Contracting squadron conducts bare base, natural disaster training

  • Published
  • By Airman Dillian Bamman
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The 23d Contracting Squadron conducted bare base and local disaster response training for their Contingency Contracting Officers (CCOs) here July 21-23.

The training is designed for CCOs to develop the skills and techniques necessary for setting up a bare base and responding to local disaster contingencies through deployed and stateside contracting.

Since the construction of bare bases is rare, and many CCOs have never experienced it, U.S. Air Force (ret.) Chief Master Sgt. Victor Keranovic, former Air Combat Command contracting chief enlisted manager, came to Moody to give 23d CONS the training they need.

"These folks can affect the outcome of the operation," said Keranovic. "Without logistics, the big war-making capability of the United States of America cannot happen, and that happens through contracting."

Military contracting officers are responsible for distributing millions of dollars for combat readiness, and this responsibility is appointed to them by the U.S. Congress.

"All our military members [at the 23d CONS] are considered contingency contracting officers," said Maj. Jonathan Czarney, 23d Contracting Squadron commander. "Only certain officers have been warranted, which is an authority I've delegated to them, and it shows they can obligate the government [to distribute funds]."

After the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Moody's 23d CONS deployed personnel to hire contractors and help New Orleans recover. Their need for this training is real according to Czarney.

"Moody has deployed people for situations like Katrina in the past to provide clean-up," said Czarney. "As contracting officers, they could deploy to Afghanistan or Yemen to provide contracting, or they can do it here for any kind of mobile contingency."

The civilians working at the 23d CONS handle the mission when the military CCOs deploy overseas.

"Many of the civilian members that work here have solidified relationships with the vendors around this area, so it makes business on Moody a lot smoother," said Tech. Sgt. Curtis Alexander, 23d CONS contracting officer. "The purpose of the civilians is to provide the continuity, so it makes our job when we deploy that much easier."

Senior Airman James Reed III, 23d CONS contracting officer, did not encounter setting up a bare base or face a natural disaster during his deployment, but he feels he's capable to do the mission after having this training.

"[In] some of our scenarios, we were dealing with natural disasters and what we could do if Moody were to be shut down during a contingency and how we could find vendors outside the local area," said Reed. "And I would be ready after today to help in that situation."