Breaking New Ground—Stories from Defence Construction Breaking_new_ground | Page 119

DCC provided contract management
support at Camp Black Bear (photographed
in 2002), the headquarters for Canadian
peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

DCC on deployment
As the decade opened, the Canadian Forces were still conducting Operation
Palladium in Bosnia-Herzegovina—and DCC was in theatre. A Canadian
logistics firm had been contracted to perform the camp support functions in
theatre, thereby freeing military personnel for other tasks and reducing the
frequency of their operational deployment. PWGSC was the primary con-
tracting authority, but DND recognized a need for dedicated contract man-
agement expertise to support its role in this initiative, and called on DCC.
Originally, DCC provided value-added support to the tendering process, but
this quickly evolved into providing the in-theatre contract management
function. This comprised a contract manager stationed in Velika Kladusa, a
city in the far northwest of Bosnia, to work with a team of military logistics,
engineering, environmental and management specialists and with PWGSC
contract managers in Ottawa. DCC’s role involved ensuring that the work
met the contract specifications, as well as providing other support to the
Task Force Commander as required. (DCC ceased operating in Bosnia as
the CF reduced its commitments in this area in 2004–05.)
After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the focus of the Canadian
Forces changed, both in geography and strategy. The federal government
placed a new emphasis on national security and public safety, and Canada’s
international response to the new global security environment. Attention
turned to Afghanistan.
After participating in American-led combat operations, Canadian military
forces established a base of operations at Camp Julien in the capital city of
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