Military Professional Resources Incorporated (L-3 MPRI) Operation Security Coordination- Iraq (OSC-I) Interview with Jerry Ashworth (Deputy Program Manager-OSC-I) By Raymond Vargas Bellevue University MSM 620 Portfolio Project

Interviewee Jerry Ashworth Deputy Program Manager L-3 MPRI OSC-I contract Retired Lieutenant Colonel United States Army with 30 years Been with current contract from March 2004 to present

Contract History US Department of Defense led from April 2003 to January 2012 US State Department led from January 2012 to present

Past Operations Under DOD: Provided training for US Forces, Coalition Forces, and Iraq Military and Law Enforcement Forces Provided Security Training Provided Counterinsurgency Training Provided Police Training Provided Urban Operations Training

Present Operations Under US State Department: Provides Training to Iraq Military Forces Provides Full Spectrum Operations Training Tactical Vehicle Training to include: Driver’s Training and Maintenance Provides Defensive Operations Training Provides Offensive Operations Training Provides Police Training Provides Military Leadership Training Provides Government Building Training

Future Operations Continue to provide military training Police Training will no longer be apart of Iraq training programs Transition into an advisor role with less training being conducted at Company and Platoon levels Build Iraq Military Leaders to train their own military- provide over watch for such programs

Organizational Learning Pros under DOD: Able to anticipate direction under DOD, military lead, 98 % retirees work for L-3 MPRI Tactical trainers were recently retired within the last two years, understand current military trends Structure contract to mirror US Military structure Treated as equals amongst the US Military and DOD

Organizational Learning Pros under US State Department Centralized structure and budget Free rein on training standards and curriculum More space on Forward Operating Bases Better living conditions Less guidance on government related issues

Organizational Learning Cons under DOD Continuity with The US Military Leaders- one year tours US Military forecast of future operations Poor living conditions Budget constraints

Organizational Learning Cons under US State Department Less direction and guidance from the top Less security Less support on government related issues Very little involvement in military and government training Less movement in and out of country Budget constraints

Organizational Learning Curves Stay in your own lane when dealing with the US State Department Always have a back up plan for the loss of training with the Iraq Forces Have more future vision on building the Iraq Military and Government Resource Iraq government related issues- visa process, driving requirements

Corporate Learning Goals Develop continuity books for future contracts Have a better understanding of US State Department goals and guidelines on contract requirements Develop contacts with the Host Nation Understand the different secular groups within a country and how they do business Do not take the US State Department and DOD for granted- try to foresee the future for them

Summary Each government entity will have different needs, identify these needs as early as possible to allow reaction time Challenges under US Department of Defense were easier to anticipate than under US State Department Must restructure contract to suit the needs of the customer (DOD versus US State Department) Host Nation government issues must be identified prior to operations and researched Mr. Ashworth’s concerns and issues are created at the government levels, corporate must have more involvement in dealing with these concerns