2019 Contracting Symposium brings Contracting Soldiers together to better serve the Warfighter

Camp Arifjan, Kuwait – U.S. Army contracting soldiers and civilians gather on how to best support the warfighter.
Soldiers from the 408th Contracting Support Brigade hosted the 2019 Contracting Symposium at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait early December, 2019, bringing contracting professionals from all over the Army to meet with senior leaders and share thoughts on how best to support the warfighter on the front.
The symposium provided dialogue between contracting soldiers and civilian counterparts to discuss the latest information on Army budgets, Army mission priorities for warfighting, facilities, and Department of Defense contracting priorities.
Attendees from Shaw Air Force Base and Gulf Country partners shared ideas and best practices to supply the soldier in the field with the most affordable and efficient product.
“Synchronization of efforts to support the warfighter, and getting everyone together in theater to see what is done here, and the complexities of being in this environment, while being fiscally responsible to the taxpayers is why we held the symposium,” said Lt. Col. Ross Lindsey, Regional Contracting Center, Kuwait, Commander.
Moving supplies through Southwest Asia has challenges but the priority is getting the right tool to the right person so United States forces can complete their mission at the level of quality expected.
Lindsey brings his previous field artillery experience to contracting by making decisions based on knowing what the boots on the ground live with daily.
“Contracting is a force multiplier and a force enabler for the Warfighter. Many of the contracting officers have come from the warfighter environment, understanding what the warfighter is going through,” said Lindsey.
Maj. James Ko, Regional Contracting Center, Iraq Commander understands the difficulties of communication and expressed the importance of meeting face to face to improve the life of the soldier.
“The purpose of the symposium was to have key players from the brigade come to one spot to create that shared understanding of how the 408th CSB operates. This allows for everyone to have clarification of policies and streamlining the procedures that we all use on a daily basis,” said Ko.
“At the end of the day, we are contracting for the warfighter. Those guys down in the trenches and in the bunkers, that’s who we do it for,” said Ko.