Defense Contractor

Iraq – Afghanistan Contractor Census, 3rd quarter (Apr – June 2014)

July 22, 2014 | OVERSEAS INTEL, The Danger Zone

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

BACKGROUND: This report updates DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces. It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)) and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

KEY POINTS: In 3rd quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 66,123 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 12.5K from the previous quarter. A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below

Continue Reading ▼

Afghanistan Summary

The distribution of contractors in Afghanistan by mission category are:

Base Support: 5,239 (10%)
Commo Support: 1,947 ( 4%)
Construction: 5,222 (10%)
Logistics/Maintenance: 17,914 (35%)
Security: 3,177 ( 6%)
Training: 1,209 ( 2%)
Translator/Interpreter: 3,920 ( 8%)
Transportation: 4,657 ( 9%)
Medical/Dental/Social Services: 253 ( 1%)
Management/Administrative: 4,323 ( 8%)
Other*: 3,628 ( 7%)
Total: 51,489

*Includes Defense Logistics Agency, Army Materiel Command, Air Force External and Systems Support contracts, Special Operations Command and INSCOM.

OEF Contractor Posture Highlights:
- In 3rd quarter FY14 there were approximately 51.5K DoD contractors in Afghanistan. The overall contractor footprint in Afghanistan decreased by 16.2% from 2nd quarter FY14.
- New US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) Fragmentary Orders directed specific contractor reductions for LOGCAP and other portfolio owners.
- There will continue to be substantial decline in the contractor population throughout the fiscal year, as a result of base closures and reduced requirements.

General Data on DoD Private Security Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan

Private security contractors (PSC) perform personal security, convoy security, and static security missions.

USCENTCOM reports, as of 3rd quarter FY 2014, the following distribution of PSCs in Afghanistan:

In Afghanistan, the mobile security functions of the APPF are being transferred to the Ministry of Interior under a convoy protection brigade. Site protection previously under APPF is also under transition. Contracting and payment protocols are still under development.

Improvements to Management and Oversight of DoD Contractors

Operational Contract Support Integration Cell (OCSIC). The USFOR-A OCSIC (formerly the OCS Drawdown Cell) was established in August 2012 with a mission to manage the programmatic drawdown of contracts, the contractor workforce and associated equipment in the Combined Joint Operations Area-Afghanistan (CJOA-A). Through the efforts of its Program Management Integration and Regional Teams, the OCSIC has influenced requirements reduction in the CJOA-A resulting in a decrease of boots on ground contractors. Lessons learned from implementation of the OCSIC are being used to inform future doctrine (JP 4-10) on the OCS Integration Cell concept.

CENTCOM Joint Theater Support Contracting Command (C-JTSCC). C-JTSCC has centralized oversight and authority to ensure all contracts executed in Afghanistan are visible and in compliance with contracting policy and procedures. In coordination with the OCSDC, C-JTSCC is evaluating local vendor capability to perform critically needed services previously provided by LOGCAP, but on a much smaller scale. This will ensure support to the warfighter continues while simultaneously reducing the number of US and other country national contractors.
JP 4-10 (Operational Contract Support). The Joint Staff J4 has updated JP 4-10 Operational Contract Supportwhich serves as the doctrine for planning, conducting, and assessing OCS integration and contractor management functions in support of joint operations. This update to OCS doctrinehas a publication date of July 2014.
Defense Standards for Security Services.

o Business and operational standards for PSCs (which were required by Section 833 of the FY2011 NDAA) are now complete and were validated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in early March 2012. The associated conformity assessment to enable third party certification was published in April 2012. A maturity model, allowing companies and contract management to assess the degree of conformity with the standard, was approved by ANSI in January 2012. Under sponsorship by DoD, the ANSI standard is now being developed as an international standard to be published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

o On May 22, 2012, DoD issued procedures, guidance and information (PGI) to the DFARS requiring compliance with the ANSI PSC standard for combat operations and other contingency operations. Standards and provision for third party certification in Section 833 of the FY 2011 NDAA will facilitate identifying technically acceptable contractors and best value. This will enable expedited contract award; mitigate risk of delay of services due to contract award protests; and mitigate risk of contractor non-performance or misconduct in critical early phases of contingency operations. Conformity assessment standards and the associated maturity model also provide valuable tools for DoD contract oversight.

o The United Kingdom has adopted the PSC ANSI standards as their national standard ensuring continuity between the key allies.

Operational Contract Support (OCS) Functional Capabilities Integration Board (FCIB).

This senior executive –level governance forum was chartered by the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics) in March 2010 to provide strategic leadership to multiple stakeholders working to institutionalize OCS. Co-chaired by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Program Support [DASD (PS)] and Joint Staff, Vice Director J-4, the FCIB convenes quarterly (or as required)). On June 27, 2014, the USD (AT&L) approved revision of the Board’s charter to strengthen its ability to address enterprise-wide OCS issues. Key topics in 3rd quarter FY14 reviewed by the Board included:

o OCS Joint Proponent Assessment

o Deployable Civilian Requirements for Future Contingencies

o OCS Integration Cell (OCSIC) – Afghanistan Update

o OCS Knowledge Integration & Solutions (KIS) Working Group Update

Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office (JCASO). Planning, implementation, and oversight of OCS are Commander's responsibilities and are essential to establishing a strategy for managing contractors on the battlefield as part of the DoD Total Force. JCASO provides the Combatant Commands a joint enabling capability to integrate, coordinate and synchronize OCS during peacetime, contingency operations, and post-conflict operations. JCASO is an essential part of DLA's combat support agency (CSA) role to support the mission objectives of the combatant commands, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Title 10 responsibilities, as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense for OCS policy and joint doctrine development and implementation. Examples of current JCASO engagements include:

o Deploying teams for 6-month rotations to support the OCS Integration Cell (OCSIC) and provide expertise in the drawdown efforts;

o Leading and managing the economic development initiative (i.e., local procurements) in the Central Asian States in support of the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) strategy in the USCENTCOM AOR;

o Establishing the Afghanistan Contract Transition Workgroup (ACTW) to facilitate the interagency coordination for planning and transitioning OCS from DoD to DOS; and

o Participating in joint exercises in 2014 (e.g., PANAMAX, ULCHI FREEDOM GUARDIAN) to integrate OCS in training and assess the effectiveness of OCS plans.

o Assessing the JCASO mission and organization to validate support effectiveness and alignment with DOD OCS Action Plan 2014-2017.

o Developing the way ahead for collecting and advancing OCS joint lessons learned.

o Participating in GAO interviews to share information on JCASO enabling capability relative to OCS lessons learned and OCS planning and execution in USAFRICOM.

o Developing a manpower strategy to fulfill a demand for OCS-skills at the combatant commands and Service components.

JCASO Contingency Contracting Office (CCO): The JCASO CCO provides a joint contingency contracting capability by extending and leveraging DLA’s extensive contracting capabilities while simultaneously complementing the Services’ capacities. It furthers best practices through a programmatic approach, and is expected to focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief contract support. The CCO responds to demand signals from Combatant Commands and deployed forces, such as the USCENTCOM Central Asia States (CAS) local sourcing procurement initiative and the DLA-E/A and AFRICOM initiative to help leverage existing DLA contracts and develop new contract solutions that address AFRICOM’s evolving mission.

JCASO Planners. Seventeen (17) JCASO planners are allocated among the Geographic Combatant Commands to assist the commander in identifying gaps where contractor support capability may be required. Planners integrate contractor support into operational plans and synchronize requirements with subordinate commands, the Military Departments, Defense Agencies, other USG Agencies, and coalition partners. The planners have been instrumental in integrating OCS into Combatant Command plans. Based on demonstrated need for additional OCS planning capability in USPACOM, JCASO recently established new planners at forward locations in USFK and USFJ.

SPOT Configuration Control Board (CCB). ODASD(PS), as the functional sponsor for SPOT, co-chairs a quarterly CCB. This Board evaluates proposed enhancements to SPOT and prioritizes implementation to ensure consistency within funding parameters. Membership includes participants from across the DoD OCS community, DOS, and U.S. Agency for International Development.

Operational Contract Support (OCS) Learning Framework. The Department continues to make progress on the Secretary’s and the Chairman's vision for OCS education and training. Several parallel efforts are underway to incorporate OCS into a holistic learning framework that includes education, individual and collective training, exercises, and lessons learned primarily aimed at non-acquisition personnel.
- OCS in Joint Professional Military Education (JPME). As reported, OCS has been a Chairman’s JPME Special Area of Emphasis each year since 2009. A 2012 study on OCS education and training observed a general lack of uniformity and depth in OCS content. To rectify this, Joint Staff (J4) OCS and Services Division (OCSSD) developed an OCS Curriculum Development Guide (CDG) to provide specific OCS learning objectives to help JPME faculty create and integrate effective OCS learning into all five JPME levels. Version 2.0 of the CDG, which was completed in October 2012, included authoritative reference material, was distributed to JPME institutions in December 2012. The OCS CDG incorporates distance learning through three Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) OCS courses. The Joint Staff (J4) briefed the faculty of the JPME schools on the FY2013 NDAA language requiring OCS as part of JPME in June 2013 at the Joint Faculty Education Conference. At this point, JPME faculty need time to incorporate OCS into their curricula. The Joint Staff (J4) is reviewing the Joint Combined Warfare School curriculum to make specific recommendations on OCS content needed to meet the CDG’s intent.
- Lessons Learned. The Department has submitted a comprehensive lessons learned report to the House Armed Services Committee. For tactical and operational lessons learned, the Joint Staff (J4), OCSSD, is the focal point for documenting and processing lessons through the Joint Lessons Learned Program.
- Exercises. The first ever OCS Joint Exercise (OCSJX-14) was held in January 2014 at Ft. Bliss, Texas. The exercise trained over 500 participants on the OCS tasks for Contract Support Integration, Contracting Support, and Contractor Management. The OCSJX-14 scenario was based on a complex catastrophe in the US NORTHCOM area of responsibility. The training audience included OCS staff members from USNORTHCOM, USARNORTH, US Army Expeditionary Contracting Command's 412^th Contract Support Brigade, US Air Force and Navy contracting personnel. Other key DOD stakeholders that participated were; FEMA, USACE, DLA JCASO, DASD-PS, DPAP and NGB. Planning for OCSJX-15 at USPACOM is underway, and OCSJX-16 is tentatively planned for USAFRICOM

Collective and Staff Training. The Chairman’s Joint Training Guidance Notice (CJCSN 3500.01) provides annual guidance to all DOD Components for planning, executing, and assessing joint training for three consecutive years. It includes High Interest Training Issues (HITIs) which are CJCS special-interest items that CCDRs should consider for emphasis in their training and exercise programs. OCS will be part of the Joint Logistics Enterprise HITI in this year’s notice. In December 2013, the Joint Staff (J4) released the Joint Metrics and Readiness (JMR) Guide to assist planners in integrating OCS into joint training and exercises to help ensure realistic readiness assessments for OCS and compliance with Joint Training Guidance.

Individual Training. DoD created three joint OCS courses in a computer-based training format in 2009. The three courses were “joint training certified” in 2013 and are hosted on JKO, the joint community’s web portal for providing key joint training. As of 4 September 2013, 608 personnel have completed these joint certified OCS courses. In addition to the JKO courses and Contracting Officer’s Representative training, the Joint Staff (J4) OCSSD is teaching a Joint OCS Planning and Execution Course (JOPEC) at the geographic combatant commands (GCCs) via mobile training teams (MTTs). The initial JOPEC pilot was held from 16-25 July 2013 at Fort Lee, VA, and has since been taught at every GCC, and will be taught at the National Capital Region in July 2014. This cycle will continue in FY15.
ODASD(PS), the Joint Staff J4, and Headquarters DA are working to develop a OCS multi-service course from an existing Army course at the Army Logistics University. The course roll out projection date is fourth quarter FY15.

OCS Planning. On October 18, 2012, the Joint Staff published the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Manual (CJCSM) 3130.03 Adaptive Planning and Execution (APEX) Planning Formats and Guidance. The CJCSM 3130.03 sets forth administrative instructions for joint operation plan formats. Specific to OCS planning, CJCSM 3130.03 details where OCS requirements will be identified and by whom. The Joint Staff (J4) is developing a separate manual, CJCSM 4301, OCS Planning, to assist OCS planners in developing procedures and guidance that integrate, synchronize, prioritize, and focus OCS capabilities on achieving a supported commander’s operational objectives and desired effects for various types of plans, including contingency plans.
OCS Joint Concept. JROC Memorandum 159-13, 7 October 2013, approved the OCS Joint Concept. This concept envisions that contracted support for military operations will be an interdependent capability of Joint Force 2020 (JF 2020). This concept addresses how JF 2020 can operationalize OCS to optimize contracted support capabilities of the total force partners to achieve operational effects across the range of military operations within acceptable and manageable risk levels. It builds upon ongoing efforts to institutionalize OCS in the present force and proposes a full spectrum doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, and personnel capability solution framework to deliver more responsive and accountable OCS. The OCS Joint Concept implementation tasks were incorporated into the OCS Action Plan by the FCIB in February 2014.

Contractors Go Back into Iraq to Give Al-Qaeda a “run for the money”

June 13, 2014 | The Danger Zone

The rapidly developing Al-Qaeda incursion is forcing the Iraqi government not only to buy more American weapons and supplies, but also to payroll an army of mercenaries and private contractors, previously hired by the US Defense Department. According to the Wall Street Journal, more than 5,000 specialists have been contracted by the Iraqi government. They are currently working in the country as analysts, military trainers, security guards, translators and even cooks. Some 2,000 of them are Americans.

“When the military had to leave, it made us even more dependent on contractors for security,” Shays said, adding that “The one thing that's a given: We can't go to war without contractors and we can't go to peace without contractors.”

Continue Reading ▼

“You have a situation where the government has become dependent on contractors,” Allison Stanger, a political-science professor at Middlebury College, told WSJ. “It's a real quantum shift.”

“The military task has, in fact, been outsourced in Iraq,” confirmed analyst Steven Schooner, a professor at George Washington University Law School.

Washington’s relationship with Baghdad has undergone a major transformation. Officially, the US has just several hundred troops in Iraq and the US Defense Department does not contract private security companies to operate in Iraq.

Yet the major shift in US-Iraq relations now is that Washington is no longer allocating budget money on operations in Iraq. It is Baghdad that spends money on American weaponry, vehicles and equipment, while American defense companies are earning money in Iraq by placing military contractors there.

Private defense companies, such as Triple Canopy and Dyncorp International, have multibillion contracts in Iraq for years to come.

Washington is actively assisting the Iraqi government in fighting terrorism, supplying Baghdad with drones and is considering training some of the country’s elite military forces in neighboring Jordan.

An assault operation against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), a faction of Al-Qaeda currently occupying Fallujah, is promising to be a serious undertaking implying the use of the utmost in firepower, so Baghdad is buying $6 billion worth of military equipment from the US, including 24 Apache attack helicopters and nearly 500 Hellfire missiles.

A group of top US lawmakers attempted to block the Apache deal, expressing concerns that providing Iraq with helicopters and other arms to help battle Al-Qaeda, would also mean that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki might use them against his rivals. But the deal has nevertheless been finalized and the first batch of helicopters is expected in Iraq soon, along with the Hellfire missiles. This also means that 200 more contractors will come to Iraq to ensure the helicopters operate properly.

In the meantime violence in Iraq is at a record high. Al-Qaeda militants are advancing in the country’s south and are staging regular terror acts. It seems the Iraqi government has little choice but to come down on the insurgency with deadly force.

History repeats itself

It is probably no exaggeration to say that the war in Iraq is as far from being over as it was in 2003, with two major differences though. First: in the absence of Saddam Hussein his troops have been replaced with Al-Qaeda mujahedeen. Second: the US regular army has been supplanted by thousands of contractors, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The rest remains the same: English-speaking mercenaries are expected to choreograph the storming of Iraqi cities defended by Arab-speaking fighters of Al-Qaeda, exactly as it was back in 2004 during the Battle of Fallujah. Today Fallujah, occupied by Al-Qaeda, remains the primary target for the Iraqi government forces to assault backed by mercenaries.

US troops entered Iraq in 2003 and officially withdrew from the country in 2011. At the peak of war there were 157,800 American military personnel in Iraq.

Pentagon spokesman, Navy Commander Bill Speaks, reported that there are only 250 American troops in Iraq. These servicemen are either advisers assigned to the Office of Security Cooperation overseeing the US military interaction with Iraqi national forces, or Marine Corps security guards securing US diplomatic facilities.

After the withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq, the duty of protecting US interests in the country was relegated to thousands of contractors from the US Defense Ministry and other security agencies.

According to the US State Department and Pentagon, it is estimated there were over 12,500 contractors in Iraq, working for the US government as of January 2013. By October, according to a quarterly report, their number had decreased to 6,624 specialists. Less than a quarter of them (1,626) were American citizens, the rest were Iraqis (2,191), with 2,807 civilian experts from foreign countries.

Bill Speaks said that the last major US Defense Department contract in Iraq ended on December 15 and now there are zero contractors in Iraq hired by the US Defense Department.

Where did all those contractors go? They are still in Iraq, maintains the Foreign Policy magazine.

The FP asked Triple Canopy, a huge private defense company and sanctuary for the US Special Forces veterans, for details and learnt that “Recently all US government agencies have reduced their reliance on contractors due to budget cuts and have de-scoped contracts across the board, including in Iraq,” the company said a statement.

“Contractors will continue to remain engaged in Iraq in the near future. However, the majority of these personnel will likely be working on commercial extractive and construction projects,” the company said.

Contractors from America's biggest defense companies are providing maintenance for the equipment and vehicles previously bought by the Iraqi government from the US, such as helicopters, C-130 transport aircrafts, surveillance planes, drones, communication equipment and more.

Over the years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan there have been multiple cases of contracting fraud.

The US Congress’ Independent Commission on Wartime Contracting determined that at least $31 billion in US funding had been wasted due to “poor oversight, fraud, waste, and abuse,” said FP’s former US Representative, Christopher Shays, who used co-chair the Commission.

The US has allegedly spent over $200 billion on contractors in both Afghanistan and Iraq over the last decade. Now that the US administration has transferred these expenditures to the Iraqi government, the American military industrial complex and private security companies are ready to make a fortune in Iraq.

Iraq – Afghanistan Contractor Census, 2nd quarter (Jan – March 2014)

April 28, 2014 | OVERSEAS INTEL, The Danger Zone

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

KEY POINTS: In 2nd quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 78,638 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 20.5K from the previous quarter. A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below:

Continue Reading ▼

Afghanistan Summary

The distribution of contractors in Afghanistan by mission category are:

Base Support: 6,834 (11%)
Commo Support: 2,451 ( 4%)
Construction: 7,877 (13%)
Logistics/Maintenance: 20,568 (33%)
Security: 5,591 ( 9%)
Training: 1,788 ( 3%)
Translator/Interpreter: 4,889 ( 8%)
Transportation: 5,064 ( 8%)
Medical/Dental/Social Services: 283 ( 1%)
Management/Administrative: 5,316 ( 9%)
Other*: 791 ( 1%)

Total: 61,452

*Includes Defense Logistics Agency, Army Materiel Command, Air Force External and Systems Support contracts, Special Operations Command and INSCOM.

OEF Contractor Posture Highlights:
- In 2nd quarter FY14 there were approximately 61.5K DoD contractors in Afghanistan. The overall contractor footprint in Afghanistan decreased by 21.4% from 1st quarter FY14.
- The contractor to military ratio in Afghanistan is 1.34 to 1 (based on 46K military as of March 5, 2014).
- New US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) Fragmentary Orders direct specific contractor reductions.
- There will continue to be substantial decline in the contractor population throughout the fiscal year, as a result of base closures and reduced requirements.

General Data on DoD Private Security Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan

Private security contractors (PSC) perform personal security, convoy security, and static security missions.
USCENTCOM reports, as of 2nd quarter FY 2014, the following distribution of PSCs in Afghanistan:

In Afghanistan, a bridging strategy negotiated between the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and USFOR-A is currently at risk due to a decision by the Afghan Government to dissolve and reorganize the APPF.

Improvements to Management and Oversight of DoD Contractors

Operational Contract Support Drawdown Cell (OCSDC). The USFOR-A OCSDC was established in August 2012 with a mission to manage the programmatic drawdown of contracts, the contractor workforce and associated equipment in the Combined Joint Operations Area-Afghanistan (CJOA-A). Through the efforts of its Program Management Integration and Regional Teams, the OCSDC has influenced requirements reduction in the CJOA-A resulting in a decrease of boots on ground contractors. Lessons learned from implementation of the OCSDC are being used to inform future doctrine (JP 4-10) on the OCS Integration Cell concept.

CENTCOM Joint Theater Support Contracting Command (C-JTSCC). C-JTSCC has centralized oversight and authority to ensure all contracts executed in Afghanistan are visible and in compliance with contracting policy and procedures. In coordination with the OCSDC, C-JTSCC is evaluating local vendor capability to perform critically needed services previously provided by LOGCAP, but on a much smaller scale. This will ensure support to the warfighter continues while simultaneously reducing the number of US and other country national contractors.
JP 4-10 (Operational Contract Support). The Joint Staff J4 is revising JP 4-10 Operational Contract Supportwhich serves as the doctrine for planning, conducting, and assessing OCS integration and contractor management functions in support of joint operations. The joint working group meeting is scheduled for April 8-9 with a target publication date of June 2014.
Defense Standards for Security Services.

o The United Kingdom has adopted the PSC ANSI standards as their national standard ensuring continuity between the key allies.

Operational Contract Support (OCS) Functional Capabilities Integration Board (FCIB).

This senior executive-level governance forum was chartered by the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics) in March 2010 to provide strategic leadership to multiple stakeholders working to institutionalize OCS. Co-chaired by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Program Support) [DASD(PS)] and Joint Staff, Vice Director J-4, the FCIB convenes quarterly (or as required) to address strategic issues impacting current and future contingency operations. Key topics in 2Q FY14 reviewed by the Board included:

o Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) International Contingency Contract Administration Services (CCAS) Transition

o Air Force CCAS Implementation Status Update

o Joint Staff J-4 Update

DCMA International presented its DCMA CCAS Transition Concept, in which DCMA will: plan for continued execution of current delegations ending prior to September 2015; identify contracts that continue beyond September 2015 and transition them to appropriate service. SAF/AQC provided an update on Air Force CCAS transition actions, focusing on the Air Force Contract Augmentation Program (AFCAP) milestones. Joint Staff J-4 provided an update on their efforts to: 1) engage with HASC professional staffers on OCS Joint Exercise 2014 lessons learned; 2) evaluate and shape OCS requirements in all operations plans; 3) update the Joint Requirements Oversight Council on OCS Joint Concept implementation; 4) evaluate the OCS Mission Integrator pilot capability at PACOM; 4) publish Joint Publication 4-10 by June 2014.

The 3^rd Quarter FCIB Principals level meeting will be held on May 20, 2014, in the Secretary of the Army Conference Center.

Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office (JCASO). Planning, implementation, and oversight of OCS are Commander's responsibilities and are essential to establishing a strategy for managing contractors on the battlefield as part of the DoD Total Force. JCASO provides the Combatant Commands a joint enabling capability to integrate, coordinate and synchronize OCS during peacetime, contingency operations, and post-conflict operations. JCASO is an essential part of DLA's combat support agency (CSA) role to support the mission objectives of the combatant commands, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Title 10 responsibilities, as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense for OCS policy and joint doctrine development and implementation. Examples of JCASO engagements include:

o Deploying teams for 6-month rotations to support the OCSDC and provide expertise in the drawdown efforts;

o Leading and managing the economic development initiative (i.e., local procurements) in the Central Asian States in support of the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) strategy in the USCENTCOM AOR;

o Leading and managing the Afghanistan Contract Transition Workgroup (ACTW) to facilitate the interagency coordination for planning and transitioning OCS from DoD to DOS; and

o Participating in joint exercises in 2014 (e.g., PANAMAX, ULCHI FREEDOM GUARDIAN) to integrate OCS in training and assess the effectiveness of OCS plans.

JCASO Contingency Contracting Office (CCO): The JCASO CCO provides a joint contingency contracting capability by extending and leveraging DLA’s extensive contracting capabilities while simultaneously complementing the Services’ capacities. It furthers best practices through a programmatic approach, and is expected to focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief contract support. The CCO responds to demand signals from Combatant Commands and deployed forces, such as the USCENTCOM Central Asia States (CAS) local sourcing procurement initiative and the DLA-E/A and AFRICOM initiative to help leverage existing DLA contracts and develop new contract solutions that address AFRICOM’s evolving mission.

JCASO Planners. Seventeen (17) JCASO planners are allocated among the Geographic Combatant Commands to assist the commander in identifying gaps where contractor support capability may be required. Planners integrate contractor support into operational plans and synchronize requirements with subordinate commands, the Military Departments, Defense Agencies, other USG Agencies, and coalition partners. The planners have been instrumental in integrating OCS into Combatant Command plans. Based on demonstrated need for additional OCS planning capability in USPACOM, JCASO recently established new planners at forward locations in USFK and USFJ.

SPOT Configuration Control Board (CCB). ODASD(PS), as the functional sponsor for SPOT, co-chairs a quarterly CCB. This Board evaluates proposed enhancements to SPOT and prioritizes implementation to ensure consistency within funding parameters. Membership includes participants from across the DoD OCS community, DOS, and U.S. Agency for International Development.

Operational Contract Support (OCS) Learning Framework. The Department continues to make progress on the Secretary’s and the Chairman's vision for OCS education and training. Several parallel efforts are underway to incorporate OCS into a holistic learning framework that includes education, individual and collective training, exercises, and lessons learned primarily aimed at non-acquisition personnel.

OCS in Joint Professional Military Education (JPME). As reported, OCS has been a Chairman’s JPME Special Area of Emphasis each year since 2009. A 2012 study on OCS education and training observed a general lack of uniformity and depth in OCS content. To rectify this, Joint Staff (J4) OCS and Services Division (OCSSD) developed an OCS Curriculum Development Guide (CDG) to provide specific OCS learning objectives to help JPME faculty create and integrate effective OCS learning into all five JPME levels. Version 2.0 of the CDG, which was completed in October 2012, included authoritative reference material, was distributed to JPME institutions in December 2012. The OCS CDG incorporates distance learning through three Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) OCS courses. The Joint Staff (J4) briefed the faculty of the JPME schools on the FY2013 NDAA language requiring OCS as part of JPME in June 2013 at the Joint Faculty Education Conference. At this point, JPME faculty need time to incorporate OCS into their curricula. The Joint Staff (J4) is reviewing the Joint Combined Warfare School curriculum to make specific recommendations on OCS content needed to meet the CDG’s intent.

Lessons Learned. The Department has submitted a comprehensive lessons learned report to the House Armed Services Committee. For tactical and operational lessons learned, the Joint Staff (J4), OCSSD, is the focal point for documenting and processing lessons through the Joint Lessons Learned Program.

Exercises. The first ever OCS Joint Exercise (OCSJX-14) was held in January 2014 at Ft. Bliss, Texas. The exercise trained attendees on the OCS tasks for Contract Support Integration, Contracting Support and Contractor Management. The OCSJX-14 scenario was based on a complex catastrophe in the US NORTHCOM area of responsibility. The training audiences were OCS staff members from USNORTHCOM, USARNORTH, US Army Expeditionary Contracting Command's 412^th Contract Support Brigade, US Air Force and Navy contracting personnel. Other key DOD stakeholders that participated were; FEMA, USACE, DLA JCASO, DASD-PS, DPAP and NGB. Planning for the FY-15 exercise is underway and is tentatively planned for the USPACOM AOR.

Collective and Staff Training. The Chairman’s Joint Training Guidance Notice (CJCSN 3500.01) provides annual guidance to all DOD Components for planning, executing, and assessing joint training for three consecutive years. It includes High Interest Training Issues (HITIs) which are CJCS special-interest items that CCDRs should consider for emphasis in their training and exercise programs. OCS will be part of the Joint Logistics Enterprise HITI in this year’s notice. In December 2013, the Joint Staff (J4) released the Joint Metrics and Readiness (JMR) Guide to assist planners in integrating OCS into joint training and exercises to help ensure realistic readiness assessments for OCS and compliance with Joint Training Guidance.

Individual Training. DoD created three joint OCS courses in a computer-based training format in 2009. The three courses were “joint training certified” in 2013 and are hosted on JKO, the joint community’s web portal for providing key joint training. As of 4 September 2013, 608 personnel have completed these joint certified OCS courses. In addition to the JKO courses and Contracting Officer’s Representative training, the Joint Staff (J4) OCSSD is teaching a Joint OCS Planning and Execution Course (JOPEC) at the geographic combatant commands (GCCs) via mobile training teams (MTTs). The initial JOPEC pilot was held from 16-25 July 2013 at Fort Lee, VA, staff from AFRICOM and EUCOM and their respective Service components were trained in November 2013, and NORTHCOM and their Service components in December 2013. The planned course rollout at GCCs and their Service components for 2014 follows:

─ PACOM: 2nd QTR FY 14

─ CENTCOM, SOCOM, &SOUTHCOM: 3rd QTR FY 14

─ USFK (U.S. Forces Korea) & USFJ (U.S. Forces Japan): 3rd QTR FY 14

─ National Capital Region: 3^rd QTR FY14 (Tentative)

o ODASD(PS), the Joint Staff J4, and Headquarters DA are working to develop a OCS multi-service course from an existing Army course at the Army Logistics University. The course roll out projection date is fourth quarter FY15.

OCS Planning. On October 18, 2012, the Joint Staff published the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Manual (CJCSM) 3130.03 Adaptive Planning and Execution (APEX) Planning Formats and Guidance. The CJCSM 3130.03 sets forth administrative instructions for joint operation plan formats. Specific to OCS planning, CJCSM 3130.03 details where OCS requirements will be identified and by whom. The Joint Staff (J4) is developing a separate manual, CJCSM 4301, OCS Planning, to assist OCS planners in developing procedures and guidance that integrate, synchronize, prioritize, and focus OCS capabilities on achieving a supported commander’s operational objectives and desired effects for various types of plans, including contingency plans.

OCS Joint Concept. JROC Memorandum 159-13, 7 October 2013, approved the OCS Joint Concept. This concept envisions that contracted support for military operations will be an interdependent capability of Joint Force 2020 (JF 2020). This concept addresses how JF 2020 can operationalize OCS to optimize contracted support capabilities of the total force partners to achieve operational effects across the range of military operations within acceptable and manageable risk levels. It builds upon ongoing efforts to institutionalize OCS in the present force and proposes a full spectrum doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, and personnel capability solution framework to deliver more responsive and accountable OCS. The OCS Joint Concept will be implemented through the inclusion of concept implementation tasks in the OCS Action Plan. In April 2014 the JS J4 will update the JROC on the status for implementing the Joint Concept.

« Previous 1 … 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next »

Top ↑