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News | Jan. 7, 2019

DCMA team reinforces global support, enhances nation’s security

By Elizabeth Szoke DCMA Public Affairs

Every holiday season an old adage is reinforced — good things come in small packages.

Defense Contract Management Agency’s International and Federal Business Division consists of a small number of team members, but their 50-year role in supporting America’s global network of allies has delivered security to the nation.

In providing contract administration services for all of the agency’s customers as part of the Department of Defense Central Control Point and the Reimbursable Management Team, they have managed an ever-expanding mission since 1968.

“Over 100 dedicated personnel have worked in the DoDCCP throughout the years,” said Mitchell Kuptz, director of the International and Federal Business Division. “They have brought and continue to bring a diverse background with professional skills to accomplish the mission of advancing our nation’s security goals and interests by supporting our allies.”

On Dec. 12, 1968, the Defense Supply Agency designated the DoDCCP to receive and process contract service requests from foreign governments and organizations and implement foreign military sales cases to recoup the costs in support of their direct commercial sales, or DCS, contracts. Over the years the DoDCCP’s mission expanded beyond foreign partner DCS support to include non-DoD and other federal agencies. In March 2000, DCMA was created and continued the role of supporting foreign DCS contacts, military departments’ foreign military sales cases, NASA and other non-federal agencies.

According to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the U.S. government benefits from transfers of military technology and capabilities to foreign governments. These types of sales also boosts the U.S. industrial base by “maintaining productivity, lowering overall defense systems’ costs and providing capital for innovation.”

Today the 10-member FBR/DoDCCP team is responsible for managing the agency’s reimbursable portfolio, which includes allied partner support that equates to approximately 12 percent of the agency’s overall workload and budget. They currently manage 33 FMS cases and hundreds of service requests supporting 17 foreign countries and NATO organizations.

“Here at the DoDCCP, we understand we are performing an important service,” said Thomas Mathews, the team’s country manager. “We all do our jobs to the best of our ability. Personally, I am very proud to be supporting the warfighter and our foreign partners. I never served in the military myself, so this is my way of serving my country.”

Mathews and his team support the DoD’s “Strengthen alliances and attract new partners” line of effort, which directly impacts the national defense strategy.

“We support DoD’s security cooperation mission to build and maintain our nation’s mutual and allied partners’ security interest,” said Robert Ketchum, international program manager and DoDCCP lead. “We provide support to both foreign military sales delegated by service buying commands, and foreign direct commercial sales contracts and international agreements, which directly contribute to strengthening alliances and attracting new partners.

“We work directly with our foreign partners to fully understand their requirements, coordinate the service request across the regional commands to support their U.S. defense acquisition procurements,” he continued. “Since its conception, the International and Federal Business Division/DoDCCP has managed tens-of-thousands of foreign partner requests in support of their DCS contracts, and hundreds of millions of dollars of funds in support of the agency’s reimbursable programs.”

All of this time, money and effort support strengthening old relationships and forging new partnerships among America’s global network of strategic partners.

“The DoDCCP has an on-going and strong relationship with our internal and external customers,” said Kuptz. “We continue to build and maintain our government’s and allied partners’ security interests.”