Photo By Jose Rodriguez | Lt. Col. Jacob Bagwell, Commander, U.S. Army Mission Installation and Contracting...... read more read more
FORT BELVOIR, VA- The U.S. Army Mission Installation and Contracting Command Theater Support Center (MICC-TSC) and the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, hosted an in-person Industry Days on March 24 and 25, 2026 allowing interested vendors to see the current caisson wagons, discuss the challenges of the current caisson wagons, and tour Arlington National Cemetery to experience the challenges of using a 100-year-old caisson wagon design.
MICC-TSC in coordination with MICC-Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is leading the procurement to create a caisson wagon prototype. The initiative works to lessen adverse physical impacts on horses and simplify caisson supply and maintenance while retaining the historic aesthetic using Other Transaction Authority (OTA).
The MICC supports the Old Guard by purchasing all of the specialized equipment, training, and services they need to accomplish their ceremonial mission including the horses, tack, saddles, and many of the uniform items. For the horses, the MICC provides farrier services, boarding, hay, supplements, and other life support items. The MICC has supported the Old Guard caisson mission since 2008.
The caisson wagon is integral to the interment services in Arlington National Cemetery by The Old Guard. After testing a caisson wagon prototype, MICC-TSC plans to award a non-competitive, follow-on production OTA to purchase up to eight caisson wagons.
"These past two days really prove that you can't beat getting everyone together in the same location”, said Jessica Ecker, a MICC-TSC agreements specialist. “Seeing the horses move in person and then having these conversations with our government partners and with industry brings out questions you’d never get to on a virtual video meeting. It gives everyone a much fuller picture of the requirement, and we're leaving here knowing we've made real progress.”
Lt. Col. Jacob Bagwell has served as the MICC-Fort Belvoir commander since June 2025. He believes his team is providing an invaluable service to tactical commanders.
“By integrating contracting as a strategic lead function, we are providing our supported commands with an immediate tactical advantage,” Bagwell said. The partnership between Government and Industry is our greatest strategic advantage. Together, we are equipped to overcome the most complex operational challenges.”
MICC Fort Belvoir provides acquisition capability to the point of need, ensuring that mission requirements go unmet.
Capt. Katherine Dorminey, Equine Program Analyst, said, “The OTA approach is the perfect strategy to tackle the unique acquisition challenge for the Caisson Wagon. We essentially need a wagon that supports the historic aesthetic so iconic to this mission yet captures many of the engineering elements that emerged in the industry since the early 1900s”.
The OTA method allows to responsibly balance the design, engineering, production, and maintenance requirements needed to get the right product.
“We have every reason to expect that this acquisition effort will produce a wagon that both keeps horses healthy and provides distinguished funeral honors for the next several decades,” Dorminey said.
Jennifer Hastedt is a MICC-TSC agreements officer, an expert in working with non-traditional government contractors to provide innovative contracting solutions.
“Our interested vendors are non-traditional government contractors,” said Hastedt. “Understanding commercial business best practices is crucial to ensuring we award a successful agreement. Seeing the stables, the Soldiers practicing for their validation to participate in internment ceremonies and visualizing how the caisson wagon fits into the overall The Old Guard mission was vital.”
MICC anticipates issuing a request for prototype proposal in April 2026.
About the MICC Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. A subordinate command of the Army Contracting Command and the Army Materiel Command, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.13.2026 14:21 |
| Story ID: | 562595 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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