LegiStorm

Summary:

This report examines Department of Defense (DOD) logistical support contracts for troop support services in Iraq and Afghanistan administered through the U.S. Army's Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP), as well as legislative initiatives which may impact the oversight and management of logistical support contracts. LOGCAP is an initiative designed to manage the use of civilian contractors that perform services during times of war and other military mobilization. The first LOGCAP was awarded in 1992. Four LOGCAP contracts have been awarded for combat support services in Iraq and Afghanistan. The current LOGCAP III contractor supports the drawdown in Iraq by providing logistical services, theater transportation, augmentation of maintenance services, and other combat support services. On April 18, 2008, DOD announced the Army's LOGCAP IV contract awards to three companies—DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, TX; Fluor Intercontinental, Inc, Greenville, SC; and KBR, Houston, TX, through a full and open competition. The LOGCAP IV contract calls for each company to compete for task orders. Each company may be awarded up to $5 billion annually for troop support services with a maximum annual value of $15 billion. As of March 2010, each company has been awarded at least one task order under LOGCAP IV. Over the life of LOGCAP IV, the maximum contract value is $150 billion. The U.S. Army Sustainment Command awarded the first performance task order on September 25, 2008, to Fluor Intercontinental, Inc., for logistical support services in Afghanistan. As of April 2010, approximately 12 tasks orders have been awarded under LOGCAP IV for a total of $1.8 billion in obligations under LOGCAP IV contracts. In May 2010, the U.S. Army announced that it would continue to use the LOGCAP III contract to provide support services until the scheduled withdrawal of all troops in December 2011. Previous to this announcement, the Army had announced that the LOGCAP III contract would be cancelled and that all services would be transferred to the LOGCAP IV contract. However, the Army has reportedly completed a business case analysis and concluded that keeping the LOGCAP III contract would be of greater benefit to the federal government. Some Members of Congress have questioned this decision and asked the Secretary of Defense to reconsider, particularly in light of the Justice Department's decision to bring civil action against the LOGCAP III contractor. Congress is concerned about the federal oversight and management of DOD contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly under programs like LOGCAP. Assessments from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), DOD Office of the Inspector General (DOD-IG), the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), and the Defense Contract Audit Agency reveal a lack of accountability for large sums of money spent for Iraq contracts. Congressional concerns over the federal oversight and management of defense contracts were the subject of a House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Panel on Defense Acquisition Reform to conduct a systematic review of the defense acquisition system. On March 23, 2010, the panel provided the HASC its findings and recommendations. Largely as a result of the panel's work, H.R. 5013, the Implementing Management for Performance and Related Reforms to Obtain Value in Every Acquisition Act (IMPROVE) of 2010, was introduced on April 14, 2010, seeking to improve the management and oversight of DOD's procurement of goods and services.