STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2026

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

The Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency
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The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has a proud history of supporting the Warfighter. 

Since DLA’s founding in 1961, we have remained true to two core principles, providing 

“effective logistics support to the operating forces of our military services” and doing so at 

the “lowest possible cost to the taxpayer.” 

We live in such a complex, rapidly-changing world; DLA must continuously review its 

strategy to meet global mission requirements as prescribed by the Department of Defense. 

This strategic plan reaffirms and extends our commitment to Warfighter readiness and 

lethality and to self-accountability. The plan describes five lines of effort that DLA will 

leverage to provide global, end-to-end supply chain solutions. 

Warfighter First: Strengthen Service and Combatant Command Readiness and Lethality

Global Posture: Prepared for Immediate Action

Strong Partnerships: Leverage the Joint Logistics Enterprise, Interagency, Industry,

 and Partner and Allied Nations

Whole of Government: Support to the Nation

Always Accountable: Assured Supply Chain, Financial and Process Excellence

Our world-class workforce, both military and civilian, are at the heart of our ability to deliver results. I truly believe people and 

culture is the “secret sauce” of DLA, and it is indispensable to the success of our Agency. In coordination with our strategic 

partners, I have complete confidence in this team’s ability to support our men and women in uniform and other valued customers. 

My confidence rests upon the understanding of “why” our people do what they do – to serve the Warfighter and our Nation.

DLA remains a bold, forward-leaning, and innovative organization. Our strength lies in collective, synchronized action and 

fierce dedication to mission accomplishment by every member of the team. Please join me in furthering the legacy of our 

Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency. 

Secretary of Defense Priorities ..........3

DLA Mission ...............................3

DLA Vision ..................................3

Why............................................3

Core Values.................................3

About DLA .........................................4

LOEs and Objectives..........................6

Warfighter First ..........................7

Global Posture.............................8

Strong Partnerships....................9

Whole of Government ............. 10

Always Accountable................. 11

People and Culture ......................... 12

People Objectives ................... 12

Culture Objectives ................... 13

Executing the Plan................... 13

Glossary of Terms ........................... 14

Director’s Call To Action .................. 15

LTG Darrell K. Williams

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

DIRECTOR’S INTENT

DARRELL K. WILLIAMS

Lieutenant General, U.S. Army

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WARFIGHTER FIRST!
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan efense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 3

DLA’s MISSION

Sustain Warfighter readiness and lethality by delivering proactive global logistics in peace and war.

DLA’s VISION

We are the Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency ... Global, Agile, and Innovative; Focused on the Warfighter First!

WHY

To serve the Warfighter and our Nation!

CORE VALUES

Leadership, Professionalism, and Technical Knowledge through Dedication to Duty,

Integrity, Ethics, Honor, Courage, and Loyalty.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PRIORITIES

• Restore Military Readiness as We Build a More Lethal Force • Strengthen Alliances and Attract New Partners • 

• Bring Business Reforms to the Department of Defense •

PEOPLE AND CULTURE ARE AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO

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PEOPLE AND CULTURE ARE AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO
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ABOUT DLA

As the Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency, the 

Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) manages the global supply 

chain – from raw materials to end user to disposition – for 

the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 10 

Combatant Commands (CCMDs), other federal agencies, 

and partner and allied nations. DLA sources and provides 

nearly all the consumable items America’s military forces 

need to operate, from food, fuel and energy to uniforms, 

medical supplies, and construction material.

DLA also supplies 86 percent of the military’s spare parts 

and nearly 100 percent of fuel, manages the reutilization 

of military equipment, provides catalogs and other logistics 

information products, and offers document automation 

and production services to a host of military and federal 

agencies. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, DLA is a 

global enterprise – wherever the Nation has a significant 

military presence, DLA is there to support.

DLA accomplishes this with the dedicated men and 

women of its Major Subordinate Commands (MSCs). Four of 

these MSCs acquire and provide supplies and services: DLA 

Troop Support, DLA Land and Maritime, DLA Aviation and 

DLA Energy. In addition, DLA Distribution provides storage 

and distribution services, while DLA Disposition Services 

provides “reverse logistics,” disposing of surplus or excess 

materiel from the military services and DLA. One-star 

general/flag officers or members of the Senior Executive 

Service lead these organizations. They are directly 

responsible for meeting customer needs and report to the 

three-star DLA Director. 

Through a network of more than 12,000 suppliers (80 

percent of them small businesses), DLA:

• Provides more than $34 billion in goods 

and services annually

• Manages nine supply chains and about 5 million items

• Supports more than 2,300 weapon systems

• Employs about 25,000 civilians and military 

personnel

• Directly serves CCMDs through dedicated 

liaisons and regional commands

• Coordinates a global distribution network with 

U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)

• Administers the storage and disposal of strategic 

and critical materials to support national defense

• Operates in most states and 28 countries

• Manages distribution centers worldwide

• Supports disaster response and humanitarian 

relief efforts at home and abroad

• Delivers $4.2 billion worth of Whole of Government 

support, which includes state and local governments

• Supports 110 nations with $2 billion in foreign 

military sales
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan efense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 5

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

FORT BELVOIR, VA

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

OF DEFENSE

DLA PACIFIC

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI

DLA CENTCOM & SOCOM

MacDill Air Force Base, FL

DLA EUROPE & AFRICA

Kaiserslautern, Germany

DLA AVIATION

Richmond, VA

Provides repair parts 

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Fort Belvoir, VA

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DLA DISPOSITION SERVICES

Battle Creek, MI

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DLA LAND AND MARITIME

Columbus, OH

Provides repair parts

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DLA TROOP SUPPORT

Philadelphia, PA

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DLA LINES OF EFFORT

U.S. interests are global, and our logistics presence 

must address a dynamic security environment and 

posture for future contingencies. Our support must ensure 

victory against a trans-regional multi-domain threat in an 

increasingly complex global environment.

We have identified five lines of effort in this strategic plan to 

serve as our roadmap:

LOE 1: WARFIGHTER FIRST 

Strengthen Service and Combatant Command Readiness 

and Lethality

LOE 2: GLOBAL POSTURE 

Prepared for Immediate Action

LOE 3: STRONG PARTNERSHIPS

Leverage the Joint Logistics Enterprise (JLEnt), 

Interagency, Industry, and Partner and Allied Nations

LOE 4: WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT 

Support to the Nation

LOE 5: ALWAYS ACCOUNTABLE

Assured Supply Chain, Financial, and Process Excellence

DLA Technology, Innovation and Data Management

strategies follow several core tenets: shifting to commercial IT 

solutions and cloud-based services; promoting the collection 

and analysis of the right data to facilitate optimum decision 

making; and improving processes to enhance our agility.

People and Culture are at the heart of everything we 

do. Without the great work our people do every day, we 

can’t execute our mission. The DLA People and Culture 

Plan (P&CP) identifies objectives to acquire, develop, 

engage and retain our diverse, skilled and agile workforce. 

Success requires fostering an organizational culture that 

values high performance and quality at the individual and 

enterprise levels.

We must build and sustain a culture that values innovation 

to shape the future of logistics.

Our first priority is continuing to improve 

Warfighter Readiness.

 — Secretary of Defense James Mattis

AVIATION

LAND

MARITIME

ENERGY
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LINES OF EFFORT AND OBJECTIVES

 WARFIGHTER FIRST: 

Strengthen Service and CCMD Readiness 

and Lethality

Our number one priority is sustaining the full range of military 

operations in an increasingly complex global environment. 

Objective 1.1: Nuclear Enterprise 

– Support the DoD Nuclear Enterprise to ensure deterrence 

forces remain safe, secure, reliable and ready. Our adversaries 

increasingly present a nuclear threat. We will continue to 

strengthen support to the Nuclear Enterprise. 

Objective 1.2: Readiness and Lethality 

– Link performance to Service and CCMD Readiness and 

Lethality. DLA must be ready to support Warfighters engaged 

in any possible operation while achieving the efficiencies our 

Nation and customers expect. We will prioritize wargame and 

exercise participation, training, and realistic logistics scenarios 

that ensure we validate our Concepts of Operations (CONOPs). 

Objective 1.3: Address Risk 

– Ensure readiness and lethality across the end-to-end 

supply chain by reducing risk, improving efficiency, and 

optimizing retail and industrial support. DLA will continue 

to address risk areas (operational, cyber security, terrorism, 

counterfeiting) across Major Subordinate Commands (MSCs) 

and improve supply chain resiliency and security.

Objective 1.4: Predictive Technology 

– Anticipate and position solutions for Warfighter 

requirements by combining big data, predictive analytics, 

automation, artificial intelligence, sustained supply chain 

visibility and continuous communication. Through employment 

of trend analysis and predictive algorithms, DLA is able to 

consistently predict and position the right logistics solution on 

time, every time.

Objective 1.5: Warfighter Trust

– Continually earn the Warfighter’s trust as the Nation’s 

combat logistics provider. DLA will make it fast and easy for 

Warfighters to work with our Agency by quickly understanding 

our customers’ current requirements and anticipating their 

future needs. 

W

Strengt
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While there is no way to guarantee peace, 

the surest way to prevent war is to be 

prepared to win one.

— Secretary of Defense James Mattis

GLOBAL POSTURE: 

Prepared for Immediate Action

DLA’s logistics presence and posture must enable the 

Nation’s ability to protect its global interests. The speed and 

complexity of global crises require resilient networks, robust 

partnerships, and quickly integrated teams. We will position 

resources for rapid use, build more deployable capabilities, 

and strengthen our partnerships using integrated logistics and 

contracting services. 

Objective 2.1: Strategic Positioning

– Strategically position DLA capabilities where the 

Warfighter needs them most. DLA supports Service Members 

around the world by providing comprehensive logistics 

support and services, even in the most austere environments. 

Objective 2.2: Single Point of Entry

– Ensure DLA regional commands, customer liaisons and 

CONUS-based organizations synchronize DLA capabilities with 

their supported CCMD and customers. We will resource, train 

and equip these vital teams for their essential role in presenting 

a single point of entry for all DLA support and services. 

Objective 2.3: Expeditionary Capabilities

– Exercise and deploy DLA Expeditionary Capabilities. We 

are highly deployable and always ready to meet missions in 

war and peace across the globe. We will sustain and extend 

the capabilities of our Rapid Deployment Teams, DLA Support 

Teams, Expeditionary Contracting Mission Support Teams, 

Deployable Depots, Disposal Support Units, and Mobile 

Communications Teams. DLA participates in joint training 

exercises to synchronize our joint logistics capabilities with 

U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) and other key 

partners for real-world operations. 

Objective 2.4: Expanded Solutions

– Expand the availability and use of logistics solutions to 

enable immediate action. DLA will use big data to provide 

accurate demand forecasts, stock levels and positioning to 

enable rapid responses to emerging Military Service and 

CCMD requirements. Our flexible, responsive contracting and 

global services contracts bring additional capability to the 

fight when conditions warrant.

Objective 2.5: Joint Reserve Force

– Enhance the DLA Joint Reserve Force’s integration with 

DLA’s Expeditionary Capability and operations. Global operations 

include complex differences across cultural, language, regional 

and physical environments. DLA will integrate the Joint Reserve 

Force into all DLA expeditionary operations to capitalize on its 

members’ unique and diverse skills.

RAPID DEPLOYMENT TEAMS

DISTRIBUTION

DISPOSAL SUPPORT UNITS
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 STRONG PARTNERSHIPS: 

Leverage the Joint Logistics Enterprise,

Interagency, Industry, and Partner and 

Allied Nations

Mission accomplishment requires close collaboration 

and strong relationships with critical stakeholders: the Joint 

Logistics Enterprise (JLEnt), other government partners, 

suppliers and our allies. We must sustain our partnerships and 

synchronize our efforts with these entities to help DoD and the 

Nation address immediate needs and long-term challenges.

Objective 3.1: JLEnt Partnerships 

– Partner across the JLEnt to improve support for current 

and emerging requirements. Basing our efforts on Joint 

Publication 4.0, we will strengthen our partnerships through 

engagement with JLEnt entities and cooperatively facilitate 

progress toward mutual goals, objectives, and expectations 

of our partners. 

Objective 3.2: DOD and Interagency Partnerships 

– Collaborate with DoD and interagency partners to 

develop solutions that optimize DLA support to sustainment 

operations, government efficiency, support to major 

acquisition programs, business reform and policy objectives. 

Our focus on developing solutions and building relationships 

brings a full range of capabilities to the long-term, strategic 

goals of the U.S. government. 

Objective 3.3: Industry Partnerships

– Work with industry to ensure a capable defense 

industrial base, generate innovative and efficient solutions, 

and maintain a secure and resilient supply chain. By 

building on our strong relationships with industry partners 

we’ll deliver cost-effective, innovative solutions. An agency 

supplier engagement plan will guide us. We will continuously 

assess the strength of our industrial capabilities and develop 

responses to vulnerabilities, reduce single points of failure 

and implement best practices. 

Objective 3.4: Public Engagement

– Engage with public entities to increase understanding and 

awareness of DLA’s mission and operations. In collaboration 

with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), we will 

actively engage with Congress, advisory boards, public 

media, and other stakeholders to facilitate partnerships, raise 

awareness of DLA operations and highlight our contributions 

to the Nation.

JOINT LOGISTICS ENTERPRISE 

INTERAGENCY PARTNERS

INDUSTRY
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 WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT:

Support to the Nation

DLA’s global network and expertise in supply chain 

management can improve efficiency and increase 

effectiveness of our Whole of Government partners. 

Collaboration ensures a healthy, viable base of suppliers 

able to surge when needed. Working alongside these Whole 

of Government partners in domestic and international 

operations, DoD and DLA strengthen their ability to serve 

national interests. 

Objective 4.1: Crisis Response 

– Strengthen the crisis-response and contingency 

operations of our Whole of Government partners. DLA team 

members plan, organize and train to mutually support swift 

interagency response by proactively engaging with federal, 

state and local organizations. Drawing on our extensive 

supply chain partnerships, we develop processes, actions and 

policies that enable agile, rapid responses. 

Objective 4.2: Provider of Choice

– Extend DLA capabilities to support daily operations of 

other Government partners. While providing uninterrupted 

support to the Warfighter, DLA must provide comprehensive 

and transparent assessments of Whole of Government 

requirements, consistent with business reforms. We will 

offer our collective expertise, focusing on supply chains and 

services where DLA offers a unique advantage. Drawing upon 

our global network of personnel, technology infrastructure 

and service, DLA will earn their trust as a reliable partner. 

Objective 4.3: Offer Value

– Support interagency and DoD reform initiatives. DLA’s 

core competencies can offer the most cost-effective, efficient 

solutions to our Whole of Government partners. Some 

agencies offer similar advantages to DLA. We will assess 

other agencies’ solutions for their value to the government 

and adopt solutions that do not hinder DLA’s Warfighter 

support. We will actively participate in federal initiatives to 

eliminate duplication, capitalize on economies of scale and 

free up resources for higher priorities.

DISASTER RELIEF

MEDICAL SUPPLIES

FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT

LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT

FOOD PROGRAMS

FOREIGN MILITARY SALES

W
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan efense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 11

Every action we take will be designed 

to ensure our military is ready to fight 

today and in the future.

 — Secretary of Defense James Mattis

 ALWAYS ACCOUNTABLE: 

Assured Supply Chain, Financial, 

and Process Excellence

Trust and confidence in DLA is born from ethical behavior, 

reliability, and transparency. Cost-consciousness, auditability, 

innovation, risk assessment and mitigation, and sound business 

processes are the foundation of this trust. We hold partners and 

suppliers to the same high standards as ourselves.

Objective 5.1: Cost Consciousness

– Reinforce a cost-conscious and process-oriented culture to 

ensure efficient, effective and reliable operations. We promote 

a cost-conscious culture through stewardship and informed 

investment decisions using sound business acumen. We will 

create and refine our business processes, emphasizing cyber 

security, supply chain management and improved supply availability. We will work together to ensure interoperability across 

business systems and share process improvements across the 

enterprise and with government and industry partners.

Objective 5.2: Auditability

– Attain and sustain auditability through process excellence 

and sound financial stewardship. DLA will achieve an 

unmodified financial statement audit opinion using thoroughly 

documented processes, automated tools and general controls 

that are secure and compliant. We will continue to document, 

evolve and test our processes to ensure we implement 

corrective actions and address deficiencies identified in the 

annual statement of assurance.

Objective 5.3: Value Innovation

– Innovate to achieve best-value logistics solutions. 

DLA always seeks opportunities to improve through process 

management and research and development. DLA works 

across the JLEnt to be more agile, adaptable and responsive 

to customer requirements. We are a change agent for 

logistics excellence in support of the Nation’s strategic 

security objectives.

Objective 5.4: Mitigate Risks

– Strengthen risk management to ensure secure, agile and 

resilient combat logistics support. DLA thoroughly manages 

risks associated with alternatives to deliver world-class 

logistics support. We must pay special attention to cyber risks 

and data integrity across the entire supply chain.

Ass
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PEOPLE AND CULTURE PLAN

DLA’s success depends on its greatest resource...our people! 

Our workforce must possess the skills, tools and supporting 

culture to meet DLA’s ever changing and challenging mission 

demands. In previous DLA Strategic Plans, “People and Culture” 

was a separate line of effort that focused on building and 

sustaining a workforce capable of meeting current and future 

mission requirements. Under this Strategic Plan, we are calling 

out People and Culture as a foundational, critical element 

of everything we do, and therefore have created a separate 

companion human capital plan appropriately titled the “DLA 

People and Culture Plan (P&CP).” 

In doing so, we acknowledge that our people are the 

“secret ingredient” to DLA’s success, and a dedicated, 

focused human capital plan is necessary to ensure that 

we attract, retain and sustain a highly skilled, diverse and 

engaged workforce. The P&CP is an internal document 

focused on overarching guidance for developing capacity 

and capabilities in alignment with DLA’s priorities and lines 

of effort addressed in the strategic plan. 

The P&CP highlights People and Culture as foundational 

elements necessary for our continued mission success. It 

establishes specific objectives to ensure DLA has a missionready workforce, engaged leadership, and a supportive 

organizational culture on which to build and sustain the 

elements of the DLA Strategic Plan.

PEOPLE OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Develop Leaders 

– It is essential that DLA’s managers and supervisors 

effectively lead an increasingly diverse and modern workforce 

to unlock the full potential of the workforce’s backgrounds, 

experiences, and perspectives in a technologically advanced 

workplace. We must assess and improve our current 

leadership model and leadership competencies to cultivate 

supervisors who are prepared to successfully manage in this 

evolving environment.

Objective 2: Resource the Enterprise 

– People are DLA’s most important asset. Without a trained 

and skilled workforce, the Agency cannot accomplish the DLA 

mission. DLA must complement its recruitment and retention 

strategies with a variety of paths to career success. Attracting 

and retaining a highly skilled, diverse workforce requires a 

comprehensive strategic approach, innovative recruitment 

efforts, and the right balance between speed and quality in 

the hiring process.

Objective 3: Manage the Talent 

– DLA Human Resources will partner with Agency 

leaders and Functional Community Managers (FCMs) to 

assess emerging and future mission imperatives that may 

require new enterprise and occupational competencies. 

We will continue developing and updating career maps 

that identify learning and development opportunities 

to help employees chart their career path. All of this 

comprises a comprehensive talent management approach 

that will position the Agency for success. 

OBJECTIVE 4: Sustain Our People 

– DLA relies on a large and diverse workforce to meet 

its mission. The key to DLA’s future success is to develop a 

flexible workforce with a focus on safety and security that is 

capable of meeting and overcoming obstacles and able to 

adapt to changes. Our capacity to respond to pressure and 

the demands of daily life and crisis operations, to absorb 

those demands, to flex with them, and to recover and return 

to both the DLA mission and our personal lives is crucial to 

maintaining work/life balance.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

PEOPLE AND CULTURE PLAN Human Capital Management in the

Defense Logistics Agency

The Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan efense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 13

CULTURE OBJECTIVES

Objective 5: Fortify the Culture

– DLA has used surveys for a number of years to assess 

the current culture and identify ways to improve it, with 

the overarching purpose of developing and sustaining 

a high-performance culture. The surveys provide a 

confidential mechanism for employees to share feedback 

on their work environment, resulting in opportunities for 

DLA employees and leaders to engage in thoughtful, 

data-driven discussions that lead to informed action and 

improve our collective performance.

Objective 6: Perform and Reward 

– DLA is committed to creating a culture of high 

organizational effectiveness that focuses on employee 

engagement, development, performance, and accountability. 

The benefits of a successfully implemented performance 

management and appraisal program includes a workforce 

where every employee’s duties are aligned with the 

organization’s goals and objectives and where employees 

understand the importance of the work they do every day.

Objective 7: Build Connections 

– DLA must develop and implement opportunities 

for collaboration in a manner that reduces stovepipes 

and gains efficiencies across organizations. DLA must 

also cultivate an inclusive environment that engages 

employees, makes them feel respected and where they 

have the tools and flexibilities at all levels that maximizes 

individual and collective potential.

Objective 8: Protect the Workforce 

– Leverage and enhance the DLA Safety & Occupational 

Health (SOH) program to build a culture focused on 

reducing the risk of injury or illness to the workforce and 

maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.

EXECUTING THE PLAN

DLA organizations will use the P&CP as a directional 

guide to develop specific initiatives and lines of effort 

to achieve or make progress toward the objectives. 

This will be a combination of enterprise efforts led by 

organizations such as DLA Human Resources and DLA 

Equal Employment Opportunity, as well as organizational 

initiatives implemented by MSCs and other DLA activities. 

These initiatives will be reflected and tracked in Annual 

Operating Plans (AOP), and nested under the objectives and 

guidance provided in the P&CP.
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ALLIED NATIONS

Includes nations that the Secretary of Defense may enter 

into a formal agreement, usually to provide security, research, 

or financial assistance.

Specifically, these nations break down into groups, each with 

a different set of laws governing the level of assistance the 

U.S. Defense Department can provide. Those groups are: North 

Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations (to include NATO 

organizations), a major non-NATO ally (MNNA), and any other 

friendly foreign country.

MNNA means a country (other than a member nation of the 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization) that is designated as a major 

non-NATO ally for purposes of this section by the Secretary of 

Defense with the concurrence of the Secretary of State. 

[10 USC § 2350a(i)(2)]

COMBATANT COMMAND (CCMD)

A unified or specified command with a broad continuing mission 

under a single commander established and so designated by 

the President, through the Secretary of Defense and with the 

advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

Combatant commands typically have geographic or functional 

responsibilities. (JP 1)

CONTINGENCY OPERATION (CONOPS)

A military operation that is either designated by the Secretary 

of Defense as a contingency operation or becomes a contingency 

operation as a matter of law. 

(Title 10, United States Code, Section 101[a][13]). (JP 1)

DOD NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE

The federation of separate nuclear activities across the U.S. 

Armed Services and Defense Department agencies for the 

execution of a wide range of nuclear and non-nuclear activities. 

(2014 independent Nuclear Enterprise Review Report)

END-TO-END SUPPLY CHAIN

The full scale of “The linked activities associated with 

providing materiel from a raw material stage to an end user 

as a finished product.” (JP 1-02)

INDUSTRIAL BASE (ALSO DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE)

The Department of Defense, government, and private sector 

worldwide industrial complex with capabilities to perform 

research and development, design, produce, and maintain 

military weapon systems, subsystems, components, or parts 

to meet military requirements. (JP 3-27)

INTERAGENCY

Of or pertaining to United States Government agencies and 

departments, including the Department of Defense. (JP 3-08)

GLOSSARY OF TERMS JOINT LOGISTICS ENTERPRISE (JLENT)

A multi-tiered matrix of key global logistics providers 

cooperatively engaged or structured to achieve a common 

purpose without jeopardizing the integrity of their own 

organizational missions and goals. (JP 4-0)

NOTE: This list of providers is defined in Joint Publication 4.0, as “the 

Services, combatant commands (CCMDs), USTRANSCOM, Joint Staff J3 

and Joint Staff J4 - interagency, nongovernmental, multinational, and 

industrial resources.”

LETHALITY

The ability of U.S. Armed Services to apply decisive force.

MAJOR SUBORDINATE COMMANDS (MSC)

DLA’s title for commands under the administrative and operational 

control of DLA’s Director. DLA previously referred to these 

organizations as Primary Level Field Activities (PLFAs).

OPERATION

A sequence of tactical actions with a common purpose or 

unifying theme. (JP 1)

A military action or the carrying out of a strategic, operational, 

tactical, service, training, or administrative military mission. (JP 3-0)

OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

A composite of the conditions, circumstances, and influences 

that affect the employment of capabilities and bear on the 

decisions of the commander. Also called OE. (JP 3-0)

PARTNER NATIONS

A nation that the United States works with in a specific situation 

or operation. (JP 1)

In security cooperation, a nation with which the Department of 

Defense conducts security cooperation activities. (JP 3-20)

RESILIENCY

The ability of a person, program, or organization to perform 

functions necessary for mission success. For DLA, our supply 

chains, cyber operations and employees can respond across 

a wider range of scenarios, conditions, and threats, in spite of 

hostile action or adverse conditions.

SERVICE MEMBERS

Includes personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, 

Coast Guard, and National Guard Bureau.

WARFIGHTER

A member of the U.S. Armed Forces.

WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT

For domestic operations, USG departments and agencies aspire 

to a whole of government approach. This approach involves the 

integration of USG efforts through interagency planning that set 

forth detailed concepts of operations. (JP 3-08)

NOTE: For the purposes of this document and DLA, a Whole of Government 

approach can and does encompass international operations (likely using 

interagency and international agreements).
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan efense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 15

This Strategic Plan was made possible by the significant contributions from our MSC’s, HQ staff, regional commands, and 

all those who volunteered to review the document. A special thanks to those junior red team members who had a unique 

opportunity to influence DLA’s strategy.

We have a great strategic plan – it’s now time to move out and execute it. These five lines of effort clearly define our 

priorities and give us the direction we need to meet the needs of the Warfighter. Think of this plan as a roadmap, guiding us as

we make decisions that enable our Nation’s men and women in uniform to achieve mission success.

We will further refine the plan through Implementation Guidance and Annual Operating Plans. We will track progress, make 

course corrections where needed, and stay laser-focused on metrics, connecting outcomes with leadership performance. 

I urge each of you to do your part in helping the Agency carry out this plan. This will give us the best chance of anticipating

and overcoming the unforeseen challenges we know are in our future. We have a phenomenal team here at DLA, fueled by a 

deep commitment to serve the Warfighter and our Nation. Go forth and do great things – this is your call to action! 

WARFIGHTER FIRST!

DIRECTOR’S CALL TO ACTION:

MOVE OUT AND EXECUTE!
Defense Logistics Agency

8725 John J. Kingman Road • Fort Belvoir, Virginia • 22060 

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