SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- In deployed locations, complications are around every corner.
Generators necessary to keep the base running go down because of bad fuel. Convoys are attacked and their cargo is either lost or damaged beyond repair. Hazardous material is left in the area and needs to be cleaned up before it creates an environmental issue.
While most people see the actions of the issues being resolved, few understand what’s going on behind the scenes to take care of the problem.
These kinds of situations are all too familiar to contracting squadrons.
“When I was in Afghanistan, we found old batteries, old fuel and hazardous materials just laying around,” said Tech. Sgt. Ian Buschmann, 4th Contracting Squadron base operations support flight chief. “Instead of spending millions of dollars to have the material shipped out of the country, we found a way to have the locals help. They recycled the batteries, cleaned the fuel, and were able to clean up and reuse all of the materials.”
According to Buschmann, this saved millions of dollars, aided the locals and cleaned the environment.
Having the ability to quickly think of solutions for sometimes outlandish problems is something contracting specialists build up through personal experiences, sharing stories and training.
The 4th Contracting Squadron and the 900th Contracting Battalion, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, joined together in a joint contracting exercise March 21-23. The training was created so Army and Air Force contracting specialists could exercise their abilities to responsively, effectively and ethically execute their jobs in a joint contingency operation.
During the training, Airmen and Soldiers were assigned to the Regional Contracting Center in a simulated foreign country. Multiple problems arose which not only affected the base, but also the local populace. To keep support of the locals, the RCC which was separated into RCC North, South, East, and West, had to quickly find a solution that fit their needs.
“Our job during the [first] exercise is to get everything that’s necessary to live,” said Army Capt. Safiul Alam, RCC North officer in charge, in a discussion with his contracting team. “We just landed in country and it’s not our job to build Humvees, we’re just making sure our troops have the items they need to live here for days, weeks, maybe months, even years.”
In the first day of the exercise, the team was required to acquire services and supplies such as porta johns, phones, bedding, bottled water, generators, and garbage removal.
The contracting specialists had to work with suppliers from an approved list to acquire the items.
Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Demers, RCCN mentor and proctor, explained that in the “real world,” the approved list doesn’t mean the company is 100 percent trustworthy.
“You don’t necessarily know if the supplier you’re dealing with, that you may be hiring, is willing to give information to someone else,” Demers said. “You have to keep OPSEC in mind at all times, otherwise you might unknowingly put your brothers and sisters in harm’s way.”
Airman 1st Class Ezekial Galyon, RCCN contracting specialist, was discussing a possible contract with a supplier who was trying to sell bunk beds, and simultaneously gain intel on the base and its military members.
“I had to continuously shut him down by bringing the focus of the conversation back to the sale,” said Galyon. “In the real world, after that meeting I would have reported him to [the Office of Special Investigations].”
Demers applauded Galyon for his quick actions and his ability to handle the situation.
Overall, the team was able to quickly, efficiently, and legally overcome the problems tossed their way. More importantly, each member learned how their counterparts operate, learned about their procedures, and were able to work as a single unified team, according to Army Staff Sgt. Dele Adeleye, RCCN contracting specialist.
“It’s been a great experience,” said Adeleye. “We’ve met lots of people, shared our experiences and ideas, and have gotten to see how each other works. The Army and the Air Force have different processes for the same thing, so it helps us to work together better and create a seamless workflow. When I deploy, I have a much better idea of what I will see, and what to expect.”