Working In Iraq – Attractive Despite The Risk?
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
Good Paying Jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan – Get the Facts
Sure the economy is bad and a lot of people are out of work but the fact remains that there are still plenty of good paying jobs out there. Take jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan for instance, where war and strife have left so much devastation in their wake.
They Have the Money
At last count Iraq had well over eighty billion dollars in their surplus accounts to pay for rebuilding. Bear in mind thats only the money in surplus and doesn’t take into account future oil revenues that are due to come in.
Low Tech and High Tech Jobs
After decades of neglect under the regime of Saddam Hussein, many of those years under an oil embargo, Iraq’s massive oil infrastructure is in dire shape. This means years and possibly even decades of well paying jobs for pipe fitters, electricians and welders just to name a few.
Private Security Workers
Then of course, there are the jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan that involve private security. Right now there are over 200,000 private security workers in Iraq alone and as rebuilding in Afghanistan steps up so too with the need for private security workers there as well.
Prepare in Advance
The first thing that you need to do if you are serious about landing a well paying job in Iraq and Afghanistan is to get a passport and get your resume in order. Also, it doesn’t hurt to learn a little of the native language as well as some of their customs.
Look Online
Then get busy looking online, because that is where you are going to have your best chances at finding one. Also, bear in mind that these types of jobs often require that you commit yourself to an extended contract, so give it plenty of thought before you sign on.
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