CONDO

CONTRACTORS ON DEPLOYED OPERATIONS

riki page - CONDO

CONDO - CONTRACTORS ON DEPLOYED OPERATIONS

Known History

CONDO arose from the UK Ministry of Defence’s need to ensure that the growing number of civilian contractors deploying alongside armed forces, in logistics, engineering, communications, medical, and other support roles were properly prepared for the operational environment and met a consistent, auditable standard.

There is no single founding date. CONDO is best understood as the latest phase of a privatisation programme that the MOD itself traces back to the early 1980s, when Civil Service manpower targets first pushed the Ministry to put work out to contract in 1981, accelerating through the 1991 Competing for Quality White Paper. Industry had supported deployed forces on an ad-hoc basis during the 1990–91 Gulf War and the Bosnia and Kosovo campaigns, but the MOD lacked a coherent and agreed policy for its use.

The turning point was the 1998 Strategic Defence Review - the UK’s blueprint for transforming the armed services for post-Cold War expeditionary operations which stated that wherever appropriate the MOD “will consider the use of contractors to assist with logistic support.” This is the moment systematic, coherent contractor policy began to emerge.

That imperative manifested itself in 2003, when MOD directives instructed forces to “maximise the use of contractors” during operations in Iraq (Op Telic). It is here against the demands of Iraq and, soon after, Afghanistan (Op Herrick), that CONDO came of age as a recognisable, named operating model rather than an ad-hoc arrangement.

The model was then codified into the regulated form used today. The Defence Standard DEF STAN 05-129 - Contractors on Deployed Operations (CONDO) Processes and Requirements has an identifiable Issue 2 published in 2007, with the current active issue dated 30 June 2013. Alongside it, the contractual condition DEFCON 697 (current edition 07/13) is applied to all contractors deploying into an operational area.

Together these two instruments - DEFCON 697 (the contractual condition requiring CONDO compliance) and DEF STAN 05-129 (the Defence Standard defining the training competencies), governed under JSP 567, make CONDO a contractual and legal obligation rather than a discretionary course.

WHAT IS A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT...-.

CONDO: Understanding the environment is key to knowing the landscape and anticipating what to expect. This is essential reading for anyone operating in culture complex environments.

Structure

CONDO is delivered at levels matched to the risk of the deployment: a three-day High Risk course, a two-day Low–Medium Risk course. Certification must be held before deployment and kept current. The CONDO Annual Refresher Training (ART) is a one/two-day course that re-establishes the required competencies; delegates must already hold a current CONDO (IPDT) certificate to attend. Reputable courses will comprehensively cover the competencies defined in DEFSTAN 05-129, commonly referenced as D5–D10 and EC1–EC11.9

Important:

Unlike HEAT, HEFAT and SAFE - CONDO is formally standardised by the MOD. When booking, confirm the provider explicitly delivers against DEFCON 697 and DEF STAN 05-129 and issues a certificate.

UK Ministry of Defence, DEF STAN 05-129 “Contractors on Deployed Operations (CONDO) Processes and Requirements” (current issue 30 June 2013).
Uttley, M., “Contractors on Deployed Military Operations: United Kingdom Policy and Doctrine”, US Army War College/Strategic Studies Institute (2005).
DEFSTAN 05-129/2 (2007), “Contractors on Deployed Operations (CONDO) Processes and Requirements” (Issue 2, 2007).
UK Government Contracts Finder, contract terms listing “DEFCON 697 (Edn 07/13) Contractor on Deployed Operations (CONDO)”.

Content

THESE COURSES ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO PREPARE PARTICIPANTS FOR OPERATING IN HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS

TYPICAL MODULES INCLUDE:

THE DEPLOYED MILITARY ENVIRONMENT ?

OPERATIONAL SECURITY AND PERSONAL SAFETY ON OPERATIONS ?

HOSTILE FORCES, TERRORISM AWARENESS Guidance on survival strategies during active events.

CULTURAL AWARENESS ?

CHECKPOINTS, CONVOYS AND MOVEMENT ?

FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES ?

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS ?

CBRN AWARENESS ?

OPERATIONAL SECURITY ?

LOCAL CRIME AWARENESS ?

Contractors on Deployed Operations

CONDO / SAFE+

- KNOW THE ENVIRONMENT 🢃

DURATION FORMAT LOCATION INVESTMENT
4 Days Residential Longmoore, Hampshire £1,000 - £1,800

HOW ROCKY ROAD RESILIENCE DELIVERS IT BETTER

CONDO is governed by formal UK Ministry of Defence standards (DEFCON 697 and DEF STAN 05-129, under JSP 567). We provide realism of the suggested scenarios providing context for the operational world contractors will actually deploy into. At Rocky Road Resilience we treat CONDO as a genuine duty of care, not a certificate-printing exercise and our RiCE® methodology raises the bar on how that defined standard is met.

RiCE® takes the mandated CONDO competencies (commonly referenced as D5–D10 and EC1–EC11) and delivers them with the rigour the Defence Standard intends. Every core fundamental is there - operational security, risk management, military procedures and communication, threat and hostile-force awareness, weapon, IED and landmine awareness, first aid and emergency response, checkpoints and convoys, evacuation planning and CBRN. But we stress-test each element against the modern operational landscape so contractors are prepared for the theatre as it is today, not as a generic template assumes it to be.

Here is what that looks like in practice:

Traditional foundations, modernised. - We keep every life-saving fundamental a credible CONDO course must cover, then pressure-test it against today's threats - digital surveillance, civil unrest, drone awareness and mental resilience, so nothing is taught simply because it always has been.

01

The wider threat landscape. - RiCE™ broadens the CONDO understanding beyond hostile environments to the realities of complex deployments and activities, helping participants recognise and manage the full range of risks they will actually encounter.

02

Never online. - This is an awareness course, we have a responsibility to make sure learning is taking place in context. An online version will only inform, it does not allow participants to become intrinsically aware - it would be irresponsible for us, or anyone, to run or accept anything other than face-to-face delivery. We combine classroom learning with micro-immersive scenario-based exercises and refuse to reduce life-saving training to a "tick-box" activity.

03

Context and Wellbeing. - Scenarios are delivered within controlled, professionally risk-assessed conditions. Scenarios are micro-immersive to maximise learning and reduce exposure, we are not a Hollywood production. Each participant is supported to engage within their own physical and emotional limits.