Contract Support
– Considering the ongoing budget cuts and force reductions, support whether the Army should or should not maintain its current level of reliance on contract support.
As part of the answer, describe some mitigation strategies that could be used to support either an increased or decreased reliance on contract support.
Utilize the following steps for answering the question in essay form:
1) Introduction paragraph: The introduction paragraph will contain the bottom line up front (BLUF), in which you state your position. For example: “The
objective of JCIDS is…” The BLUF is also known as the thesis, argument, or position in some academic works. In addition, you must include clarifying sentence(s),
that is a sentence or two that provide the overarching “because” for your BLUF. Keep it concise; real estate is at a premium in these short papers. Finally, you do
NOT need to restate the question in the introduction.
2) Develop paragraph: The develop paragraph is where you provide more depth to support or clarify your position to the reader. In this paragraph, you emphasize
the importance of the subject you are addressing; depending on the specific question, you will differentiate a particular subject from other options. For instance,
the F103 question asks you to explain which one of three phases will be the most impacted.
3) Application paragraph: The application paragraph is where you provide the “so what” or explain “how” the topic is applied or should be applied. This
application is crucial because most senior officers are really looking for how something impacts them or their organization. You can include an example of how
something is currently being done, or give a justification for how it should be done. For example in F101, you may have stated that developing adaptive leaders was
the most important priority; however, you may not have provided an example of a capability that is doing this, or is recommended to do this. Simply stated, be
prepared to provide evidence to support your position. Finally, provide a closing sentence; the closing sentence is the final sentence (maximum two) that restates or
reinforces your position.
