SKILL SEEKERS
“BECAUSE WE EXECUTE CONTRACTING MISSIONS IN MORE THAN 60 COUNTRIES ANNUALLY IN SUPPORT OF ALL GCCs AND ARMY SERVICE COMPONENT COMMANDS, WE NEED TO CONSTANTLY LEARN AND PROPAGATE WHAT WE’VE LEARNED ACROSS OUR ENTIRE ORGANIZATION.”
days of warrior task training designed to keep contingency contracting officers alive on the battlefield. In this phase, mil- itary and civilian participants
received
weapons familiarization, vehicle-rollover training in High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle simulators, convoy operations training in the Close Combat Tactical Trainer and two days of medical skills training.
Te second phase of training focused on topics unique to contingency opera- tions. Tis phase included instruction on contingency acquisition policy, ethics, procurement fraud, payment procedures, paperless contracting files, the Con- tracting Officer’s Representative Tool, public affairs and the Joint Contingency Contracting System, part of a suite of contingency contracting tools offered by the Defense Procurement and Acquisi- tion Policy Office.
It is vital to train not only military mem- bers but also DOD civilians because they are part of the acquisition team, and any- one may be called upon to deploy forward, Hoskin said. Te training in OCSJX ensures that all those who might have to go in harm’s way to accomplish an OCS mission are prepared for anything that can happen in any environment.
Many DOD civilians who volun- teered for operational contract support
76
assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan had not received any warrior task train- ing. As a result, many were ill-equipped for what they would confront and see while performing their roles in hos- tile environments. OCSJX addresses that deficiency and boosts participants’ confidence in their ability to complete their acquisition mission in a stressful environment.
CONCLUSION At any given time during OCSJX-14, par- ticipants were accomplishing two different mission sets. As they were completing warrior task training, NORTHCOM officials were completing their acquisi- tion requirements packages in support of the scenario. Tese packages then went to contracting teams, which began execut- ing the contracting mission. Tere were 16 contracting teams, each with 10 joint members, and each team had more than 200 requirement packages to execute in about two weeks.
OCS is not only about contracts, however; it is also about requirements develop- ment. OCS involves teaching customers how to better develop their requirements; how to build an acquisition package, a performance work statement and a qual- ity assurance surveillance plan; and how to identify needs for a successful contract that gives the requiring activity all it truly needs.
OCSJX is the escalation of the OCS concept, starting by making sure the workforce is trained to do its mission and then adding new pieces to the training each year. It is a long-term, deliberate approach to how DOD is doing OCS and requires the commitment of every agency involved.
For more information, go to http://ocsjx14.
tumblr.com.
COL TIM STRANGE, 412th Contract- ing Support Brigade commander, Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) – Fort Sam Houston, TX, was the executive director of OCSJX-14. He holds an MBA from Western Caro- lina University and a B.S. in engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the Joint and Combined Warf- ighting School. He is Level III certified in contracting and Level I certified in program management. He is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps (AAC).
CSM JESSE T. HAMMOND JR., 412th Contracting Support Brigade command sergeant major, was the senior enlisted con- tracting adviser for OCSJX-14. He holds an M.S. in management from the Univer- sity of Management and Technology and a B.S. in business administration from Liberty University. He is Level III certified in con- tracting and a member of the AAC.
MR. CYPRIEN LAPORTE, chief, Con- tract Plans and Programs Division, MICC, JBSA – Fort Sam Houston, was the deputy director for OCSJX-14. He holds an M.S. in materiel acquisition management from the Florida Institute of Technology and a B.S. in criminal justice from Cameron University. He is Level III certified in con- tracting and a member of the AAC.
Army AL&T Magazine
October–December 2014
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