text: Chapter 5
  translators). Army theater sustainment commands and expeditionary sustainment commands play a key role
  in planning and executing OCS operational actions. As the senior command requiring activity for
  sustainment-related OCS, these units provide expertise to OCS planning activities. Theater sustainment
  commands and expeditionary sustainment commands provide guidance on developing acquisition-ready
  requirement packages for theater-wide support requirements. There are second-order effects considerations
  when using commercial support such as local population employment and economic stimulation. Integrating
  contractors and their equipment into military operations can prove challenging. Contractor challenges involve
  additional mission risk when compared to using organic support capabilities, such as potential loss of
  flexibility, additional force protection, and security-related requirements. Additionally, the commander has
  limited authority to keep contractors on the job, when compared to military members, a fact often not
  understood by operational commanders and their staffs. (Refer to JP 4-10, ATP 4-10, and ATP 4-10.1 for
  additional information on OCS.)
  5-22. Multinational forces rely on contracted support to perform many support functions and tasks. Factors
  that have led to this increased reliance include—
  • Reductions in the size of military forces (especially in the combat support and sustainment areas).
  • Increases in tempo and missions undertaken by the military during large-scale combat operations.
  • Increased complexity and sophistication of weapon systems.
  • A continued push to gain efficiencies and reduce costs through outsourcing or privatizing
  commercially adaptable functions.
  5-23. The logistics directorate of a multinational staff oversees OCS and contractors providing support to the
  multinational force in a designated operational area. Centralized coordination of contracting efforts is
  essential to manage limited resources. This coordination ensures the multinational force OCS priorities.
  Through centralized coordination of contracting efforts, a multinational force derives maximum benefits
  from volume procurements, optimize competition, avoid price escalation, and minimize opportunities for
  local black-market operations.
  5-24. Early planning is critical for effective and efficient OCS in multinational operations. From an
  operational planning point of view, many considerations influence when commands use contract support in
  multinational operations. Common contract support considerations include the—
  • Type of operation. Operations with a higher risk of combat, such as initial entry operations and
  large-scale combat operations, are less suitable for outsourcing than lower risk operations such as
  peacekeeping and stabilization operations.
  • Phase of the operation. In the early stages of an operation, military units support military functions
  because of high risk, efficiency, operational effectiveness, and security. As an environment
  stabilizes and risk reduces, selected support functions transfer to a lead nation or role specialist
  nations to provide their contract support.
  • Protection of contractors. Although contractors are mostly self-sufficient, they are not combatants.
  The force is generally responsible for the security of contractor employees accompanying the force.
  5-25. Multinational partners have a collective responsibility for planning and implementing contracted
  support. This responsibility encourages partner nations to identify support requirements that host-nation
  contracted services, supplies, minor construction, and created contractual arrangements can meet. Through
  prior arrangements, these nations share providing as well as using contractor capabilities and resources to
  support the force.
  5-26. Planning and preparation for providing contracted support in multinational operations begins with a
  concept of support. Multinational partners use existing common logistics role specialist agreements, lead
  nation agreements, and other available Service, joint, and allied contracting support agencies that provide
  contracting services on a reimbursable basis. Properly prepared and funded, contracted support enhances
  support to operations, releases military resources for higher priority tasks elsewhere, overcomes identified
  sustainment shortfalls, and provides endurance where needed with less impact on military assets than would
  be the case without it. (Refer to ATP 4-10 and ATP 4-10.1 for additional information on contract support.)
  5-27. As a matter of policy, U.S. contract support to multinational partners is limited to supplies, services,
  and minor construction planned and procured for support of U.S. forces. Additionally, standards of support
  for contracted services are the same standard established by the national support element providing the