LOGCAP IV

Written by Kenya McCullum

The program expandds vital
contingency support in theater.
 

By partnering with private contractors, the program, which is run by the Army Sustainment Command, is able to provide a wide range of services including the delivery of food, water, fuel and spare parts; field operations like dining facilities, laundry facilities, postal services, housing and waste management; engineering and construction operations; transportation and cargo services; and morale, welfare and recreation (WMR) activities such as fitness clubs and movie rental.

According to program Executive Director Lee Thompson, the main purpose of LOGCAP is to make soldiers and civilians in the theater feel the comfortsofhomeastheynavigatethroughwartime conditions.

“We provide our soldiers—to the best of our ability—the comforts of home, making sure they’re cared for and have a place to relieve stress and unwind a little bit,” he said. “I spent 35 years in the Army—and we didn’t have these things—and it’s most rewarding to go overseas and to see the services that we do provide.”

To accomplish this important assistance, LOGCAP has always depended on contractors to provide the program’s services in a costeffective, timely manner. Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR)—one of the companies involved in the program and the original LOGCAP contractor—describes its involvement in providing services this way:

“We construct facilities and manage the infrastructure for base camps—everything from providing housing and food service to laundry, sanitation and utilities, vehicle maintenance and transport, and water purification and distribution,” said Douglas Horn, KBR’s vice president of operations. “We also support the reception, staging, onward movement and integration (RSOI) process of U.S. forces as they enter or depart their theater of operations by sea, air or rail.” In order to ensure that these vital services are delivered in the most efficient manner, which has become more much pressing because of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military recently developed LOGCAP IV in order to allow multiple contractors to provide support to the program, instead of just one company being awarded the contract at a time. This will enable the program to increase its effectiveness by allowing more choices on contractors to meet the military’s needs, particularly if one or two of the companies involved are unavailable at the time the services are needed.

“The primary difference is that LOGCAP IV gives us the flexibility to engage not only in where we are today, but if another event comes about, we have other contractors that can react to it,” said Thompson.

The four companies involved in the current version of LOGCAP are KBR, DynCorp International LLC, Fluor Intercontinental Inc. and Serco Inc. ♦

THE VIEW FROM SUSTAINMENT COMMAND

LOGCAP III TO IV

With the recent announcement by President Barack Obama downsizing forces in Iraq and increasing them in Afghanistan, the Army is adapting its contracted support for troops in the global war on terrorism.

The Logistics Civil Augmentation Program will continue, with LOGCAP IV employing a new strategy developed by the Army Sustainment Command, in consultation with its higher headquarters, the Army Materiel Command (AMC), and combatant commanders, who represent LOGCAP’s ultimate consumers—U.S. servicemembers and civilians in the field. It draws from the lessons learned during the past five years and calls for improved administration and oversight.

LOGCAP was established in 1985 primarily to pre-plan for contingencies and to leverage existing civilian resources. The current version of LOGCAP—known as LOGCAP III, was awarded in 2001 to the firm Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) Services and has been used primarily in support of the GWOT in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Djibouti, Jordan, Kenya, Uzbekistan and Georgia.

AMC first assumed management responsibilities for LOGCAP II in 1997, which was used until 2001 in support of American forces in the Philippines, Columbia, Ecuador, Haiti, East Timor and Panama. DynCorp International LLC was awarded that contract.

The LOGCAP IV acquisition plan called for three multiyear, best-value performance contracts with subsequent requirements to be competed as task orders among the three performance contractors. DynCorp, Fluor Intercontinental Inc. and KBR were awarded contracts in June 2007. In addition, the plan called for awarding a planning support contract, separate from the performance contracts.

With LOGCAP IV, the Army awarded to three performance contractors to deliver the services, instead of just one as under LOGCAP III.

By splitting the planning and performance contracts, this allows the Army to manage LOGCAP actions more effectively. Performance contractors will compete for individual LOGCAP task orders, fostering a competitive situation designed to control costs and enhance quality.

Services include supply operations, field operations, and engineering and construction, communication networks, transportation and cargo, facilities maintenance and repair.

A fourth contractor, Serco-North America, received the award of a multiyear, government program management support services contract in February 2007.

STATUS OF LOGCAP IV

Transition issues remaining include complicating factors, the Army’s method for resolution, specific steps planned and a general timeline.

LOGCAP IV is under way in Southwest Asia, meeting evolving requirements. A strategy for the transition to LOGCAP IV of requirements currently under LOGCAP III is also under way. The goal is for no anticipated interruption of services to the field during transition.

KUWAIT

The transition in Kuwait is complicated. A LOGCAP IV task order for Kuwait awarded to DynCorp in November 2008 met protest by an unsuccessful bidder, as was a task order for Udairi Airfield awarded to DynCorp in December 2008. A third LOGCAP IV task order for TMDE awarded to Fluor also was protested.

The Army Sustainment Command authorized DynCorp and Fluor to proceed under the task orders following denial of the protests by the Government Accounting Office in February 2009.

Three task orders transitioned to LOGCAP IV were announced, competed, awarded, then protested. LOGCAP III services continued until protests were resolved. The task orders are:

• Task Order 147, Kuwait Area of Operations Support

• Task Order 157, Udairi Airfield

• Task Order 161, Test Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE)

Upon completion of the transition, all LOGCAP work in Kuwait will be performed under LOGCAP IV.

AFGHANISTAN

Operations in Afghanistan present daunting challenges. U.S. forces, often operating out of austere, remote outposts, must contend with temperature extremes and rugged terrain. The existence of multinational coalition forces and troop expansion must be factored in.

Urgent new requirements in Afghanistan have caused delay in the commencement of the legacy task order competition process for the transition of LOGCAP work in Afghanistan.

Certain task orders awarded under LOGCAP III will expire late March, but because of active combat operations and the difficulties to physically transition, task orders will be extended to ensure uninterrupted service and to accommodate LOGCAP IV transition.

Once initiated, it is expected that the transition process could take from six to nine months, depending upon the mission and forward operating bases’ (FOB) specific needs and challenges inherent to the situation and environment. Examples include the size of the FOB, its location—which could affect incoming supplies—enemy attacks and roads known to have improvised explosive devices.

In compliance with the president’s increase of forces in Afghanistan, all new work identified will be competed under LOGCAP IV. A look at regional command (RC) indicates:

• RC East: Emergency work awarded to Fluor to expand four existing FOBs with a recent request to create eight new FOBs—pending requirement.
• RC South: Emergency work was competitively awarded under LOGCAP IV to Fluor to expand eight FOBs, which are under way.
• RC East/South: Six task orders have been rolled into two for this region with a target award of early April ‘09.

IRAQ

A guiding principle of the transition is that it will be conditions-based, as agreed by all key stakeholders. Transition from LOGCAP III to IV is complicated by a number of sensitive, as well as practical, issues.

In-country concerns over transition focus on cost, base closures, augmented contractor presence and likely operational impact.

For example, near-term base closure work may be handled more efficiently and effectively under LOGCAP III rather than shifting to LOGCAP IV—an effort that could result in increased costs required to mobilize additional contractors (with no longterm benefits due to the closed-ended nature of the requirement); added complexity due to the necessary coordination required between gaining and losing contractors; and increased turbulence during the Department of Defense transition planning under way with mission changes impacting the final outcome. The original intent was to break up the single task order into five base life support task order operations and a corps logistics service support services/ transportation support task order. However, President Obama’s plan to draw down forces in Iraq is being addressed based on theater realignment decisions.

CONCLUSION

LOGCAP IV is the future for the Army’s logistics civil augmentation program, especially as that program relates to the global war on terrorism. Many issues will affect the transition of requirements from LOGCAP III as well as the long-term use of LOGCAP IV. The practical realities, as well as the overall strategy, are being carefully weighed and incorporated into solutions providing the best support to U.S. forces and its allies.