IT TAKES A TEAM
MR. ANTHONY JONES DA CIVILIAN CONTRACT SPECIALIST U.S. ARMY CONTRACTING COMMAND DEPLOYABLE CADRE PROGRAM REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL
A NEWFOUND RESPECT
A
nthony Jones could be climbing the career ladder of a bank manager by now, if not for a former colleague who introduced him, through her husband, to the Army contracting profession. Tanks to that intro-
duction, he recently completed a once-in-a-lifetime experience as a contracting specialist deployed to Qatar in support of U.S. Central Command.
Jones, who deployed from Huntsville, AL, from October 2012 to April 2013 through the Deployable Cadre Program of U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC), had the opportunity to contribute directly to lifesaving capabilities such as Scud bunkers and Mylar glass protection.
Along with other members of the cadre, Jones provided much- needed contracting manpower in Qatar. “We were able to provide the manpower that they didn’t really have,” Jones said. “I think it allowed us to maybe take a little more time to ensure that the customer was getting the best that we could provide. Anytime you have a small number of people doing a large number of things, something may slip through the cracks at times. We beefed up [the contracting operation] and made it that much better. We helped them prepare the requirements, helped them coordinate the work, just kind of facilitated.”
Jones had little idea of what to expect when he volunteered for ACC’s civilian Deployable Cadre Program early last year. He had been a contract specialist in the Army for five years at that point but had never served in uniform. Previously, he worked at a bank in Huntsville and was about to pursue a job there as a management associate when that fateful introduction hap- pened and he took a civilian job with the Army instead. He subsequently received training as a contract specialist.
Volunteering for deployment was a logical next step in his
professional development. “For me, it was a chance to do something different [and] be more directly involved supporting the warfighter. And there was some financial benefit,” Jones said.
He and his wife had just moved into a new house and had yet to finish unpacking when he left for Qatar. Tose concerns faded quickly once Jones got down to work.
Particularly engrossing, and professionally satisfying, was the work he did to launch a contract for the construction of cement Scud bunkers, helping prepare the statement of work to ensure that it would provide everything that was needed, down to the strength of the concrete.
“Tat’s one of those things where it’s [a matter of] safety. I was just able to help start it. And there were some contracts we had for Mylar glass protection; it’s a film that prevents glass from shattering in case you have an explosion. To me the things like that, that are definite issues, were really important to me.”
Jones emphasized that “everything that we do in contracting is a team effort. Tere’s nothing that you can do in this line of work that doesn’t require help from somebody else. Everything that everybody does is important. Tis was just a small part of that bigger effort.”
Te opportunity to work directly with Soldiers in this team effort was one of the major benefits of deploying to Qatar, Jones said. “I actually got to work more closely with our Sol- diers, our 51 Charlies. I was able to meet a lot of Soldiers, a lot of guys who were really knowledgeable. I was able to learn some things from them. Each person you meet there brings something different to the table.”
Stateside, by contrast, “It all depends on what area you work in; you may work hand-in-hand with [Soldiers], or you may not.”
Working in Qatar posed certain challenges, but nothing akin to the hardships of working in Afghanistan. “I was still in a relatively easy environment. I can only imagine the guy who’s out there; he’s looking out for IEDs, or there’s a Scud attack, or anything like that where you have your wife, your kid
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Army AL&T Magazine
July–September 2013
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