JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Leaders and staff of the Field Directorate Office Fort Sam Houston and the 410th Contracting Brigade held a tabletop exercise on January 22, 2026, to discuss the transition of the 410th CSB from the U.S. Army Contracting Command to the U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command as part of ongoing Army Transformation.
Effective January 15, 2026, Brig. Gen. Freddy Adams, commanding general MICC, assumed command authority over 410th CSB in support of the Army's comprehensive transformation strategy and ACC’s efforts to optimize contracting support for global operations, enhance integration with supported commands and align with national defense and Army priorities.
“We are proud to welcome the 410th Contracting Support Brigade— co-located with us here at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston”, said Adams. “They are now officially attached to MICC as part of Army Contracting Command’s plan to better support U.S. Army operations in the Western Hemisphere. This strategic integration strengthens our ability to deliver responsive, expeditionary contracting where it matters most.”
The MICC currently comprises four other brigade-level organizations including FDO-Fort Sam Houston (FDO-FSH), FDO-Fort Eustis in Virginia, the 418th CSB at Fort Campbell and the 419th CSB at Fort Bragg. A primary area of support for MICC’s newest brigade is direct support of the newly established Army Western Hemisphere Command (WHC), which now encompasses . U.S. Army North (ARNORTH) and U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH) mission sets –focusing on homeland defense, defense support of civil authorities (DSCA) and strengthening relationships with western hemisphere allies and partners across WHC’s areas of responsibility. Col. Kenneth Bulthuis, who assumed command of the 410th CSB in June 2024, says the tabletop exercise (TTX) reinforced that his team is ready for the transition after months of preparation.
“After months of planning and coordination for the mission transition from FDO-FSH to 410th CSB, this successful TTX confirmed conditions are met for us to provide effective contract solutions for the operational needs of WHC across both the Northern Command and Southern Command areas of responsibility,” Bulthuis said. “The 410th CSB is integrated with key leaders and stand ready to continue to represent ACC interests in direct support of our nation’s number one priority – homeland defense.”
Over that past year FDO-FSH provided contract mission support to ARNORTH across a wide range of high-stakes missions. Since the beginning of fiscal year 2025, FDO-FSH awarded over 100 contracts valued at approximately $2 billion supporting ARNORTH for training and exercises, defense of civil authority and federal protection and the Dept. of Homeland Defense. Much of those tasks will now fall to the 410th CSB.
“FDO-FSH’s participation in the ACC tabletop exercise was instrumental in preparing for the mission's transitioning to the 410th Contracting Support Brigade,” said Col Randy Garcia, Director, FDO-FSH. “By building the exercise scenarios with detailed, real-world experiences, FDO-FSH ensured the continuity of contract support and operational readiness for U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command. I am extremely proud of this team's professionalism, synchronization, and phenomenal execution of contracting support to ARNORTH.”
Lt. Col Katrina Patton, the deputy MICC G3/5/7, attended the tabletop exercise along with other members of her team. She said the event was an important step in the new command relationship.
“It was a true measure of leadership working together fostering a shared understanding and collaborative effort across diverse teams all in support of the Western Hemisphere Command,” Patton said.
The transition of the 410th CSB is proceeding in phases. MICC G3/5/7 is coordinating with ACC, FDO-FSH, and the 410th CSB to ensure a smooth changeover and ongoing mission support. Adams explained the importance of the deliberate phases and conducting the coordination exercise.
“Exercises like this tabletop are critical to ensuring our teams are synchronized and ready to execute complex missions without disruption,” Adams said. “By bringing together the 410th Contracting Support Brigade, FDO–Fort Sam Houston, and our supported commands, we are building shared understanding, reinforcing unity of effort, and ensuring responsive contracting support where and when the Army needs it most.”
For more information about the MICC visit https://www.army.mil/micc.
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.