So you want to be an OEF/OIF contractor? (part 2)

Part 2 in our series on the in depth information you need to think about if you are considering being a OEF/OIF contractor.

Where to work

OEF/OIF generally involves all of the countries in an arc from Djibouti on the horn of Africa to Afghanistan. Weather varies from blazing hot low elevation desert to very high mountain locations with heavy snow and rain. If you are sensitive to allergies and airborne pollutants you generally want to avoid all of it except Iraq and Afghanistan and you want to prefer Afghanistan. The worst combination of pollution and airborne dust is in Kuwait spreading southward with the pollution dropping rapidly as you move north into Iraq. Though I imagine the air quality is not great in Baghdad, I've only spent a few hours there.

Alcohol

Alcohol is absolutely forbidden in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Alcohol is legal in Iraq and Afghanistan, though it is technically forbidden to US personnel, including most contractors, by General Order #1. Alcohol is generally available in limited quantities in the rest of the Middle East, though I have no idea about Djibouti. There is a thriving black market for Alchohol in Iraq and Afghanistan among US personnel that ranges from open and ignored to hidden and hunted. In either case, alcohol can be a quick and easy way to get fired in Iraq and Afghanistan. As with most prohibitions, the stricter the prohibition, the more eggregious the abuse.

Living Conditions

Living conditions vary wildly from 6' x 8' "rooms" in plywood huts in Afghanistan to 12' x 15' trailers with private bathrooms and showers in parts of Iraq, to apartments in Kuwait, to private or shared villas (3000 sf+) in Qatar. Living conditions are the most varied in Iraq with generally the best and the worst in Baghdad where you can live in an open tent for months on a waiting list to move into a private or shared trailer or residence. Your living conditions are very dependent on your GS rating, one of the reasons it is so important.

Many companies have sidestepped the living situation in the more volatile (housing wise) areas, like Baghdad, and made arragements with trailers or residences so their employees can bypass the waiting lists for housing. Be careful to have a very frank conversation with your recruiter and get as much in writing as reasonable. I've known of people that ended up living 8 months of a 12 month contract in an open bay tent (no privacy or security).

Personal Security

Personal security is another big concern. These vary in more ways than you would think. We work for a large IT services company that has been operating in the region for many years and has had personnel on the ground pretty much from day one in Afghanistan and Iraq. During the past five and a half years of comabt operations by our company, with more than one thousand employees, the company has had only one combat casualty, from a mortar attack in Iraq. In contrast, the company has had several employees killed driving in Kuwait. For on base contractors your biggest danger comes in spending any time off base. Driving in the Middle East is very dangerous in general, and the wide open highways in Kuwait are among the deadliest highways in the world.

While Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan is among the safest places in the world, with virtually no crime or hostility inside the base, we do not miss out on the soundtrack of war, where active demining and "the aerial gunnery range is now hot" provide a regular background rumble that can really enhance you movie watching experience. Other areas in Iraq and Afghanistan range from much more concerning, where rockets and or mortars are being lobbed in your general direction on a daily basis to areas in Northern Iraq where the sounds of war are non-existant beyond hearing range of the firing range. Hostilities outside of Iraq and Afghanistan are virtually non-existent. You can guage the hostility by the State Department hazardous duty and displacement pay bonus ranging from 70% in Iraq and Afghanistan to 25-30% in Kuwait to 10% in Qatar.

Food and other amenities

At this point, most of the food is prepared by KBR. They start with fair to good ingredients but they are generally required to cook everything to a state of bland oblivion for "safety". Air Force bases are generally considered to have best food. Coalition bases also provide some variety ranging from Basrah, in Southern Iraq, which has only British food, to the Korean base in central Iraq, which has only Korean food, to mixed bases like Bagram which features KBR, Air Force, Korean, and Arabic dining. All of this food is generally free, so you do get what you pay for.

Most bases also have private food vendors. I have yet to visit a base that does not have a Subway, and almost all have a Green Beans coffee. I have also seen Pizza Hut, Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, and Dairy Queen. The quality of these varies but they are generally better than the free food most days. If you are lucky you will also have access to MRE's, not so much for quality, but variety.

Every base has one or many gyms available with wildly varying quality of gym equipment. The quality and availability of MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Readiness) centers vary wildly from non-existant to those with open computers, video game machines and DSN phones. Some MWR's regularly play movies on large projection screens and some bases have full fledged movie theaters. Some MWR's claim to be restricted to military personnel only, but they are supposed to be open to all US personnel. Just be kind and considerate, some of them have had very bad experiences with contractors that are abusive to the equipment and facilities. Some bases will also have USO facilities with movies, lending libraries and Internet access. Just remember the MWR and USO facilities are run strictly by volunteers, usually with donated equipment and their priority customer is US military personnel.

Internet Access

Internet access generally sucks. The first rule to remember is never, ever, never plug any of your personal technology into the military networks. If you plug your laptop into the military network it will be uncerimoniously confiscated and wiped. You will not get to backup your files and you may get fired. The same goes for ipods, cameras, pdas, etc. If you really screw up and plug your device into a classified network it will be promptly destroyed, smashed, and otherwise mangled. You will not be compensated and you will probably be fired. Just keep your gear away from work, period.

Most bases have some kind of personal Internet service available for a fee. This service is usually an AAFES concessionaire that has paid for a general monopoly. It's usually functional enough for email and general surfing but that's about it. the way to go is satelite Internet, which costs $1500+ for the equipment and several hundred dollars a month. If you are lucky there is a group near, or in, your living quarters that you can buy into their satelite service and get good access for about a hundred dollars a month, just don't abuse it or you will get blacklisted. If you are going to be in one location for a year or more and you are able to setup a satelite Internet dish, generally about three feet in diameter, making the investment when you first get there will pay off by the time you leave. Also keep your eyes and ears open for someone that is leaving and selling their gear.

That's most of what I have time for part two: where to work. Tomorrow I'll dive into jobs and companies with as much knowledge as I have from talking to people that work for the various companies.