Iraqi Nf

Under the LOGCAP program, the contractor is responsible for providing a “full spectrum” of services to U.S. troops in the field, including dining facilities, living quarters, base camp operations and maintenance, facilities management, transportation and distribution of supplies, water and ice, laundry and bath, airfield operations, detainee camp construction, and firefighting [1]. “LOGCAP” is an acronym for “Logistics Civil Augmentation Program.”

Now, the LOGCAP program enters in phase IV and The Army awarded a contract worth up to $150 billion to feed, house and provide other services to U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, spreading among three companies work that recently had been linked to a single, controversial contractor: Halliburton.

According to an article published in the Washington Post [2], Fluor Intercontinental of Greenville, S.C., DynCorp International of Fort Worth and KBR of Houston were chosen from among a half-dozen competitors. Each company’s part of the contract is worth up to $5 billion a year and can be extended for up to nine more years. The contract award was a particular victory for KBR, Halliburton’s former contracting arm, after the firm was accused of misdeeds under the past contract, one contracting expert said.

“This is potentially the biggest battlefield services contract that any company is going to win for the remainder of this decade,” Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, a defense research organization in Arlington.

Background of the LOGCAP Program

The U.S. Army continually seeks to increase its combat potential within programmed resource allocations. This occasionally requires pursuit of external sources to provide adequate logistics support for the force [1].

LOGCAP is a U.S. Army initiative for peacetime planning for the use of civilian contractors in wartime and other contingencies. These contractors will perform selected services to support U.S. forces in support of Department of Defense (DoD) missions. Use of contractors in a theater of operations allows the release of military units for other missions or to fill support shortfalls. This program provides the Army with additional means to adequately support the current and programmed forces.

According to the Army Material Command [1], LOGCAP is primarily designed for use in areas where no bilateral or multilateral agreements exist. However, LOGCAP may provide additional support in areas with formal Host Nation Support (HNS) agreements, where other contractors are involved, or where peacetime support contracts exist. LOGCAP is also available during Continental United States (CONUS) mobilizations to assist the CONUS support base and help units get ready for war.

LOGCAP is a Department of the Army Program which includes all pre-planned logistics and engineering/construction oriented contingency contracts actually awarded and peacetime contracts which include contingency clauses that:

o Leverage civilian corporate resources as logistics services support and engineering/construction support multipliers (Civilian Resources)

o Provide a rapid and responsive contract capability which augments US Forces capability by meeting logistics and engineering/construction requirements (Rapid and Responsive Contract Capability).

o Focus on prioritized peacetime contingency planning for augmentation logistics and engineering/construction services as determined by the customer (Prioritized Peacetime Contingency Planning).

Working in Iraq

There is still a lot of interest to work in Iraq, despite the danger. Salaries are much higher than in the US and the opportunity to make a little fortune in one or two years of service is hard to resist. An experienced worker easily makes $80.000 to $100.000 a year and for experts in one of the required technical-administrative fields, amounts of $25.000 a month (!) are no exception. In most cases, housing and meals are free and if you work more than 330 days overseas, income is excluded from United States taxes [3].

Job seekers can apply online for Iraq employment. The 2ajobguide for instance is supporting the U.S. Armed Forces by providing staff for the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) in Iraq [4]. The work primarily involves vehicle and other equipment maintenance, as well as some logistical work. If you want to check out your chances to get such a challenging job, take a proactive approach and send your resume and a brief cover letter to this hiring agency by e-mail. You can be sure that your documents will be reviewed very carefully in order to find the best fit according to your experience and background.

Job listings for countries like Iraq, Afghanistan or Kuwait can be found also by typing the country name in an “all-in-one” human resources bank like Indeed [5]. Current listings include Iraq defense contractor, intelligence, communications, and administrative openings.

Literature

[1] Introduction to the LOGCAP program, United States Army brochure, Army Material Command, 2007

[2] Washington Post, Army Splits Award Among 3 Firms. Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, June 28, 2007; Page A08

[3] IRS Guidelines, Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad

[4] Staffing in Iraq – Top paid job opportunities

[5] All-in-one US Job Search Engine

Adolescence is an age when all teenagers are looking for creating an individual identity. The little girl has grown up into an awkward teenager. She no longer needs her mother to feed and dress her. Nor does she require her dad to tell her bedtime stories and help her with shoe laces. She is busy creating, writing and telling stories on her own! She wants her privacy and also wants recognition in whatever her new hobby is. Influenced by peers, best friends, video games, modelling and television, she is ready to develop a mind of her own. Most teenage girls are mature enough to know what will hold their interests.

There are a wide variety of hobbies-indoor and outdoors that can keep young girls occupied. Internet, social dating and helping mom are just a few ways of keeping her occupied. Keeping her mental and physical balance is essential as she is still growing and needs help to mould her personality. Some young girls are already keeping secret diaries, learning the art of make-up, taking up Tennis, Badminton or Hockey to keep fit. Today’s generation of teenagers are computer-savvy and also aware of keeping fit with balanced diet and exercises.

The girls are more mature and keen to prove their mental wellness. Parents could encourage girls to simultaneously keep even inexpensive hobbies like stamp collection (yes, they are still a hot favourite, so what if snail mail has been replaced by email). Young girls love to cook; they can learn some simple dishes at home or join some classes.

During summer vacations there is a long list of hobbies that sprout up to choose from. Dancing, yoga, art classes, crafts, gymnastics are quite popular, as fees are also reasonable for parents to pay. Teen girls get an opportunity to make new friends and also hone their talents that could be of use in adult life. It’s a fallacy that teen girls are only thinking of hooking boys all the time. Few are reading romantic novels but most of them are reading fiction and poetry and keeping scrap books as well. Photography is a proving to be a good hobby for young girls. Well, some girls like to be in front of the camera and some behind them! Rock climbing, cycling with friends, swimming are equally satisfying hobbies.

Most girls choose hobbies that will help to keep long hours with friends. And this does not mean an investment in mobile phones (a headache for parents) only. Join a drama club or create one for a friend is an ideal way to spend summer holidays. If not an actress then getting into creative production and styling is a good option for teenage girls. Learning nail art designs has also become the most popular hobby these days. As girls learn and have fun at the same time, they develop better personalities. When they volunteer for shelter homes, baby sit and walk dogs they become more responsible. Parents can guide the girls in becoming better adults by helping them to choose hobbies that will help them in later life.

Truck driving undoubtedly has its challenges here in the United States. Crowded highways, not enough parking areas and long hours are just a few of the problems drivers face on a daily basis. I was enjoying a meal at a Petro Truck Stop the other day when I heard another driver complaining about the food. It appeared that he felt that some of the items on the buffet were not hot enough. I agreed that some of the entrees could have been warmer, but I really didn’t care. I was just enjoying the meal.

This situation got me thinking about the complaints I hear from other truck drivers. Perhaps I’m just “different,” but I simply cannot relate to many of these problems that truck driving faces here at home. As I was completing my meal, another driver walked in and was upset because he had driven through the night and was still unable to get unloaded. He said the only thing left to do right then was getting something to eat, take a shower and go to bed. He ate his meal complaining the entire time about his run through the night. I thought about the truck drivers in Iraq.

The most dangerous job in the Middle East is truck driving. I wondered about certain correlations between truck driving here in the U.S. and truck driving in Iraq. I looked around and listened to more complaining by other drivers about their “hardships.” I took a hard look at myself. I thought about the good job I had and the ability to make a nice pay check. I looked at all the food on the buffet readily available for my taking. I knew that later that night I would be home and my wife would have the coffee ready and I could sit and relax in my favorite chair. I thought about my freedom. Hardships? What hardships? I decided to compare the complaints with the life of truck drivers in Iraq:

U.S. DRIVERS: ————————————- TRUCK DRIVING Waited 3 hours for tire repair —————————– Had to change own tire Complains how rough the road is ———————— Drives where there is no road Truck A/C isn’t cold enough —————————– No A/C in 150 degree weather Watch out for Pot Holes —————————— — Watch out for Land Mines Had to drive all night ————————Drives at night wearing night vision goggles Worries about missing schedules ————————- Worries about snipers Mattress is too hard ————————————— Sleeps with 50# of body armor Fellow drivers can be rude —————————- Fellow drivers can be terrorists Watches out for bad drivers ————————— Watches out for mortar fire

Army Specialist Timothy Staddon with the 123rd Main Support Battalion under the First Armored Division, is a truck driver in Iraq. His job is to haul supplies, parts and food to the forward support battalions located right in the center of Baghdad. He has been shot at by unseen snipers and has to be on the look out for 155MM shells buried in the sand that explode when you drive by. This young man, and many more like him, are heros. Because of them, we remain free.

As of May, 2006 twenty-four American truck drivers have been killed while working in Iraq from shootings and road side bombs. Drivers in Iraq experience post-traumatic stress disorder just as our soldiers do. They form “shadow armies” in order to deliver food and supplies to the troops. One of the few women truck drivers in Iraq, convoy commander Cindy Morgan sums it up perfectly: “We live, we eat, we sleep, pretty much side by side with our troops. And we get shot at, we bleed and we die beside them.”

I know truck driving can be a rough life. However, as I sit in the comfort of my home or enjoy a meal out, and the only thing I have to do is fight a little traffic in order to have my evening out, I simply can’t justify any complaining. I look around and only see abundance. Because of our soldiers and the civilian workers who have chosen to risk their lives truck driving in Iraq . . . I look around and I only see freedom.