One of the many amazing things accomplished here in Basra is that in the midst of transitioning from UK to US, and growing the COB, and consolidating Multinational Division-Central and MultiNational Division-Southeast into MultiNational Division-South, and moving the 10th MTN division here, and bringing in a new force of soldiers to mentor and work with our Iraqi partners, that we’ve also taken on a whole new face to contracting.
You’ve probably heard about the use of contractors here, from KBR to Blackwater and many others. As Basra transitioned March 31st, though, we implemented a contracting practice that puts Iraqi-based businesses out front. “Iraqi-First” gives preference to our host nation, not only helping them develop business and service skills, but keeping the contracting money in Iraq. This initiative has not been painless, as several winners had not previously held a contract with us before. They had to quickly spin up a new workforce, tools, security processing, and their own support structure, such as parts-ordering for air conditioners and electric generators.
The result, though, is pretty amazing! We are witnessing a fantastic transformation that is yet another step towards Iraq being self-reliant and economically stable.
