JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (April 17, 2020) -- Contracting professionals at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, are posturing to provide their mission partners immediate support as part of the whole-of-government effort in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the approval of additional forces to the Southern border by Defense Secretary Mark Esper at the end of March, leaders from the 922nd Contracting Battalion and 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell conducted a joint operational area circulation.
Lt. Col. Tony Rogers, commander of the 922nd CBN, joined the 101st ABN DIV deputy chief of staff for resource management to accomplish mission analysis for current and future contract requirements. Maj. Kevin Harris, the 708th Contracting Team leader, said it was from that analysis that it was determined the battalion could provide contracting support from home station, adding that his team stands ready to move forward should the mission evolve.
“The 708th Contracting Team prepared pre-solicitation documents for long-term vehicle rentals and a potential catering requirement,” Harris said. “While changes in requirements have not yet manifested, working together, both the Joint Task Force-North and 922nd CBN are mindful of potential increased life support requirements due to personnel augmentation.”
Also, Maj. Kye Pannell, the 741st Contracting Team leader, is working closely with the 101st ABN DIV to conduct mission analysis should crisis action planning by Fort Campbell’s Blanchfield Army Community Hospital requires contracting support from the Mission and Installation Contracting Command-Fort Campbell office. That planning included discussions on ventilators, the movement of patients from isolation to the hospital, and expansion of the hospital.
Col. Patrick Birchfield, commander of the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, commended the unified response of the Fort Campbell community – including the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, 5th Special Forces Group, 101st ABN DIV and hospital – on its medical response.
“We’ve come together to create an expansion plan … to take care of any patients that we have if the surge gets big,” Birchfield said during a virtual town hall. “It’s quite amazing (that) everybody’s come together with training, equipment and personnel.”
Contracting efforts by the 922nd CBN remain continuously synchronized with the Army North senior contracting officer. Army North is serving as the Joint Force Land Component Command for the U.S. Northern Command in the military’s response to the pandemic.
The MICC-Fort Campbell contracting office also continues to administer several critical services contracts for the garrison and other mission partners allowing Fort Campbell to remain operational. During a virtual town hall earlier this month, Maj. Gen. Brian Winski, the 101st ABN DIV and Fort Campbell senior commander, took the opportunity to praise efforts by the community.
“Hat’s off to everyone - our Soldiers, their families, our civilian workforce, especially our folks that are continuing to keep Fort Campbell safe and secure (and) operating every single day,” Winski said. “Nothing really brings teams together like a challenging mission, a challenging set of circumstances, and this is challenging.”
About the MICC:
Headquartered at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of 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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