OAM Middle East is a strategic security advisory and risk management company established in 2015, directly evolving from its Australian predecessor, Osprey Asset Management (OAM), which had been established in Australia in 1998 by Founding Partner John Gartner.
After nearly two decades with OAM Australia, where he had been the primary driver in expanding OAM activities in S-E Asia, Iraq, West and Central Africa, in 2015 John decided that he had achieved each of his professional and personal objectives with his Partners in Australia, and decided to refocus his future activities to allow him to work independently through his own corporate platform, OAM Middle East.
John Gartner is an internationally recognised security and risk management adviser with a substantial Special Forces military pedigree incorporating service roles in Special Forces units in Australia, Africa and South Asia, including many years of active service in counterinsurgency and counter terrorism roles operationally.
The independent establishment of OAM Middle East was designed to provide a platform to create an independent security and risk management consultancy, to focus on specific skillsets, through the provision of strategic security support services in Africa and the Middle East, in addition to the S-E Asia region through OAMME’s associated Company (OAM Group Indonesia, based in Jakarta), regions in which John Gartner had operated extensively, in both the military and commercial security spheres, developing in the process a broad network of international clients and highly placed contacts.
OAM Middle East Directors have extensive Special Forces pedigrees in “Tier 1” SF units. Directors have broad military operational experience in combat regions internationally, including counter insurgency, counter terrorism, close protection of high risk political identities, and the delivery of general Infantry and Special Forces military training.
Based on the knowledge and experience gained through their military service, the OAMME Directors subsequently independently established successful commercial ventures in highly competitive international environments, before eventually consolidating their interests to rebuild OAM Middle East.
OAM Middle East Founder John Gartner has provided and continues to provide security advisory and risk management support throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Eastern Europe, in high risk and challenging environments, over a period of 30 years.
Areas where such support has been successfully delivered include Iraq and Iran, Africa (Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Nigeria, Ghana, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya), South America (Brazil, Peru) and SE Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Laos).
OAM Middle East supports a number of international resource (mining) companies developing or maintaining operations (from initial reconnaissance, through to exploration and drilling phases, and ultimately to production) throughout Africa. Such support includes direct Partner and Consultant support on the ground, extensive information and intelligence reviews of pre-investment and potential post-investment risk, community relations programmes, and continuous engagement with Government officials, to ensure an understanding of all risk factors that may impact on Client operations, personnel or investment.
The operational philosophy of the OAM Middle East Founders is straightforward – to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the challenges, local dynamics and regional risk factors affecting any project in the emerging world, it is at all times necessary that, rather than sitting comfortably in a corporate office environment overseeing activities remote from the project site, the Principals themselves deploy to field operations, in order to, at the outset, determine the operational parameters to be established, ahead of the deployment of highly trained consultants to any project site.
OAM Middle East consultants are chosen for their combination of high level military and commercial security pedigrees and experience, skillsets which of necessity must also include a working understanding of the national language in which they need to operate.
OAM Middle East consultants require Special Forces pedigrees, ensuring their ability to work in challenging environments, demonstrate innovative thinking, capacity to endure hardship for prolonged periods of time, continual and unwavering commitment to the strategic needs of the Client, and to maintain focus at all times on the welfare and safety of all employees, both expatriate and national.
OAM Middle East has the international manpower resources necessary to provide logistics management, and specialised military training (ranging from basic to advanced) and related support services. OAM Middle East Founder John Gartner has himself successfully delivered such training in Africa and South Asia within combat environments over a number of years.
Levels of service provided by OAM Middle East are 3-tiered.
TIER 1 Security Consultancy and Advisory Services
National and Corporate Security strategies, Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment, Conflict Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Effects-based Strategies, Corporate Social Responsibility, Capacity building.
TIER 2 Technical Consulting Security Services
Planning, Design and Project management, Communications, Systems design, Command and Control (C2), Intelligence.
TIER 3 Physical and Asset Protection
Security Management (strategic and tactical), Guard Force selection/training/management, Protective Security Details (PSD) and Close Protection, Access Control (manned and electronic), Movement and Convoy Protection, Searching and Screening, Client Management support and Protocol Services.
The OAMME Directors continue to operate in both field and senior corporate management roles as they move between project sites spread through Africa, Asia and the Middle East.