LOGCAP on the job in Afghanistan

By Mary Susan Barkley (AMC)December 12, 2011

Building the future
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – George Rabb, Fluor country project manager for LOGCAP, holds a drawing of the sample set of steps built by an Afghan student in the Korea Vocational Training Center construction class. The sample is held by one of the Afghan instructors at KVTC, whil... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Clean clothes a basic need
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fuel key to flight operations
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Ice, ice, baby ...
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – William Shaw, warehouse manager for LOGCAP contractor DynCorp International at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, hands a case of ice to Sgt. Jay B. Bustamante, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1-25th Stryker Brigad... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - You're deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and you want a hot meal, a hot shower, a clean bed, a flight, a new uniform, or somebody to put out a fire … Who you gonna call? LOGCAP, that's who.

As the U.S. Army evolved during the 1990s into a smaller force with a focus on combat arms, the need to find ways to provide combat support and combat service support became apparent. The Logistics Civil Augmentation Program emerged as a way to leverage civilian contractors to support and augment United States and coalition forces on battlefields, humanitarian missions and training operations.

Managed by Army Materiel Command and executed by Army Sustainment Command, AMC's operational arm, LOGCAP services include supply operations that may include all nine classes of supplies; field services such as laundry and bath, food service, billeting and information management; and other operations and services, such as power generation and distribution, engineering and construction and physical security in the form of perimeter fencing and barrier maintenance.

The current iteration is LOGCAP IV and differs from previous iterations by competing task order awards among three contractors. In Afghanistan, two primary contractors are providing LOGCAP services: Fluor Corporation and DynCorp International. Fluor operates in the northern and eastern part of the country, while DynCorp operates in the west and south.

The performance work statement is the same for both contractors, said James E. Allen, LOGCAP deputy program director-Afghanistan. Each contractor is able to provide the same services, but actual delivery depends on customer requirements. Some customers require a wide range of services, while others require only a few.

"We're more than 42 support battalions' of services," said Allen, who bring four decades' experience to the task. "We really are an expeditionary sustainment command-sized element. We provide multiple services - many that are transparent to the end-user, to virtually every U.S. and coalition servicemember, civilian and contractor in the CJOA-A, every day."

"I have the opportunity to use my 41 years of hindsight as a Soldier, Department of the Army civilian and contractor to assist the 20-20 forward vision of today's logisticians," he said. "The expeditionary sustainment command can leverage LOGCAP's back-up and reach-back to the corporate-industrial base to fill almost any shortfall and unencumber uniformed personnel to let them focus on the fight and to win."

Bagram - north and east

Highlights of a LOGCAP Fluor day at Bagram include 3,800 bags of laundry washed, dried and folded; more than 24,000 meals; a supply support activity (which is one of the largest in the Army, according to Allen) that manages more than 11,000 line items going to more than 400 customers; and a solid waste facility that processes nearly 200 cubic meters of recyclable items out of a total of almost 3,000 cubic meters of waste processed each day. They also operate fuel points, wash racks, MWR facilities, and other services that literally touch each military, civilian and contractor at Bagram every day.

Fluor's central receiving and shipping point at Bagram conducted a Lean/Six Sigma project on cargo flow with the 101st Sustainment Brigade, resulting in a dramatic reduction in container detention fees.

I

n addition to providing services, Fluor is providing training and employment to nearly 9,000 Afghan workers, approximately 50 percent of its workforce. Under the Afghan First program, native employees work in jobs ranging from laborer to craftsman to administrator, even supervisory and managerial positions as security rules permit.

The company also partners with the Korean Vocational Training Center at Bagram. The KVTC is a Korea International Cooperation Agency program that provides an 800-hour training course in five skill areas to qualified students from the local area.

In its second year, KVTC has 106 students enrolled in automotive, electricity, welding, construction and computer classes. Fluor employees volunteer as English tutors and also provide classes designed to help the students adapt to the business world after graduation. Fluor hired 83 of the 85 graduates from the first KVTC class. The two not hired by Fluor are now instructors at the school.

"KVTC brings accredited training by highly skilled instructors to the table," said George Rabb, Fluor country project manager. "KVTC students gain motivation to attend class and succeed while Fluor benefits by the addition of highly trained Afghans to the LOGCAP work force."

"We also have the graduates help train our other Afghan employees," said Nadia Myers, Fluor Afghan First program manager.

The KVTC has also provided advanced training to 186 current Fluor employees.

"With no cost to the [LOGCAP] client, or to us, this training partnership is a hard bargain to pass up," said Pete Coogle, Fluor deputy project manager for operations.

Kandahar - south and west

A focus on customer service is evident when entering facilities managed by DynCorp, LOGCAP's contractor headquartered in Kandahar.

The DynCorp area of responsibility covers more than 105,000 square miles in which it provides services to more than 100,000 customers at 56 forward operating bases.

The Class I yard sends supplies out to more than 110 units and has approximately $40 million in rations on hand in regular, refrigerator and freezer containers. Their most popular items are "lickeys and chewies" according to William Shaw, warehouse manager. He defines lickeys and chewies as things like Pop Tarts, snack foods and Gatorade protein shakes, which he says are their second most popular item -- ice is the most requested item.

"I love being here," Shaw said. "It's all about taking care of Soldiers."

The billeting office lodges about 20,000 servicemembers and civilians every day.

"We try to make their stay as comfortable as possible," said Darryl Clarke, billeting manager.

The Morale, Welfare and Recreation area is a short distance from living areas and offers a fitness center, music rooms, pool and ping-pong tables, movies, reading rooms, computers and phones 24 hours a day.

DynCorp also operates the Kandahar arrival/departure airfield control group that processes all in- and out-bound passengers as well as a "mountain of iron," according to Jeremy Jacobs, Kandahar ADAG transportation manager.

"If it flies in or out of KAF, it comes through here," he said.

Energy efficiency initiatives and cost savings are briefed to the ASC commanding general every week, said Allen.

One of the initiatives DynCorp has taken in this area is to install more efficient hand dryers at Forward Operating Base Lagman. Jim DeLony, DynCorp program manager, estimates these hand dryers may save $80,000 per year.

Government oversight

The LOGCAP executive director, Tommy L. Marks, is a member of the Senior Executive Service, who has the overall executive responsibility for LOGCAP in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait.

Government oversight in-theater is led James E. Allen, who as the deputy to Marks is the senior LOGCAP civilian in-country.

Col. Mark A. Calabrese, LOGCAP assistant deputy program director, is LOGCAP's senior military person in Afghanistan. Aligned with supported commands, LOGCAP support officers are assigned to the three primary regional commands and are, in turn, backed up by LOGCAP support officers working directly with units to assist in articulating needs and requesting requirements. Sergeant Maj. Carl Waddle is the senior enlisted LSO and advisor.

"I work hand-in-hand with my mayor," said Master Sgt. Ava L. Washington, LOGCAP support officer for Forward Operating Base Lindsey. "I push packets for their projects and I get excited when my packets get elevated [proceed through the approval process]."

Contract administration and oversight is performed by Defense Contracting Management Agency and Defense Contract Audit Agency. DCMA representatives work with the contracting officer's technical representatives in the supported units and evaluate contractor performance. Administrative Contract Officers also work for DCMA and are responsible for issuing change orders.

Defense Contract Audit Agency specialists perform contract audits and provide accounting and financial advisory services.

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