Operational Contract Support (OCS): Total Force Multiplier Training Enabler

In today’s complex operational environment, the U.S. military relies on a diverse range of capabilities to achieve mission success. A critical component of this is Operational Contract Support (OCS). OCS is the process of planning for and obtaining supplies, services, and construction from commercial sources to enable military operations across the competition continuum. It is not contracting; OCS is a strategic enabler that provides joint force commanders with flexible and agile options to achieve mission objectives.

OCS is essential for maximizing the effectiveness of the Total Force—which comprises active duty, reserve, civilian, and contracted personnel. By leveraging commercial capabilities, OCS provides:

• Increased Agility and Flexibility:  OCS allows commanders to rapidly access specialized skills and resources not readily available within the military, adapting to evolving operational needs and unforeseen contingencies.


• Enhanced Operational Reach:  Commercial partners can deploy rapidly, globally, or be hired locally to operate in areas where military presence may be limited, extending logistics and enabling operations in diverse environments.


• Reduced Logistical Burden:  OCS frees up military personnel and resources for core combat functions, allowing for greater focus on strategic priorities.


• Cost-Effectiveness:  Leveraging commercial capabilities can often be more cost-effective than developing and maintaining organic military capabilities—particularly for specialized or short-term requirements—and can rapidly adjust capacity to meet changing demand.


• Access to Cutting-Edge Technology:  Commercial vendors often drive innovation, offering access to the latest technologies and solutions that can enhance military capabilities.

However, effective OCS requires deliberate planning and execution across the entire staff. Integrating commercial capabilities presents risks and opportunities related to reliance, resilience, and potential adversarial competition for finite capacity. Understanding these complexities is crucial for successful implementation of OCS, and training enablers are essential.

Recognizing the strategic importance of OCS, the JS J4 Commercial Support to Operations Division (CSOD) developed a robust training program on Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) to augment their two-week in-person Joint OCS Planning and Execution Course (JOPEC). 

“We are immensely thankful for our partnership with JKO in delivering this vital online training. Their team of instructional design experts always manages to exceed our expectations for rapid response and highest-quality training products.”  COL Frankie J. Cruz, Division Chief – Commercial Support to Operations Division Joint Staff, Logistics Directorate (J-4).

The OCS suite of courses on JKO is designed to educate and train multiple stakeholders on the scope and scale of commercial capabilities and facilitate integrating them into operational planning.

• Understanding the OCS Process:  Participants learn the intricacies of planning, acquiring, and managing contracted support throughout the operational lifecycle.


• Identifying and Evaluating Commercial Capabilities:  The curriculum focuses on recognizing and assessing the potential of commercial vendors to fulfill military requirements.


• Risk Management and Mitigation:  Training addresses the inherent risks associated with relying on commercial partners, emphasizing strategies for mitigating potential disruptions.


• Interorganizational Collaboration:  The courses highlight the importance of effective communication and coordination among military components, government agencies, and commercial vendors.


• Strategic Implications:  Participants gain an understanding of the broader strategic implications of OCS, including its impact on national security and global competition.

By providing comprehensive training through platforms like JKO, DoD is investing in developing staff personnel capable of effectively leveraging commercial capabilities to enable campaigns and operations to achieve strategic advantage in an increasingly complex world. This expertise is essential for ensuring military readiness and responsiveness to future challenges.  

Joint Credit Pathway:

JS J-4 and JKO collaboration is introducing a new joint credit qualifying curriculum.  The Operational Contract Support (OCS) Curriculum (Joint Credit Pathway) offers four sequential courses (OCS I–IV) that build upon each other and provide personnel with 0.5 Joint Qualified Officer (JQO) credits. 

• OCS I – Leveraging Commercial Capabilities Across the Competition Continuum introduces the scope and scale of commercial capability and the importance of deliberately planning for those capabilities while balancing reliance, opportunities, risks, and resilience of Total Force operations to achieve strategic outcomes. This first course provides the rationale for “why” the Joint Staff developed Joint Publication 4-10, “Operational Contract Support,” doctrine for planning and managing commercial capabilities. 


• OCS II – Operational Contract Support Fundamentals provides the doctrinal foundation to harness potential commercial capability discussed in OCS I as contracted support. This doctrinal foundation includes fundamentals; principles/challenges; key terminology; roles/responsibilities; types of contracts; contracting authority vs. command authority; oversight; and ethics. 


• OCS III – Planning and Coordinating Responsibilities for Staffs provides “how to” instruction focused on roles and responsibilities related to implementing the joint planning process across all staff elements, performing contract support integration, organizing contracting support, and performing contractor management in accordance with doctrine. 


• OCS IV – Planning and Execution Responsibilities for OCS Practitioners provides “how to” instruction from an OCS practitioner’s viewpoint (OCS Integration Cell or OCS subject matter expert) on developing key OCS products during contract support integration, contracting support, and contractor management, during campaign, contingency, or crisis planning.

From planning and coordination to execution and through assessment, OCS ensures that our forces are equipped, supplied, and ready for any challenge.  In competition and conflict, OCS bridges the gap between command authority and commercial capability to achieve a Total Force Multiplier Effect.