Private Military Company operating from Irish Address

by archangel Thu Sep 18, 2008 13:44

James Shortt's CV lists extensive military service and international PMC involvement.

by James SHORTT - IBA Thu Sep 18, 2008 19:24 dg at ibabodyguards dot com Castle Cosey, Castlebellingham Co Louth 086 8432551

Thanks for the interest but may I make some corrections
a) the site you quote is not mine, not under my control and we have asked a number of time for it to be dropped as it is highly inaccurate in terms of facts and dates. It is based in Finland and again 2 weeks ago we wrote asking for the removal of this page. That is not my CV. It was apparently pulled together by trawling magazine and newspaper interviews and in doing so the authors repeated the errors in the original articles
b) IBA is an international association established in December 1957 not a private military company.
c) I am not ,nor have I been an SAS officer, Major Lucien Ott our founder president was an officer of the French SAS 2nd demibrigade SAS in Indochina. (during WW2 there were British, French and Belgian battalions of the SAS fighting the Nazis all later absorbed in to the national military structures)
d) My personal views as opposed to the IBA's views is that the current War in Iraq and Afghanistan are totally wrong. These are views I put in to print in an article in Eye Spy magazine prior to the US invasion of Afghanistan. My opposition to the war and my distrust of the Bush junta has also been voiced by me time and time again as security correspondent for South East Radio based out of Wexford, That has included opposition to the use of Shannon by US troop transports and the practice of extraordinary rendition.
You are free to check not only the IBA HQ web page but the webpages of our national and regional branches
www.ibabodyguards.com
Again thanks and keep up the good work,

by Simon Fri Sep 19, 2008 17:19

Mr Shorrt,

You have made it clear the you are not and never have been an Officer in the British Special Air Service.

Were you ever a regular ( not TA) British Army soldier who had passed 22 SAS selection and were a "badged" Trooper/NCO in 22 SAS Regiment.

Were you ever in the TA SAS and if so did you pass TA SAS selection and were a "badged" Trooper/NCO in 21 or 23 SAS Regiment.

If you were NOT a Trooper/NCO in 21, 22 or 23 SAS Regiment, which if any, SAS unit did you serve in as someone who had passed selection ?

by Tommy Atkins Fri Sep 19, 2008 17:30

Jim Short claims that he was never an officer in the SAS, but was he a soldier? This photo shows him posing in a British uniform and wearing a SAS beret. Or maybe he is just another Walter Mitty? There are a lot of military photos of Jim Shortt on the Slovenian IBA website, including recent photos of Afghanistan.

Jim Shortt in SAS uniform

by ceann Fri Sep 19, 2008 18:16

The original article was sloppy and inaccurate. What's the obsession whether someone was in the army or not? It's a job that many do.

by Simon Fri Sep 19, 2008 19:15

Ceann,

Does it not bother you that someone could dress up in a uniform and then pretend to be what the uniform represents ?

If I dress up in the uniform of a Paramedic and then pass myself off as a Paramedic is that not wrong ?

If you say you were a member of an Army or a member of a particular Regiment in an Army and you were not doesn't that say something about the person ?

See what I've done with my title .......

by archangel Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:25

Personally, I'm certainly inclined to believe Mr Shortt's denial that he is a former SAS man - what native of Louth would admit to this?

What does bother me is whether the IBA can be classed as a PMC or not - it seems a very fine line, given that they're involved in Iraq and Afghanistan. I gather that they maintain a uniformed military wing in this country, complete with ranks and medals.

by anon Sat Sep 20, 2008 15:21

Inregard to Iraq etc its your its professional involvement that counts not your personal opinion.

by Simon Sat Sep 20, 2008 17:36

archangel,

Mr Shortt has not, so far, denied in being in the SAS , he has only denied being an Officer in the SAS. A small but important difference.

by archangel Sat Sep 20, 2008 19:22

" News At One: Jim Shortt, an Irishman with a military background, outlines the main possible targets in Afghanistan "

(bottom of page)

by Night Flight Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:29

More details here.....

Ten years ago, a few Irish journalists were warned that they were "under surveillance" from this group..

by Steve Wed Oct 08, 2008 18:18

James Shortt runs a private security company and poses in an SAS beret calling himself a colonel, in reality his military service consists of being in Surrey army cadet force as a teenager. The guy poses as ex SAS to sell his bodyguard company and "expertise"
He has never served in the British army his claims are fraudulent, just as his claims of being a colonel and aristocrat are.

He has never served in the Special Air Service, hes a fraud.

by Jim full of shit Short Sat Oct 18, 2008 21:53

I can 100% confirm that this clown was never in UKSF in any shape or form but thats never stoped old Jimbo from wearing his reverse wings.

He's pictured wearing his SAS lid (mail order im sure) but in other photo's the clown is wearing SBS wings on that stupid uniform he dawns.

Jimbo's a 21 SAS regect what was Jimbo one drill nite i think you lasted???

If you considering parting with your hard earned cash to do a course on the strenght that your DS will be SF backround dont waste your money.

by archangel Mon Oct 27, 2008 13:31

A short time ago I asked whether Mr Shortt was on the payroll of the US Dept of Defence, and whether he maintained a paramilitary group in this country.

Was this post removed?

by Desmond Tue Nov 18, 2008 13:30

The "Baron" was on Irish radio the other day, it was about a bodyguarding course he was running here and they did a bit on it, he seemed to indicate that he was an ex SAS guy and that he did various "undercover and security work" for the British government...other bit's and bobs...felt kind of sorry for theyoung gullable men they talked to, taking the course for 2,7000 euro being ripped off by a fraud.

Shortt has now also been exposed by private eye.

Disturbingly his security company is being investigated for assaults on students at UCD.

RTE in the past have used him on the news as a strategic/military expert.

by Ingram Fri Jan 02, 2009 20:44

In this guys long rambling house (see link)there could be many mansions.

I think he is trying to get the other bouncers to contact him if they recognise Jimbo as the "Walt" from the fictitious "Brotherhood of Bouncers".

I like his description of the CQB jujutsu One hand clapping technique.

by Rocks - ARRSE Mon Jan 05, 2009 08:45

To save a lot of laborius reading, a summary is posted here;

http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/The_Baron_of_Castleshort

This is culled from;

A 200 page thread here;

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=104888.html

The investigations into him and his 'organsation' continue here(96 pages at time of writing);

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=109934.html

General extraction of urine has a separate thread here;

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=108603.html

by Capt Hastings Mon Jan 05, 2009 08:53

I think you will find that MR Shortt was born and raised in Croydon England and is, therefore, an Englishman.

by Winged_Nemesis Mon Jan 05, 2009 13:28

A question a short while back prompted me to answer, Shortts claims to service are a sham and can be considered "Stolen Valour" as our American friends so nicely put it, that's one of the reasons so many people are making this serious.

To add to that he claims to be a current instructor in Paramedicine when his registration ran out YEARS ago.

His attitude is one of "If I think no one will check it, i'll claim it" making himself look good.

This is only two of his claims, all the rest of which are on very shaky ground right at this moment and through his actions, which include flawed and incorrect training lord knows how many people have died or have been seriously injured.

All of this leads to one thing, would you trust a guy with your life if you knew him to be a confirmed LIAR?

Just to remind you Jim, there is NO "Part truth" it's either the LOT or nothing and that includes your deft "Say nothing and let them surmise things" approach, Omission is just a bad as an outright lie in my book.

The day cometh when all falsehoods will be known Jim and you'll End up as Mr.James Shortt from Croydon, no previous military experience, stuck in Castle Cosey, with no income,wondering what went wrong and waiting for a knock at the door.

In my opinion, you will get all you deserve because this goes FAR of the end of the register when it comes to "Walting"

by Walt-Finder-Colonel Mon Jan 05, 2009 14:13

It's good to see James Short contributing to his defence, especially as very few other people seem to bother. Of course, as usual, he ducks the questions as a quick-footed ninja would.

Indeed you were not an SAS officer; indeed, some would question whether you were actually SAS at all, or merely attached to write "Janet and John Visit the SAS". What did you do in the SAS, Mr. Short?

Perhaps you were "badged PARA" as you claimed on your CV. Whatever that means, of course, as there's no record of you having done any UK military Para courses. Perhaps you just bought a badge on eBay?

And all those other naughty websites, run by the subsidiaries of the IBA, perpetuating the wee porkies and exaggerations you love to tell. Why don't they actually do as you tell them, Director General? Perhaps you prefer your innumerable false claims to stay there to impress people, while you deny and responsibility for them. That would suit nicely, wouldn't it.

by Grubsteak Thu Jan 15, 2009 17:14

Mr Shortt was never in the SAS. has never served as a member of either the Parachute Regiment, the SAS nor any other part of the British Army. He was briefly a recruit in the Territorial Army but did not pass recruit training. He has not passed the British Army's Basic Parachute Course and is not entitled to wear any British Army parachute wings.

by Walt-Finder-Colonel Thu Jan 22, 2009 14:46

Interesting that his amazing collection of medals is being dismantled on www.ARRSE.co.uk

It apparently includes Belgian WW1 and WW2 Veterans commemorative medals. Now why didn't I think of that?

http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/James_Shortt%27s_Dodgy_Unif...edals

by head of knowledge - knowledgedom Fri Jan 30, 2009 00:52

I have it on very good authority that the Security Institute of Ireland (SII) have Jimbo Shortt on their panel of ''experts'' advising them on writing the CP Standard for the (irish) Private Security Authority PSA Licence. The PSA is Government body. Another garvy train for all involved

by Bob howgarth Fri Jan 30, 2009 17:51

You may be interested in the end product of some 5 months' detailed investigation by members of the Army Rumour Service at www.arrse.co.uk of the claims of a certain individual.

The people at ARRSE are not business competitors, they are simply people who abhor the concept of "stolen valour" as used for business purposes by one James Gerard Richard Shortt [aka The Baron of Castleshort]. The language may occasionally be "robust" but is simply a reflection of the anger and contempt felt by those who have actually served in HM Forces.

Please take a while [about 30 minutes] to read the following Internet links:

www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/James_Shortt
www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/L...ous_Claims
www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/J...and_Medals

And recent Media comment:

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/h...183915.ece
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/h...123687.ece

Sadly, links to recent issues of Private Eye (UK) and The Phoenix (ROI) are not easily accessible on-line.

Mr Shortt has undoubtedly jumped out of several serviceable aircraft. He has some general credibility in Martial Arts circles. However, it could also be suggested that Mr Shortt has built his business on false claims, and over-inflated CVs, and bogus awards, and false claims of business links and accreditation.

He may, of course, simply be a deranged fantasist. Only time will tell.

by walt finder Sat Jan 31, 2009 00:29

I also have it also on good record he advised the Irish govt after 9-11.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our...5.ece

A BOGUS SAS veteran was used to advise on Cabinet Office security, The Sun can reveal.

Dreamer James Shortt was allowed access to the highly sensitive government building by its protection chief, Brian Ware — a former cop.

Now Mr Ware has been suspended from his £30,000-a-year job and offered to quit.

Shortt — in his 50s — brags of having served with elite military units across the world.

He has been pictured wearing berets of the SAS and the Paras, although he has never belonged to either.

He was a medic in the Territorial Army but left within months.

An intelligence source told The Sun: “Ware has been suspended over an allegation he was running his own security business, in contravention of the rules.

“He also appears to have allowed a man on to Cabinet Office property without ensuring he had authorisation.”

The Cabinet Office, in Whitehall, includes underground rooms used by the Prime Minister and advisers in emergencies.

Mr Ware said: “I deny permitting anyone on the premises without proper authorisation.”

by Martin Sullivan Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:23

I am a former SAS Sigs V solder, and have know James for many years. I can vouch from when James did teach Karate at Purley where I was club secretary. He was also recognised by the British Karate Association and did attend the European Championships at Crystal Palace where I as club security did also attend. James always did and continues to cover a lot of ground in his life, so as for the lies said about him that I know are incorrect means that the rest of this slur on his character can also be seen as suspect.
I have only just read this “slur” so James if you need help, say that you would like me to contact you on youtube, I know how to find you and can help prove in a court of law that this media story is doubtful, as they say in the SAS “A lie goes around the world before the truth gets its boots on”.

by archangel Mon Jan 14, 2013 16:14

Trained by a baron and backed by Bambi, now West Papua 'freedom fighter' faces jail

Dan Oakes
Published: December 7, 2012 - 3:00AM
Advertisement

COMBINE a wannabe freedom fighter, a Ukrainian paramilitary training camp, a tumbledown weatherboard house near Melbourne, an Irish ''baron'' and a man in a Bambi suit - and you end up with something that would not look out of place on the storyboard of a Hollywood comedy.

But it is no laughing matter for ''Colonel'' Gerard Michael Little, who finds himself in a Queensland cell facing up to 10 years in prison for allegedly planning armed resistance to the Indonesian authorities in West Papua.

Little was arrested by police at Brisbane airport as he tried to board a flight to Port Moresby and charged with ''planning an incursion into a foreign state'' and ''allowing himself'' to be trained in preparation.

''The worst thing is the only time the cause gets publicity, it's for something like this,'' one West Papuan independence activist told Fairfax wryly.

Earlier this year Little, a 45-year-old grandfather who lives in the West Gippsland hamlet of Tynong North, launched a Facebook page espousing the cause of West Papuan independence. Month after month of links to news articles on the cause followed.

On September 9, however, in an eerie echo of the famous photo of David Hicks, Little posted a photograph of a young, dark-haired man holding a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. One click on the photo section of the page then revealed the magnitude of Little's preparations for whatever it was he was planning.

There are dozens of pictures of Little, dressed in military fatigues, handling weapons, training in hand-to-hand combat, sitting on an armoured personnel carrier and posing with an assortment of burly men in camouflage.

With him is the young man captured in the first photograph - Anton Pahoff, from Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. Inexplicably, Mr Pahoff appears in a number of the photos wearing a yellow Bambi suit, sometimes paired with a thigh holster.

Fairfax tried unsuccessfully to contact ''Gunnery Sergeant'' Pahoff but his Facebook page suggests he studied at RMIT and enjoys nightclubbing. The photographs were apparently taken in the Crimea region of Ukraine in September, at a training camp run by a group called the International Law Enforcement Training Agency, which Little's lawyer this week claimed is supported by the United Nations.

Also captured on camera, presenting certificates to Little and Pahoff, is a man with a kilt, numerous medals and a luxuriant moustache. This is James Shortt, the self-styled Irish Baron of Castleshort and director-general of the ILETA.

Britain's Sun newspaper ran a story in 2009 labelling Mr Shortt a ''bogus SAS veteran'' and revealed he had been hired to advise on Cabinet Office security, resulting in the suspension of the man who hired him.

When contacted on Thursday, Mr Shortt angrily denied the claims, which he said had been spread by disgruntled former members of his group.

He confirmed he met Little in September in the Ukraine and said the Australian told him he was planning to offer training to military and law enforcement agencies in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. He described Mr Pahoff as Little's ''bag boy'' and dismissed the Bambi suit as an ''in-joke''. He also dismissed Little's lawyer's claim that the agency is backed by the UN.

Mr Shortt is also head of the International Bodyguard Association, which has a branch in Melbourne headed by David Rossborough, who said he knew Little but had not spoken to him for a long time.

Mr Rossborough said Little was a big-noter who was forced out of the association ''a few years ago'' after threatening to seize control of it.

So how serious was Little about travelling to West Papua? Is he a total fantasist? Well-meaning? Naive? Just unlucky?

He did make contact with West Papuan independence activists, claiming he wanted to train West Papuans in armed resistance to ''arbitrary'' aggression by the Indonesian government. And he was, apparently, given the honorary rank of colonel by the OPM separatist movement.

The West Papua Media service's Nick Chesterfield said Little was ''counselled'' that armed action was ''illegal, ill-advised and counterproductive'' but that he understood why Little would want to ''assist with armed struggle''.

One of the final posts on the Facebook page before Little was arrested was made by a friend called Heather, who took over administration of the page three weeks ago. ''I will post his reports from West Papua as I receive them,'' she wrote. ''Michael - stay safe and good luck in West Papua.''

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/trained-by-a-baron-and-b....html

by Private Eye Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:48

A Shortt story of military derring-do

Counter terrorism, Issue 1389

ALPHA MALE? James ‘Jimbo’ Shortt, who says he was the ‘first outsider to train KGB personnel’ inside the former Soviet Union
AS Britain starts to deploy military advisers to Ukraine, offering medical and intelligence expertise, along with infantry and logistical training, the Eye can reveal that one military asset has been operating in Ukraine since 2006 offering expert training of his own.
Step forward James “Jimbo” Shortt, director-general of the International Bodyguard Association (IBA) and holder of a papal knighthood “for his work in bringing the Cold War to an end”. Also calling himself “hereditary Colonel Commandant” of the Royal Galloglas Guard and Colonel the Chevalier Baron of Castleshort, Shortt’s dubious military credentials are well known to readers (see Eyes 1223 & 1228).

Immodium and rubber bands
Shortt offers “counter terror operations” expertise to any Ukrainian or foreign “others” who stump up £950 and have the necessary kit to train with his “Tiger Spetsnaz Counter Terror Group” in the Crimea. The fact that local law has only ever allowed Shortt’s graduates to arm themselves with “BB guns, air pistols or rubber bullets” doesn’t diminish the size of his potential market. In 2006 the Ukrainian State Guard Service estimated it to have an annual countrywide turnover of US$5.6m.

The kit required for Shortt’s course includes a “desert camouflage BDU [battle dress uniform] assault suit”, even though Crimea isn’t known for its desert terrain; plus a “supply of Immodium and aspirin”, and “rubber bands for holding trouser bottoms over boots”. Candidates will also need “a baseball cap/fatigue cap”. Those entitled to wear a beret and badge, eg “Airborne Maroon”, as Shortt calls it, can wear them for the final parade.

Entitlement to wear the “maroon lid”, the beret awarded to Parachute Regiment members, would presumably preclude Shortt from wearing his. As the Eye pointed out, Jimbo’s CV described him as “Badged Parachute Regiment (1976)” as well as “Special Air Service Regt (SAS) (1980)”, when he was never “badged” by either. Shortt claimed to have served in the 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, and B and HQ Squadron, 21st Special Air Service Regiment, when in fact he had only served for a few months as a medic in the Territorial Army.

Russian Alpha unit
Despite the doubters, the Ukrainian government has been impressed and even awarded Shortt “the Presidential Order of Merit in recognition of his work training Ukrainian Government Bodyguard units and Counter Terrorist teams since independence”, according to one of Jimbo’s IBA brochures. Shortt adds that he has been “similarly honoured by Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia and the Vatican”.

Impressive as this may be, the current regime in Ukraine may be less happy about another feather in Jimbo’s cap. The KGB Alpha Team Training Manual 2009, which includes a foreword by Shortt, reveals that he “was the first outsider to train KGB personnel” inside the former Soviet Union. This training included members of the feared Russian Alpha unit, which was then still operating in Ukraine and some of whose members Shortt trained in person.

During last year’s Ukrainian revolution, Alpha snipers were alleged to have shot at anti-Russian demonstrators with real rounds, rather than airgun pellets. The Ukrainian military was so concerned the Alpha unit was finally purged. However, one of its commanders, Alexander Khodakovsky, fled to become commander of the pro-Russian Vostok Battalion and later commander of the pro-Russian “Patriotic Forces of Donbass” in Donetsk. He eventually became security minister of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic – the same self-proclaimed state Ukraine is now fighting using some of Jimbo’s own highly trained cadre.

‘Squarebasher’