COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –
Civilian deployments can be stressful to navigate. As employees prepare to enter a foreign environment, administrative tasks and responsibilities add opportunities to overwhelm. This stress can impact deployment newcomers and veterans equally.
When Sarah Runnells, a contract price and cost analyst for Defense Contract Management Agency Cost and Pricing Command, deployed to the Middle East in 2023, she eluded stressful obstacles and felt prior to departure – the agency’s pre-deployment training ensured it.
Such positive outcomes are directly related to the work of DCMA’s Combat Support Center, or CSC, which is responsible for ensuring personnel are properly prepared prior to deployment.
“The support provided by the CSC team was vitally important," Runnells said. "The support provided allowed me to focus more on the deployment and less on all the admin tasks of deployment. Civilians deployed through other agencies didn’t have the same level of support and seemed stressed, as they had to figure out issues with their pay, timecards, and travel vouchers on their own. After witnessing what they had to endure, I was very grateful to be a part of DCMA while on deployment.”
Runnells deployed to Kuwait and Jordan from September 2023 until August 2024, her second trip to the Middle East following a prior deployment on active duty with the Air Force.
“I answered an email looking for volunteers seeking to deploy," she said. "The preparation process spanned over six months and was time consuming. The support of the CSC made the process seem easy. Based on prior experience with deployments, I felt prepared to deploy this time.”
Runnells deployed as an Operational Contract Support Integration Cell, or OCSIC, planner, working as a business liaison.
“I supported the Department of Defense mission as a business liaison between the funding offices, the units in the field, and leadership on the approval or disapproval of efforts to be funded and contracted,” she said. “My deployment experience was positive because I remembered how to make lemonade out of lemons and remained flexible.”
Her experience included challenges, however, with funding processes and working alongside people with different backgrounds providing occasional obstacles.
“The most challenging aspect of my job while deployed was fully understanding the different funding processes regarding funding for non-tactical vehicles, relocatable buildings, and regular purchase requests,” Runnells said. “The second challenging aspect was working with people from assorted backgrounds throughout multiple countries and time zones. Needless to say, good communication skills are needed to be successful on deployment.”
Runnells said her most important function was helping the nation’s warfighters achieve their missions through timely acquisition of essential equipment.
“What I did was important to the warfighters because I facilitated receipt of goods and services without delay,” she said. “Delays would have left certain elements in the field without vehicles and contractor personnel in support of Central Command and Special Operations Command mission requirements.”
Runnells recommends a deployment to all DCMA personnel and looks back on her journey with great fondness.
“I enjoyed my time on deployment, met great people, and became a subject matter expert as an OCSIC member,” Runnells said. “I gained a deeper understanding of funding by working closely with multiple offices while working on skills guiding people through the acquisition process, whether it be a lieutenant, or a general.”