Army Contracting Support Enables Marine Operations Along Southern Border

July 21, 2026 | By U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command |

Contracting officers assigned to the U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command Southern Border Contract Team provided contract support to Marines assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment supporting Operation Ardent Vanguard. 

The MICC Southern Border Contracting Team is part of the Forward Contracting Element – West, Theatre Contracting Center – Americas, 410th Contracting Support Brigade, aligned under the MICC.

For the southern border mission and area of operation, the Marines do not have organic contracting units, making Army contracting support essential to their mission success.

The Army and Marine Corps maintain fluid communication channels and continuously reach out for mutual support in joint operations. With just under 100 service members maintaining patrols around the clock across demanding terrain, Company A depends on a steady stream of support services to stay in the fight.

"The Army contracting team has been instrumental to our mission success along the southern border," said Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Martin Hlinovsky III, a maintenance chief assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. "Their responsiveness in securing hotel arrangements that meet force protection requirements while reducing commute times has directly enhanced our operational readiness. We are extremely grateful for their contracting expertise and partnership in enabling our mission." 

The MICC Southern Border Contracting Team does not operate from a fixed Army post or camp. Instead, the contracting team deploys along the southern border and commutes to different locations to conduct site visits and reconnaissance for potential contracting needs. This mobile approach allows the team to be responsive to the dynamic operational environment. 

During the visit to Company A's operating location — a repurposed facility that presents unique support challenges — the team conducted a full review of the unit's basic life support services to assess where contracting is delivered and where gaps remain.

A key part of the visit was educating the Marines on the acquisition process and the proper channels available to resolve ongoing support challenges. The MICC team walked leaders through the fundamentals of contracting support and how they become actionable contract solutions. 

While these Marine-driven solutions speak to the unit's resourcefulness, they also highlight an opportunity for contracting to step in earlier so that Marines can invest their energy in the mission rather than in building makeshift solutions. Identifying these gaps is exactly why the MICC Southern Border team walks the ground. 

The MICC's greatest contributions have been relocating service members to hotels that meet force protection standards, reducing commute time and lessening the demand to stay for long durations in centralized or isolated locations.

Specific contracting support for the southern border includes lodging and conference rooms for Task Force Leviathan across San Diego; Yuma, Arizona; El Centro, California; and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. The support also includes sanitation services for Task Forces Forge, Mustang, Strike and the Army Reserve's 489th Engineer Battalion, as well as the Army National Guard's 168th Military Police Battalion and 941st Military Police Battalion units across Arizona and Texas locations. Infrastructure support includes portable office buildings, equipment rentals, wireless communications and battalion aid stations. Additionally, multilocation operations span the Rio Grande Valley, Del Rio, Brownsville and McAllen in Texas; and Nogales and Naco in Arizona.

Currently, the MICC Southern Border Contracting Team manages 19 active contracts valued at approximately $56 million in support of southern border operations. Through strategic contracting practices and effective negotiation, they have achieved $960,000 in cost savings in the past 30 days alone. 

Going forward, the MICC team is committed to anticipating requirements by staying engaged with the units on the ground rather than waiting for problems to surface, streamlining support for life-sustainment needs while empowering units with a working knowledge of the contracting process and the proper channels to use, and scaling infrastructure and support services to match the operational tempo and terrain. 

By walking the ground alongside the warfighters, the MICC team is better positioned to deliver the right capabilities, at the right time, in the right place.

DOW Identifies an Army Casualty

July 21, 2026 |

The Department of War announced the believed to be death of an active-duty Soldier who was supporting overseas operations in Jordan.

Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, is believed to have been killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. The incident is under investigation. U.S. Central Command previously announced this Soldier as missing. The Soldier status was updated to a Duty Status–Whereabouts Unknown and is believed to be deceased.

Sgt. Rampersad was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command, Ansbach, Germany.

For more information regarding Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, members of the media may contact U.S. Army Europe and Africa at media@army.mil.

New York Guardsmen, Greenland Airports Partner to Improve Lodging Facility

 July 21, 2026 | By Air Force Staff Sgt. Jocelyn Tuller, 109th Airlift Wing |

The New York Air National Guard, New York Army National Guard and Greenland Airports are working together to improve living conditions for airmen by repairing a long-standing roof issue at a lodging facility in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. 
 
The project adds a new pitched roof over the building's existing flat roof to stop water from leaking into the facility. There have been two rotations of 46 soldiers so far, and construction is expected to be completed in August, following three rotations of soldiers assigned to the New York Army National Guard's 1156th Engineer Company. 
 
The soldiers are vertical engineers who specialize in building construction, maintenance and upgrades. 
 
"We've known for years that there's problems with the roof," said Air Force Col. Eric Underhill, deputy commander of the 109th Airlift Wing. 
 
The 109th Airlift Wing conducts mission-essential training and provides remote resupply support across the Greenland ice sheet each year, beginning in April and running through August. 
 
Underhill began working with Greenland Airports two years ago to discuss facility improvements as part of a new operating agreement.

Greenland Airports, which owns the building, initially sought a contractor to complete the work. After no contractors accepted the project, Underhill proposed a partnership that would allow New York Army National Guard engineers to complete the construction during annual training.

Under the agreement, Greenland Airports designed the roof and purchased the construction materials, while the New York Army National Guard provided the labor. 
 
"This would not have happened if we didn't trust each other and we didn't have a good working relationship," Underhill said. 

 
Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Reid Duncan, an engineering technician assigned to the 1156th, worked with Underhill during multiple site visits to evaluate the project before construction began. 
 
The project builds on work completed by New York Army National Guard engineers during annual training last year. Underhill said the project demonstrated that the soldiers could successfully complete construction projects in Greenland's remote environment.  
 
Construction in Greenland requires months of planning, and the remote location creates additional challenges throughout construction. Underhill said logistics and sustainment make building in the region difficult. 
 
"If something breaks, or you are short on material, it is a long turnaround to get a replacement," Duncan said. 

 
Rather than removing the existing roof, the soldiers are building a new pitched roof over the original flat roof. The new design will direct water away from the building instead of through the interior drainage system that contributed to years of leaks. 
 
"Jobs like this really show them what real construction is like," Duncan said. "We're not just building a 10-by-10 shed; this is a big job." 
 
Underhill said the completed roof represents more than a construction project. The project gives soldiers valuable experience completing a large-scale construction project while improving living conditions for airmen supporting the 109th Airlift Wing's Arctic missions. 

DOW Identifies an Army Casualty

July 21, 2026 |

The Department of War announced the death of an active-duty Soldier who was supporting overseas operations in Iraq.

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed in action during a controlled detonation of a downed One-Way Unmanned Aerial System on July 19, 2026, at Erbil Air Base, Iraq. The incident is under investigation.

Sgt. Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

For more information regarding Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, members of the media may contact the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command at usarmy.redstone.smdc.list.public-affairs@army.mil.