US embassy cable - 04KUWAIT443

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000443 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT, ETRD, KU, IZ 
SUBJECT:  DOD CONTRACTORS AND TRANSITION FROM COALITION 
PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY (CPA) TO EMBASSY BAGHDAD 
 
REFERENCES:  A) KUWAIT 00147, B) KUWAIT 00123 C) KUWAIT 345 
 
1.  Summary and Action Request:  U.S. contractors in Kuwait 
provide critical logistical and administrative services to 
CPA.  How those functions will be assured after the 
transition from CPA to Embassy Baghdad needs to be 
determined - time being of the essence.  Action Request: 
Request State Department confirm whether DOD contracts in 
Kuwait will continue under same DOD administration after CPA 
is replaced by Embassy Baghdad. End Summary and Action 
Request. 
 
2.  Currently, U.S. contractors in Kuwait provide the 
following services (short summary) to CPA and U.S. and 
Coalition military forces in Kuwait and Iraq, predominantly 
under the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) 
contract.  The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in 
Kuwait and Iraq has oversight of the task orders on this 
contract. 
 
A.  Facilities management and base camp operations 
--Facility management for all transient and non-transient 
living accommodations, office spaces, shower and toilet 
facilities and other buildings on the respective military 
compounds. 
--Operations, repairs, renovations, refurbishment, 
maintenance and cleaning of all facilities. 
 
B.  Billeting and office space 
--Facilities that support both billeting and office space 
for all CPA personnel, including those residing in, or 
transiting through Kuwait.  Facilities must be fully 
furnished and have access to water, electricity and 
communication lines.  All linens, blankets and pillows are 
provided. 
 
C.  Laundry service 
--Full-service laundry and dry cleaning services, and 
cleaning and repair of organizational clothing and 
individual equipment.  Self-service laundry facilities are 
also provided as directed. 
 
D.  Food service operations 
--Three hot meals per day for all CPA personnel, co-located 
military personnel and government contractors. 
--Contingency stocks of MREs and bottled water for emergency 
and forward deployment requirements. 
 
E.  Communications 
--A full range of communications systems that allow CPA 
personnel to communicate and navigate. 
--Technical personnel to set up, operate and maintain all 
required communications systems. 
--Global Positioning System (GPS), hand-held radios and cell 
phones. 
 
F.  Office automation equipment/supplies 
--All office automation equipment for CPA personnel, to 
include laptop computer systems, printers, scanners, fax 
machines, copiers, storage cabinets, video cameras, color 
projects and shredders. 
 
G.  Force protection and physical security equipment 
--Provision and installation of force protection and 
physical security equipment, chemical defense equipment. 
--Capability to construct or install barriers, berms, 
fighting positions and other passive defensive measures. 
 
H.  Non-tactical vehicles (NTV) and transportation motor 
pool support 
--Support of and responsibility for operation and 
maintenance of such vehicles 
 
I.  Retail fuel support 
--Fuel support (includes dispensing and storage) for all 
assigned equipment and vehicles. 
 
J.  Equipment maintenance 
--Establishment and operation of a Transportation Motor Pool 
with responsibility for providing, performing and managing 
all maintenance operations for all assigned CPA equipment. 
 
K.  Transportation operations 
--Coordination of transportation requirements in support of 
CPA, to include movement of personnel, supplies and 
equipment.  Note that the contract does NOT provide 
assistance in ticketing CPA travelers on commercial airlines 
nor on visa issues. Embassy Kuwait's Iraq Support Unit can 
help with commercial ticketing for CPA travelers passing 
through the Federal Deployment Center (FDC) Kuwait, given at 
least three working days' notice. Note: All travelers must 
ensure they comply with Kuwaiti Immigration Requirements 
(ref c). 
 
--Set-up and operation of an air movement control operations 
hub coordinating movement of cargo and passengers, via 
military aircraft between Kuwait and Iraq. Note: Travelers 
must obtain country clearance and travel authorization from 
CPA first. 
 
L.  Power generation 
--Capability of providing power generation for CPA 
operations and doing preventive maintenance checks and 
services, to include testing, adjusting and repair of the 
power generation equipment. 
M.  Property accountability and supply operations 
--Maintenance of records and accountability for government 
equipment and supplies and contractor procured equipment and 
supplies. 
 
N.  Control, accountability & maintenance for property & 
supplies 
--Responsible for establishing a supply room and for 
procuring, receiving, inventorying, controlling and issuing 
of USG owned equipment and supplies that are required or 
used by CPA. 
 
O.  Control, accountability & maintenance of arms and 
ammunition 
--Controlling and accounting for all USG owned 9mm semi- 
automatic pistols and 9mm ammunition, to include maintenance 
of the pistols. 
 
P.  Vector control 
--Performance of all pest control functions, to include 
animals, to keep the base camps, containers and contractor 
maintained facilities pest free. 
 
Q.  Waste management 
--Management and daily disposal of all waste and provides 
refuse containers as required. 
 
R.  Morale, welfare and recreation support 
--As a minimum, provision of fitness equipment and a small 
theater with large screen TV and DVD player. 
 
S.  Interpreter/translator support 
--Interpreter/translator at required locations. 
 
T.  Hair care services 
--Hair care services at required locations for male and 
female personnel. 
 
U.  Fire protection 
--Fire protection and fire management services at all CPA 
facilities. 
--Provision and maintenance of fire extinguishers and smoke 
detectors. 
 
V.  Postal services 
--Collection, transport and delivery of mail between the APO 
and CPA sites. 
 
X.  Helicopter maintenance and support 
--Set-up, provision of power, maintenance and repair of 
designated heliport and adjacent aviation operations 
centers. 
 
3.  The Defense Contract Management Agency  (DCMA)-Middle 
East at Camp Doha, Kuwait provides oversight of DOD (Army) 
LOGCAP contract's task orders in Kuwait.  DCMA -Middle East 
tells us that -- assuming U.S. Forces remain in Kuwait after 
CPA is replaced by Embassy Baghdad -- the contractor 
services noted above are expected to continue to be provided 
under contracts administered by DOD, for Title 10 Support of 
Military Forces moving in and out of Kuwait and Iraq.  A 
partial list of U.S. contractors currently providing 
services in Kuwait, not necessarily overseen by DCMA, 
includes Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), DynCorp, ITT, and 
Combat Support Associates (CSA), with KBR and CSA being the 
companies with the most personnel. 
 
4.  DCMA-Middle East estimates (based upon contract provided 
data) that there are about 1710 U.S. contract employees and 
about 272 third country national employees working in Kuwait 
under the LOGCAP prime contract awarded to KBR.  The sub- 
contractor workforce consists of about 3350 third country 
nationals. 
 
5.  Per U.S. Army Central Command (ARCENT) Army Contracting 
Agency-SWA-Kuwait, CSA has a workforce of about 1,190 U.S. 
civilians and about 1,650 third country nationals providing 
logistical and administrative support (not under LOGCAP) to 
ARCENT in Kuwait. 
 
6.  Post is unable to accurately determine from ARCENT and 
DCMA the number of non-KBR and CSA contractors operating in 
Iraq/Kuwait, as neither organization has oversight over 
those contractors/companies and their parent organizations 
are unknown top post.  However, it is estimated that this 
number could be in the several hundreds. 
 
7.  It is also difficult to estimate the number of transient 
CPA personnel and contractors moving through Kuwait to/from 
Iraq.  Note also that, for contractors who cross the border 
regularly, e.g., truck drivers, it can be hard to determine 
whether they are transient or resident in Kuwait.  Different 
Government of Kuwait paperwork is required for the two 
categories; this has already led to intensive Embassy 
involvement to ensure respect for Kuwaiti laws.  See Ref A, 
which seeks to clarify status of U.S. contract personnel 
working for CPA in Kuwait. 
 
8.  Ref B alerted Department on possible options for the 
continued operation of the CPA FDC in Kuwait, in case the 2 
person uniformed coordinating cell supervising that office 
goes away when CPA Baghdad is replaced by Embassy Baghdad. 
 
9.  CPA Contracting Activity advises that its current plan 
is to transition active CPA contracts to the new State 
Department entity in Iraq.  However, this transition does 
not include the contracts under control of CPA's Project 
Management Office (PMO).  Post is not aware of any plan to 
transition any CPA contracts to Embassy Kuwait when CPA 
Baghdad is replaced by Embassy Baghdad. 
 
10.  Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
URBANCIC