Michele Lynn Ballarin

Who is Michele Lynn Ballarin of The Plains, Virginia (aka Michele Lynn Golden-Ballarin)? Michele Lynn Ballarin is a Virginia entrepreneur who sells real estate, horses and body armor. She also, with her husband, also sells military tactics. Which has earned her a place of respect in Somali Society. Select Armor designs and makes body armor and provides executive protection to wealthy individuals. She has a long history of involvement in Somalia, including allegations that she was helping plan military operations there in 2006. “Amira” (or "Princess" in Arabic) was Ballarin’s nickname when she was helping plan military operations in Somali during 2006.

She is trying to market a solution for failed states through Black Star. If she can demonstrate that it works in Somalia, which has not had a functioning unitary government in 19 years, she would have an excellent product to sell. She discussed her company's participation as a CIA intermediary in the militarization of Somalia, even revealing her company's use of three military bases. She claims she has been given 'carte blanche' to use three bases in Somalia 'and the air access to reach them'. She then suggests that the CIA have been kept informed of the plans.

Ballarin's companies:
Select Armor
Select Armor SourceWatch

Black Star

Cambridge Wealth Management Ltd. SourceWatch
(aka Cambridge Asset Management)

Somali Pirates Call on American Benefactor Military.com spoke with Ballarin for more than an hour Nov. 24 and she told us she has been in regular touch with the pirates by satellite phone, the last contact was Monday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, and had just returned from Somalia Nov. 18. Ballarin said she is not only negotiating with the pirates holding that Saudi tanker, she is also in touch with the MV Faina, the Ukrainian ship loaded with grenade launchers, ammunition and 33 Russian-made T-72 tanks. "I'm in communication with both ships on a regular basis," she said. Ballarin's goal is even bigger than helping end the takeover of the two ships. She wants to negotiate an end to piracy off the Somali coast altogether. "My goal is to unwind all 17 ships and all 450 people they've been holding," she said. (Military.com, 11/25/2008) [excellent interview and background]

PRETTY WOMEN, THE CIA AND SOMALIAN PIRATES Once again, the CIA is repeating the same gambit it first used to fuel the original war on terror against the Soviets in Afghanistan, that of using an attractive wealthy socialite to front for the agency, in promoting the government's secret agenda for world domination. Ballarin owns a Blackwater clones, called Select Armor and Black Star, which she is using to further the agency's mercenary solution for failed states, using ruthless unaccountable private soldiers to do the work that is too dirty for regular government troops. (Peter Chamberlain, 11/29/2008)