-national JCC-I/A was established by U.S. Central Command in November 2004, to provide contracting support related to the government’s relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq.