In this third of three interviews, Major Steven Beaumont talks about serving as the executive officer for the 57th Signal Battalion on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, from September 2006 through November 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He discusses coordinating with the unit they would replace, a loading at the rail yard so successful that the lead contractors pointed it out to a general officer, allowing the individual companies the independence to conduct their own reliefs in place, and the formation of a battalion evaluation team to ensure the companies were following guidance and were administratively correct. He also talks about spending an inordinate amount of time hashing out logistical issues with the brigade, an instance when the valid communications requirements of a unit could not be met, a battalion maintenance team which he relied on, and the positive relationship they had with a contractor. He closes the interview by stating that the training needs for a staff need to be identified and addressed prior to deployment.

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