JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- (June 28, 2017) The Army's top priority is readiness that requires equipment, training and the ability to rapidly deploy to sustain its full spectrum of forces to support combatant commanders and contingency operations around the world.
Airborne and special operations forces at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, rely on two units for its readiness needs -- the Mission and Installation Contracting Command-Fort Bragg contracting office and 900th Contracting Battalion. It is their expertise in acquisitions that supply Fort Bragg commands and tenant units the materiel readiness to conduct their missions.
"Our role is to execute requirements for Forts Belvoir, Bragg, Drum, Campbell, Stewart and Polk, while consistently managing and maintaining a robust program in support of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Management Organization and aligning itself with the 82nd Airborne Division here," said R. Collette Carrizales, the MICC-Fort Bragg contracting office director.
Some of the office's biggest contract-related actions have been base operations support services for the directorate of public works and for support to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
With MICC-Fort Bragg Soldiers and civilians managing requirements at home, it's the 900th CBN and its contracting teams that support contingency operations overseas. The 900th CBN is the MICC's largest contracting battalion, with a battalion headquarters and five contracting teams. When called upon, the 900th CBN staff provides contracting teams to enable Army contingency operations anywhere in the world with a professional contracting workforce dedicated to the support of the warfighter.
"The priority for all Army units is to build decisive action readiness to enable Army forces to deploy rapidly to conduct unified land operations and win as part of a joint force," said Lt. Col. Amanda Flint, the 900th CBN commander and MICC-Fort Bragg contracting office deputy director. "Our MICC-Fort Bragg and 900th CBN personnel participate in several training events throughout the year supporting the XVIII Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg units and other stakeholders."
During recent overseas rotations, Soldiers of the 717th and the 614th Contracting Teams provided mission command and operational contracting support for all contingency contracting operations, actions and activities in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations in Southwest Asia. Their efforts supported Operation Inherent Resolve and facilitated the development, operation and sustainment of advise and assist missions, built partner capacities and trained and equipped forces throughout the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, Combined Joint Interagency Task Force-Syria, Combined Joint Operations Center-Jordan, and Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Iraq and Syria areas of operation.
The 900th CBN's deployment supporting OIR represented its second such rotation for the battalion and a significant expansion of the mission in the region. In its role with the Regional Contracting Center for OIR, the 900th CBN's teams administered contracts for supplies, services and minor constructions projects.
Highlighting its impact across the combined joint operations area, the 900th CBN was responsible for establishing the primary theater line of communications for both the coalition and Iraq security forces base-life support sustainment throughout Iraq in support of the mission. This mission involved assisting more than 300 mobility assets for tribal fighters, and the facilitation of repairs for two strategic runways increasing theater responsiveness. Acquisitions supported coalition partners from 17 nations and the government of Iraq in the fight against opposing forces and further set conditions for increased regional stability.
"Two Soldiers from the 900th CBN supported the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command during a training exercise that focused on utilizing port facilities and ships within the Army Strategic Mobility Program," Flint said. "Our personnel were instrumental in reducing exercise costs by leveraging local resources and partnering with the Navy, Marine Corps and Florida National Guard."
Whether the mission is stateside or overseas, MICC-Fort Bragg and 900th CBN Soldiers and civilians are ready to provide acquisition excellence to its customers wherever and whenever.
The MICC is made up of about 1,500 military and civilian members across the United States and Puerto Rico who are responsible for contracting good and services in support of Soldiers' readiness. The MICC is responsible for readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. Headquartered at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, preparing more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.
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