Non-Acquisition Unit Responsibilities for Contingency Contracting

Contractors have been and remain an important part of the U.S. Army total force and contingency contracting is the process to employ them. Ten years of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan highlighted the U.S. Army s major challenges in adequate planning, requirements determination, and contracting officer representative COR oversight. These contributed to contingency contracting waste equating to more than 8 million per day. This strategic research paper SRP examines shortfalls in the focus on and training of non-acquisition personnel in their key responsibilities to plan and oversee contingency contracting. These shortcomings include proper planning, requirements determination, and management. The SRP concludes with specific recommendations to update joint doctrine and refine U.S. Army training methodologies. Greater emphasis on garrison training and preparations by non-acquisition units would address directly deficiencies identified in an array of investigations.