Commander's Emergency Response Program: The Future of Army Contracting

Abstract : This paper examines some of the areas needing improvement in the Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP), a major weapon in the local commander's arsenal for stability operations. It explains why a confluence of recent events-updated doctrine, the publication of the Gansler Commission Report, and the creation of the Army's Expeditionary Contracting Command (ECC)-have created a unique opportunity. This is an opportunity for Army expeditionary contracting to change from its traditional general support role to a more proactive direct support role by assisting the local commander through his CERP program. The ECC must evolve its organizational structure to complement this new role and develop doctrine to employ their subordinate units that fully supports the newly published doctrine for Stability Operations. This paper also discusses how these changes allow the newly formed ECC to leverage itscris expertise to enhance training and improve the deficient areas in the local commander's CERP program identified by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR).