contracting actions to be a major part of the simulated noncombatant evacua- tion order operation. Te efforts created a realistic training exercise for the future JTF headquarters and provided opportu- nities for the 900th Contracting Battalion to perform simulated contracting actions in a deployed environment.
IT DOESN’T GET EASIER; YOU GET BETTER Finally, the contracting unit and requir- ing activity should deploy together. Te U.S. Army Contracting Command is in the final stages of aligning contracting battalions with Army divisional units. Tis effort will enable
the associated
contracting battalions and division head- quarters to maintain the same rotational cycle, which is necessary to allow the two organizations to maintain an enduring operational relationship.
To be clear, though, deploying together does not
simply mean stepping on the
plane together. It consists of the required training and preparation that go into a deployment. Te contracting battalion should do its predeployment site survey with its supported headquarters, enabling contracting personnel and the customer to gain the same view of
their future
operating environment. Te contract- ing battalion should do as much of the
required theater training with its customer as possible, including qualification ranges. Tese training events build bonds between the contracting unit and the customer that will pay dividends later.
Once deployed, the contracting unit and the supported customer should work as closely as possible. Presently at Camp Arifan, Kuwait, members of the 900th Contracting Battalion and the 82nd Airborne Division operate in the same workspace, providing seamless transfer of requirements from requiring activity to contracting support. Resource managers from the 82nd Airborne Division Com- bined, Joint Assistant Chief of Staff for Financial Management (CJ-8), the 82nd Airborne Division OCS integration cell and 900th Contracting Battalion per- sonnel perform their daily tasks together. For a complex contracting environment such as Operation Inherent Resolve, clear communication among requiring activity, contract support and resource managers greatly reduces the OCS fog of war.
CONCLUSION When the future JTF and the aligned con- tracting unit commit themselves months in advance to work together, plan together, train together and deploy together, they produce a cohesive effect.
Te 82nd Airborne Division and the 900th Contracting Battalion recently com- pleted their Operation Inherent Resolve deployment, making a noticeable impact throughout theater and establishing a benchmark for follow-on units. Supported by the teamwork between contracting personnel and the OCS integration cell, coalition efforts against the Islamic State group continue to make a significant impact against the terrorists. Together, con- tracting personnel and the OCS integration cell are providing contract solutions to operational problems, satisfying warfighter requirements in terms of procurement cost, quality and timeliness.
Te 82nd Airborne Division, as the Coalition Joint Forces Land Component Command – Iraq, is able to plan con- tracting into its concept of support and its concept of operations with realistic capabilities and limitations. Ultimately, contracting personnel and supported units can build upon the successes of the 900th Contracting Battalion and the 82nd Airborne Division to provide even greater operational contracting support for future operations.
For more information on Regional Contract- ing Center – Operation Inherent Resolve, contact the author at timothy.g.godwin.
mil@mail.mil. For more information on Operation Inherent Resolve, go to http://
www.de fense.gov/News/Special- Reports/0814_Inherent-Resolve.
A key to a feasible, acceptable and suitable plan is to recognize OCS as a mission-essential task with proper command emphasis and a properly trained staff. This is possible through the establishment of an operational contract support integration cell.
MAJ TIMOTHY G. GODWIN serves as the operations officer, 900th Contracting Battalion and Regional Contracting Center – Operation Inherent Resolve. He holds an M.A.
in procurement and acquisition
management from Webster University and a B.S. in parks, recreation and tourism management from Clemson University. He is Level II certified in contracting.
ASC.ARMY.MIL 85
CONTRACTING
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203
