READY FOR TODAY – EVOLVING FOR TOMORROW
CONTRACTOR SUPPORT TO
NON-ARTICLE 5 CRISIS RESPONSE
OPERATIONS: THE WIDER
IMPLICATIONS
Major Steve Barnard, British Army
Contractor support to operations (CSO) is not a new phenomenon. For hundreds of
years defence has employed contractors to support deployed armed forces across the
full spectrum of operations. In the current operating environment, we can expect to see
contractors provide goods and services from food to security, and employ personnel
from as local as the host nation to globally-resourced manpower.
As countries and politicians buy out
risk through the use of contractors, we
can expect the economic investment
in CSO to have greater and wider
implications for the Allied Rapid Reaction
Corps (ARRC) in any crisis response
operational environment. The economic
impact of any such investment will have
implications for all the staff functions of
the headquarters whether it is directly
or indirectly – one only need follow the
money.
Economic investment in a region will
shape how the political and social
landscape develops over the duration
of a military campaign. Whether peace
enforcement or humanitarian and disaster
relief, the operational environment will
be within the people and that looks very
different to warfighting. Understanding
the
wider
implications
of
such
investments in this type of operational
environment will allow us to better inform
the planning process and to analyse
these factors to give sound situational
awareness to the commander’s plan in
support of bringing stability to a region.
The economic impact of a deployed
NATO force will have an influence from
the tactical to strategical level of any
operation. This can be better understood
through facts and figures. In 2012, Allied
Command Operations (ACO) and the
NATO Support and Procurement Agency
(NSPA) committed 79 per cent (€411
million) of the International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) common-
funded budget on contracted goods and
services. 1 To put that into perspective,
such a figure equates to 22 per cent of
South Sudan’s GDP in 2016. 2
“In an intervention environment,
contracting is not just a technical
purchasing function. It is an integral
part of the mission strategy.”
TI UK Corruption Threats &
International Missions, 2014
The Basics
The basic principles of resource planning
and the provision of contracting remain
extant throughout. First, seek a military
solution or look for a country to take the
lead on the provision of a capability or
provide capacity. If this is not achievable
then the host nation will be asked to
provide. Only when these options are not
attainable is a contracted solution sought.
NATO defines CSO as “deployed support
to operations provided by commercial
entities, assured for the commander, and
optimised to be the most efficient and
“It is commander’s
business – The
commander needs to
understand and be aware
of the requirements for
contractor support. It
is not something you
offload to someone
because those
individuals/organisations
are going to operate in
your battlespace.”
Lt. Gen. Michael Williamson, US Army
effective use of resources.” 3 Furthermore,
contracting is “the act of purchasing,
renting, leasing or otherwise obtaining
services or supplies from commercial or
governmental sources through a legally
binding contract.” 4
1 IBAN IBA-AR (2014)11 dated 13 June 2014.
2 www.tradingeconomics as at 31 October 18.
3 EAPC (SNLC) D (2010)0005.
4 EAPC (SNLC) D (2010)0005.
ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS
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