PARAGON BASE, Barbados – As over 1,000 participants from 26 nations are set to arrive in Barbados for TRADEWINDS 24 (TW24), a contracting team consisting of two acquisition, logistics, and technology contracting (ALT) noncommissioned officers (NCO) assigned to the 410th Contracting Support Brigade and a contracting officer’s representative with 167th Theater Support Command (TSC) are in country to ensure contracts supporting the mission are being fulfilled.
“Contracting support during an exercise of this size and scope ensures the overall mission is accomplished by identifying the gaps between the supporting units’ organic capabilities and the mission requirements, and then bridging those gaps,” said Sgt. 1st Class Nennie Gargard, an ALT contracting NCO with the 410th Contracting Support Brigade. “Our role as a contracting team is to find commercial solutions within the vendor population, local and outside of the area of performance, that have the capabilities to provide the needs of the warfighters.”
The 410th CSB’s mission is to deliver operational contracting support as a force multiplier to the joint forces in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility.
“Training activities for TW24 are taking place all over the island of Barbados, and coordinating things like bottled water, transportation, portable latrines, air conditioning and generators for the tents, cleaning and trash services in multiple locations are all vital to the wellbeing of the exercise participants and the overall success of the multinational forces,” said Gargard.
In order to monitor and fulfill the contracts awarded to vendors during TW24, contracting officer’s representatives from the 167th TSC are assisting in broadening the contracting mission capabilities.
“As a contracting officer’s representative, we make sure that these contracts are being upheld, that the work is being done correctly, and that any issues that come up are being addressed in a timely manner,” said Capt. Benjamin Cathcart, safety officer and contracting officer’s representative assigned to the 731st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 167th TSC. “The 167th TSC is here to provide all life support and make sure that the warfighters’ lives are as easy as possible while they're here running their missions and doing their training, and the contracting mission goes hand in hand with that.”
Cathcart said that working with local vendors has been rewarding and has given him an insight into the culture here in this Caribbean nation during a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“Everyone involved in this exercise comes from different walks of life, and we are making sure that there's a collective understanding of what we need to do here to be successful,” he said. “I’m just enjoying being out here for such a unique opportunity. There's a lot of people who go through their career and don't have the chance to do an event like this with so many partner nations in one location.”
This 39th iteration of TRADEWINDS will take place from May 4 to May 16 and is a SOUTHCOM-sponsored, regionally oriented annual exercise aimed at promoting regional security cooperation, and is nested under the Joint Chief of Staff Large Scale Global Exercise 24, demonstrating combined force cooperation and a shared commitment to global stability, peace and prosperity.
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