MICC welcomes new leader

By Daniel P. Elkins, Mission and Installation Contracting CommandApril 4, 2012

MICC welcomes new leader
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MICC welcomes new leader
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MICC welcomes new leader
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FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- Command of the Mission and Installation Contracting Command changed hands during a ceremony here March 28 attended by Fort Sam Houston leaders, local civic dignitaries and members of the command.

Brig. Gen. Kirk Vollmecke assumed command from Brig. Gen. Stephen Leisenring in a ceremony that was officiated by Dr. Carol Lowman, executive director of the Army Contracting Command.

Vollmecke comes to the MICC after serving as the director for contracting at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. Leisenring leaves for an assignment as the deputy commander for the Joint Theater Support Contracting Command for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Lowman praised Leisenring for the successes of standing up and transforming a new command over the past two-and-a-half years, noting his leadership in realigning support through an intermediate level of command, development of the Acquisition Milestone Agreement process and management of contracts in support of Arlington National Cemetery.

She continued that the insight, energy and enthusiasm Vollmecke brings to the MICC remain critical in meeting the acquisition needs of Soldiers against a backdrop of shrinking funds.

"While the MICC is saying goodbye to an outstanding leader, the command is fortunate to welcome another superb leader in Brigadier General Kirk Vollmecke," she said. "He understands our procurement processes and practices as well as … the uncertainties of the budget environment and the challenges that lie ahead."

At the ceremony, Vollmecke echoed that awareness as the Army transforms the institutional Army.

"Our Army is in a new era of budget uncertainty and resource constraints. A decade of war needs coupled with a decade of statutory and regulatory procurement changes have brought great challenges to our contracting workforce and team," he said. "Now, more than ever, we must provide the smartest and most effective contracting solutions with the best possible oversight."

The new commanding general said that the command must focus its resources and expertise on awarding timely contracted solutions to meet mission needs, negotiating better outcomes for our customers, and improving contract performance oversight.

Vollmecke, who is Acquisition Level III certified in contracting and program management, is a certified professional contract manager and member of the National Contract Management Association. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College where he was awarded the first Hite Acquisition Award for Excellence, and he earned a Master of Science Degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He also graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School where he earned a Master of Science Degree in Management with a concentration in acquisition and contracting management.

As commanding general of the MICC, he is responsible for providing contracting support for the warfighter across Army commands, installations and activities located throughout the continental United States, Alaska and Puerto Rico.

In fiscal 2011, the command executed more than 63,000 contract actions worth almost $7 billion across the Army.

Related Links:

Brig. Gen. Kirk F. Vollmecke

Mission and Installation Contracting Command

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