INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Dod Contractors and Transition From Coalition

Published: Sun 8 Feb 2004 01:51 PM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000443
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMGT ETRD KU IZ
SUBJECT: DOD CONTRACTORS AND TRANSITION FROM COALITION
PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY (CPA) TO EMBASSY BAGHDAD
REFERENCES: A) KUWAIT 00147, B) KUWAIT 00123 C) KUWAIT 345
1. Summary and Action Request: U.S. contractors in Kuwait
provide critical logistical and administrative services to
CPA. How those functions will be assured after the
transition from CPA to Embassy Baghdad needs to be
determined - time being of the essence. Action Request:
Request State Department confirm whether DOD contracts in
Kuwait will continue under same DOD administration after CPA
is replaced by Embassy Baghdad. End Summary and Action
Request.
2. Currently, U.S. contractors in Kuwait provide the
following services (short summary) to CPA and U.S. and
Coalition military forces in Kuwait and Iraq, predominantly
under the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP)
contract. The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in
Kuwait and Iraq has oversight of the task orders on this
contract.
A. Facilities management and base camp operations
--Facility management for all transient and non-transient
living accommodations, office spaces, shower and toilet
facilities and other buildings on the respective military
compounds.
--Operations, repairs, renovations, refurbishment,
maintenance and cleaning of all facilities.
B. Billeting and office space
--Facilities that support both billeting and office space
for all CPA personnel, including those residing in, or
transiting through Kuwait. Facilities must be fully
furnished and have access to water, electricity and
communication lines. All linens, blankets and pillows are
provided.
C. Laundry service
--Full-service laundry and dry cleaning services, and
cleaning and repair of organizational clothing and
individual equipment. Self-service laundry facilities are
also provided as directed.
D. Food service operations
--Three hot meals per day for all CPA personnel, co-located
military personnel and government contractors.
--Contingency stocks of MREs and bottled water for emergency
and forward deployment requirements.
E. Communications
--A full range of communications systems that allow CPA
personnel to communicate and navigate.
--Technical personnel to set up, operate and maintain all
required communications systems.
--Global Positioning System (GPS), hand-held radios and cell
phones.
F. Office automation equipment/supplies
--All office automation equipment for CPA personnel, to
include laptop computer systems, printers, scanners, fax
machines, copiers, storage cabinets, video cameras, color
projects and shredders.
G. Force protection and physical security equipment
--Provision and installation of force protection and
physical security equipment, chemical defense equipment.
--Capability to construct or install barriers, berms,
fighting positions and other passive defensive measures.
H. Non-tactical vehicles (NTV) and transportation motor
pool support
--Support of and responsibility for operation and
maintenance of such vehicles
I. Retail fuel support
--Fuel support (includes dispensing and storage) for all
assigned equipment and vehicles.
J. Equipment maintenance
--Establishment and operation of a Transportation Motor Pool
with responsibility for providing, performing and managing
all maintenance operations for all assigned CPA equipment.
K. Transportation operations
--Coordination of transportation requirements in support of
CPA, to include movement of personnel, supplies and
equipment. Note that the contract does NOT provide
assistance in ticketing CPA travelers on commercial airlines
nor on visa issues. Embassy Kuwait's Iraq Support Unit can
help with commercial ticketing for CPA travelers passing
through the Federal Deployment Center (FDC) Kuwait, given at
least three working days' notice. Note: All travelers must
ensure they comply with Kuwaiti Immigration Requirements
(ref c).
--Set-up and operation of an air movement control operations
hub coordinating movement of cargo and passengers, via
military aircraft between Kuwait and Iraq. Note: Travelers
must obtain country clearance and travel authorization from
CPA first.
L. Power generation
--Capability of providing power generation for CPA
operations and doing preventive maintenance checks and
services, to include testing, adjusting and repair of the
power generation equipment.
M. Property accountability and supply operations
--Maintenance of records and accountability for government
equipment and supplies and contractor procured equipment and
supplies.
N. Control, accountability & maintenance for property &
supplies
--Responsible for establishing a supply room and for
procuring, receiving, inventorying, controlling and issuing
of USG owned equipment and supplies that are required or
used by CPA.
O. Control, accountability & maintenance of arms and
ammunition
--Controlling and accounting for all USG owned 9mm semi-
automatic pistols and 9mm ammunition, to include maintenance
of the pistols.
P. Vector control
--Performance of all pest control functions, to include
animals, to keep the base camps, containers and contractor
maintained facilities pest free.
Q. Waste management
--Management and daily disposal of all waste and provides
refuse containers as required.
R. Morale, welfare and recreation support
--As a minimum, provision of fitness equipment and a small
theater with large screen TV and DVD player.
S. Interpreter/translator support
--Interpreter/translator at required locations.
T. Hair care services
--Hair care services at required locations for male and
female personnel.
U. Fire protection
--Fire protection and fire management services at all CPA
facilities.
--Provision and maintenance of fire extinguishers and smoke
detectors.
V. Postal services
--Collection, transport and delivery of mail between the APO
and CPA sites.
X. Helicopter maintenance and support
--Set-up, provision of power, maintenance and repair of
designated heliport and adjacent aviation operations
centers.
3. The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)-Middle
East at Camp Doha, Kuwait provides oversight of DOD (Army)
LOGCAP contract's task orders in Kuwait. DCMA -Middle East
tells us that -- assuming U.S. Forces remain in Kuwait after
CPA is replaced by Embassy Baghdad -- the contractor
services noted above are expected to continue to be provided
under contracts administered by DOD, for Title 10 Support of
Military Forces moving in and out of Kuwait and Iraq. A
partial list of U.S. contractors currently providing
services in Kuwait, not necessarily overseen by DCMA,
includes Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), DynCorp, ITT, and
Combat Support Associates (CSA), with KBR and CSA being the
companies with the most personnel.
4. DCMA-Middle East estimates (based upon contract provided
data) that there are about 1710 U.S. contract employees and
about 272 third country national employees working in Kuwait
under the LOGCAP prime contract awarded to KBR. The sub-
contractor workforce consists of about 3350 third country
nationals.
5. Per U.S. Army Central Command (ARCENT) Army Contracting
Agency-SWA-Kuwait, CSA has a workforce of about 1,190 U.S.
civilians and about 1,650 third country nationals providing
logistical and administrative support (not under LOGCAP) to
ARCENT in Kuwait.
6. Post is unable to accurately determine from ARCENT and
DCMA the number of non-KBR and CSA contractors operating in
Iraq/Kuwait, as neither organization has oversight over
those contractors/companies and their parent organizations
are unknown top post. However, it is estimated that this
number could be in the several hundreds.
7. It is also difficult to estimate the number of transient
CPA personnel and contractors moving through Kuwait to/from
Iraq. Note also that, for contractors who cross the border
regularly, e.g., truck drivers, it can be hard to determine
whether they are transient or resident in Kuwait. Different
Government of Kuwait paperwork is required for the two
categories; this has already led to intensive Embassy
involvement to ensure respect for Kuwaiti laws. See Ref A,
which seeks to clarify status of U.S. contract personnel
working for CPA in Kuwait.
8. Ref B alerted Department on possible options for the
continued operation of the CPA FDC in Kuwait, in case the 2
person uniformed coordinating cell supervising that office
goes away when CPA Baghdad is replaced by Embassy Baghdad.
9. CPA Contracting Activity advises that its current plan
is to transition active CPA contracts to the new State
Department entity in Iraq. However, this transition does
not include the contracts under control of CPA's Project
Management Office (PMO). Post is not aware of any plan to
transition any CPA contracts to Embassy Kuwait when CPA
Baghdad is replaced by Embassy Baghdad.
10. Baghdad minimize considered.
URBANCIC
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