for a potentially lucrative contract. It involves training in Africa, which is why I’ve asked our training and foreign operations officers to attend.” He inclined his head toward Leopole, who ran operations; former Lieutenant Colonel Sandra Carmichael of international operations; and Dr. Omar Mohammed, the Iranian-born director of training.
“The situation is this: over the past several months the government of Chad has received United Nations assistance with improving internal security against rebel factions that have caused widespread problems. As most of you know, the original U.N. mission there was peacekeeping, officially a neutral presence more intended to keep the warring factions apart than actually solving anything.” Derringer allowed himself an ironic grin. No one in the room had the least difficulty interpreting his meaning. The United Nations was not one of Michael Derringer’s favored causes.
“Well, over the past couple of weeks the peacekeepers took some hard knocks. Both the rebels and elements of the Chadian Army resented their presence, and there were several disputes leading to violence. Some peacekeepers were killed and others were surrounded and captured.”
Ferraro, ever mindful of the cost-benefit ratio, asked the pending question. “Mike, are we thinking of getting involved in Chad?”
Derringer cleared his throat and nodded slightly. “I got a call from O’Connor at State. The secretary has authorized a PMC for a short-term contract to train a unit of the Chadian Army in counterinsurgency. We’re the go- to company for projects that the State Department wants kept below the horizon. That especially applies to Chad.”
“How’s that?” Ferraro asked.
Derringer shifted in his seat, a sign of unusual nervousness. “Well, I did some checking. It turns out that a European watchdog group keeps track of corruption and human rights violations around the world. Chad and Ethiopia are tied for the dubious honor of the most corrupt government on earth.”
Marshall Wilmont was visibly perplexed. “I don’t understand something. Why would State, and presumably the entire U.S. Government, want to support Chad? Something doesn’t fit.”
“Well, you’re right, Marsh. I haven’t told the whole story yet.” He paused for emphasis. Looking at each person in sequence, he said, “Everything said here, stays here. Is that absolutely clear?”
Heads bobbed to the accompanying litany, “Yes, sir.”
“Very well. There’s some high-level horse trading going on because the U.N. is anxious to save itself more embarrassment. The French have agreed to send a replacement peacekeeping force operating with the appearance of U.N. authority but in fact they’ll answer to Paris, not New York. In exchange, our State Department will sign off on a PMC to conduct some of the training.”
Ferraro began to interject. “Mike, I think…”
With a raised hand, Derringer interrupted him. “I know where you’re going. Everybody just hold on until I’ve finished.” He glanced down at his notes and continued. “You’re wondering why France is interested in bailing out the U.N. Well, there’s a couple of reasons. Chad is a former French possession and therefore is still regarded as within France’s sphere of interest. There are also certain, ah, resources in the country that could prove valuable.
“Beyond that, Prime Minister LeBlanc is a Gaullist at heart. He and his cabinet want to increase French prestige, and by volunteering for an apparently humanitarian program, his government figures to score some points. My guess is, they plan to leverage the goodwill in Africa and the Third World generally. That’s likely to translate to more influence, wider markets, and a counterbalance to other powers.”
“Like us,” Wilmont opined.
“Exactly,” Derringer said.
Leopole raised a hand. “Admiral, if the French are going to replace the peacekeepers, why does the U.N. want an American firm involved?”
“Actually, the U.N. doesn’t. At least that’s what O’Connor said, and he’s a big U.N. booster. But in exchange for American support on the Security Council, the administration requires a PMC to be involved. That’s where the horse trading comes in. State wants an American presence in Chad, especially during the transition period while the French are taking over.”
The former Marine nodded his crew-cut head. “Gotcha.” He shrugged. “Well, I don’t see any reason we can’t do it.” He looked at Omar Mohammed. “If it’s going to be a training mission, how long will we plan for?”
“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Certainly our operations and training departments will have to coordinate SSI activities, but the main reason I called this meeting is brainstorming. Before we start planning for Chad, I need to hear arguments pro and con. What do each of you want the board to consider?” He nodded at Leopole again.
“Yes, sir. As far as operations are concerned, we shouldn’t have much problem. A training cadre would be fairly small, and we don’t have any heavy commitments other than the Peruvian contract. I’ll need to huddle with Matt Finch but finding enough personnel won’t be much trouble, depending on specifics.”
Derringer looked at Mohammed. “Omar? Any thoughts on training?”
“Yes, just a couple.” Mohammed rubbed his manicured goatee, gathering his thoughts. Though he spoke almost unaccented English, he used such moments to give the impression he was considering his words. “The biggest consideration will be linguistic. Chad has two official languages: Arabic and French, and finding enough instructors competent in either may be difficult. It’s possible to work through translators, but that is inefficient. And it limits the bonding between teachers and students.”
“Okay, that makes sense,” Derringer replied. “Anything else?”
“Yes, this matter of counterinsurgency. Certainly we can provide qualified instructors, but let us be frank. I suspect that the Chadian Army does not have anything resembling an elite unit. From what I know of the situation, the Army and police answer only to the president, who buys their loyalty with favors and by looking the other way when they abuse the population.”
Derringer sat back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the table. “That’s undoubtedly an accurate statement. But since State is pushing the program and offered it to us, I think we should consider it.”
“Well, sir, I am merely saying that, assuming we take the contract, we need to say exactly what we can deliver. We cannot turn an armed mob into a competent counterguerrilla force in a few months.” He turned a manicured hand palm upward. “If we are going to do a decent job, we may be there for a year or more.”
Derringer gave an ironic smile. “I think that’s what the secretary has in mind.”
Mohammed’s dark eyes widened in comprehension. “Ah, I see. The French connection, so to speak.”
Derringer turned toward Sandra Carmichael. “Sandy, overseas operations are your department. Do you have anything beyond Frank’s general ops comments?”
The honey blond retiree had scribbled a few notes during the discussion. “No, sir. As Frank and Omar said, the main concern is signing up the right people. I can think of two or three good men offhand. For the others, we’ll have to dig around.”
“Very well. Regina, most of our training contracts are pretty low budget. Any reason to think this would be any different?”
Regina Wells, Leopole’s operations assistant, kept her professional hand on the department’s financial pulse. “No, sir. It should be a cost-effective job. Especially if it lasts more than a year. I’m assuming we’d pass along the bonus fees to the client?”
Derringer raised an eyebrow and cocked his head toward Ferraro, the chief financial officer. “George?”
“Well, naturally I’d consult with Ms. Pilong, but SSI policy has always been to add long-term and hardship bonuses to the base fee. The only exceptions have been projects where we wanted to break into a particular market. Besides, I’d think that State would be glad to cover the extra fees. Otherwise we wouldn’t have been offered the job.”
In turn, Derringer swiveled his chair and looked at Corin Pilong, SSI’s legal director. She was deceptively demure: a five-foot-three Filipina with a baby-doll face and a Harvard law degree.
She leaned forward on both elbows, a sure sign that an argument was coming. “Admiral, I am not concerned with contractual matters just now. Everything we have heard so far appears proper and aboveboard. But I must say, I am not in favor of this contract.”
