Keeping ahead of the game: contracting warfighting

  • Published
  • By Maj. Raymond Barben
  • 319th Contracting Squadron commander
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  During my first tour in Iraq, nearly two years ago, I served as a contracting squadron commander at Ali Base. Now, I have just completed my second tour in Iraq, serving largely with the Army in Baghdad. On this deployment, I had the honor and privilege of advising, assisting and guiding multiple units and hundreds of contracting officers in Iraq to award and manage millions of dollars in contracts to support the warfighter and reconstruction efforts. I say "honor and privilege" because our contracting warriors face numerous challenges and always find a way to achieve the impossible.

Our Airmen in contracting are not sitting behind a desk waiting for customers to walk through the door. They are trying to stay ahead of the game and working with the warfighters to anticipate needs. As operations unfold, acquisition professionals are working side-by-side with their customers to define requirements and initiate contracting actions at the same time, ultimately providing effects-based support and impacting strategic, operational and tactical objectives. From our commanding general to field units, our contracting professionals truly embrace this dynamic role.

The role of contracting officials has gone beyond buying gravel and bottled water for the camp, although these are still important things. They find themselves awarding, negotiating and managing complex contracts for the reconstruction effort in Iraq while mentoring local businesses in the procurement process--key economic components of the overall strategy.

Our contingency contracting Warriors encounter a gamut of challenges in delivering such 'effects-based' contracting. On several occasions, contractor employees and interpreters are killed, injured or kidnapped trying to perform their duties. Further, the threat of convoys being attacked or construction projects being destroyed before completion is always present. Such challenges are not present in stateside contracting; however, our contracting officials still find a way to overcome such obstacles in support of the mission.

Aside from the realities of contracting in a combat zone, our Airmen adhere to a myriad of acquisition laws and regulations in a different culture. Our contracting officials need to know the mechanics of applying exceptions to certain laws and how to streamline processes within regulatory and ethical boundaries. What normally takes 30 to 45 days in a stateside environment may be completed within hours in Iraq. In order to achieve this level of support, they must know their business inside and out. I assure you that our Airmen continue to make us proud in a joint environment.

During my second tour, I had an overall perspective of the contracting operations in Iraq. In my role, I largely served in a headquarters type capacity to support these outstanding folks across the country. They are doing incredible work and breaking new ground in contingency contracting every day. Our Airmen are working side-by-side with contracting officials from each service to deliver rapid support to help rebuild a nation as part of the Global War on Terror--please keep these brave warriors in your thoughts and prayers.