KEY POINTS: During 1st quarter FY20, USCENTCOM reported approximately 50,464 contractor personnel supporting DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR, an increase of approximately 812 from the previous quarter

DoD Contractor Personnel in the USCENTCOM AOR

OIR (Iraq and Syria) Summary

The distribution of contractors in Iraq and Syria by mission category are:

• Base Support 1,567 (23.8%)
• Construction 731 (11.1%)
• IT/Communications Support 329 (5.0%)
• Logistics/Maintenance 2,470 (37.5%)
• Management/Administrative 375 (5.7%)
• Medical/Dental/Social Services 20 (0.3%)
• Other 40 (0.6%)
• Security 244 (3.7%)
• Training 13 (0.2%)
• Translator/Interpreter 303 (4.6%)
• Transportation 494 (7.5%)

Total: 6,586

o Contractor Posture: Approximately 6,586 DoD contractors directly supported DoD-funded contracts in Iraq and Syria. This is a decrease of 8% from 4th quarter FY19.

OFS (Afghanistan) Summary*

The distribution of contractors in Afghanistan by mission category are:

• Base Support 3,581 (13.5%)
• Construction 1,630 (6.1%)
• IT/Communications Support 889 (3.4%)
• Logistics/Maintenance 8,970 (33.8%)
• Management/Administrative 1,545 (5.8%)
• Medical/Dental/Social Services 85 (0.3%)
• Other 367 (1.4%)
• Security 4,924* (18.5%)
• Training 1,254 (4.7%)
• Translator/Interpreter 1,724 (6.5%)
• Transportation 1,576 (6.0%)

Total: 26,545

*3,017 Armed Private Security Contractor Personnel

o Contractor Posture: Approximately 26,545 DoD contractors supported operations in Afghanistan during 1st quarter FY20, an increase of 9.7% from 4th quarter FY19. Local Nationals comprise 21.5% of total contractor force; 20,836 US/TCN remain in Afghanistan. The increase is due, in part, to an issue identified in the 4th quarter FY19 when the delayed exercising of a contract option in 4th quarter FY19 led to expiration of contractor letters of authorization and removal of contractors from Synchronized Pre-Deployment Operational Tracker Enterprise Suite (SPOT-ES) database. As a result, these contractors were not included in the 4th quarter FY19 report. The 1st quarter FY20 figures include these contractors that have since been updated in SPOT.

o A total of 3,017 Private Security Contractors (PSCs) personnel were supporting USCENTCOM operations in Afghanistan as of 1st quarter FY20. A detailed summary is provided in the table below.

• USCENTCOM Vendor Threat Mitigation In accordance with the FY15 National Defense Authorization Act, Subtitle E Section 841, Never Contract with the Enemy, one company has been identified as supporting the insurgency and a recommendation to designate that company as supporting the insurgency has been approved by the USCENTCOM Deputy Commander. Two additional companies were identified during the August and September 2019 Vendor Vetting Decision Boards (VVDB) and are in staffing for potential designation, which will be forwarded to the Head of Contracting Activity. During 1st quarter FY20, the VVDB considered 105 companies, resulting in 75 rated “Acceptable” (71.4%) and 30 rated “Unacceptable without Mitigation” (28.6%).

• USCENTCOM Operational Contract Support Integration Cell (OCSIC) During this quarter, the OCSIC visited and leveraged OCS expertise from other Combatant Commands, Defense Logistics Agency’s Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office, and the Subordinate Service Components to enhance non-organic support to operations throughout the AOR. Our mission focus remained on requirements in support of deterring Iranian aggression to include Kingdom of Saudi Arabia build-up, and the closure of locations and partial withdrawal of personnel from Northeast Syria. The Headquarters USCENTCOM OCSIC is primarily comprised of personnel sourced though the Request for Forces process who are temporarily assigned. The OCSIC is preparing for a 43% turnover in January 2020.

• Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) OCSIC During 1st quarter FY20, CJTF-OIR conducted Northeast Syria retrograde operations in line with a Presidential directive to re-posture forces in Syria. They analyzed the Syrian contractor requirements in support of re-posturing 1,200 Coalition Forces and corresponding military/contractor-issued equipment, resulting in $221M in cost avoidance due to potential loss. The CJTF-OIR OCSIC and 408th Contracting Support Brigade in coordination with the CJTFOIR Director of Sustainment and requiring activities, continued to refine and develop processes to right size requirements that help generate cost savings while meeting mission needs. The OCSIC continues to convene a regularly scheduled Joint Requirements Review Board (JRRB) to adjudicate resources related to the size, scope, and cost of contracted goods and services in our area of responsibility. The JRRB validated 39 mission critical requirements valued at approximately $205M this quarter.

• U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) OCSIC Contractor accountability has been the major focus this quarter. The ability to quickly identify contractor points of contact, both government and vendor, is extremely important to mission accomplishment. In order to effectively validate all contractors operating in Afghanistan, USFOR-A OCSIC needed to increase visibility of contractors to include those based throughout USCENTCOM AOR. Additionally, USFOR-A OCSIC has made a concerted effort to maintain the comparatively high-level Visa compliance reporting (77%) and affirmation reporting (52%) in the SPOT database

IMPROVEMENTS TO MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT OF DOD CONTRACTORS

• Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (ODASD(Log)).

o 1st Quarter FY20, OCS Functional Capabilities Integration Board (FCIB). During the November 19, 2019 quarterly meeting, the U.S. Special Operations Command presented status of efforts to institutionalize OCS across the Special Operations Forces (SOF) enterprise and highlighted major initiatives such as the SOF Joint OCS Planning and Execution Course and SOF OCS 101 course. In addition, the Board is on track to revise its charter in 2nd quarter FY20, to strengthen OCS capability across the enterprise, improve management of contracted capabilities, and better align OCS to DoD priorities and strategic objectives. In early November, the Board also published the seventh edition of the DoD OCS Action Plan, which serves as a strategic roadmap of actions underway to integrate and sustain OCS as an enduring joint capability. The next quarterly FCIB principal’s meeting will be held February 25, 2020.

o Implementation Update: OCS Joint Doctrine, Organization, Training, materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, and Facilities-Policy (DOTmLPF-P) Change Recommendation (DCR). Endorsed by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council in August 2018, the OCS Joint DCR identifies capability shortfalls and 15 actions for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, services and combatant commands to improve integration of OCS joint capability by the end of 2022. The OCS FCIB serves as the OCS Joint DCR implementation steering committee, monitoring progress and providing strategic direction to offices of primary responsibility. In November 2019, the Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service (DCPAS) completed development of a functional competency assessment model for the OCS civilian workforce, as required by the DCR. DCPAS is assisting with competency implementation planning and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) is working to establish the capability to conduct similar functional competency assessments for military personnel. Several other service-led OCS Joint DCR actions are on track for completion in February 2020. However, a one-year extension for the military services to implement methods to develop and update OCS planning factors will be submitted to the Logistics Functional Capabilities Board for consideration. The next DCR Working Group will be held on January 23, 2020.

o Defense Standards for Security Services.

 All DoD contracts for private security services require compliance with American National Standard Institute (ANSI) PSC.1-2012 (R2017), “Quality Management Standard for Private Security Company Operations” or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 18788-2015 “Management Systems for Private Security Operations.” All private security companies contracted by DoD at any tier are currently compliant with one or both of these standards and have achieved independent third-party certification.

 A total of 97 private security companies from 32 different countries have achieved independent third-party certification to one or both of these standards.

• Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office (JCASO). JCASO continues to provide the Combatant Commands a joint enabling capability to integrate, coordinate, and synchronize OCS planning and activities. JCASO provides full-time deliberate OCS planning support to the Geographic Combatant Commands via two embedded OCS Planners at each staff. Specific USCENTCOM support activities include:

o OCS Planning: JCASO planning support during this period included participation in the USCENTCOM 14XX War Game, to identify and validate gaps and define strategies for key locations. Planners conducted research on insights and best practices on Command Relationship and risk to force/mission, validating that OCS starts and stops at the Operational (OP) and Tactical (TA) levels of war, and that the OP and TA level commands must generate and determine OCS requirements by functional area. As a result, USCENTCOM will work to codify a Contract Statement of Requirements in USCENTCOM Regulation (CCR) 715-1. JCASO continued work with their component commands to accurately update and capture OCS planning products in support of USCENTCOM Level 3T/4 plans. Planners updated the USCENTCOM Operations and Plans Dashboard to reflect component command progress and inform the USCENTCOM J4, J45, and the OCSIC Chief on OCS development. In addition, JCASO planners developed a USCENTCOM OCS kit to support OCS practitioners conducting OCS related duties in the AOR and provide an understanding of Lead Service for Contracting (LSC)/Lead Service for Contracting Coordination (LSCC) responsibilities, key tasks, OCS planning, requirement development and examples of contracted statement of requirements.

o OCS Integration Cell (OCSIC) Support: JCASO continued engagements with USCENTCOM OCSIC personnel to provide OCS training, readiness reporting frameworks, and information on lessons learned and best practice identification. JCASO led a deep dive with the OCSIC on CCR 715-1 which governs USCENTCOM OCS policy, guidance, and tasks for the OCS community of interest. JCASO also conducted a complete review and cross walk of CCR 715-1 and the OCS Execution Order to ensure that both documents complement and support effective and efficient contract support.

o Exercise Support: INTERNAL LOOK-20 (IL20). JCASO supported IL20 execution with members in the white cell and with the Joint Staff J7 Deployable Training Team as OCS observer/trainers.

o Mobile OCS Staff Training Team (MOSTT). JCASO sent a MOSTT to MacDill Air Force Base, October 7-10, 2019. The purpose of the trip was to provide OCS training to the USCENTCOM OCSIC staff. The JCASO MOSTT representatives presented material on a broad set of OCS topics including: OCS boards, centers, and working groups, discussions on LSC versus LSCC, OCS analysis of the Operational Environment, contractor management, and contracting support.

o OCS Tutor/Trainer Initiative: The US Army Central Command tutor/trainer provided targeted, mission-specific OCS tutoring and training to multiple echelon-above-brigade units scheduled to rotate into the AOR during the next cycle.

• The Joint Staff (JS), J4, Operational Contract Support Division (OCSD)

o OCS Reporting. Joint Staff conducted a strategic risk assessment on commercial reliance which the Director, Joint Staff, approved for inclusion as an annex to the Quarterly Readiness Report to Congress. OCSD joined a readiness reporting reform operational planning team to integrate commercial support assessments into defense readiness reporting system reporting.

o OCS Planning. OCSD reviewed plans, generated input to readiness reviews, and input to the Globally Integrated Exercise and Globally Integrated Wargame; highlighted commercial support to operations opportunities and risks. OCSD briefed a methodology for integrating commercial capabilities—infrastructure, services, and personnel—into posture planning (e.g., footprint, agreements, and forces) in the Joint Logistics Planning, Globally Integrated Exercise, and Readiness Working Groups.

o Individual Training.

 Joint OCS Planning and Execution Course (JOPEC). Delivered two JOPECs to 50 students. Since course inception in 2013, 1,620 students have completed the course.

 Joint Knowledge On-line (JKO). During the 1st quarter FY20, 1,022 personnel completed the Joint OCS Essentials for Commanders and Staff Phase 1 course, another 276 personnel completed the Phase 2 online course. As of December 16, 2019, 16,418 personnel have completed an OCS introductory online course.

 Joint OCS Training Integration Campaign (JOTI). OCSD completed review of all Joint Deployment Training Center courses, and provided the Chief of Training 38 recommendations to their Joint Deployment Action Officer course Program of Instruction. The Chief of Training accepted and will implement 27 of the recommendations. Additionally, OCSD delivered OCS briefings to the monthly Joint Logistics Course, supported Joint Enabling Capability Command training and, provided a panelist for case study discussions at the National War College.

o Staff Joint Training.

 On November 18-21, 2019, 52 military and civilian personnel from 10 nations representing 19 organizations conducted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Table Top Exercise on Operational Contract Support #3 at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium. The U.S. European Command and NATO’s Standing Joint Logistics Support Group co-hosted the exercise. The exercise explored two lines of effort: processes and procedures to prioritize and de-conflict logistics support among NATO members and coalition partners; and quantifying the amount of contracted support in place to sustain the joint force in steady state, exercises, and contingencies.

 The exercise revealed the need to formalize logistics relationships, recognize when national mobilization approaches will affect commercial resource availability, and integrate the capability to plan and coordinate commercial support. Furthermore it emphasized the need to establish a multinational, scalable contract solution for fuel services and explore opportunities for other commodities and logistics capabilities. The hosts plan a fourth exercise in FY20.

o NATO Logistics Committee Engagement.

 Joint Staff J4 led a Senior Logistics Steering Board on November 6, 2019 at NATO headquarters in preparation for the Logistics Committee to agree on the issues and requirements of commercial support to operations. NATO militaries’ reliance on commercial and host nation support in collective defense calls for expansion of policy and doctrine to recognize the scope, scale, and complexity of this support and enable planning, de-confliction, and prioritization in order to mitigate risk.

2. Be Informed 

• Learn about the country, including visa requirements, local laws, customs, and medical care in the countries where you will be. Check for any Travel Advisories for your destination.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive important safety and security messages and make it easier for us to locate and assist you in an emergency.
• Keep the contact details for the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate with you. We are available for emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, overseas and in Washington, D.C. (888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444).
• See our Traveler’s Checklist for more information. 

3. Be Prepared 

• Have a two week supply of food and water for each member of your household – don’t forget your pets! A crisis can make it impossible to leave your home or make the local water undrinkable.
• Your emergency kit should include your passports, birth abroad certificates for children born overseas, cash in the local currency, a card with local translations of basic terms, and an electrical current converter. If you have pets, be sure to have their vaccination records.
• Households with infants and young children should plan for food and supplies, such as diapers and wipes, formula or baby food, and a change of clothing.
• If you take medication, make sure to have at least five days’ worth at any given time – if you can, we encourage enough for two weeks beyond your scheduled trip and have a copy of your prescriptions handy.
• If you use assistive or medical devices that require a power supply, be sure to find backup power or other ways that will sustain your device or equipment during a power outage.
• Make sure you have health insurance whenever you are traveling abroad. For more information, see Insurance Providers for Overseas Coverage.
• Make sure your passport is ready for use. Most countries require that it be valid for at least six months after the end of your trip and that it have two or more blank pages. 

4. Be Connected 

• Keep a list of your emergency contacts handy and create a communication plan for reaching family and friends in the event of a crisis. 
• Phone lines are usually affected during a crisis. Think about other ways to communicate. For example, update your social media status often and send messages as regularly as possible to let friends and family know how you are doing.
• Many of our U.S. embassies and consulates, along with the Bureau of Consular Affairs, use social media to provide information – connect with us! Twitter Facebook
• For more information, see Ways to Contact Loved Ones in a Crisis Abroad. 

5. Be Safe 

• Have an exit strategy! Know how you’ll get out of harm’s way without needing to rely on assistance – a crisis may prevent or delay emergency responders’ ability to get to you and there will be many people needing help. 
• Be sure you know more than one way to get towards safety – the crisis event may make some roads unpassable or unsafe.
• Follow instructions from local authorities about security and evacuation. Doing so could save your life.
• Monitor local radio, television, and other sources for updates. Situations can change quickly, limiting the time you have to get out.
• If you are staying in a hotel, talk to the staff to be sure you know the hotel’s emergency plan for a variety of crisis events – fire, flood, electrical outage, storms, etc.
• Keep in touch with your tour operators, hotel staff, airline, cruise company, and local officials for evacuation instructions.
• Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if you need emergency help. Please keep in mind that this will not alert emergency responders – if you need emergency medical attention or police assistance, contact the local authorities directly if you can.