Analysis of Personnel Career Development Practices within the United States Marine Corps Contingency Contracting Force

Increased operational tempo, workforce reductions, and demanding legislation are creating a challenging environment for enlisted personnel serving in the contingency contracting force. Each branch of the U.S. military has responded differently to these challenges. The United States Marine Corps is heavily dependent upon enlisted personnel who are assigned the 3044 Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) to perform contingency contracting. This thesis explores the current environment, within which these contingency contracting Marines operate, and analyzes the affect this environment is having on their career development. The study begins with an examination of the historical development of contingency contracting, and a reviews Government commissions that called for reform, which resulted in the establishment of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA). The research then describes the requirements levied against contracting personnel under DAWIA and how they affect the enlisted military personnel. With this framework in place the study then evaluates the resulting approach to utilizing enlisted personnel for contingency contracting within the Military Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines). This evaluation focuses on the organizational structure, education opportunities, training, career development, and employment of enlisted personnel within each of these Military Services and how this understanding can improve the career development of 3044s.Naval Postgraduate School Monterey CA Graduate School of Business and Publicpolicy is the author of 'Analysis of Personnel Career Development Practices within the United States Marine Corps Contingency Contracting Force', published 2002 under ISBN 9781423505853 and ISBN 1423505859.