DOD has taken steps toward making fundamental changes in how it approaches the issue of operational contract support. In January 2011, the Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum in which he expressed concern about the risks introduced by DOD's current level of dependency on contractors, its future total force mix, and the need to better plan for operational contract support in the future.The Secretary outlined a number of actions needed to institutionalize the changes necessary to influence a cultural shift in how the department views, and accounts and plans for, contracted support in a contingency environment.