# DLA commercial starring military supply specialists to air on AFN during Super Bowl

/ Published Feb. 9, 2023
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 
Four military supply specialists will share the spotlight with pregame and halftime entertainers during a 59-second Defense Logistics Agency commercial scheduled to air during the Super Bowl on American Forces Network Feb. 12.

The spot, called Supporting the Force, will give viewers a glimpse of supplies the agency offers through four service-specific scenes that feature troops on flight lines, in the field and in supply shops.

DLA manages a global supply chain that includes over 5 million line items ranging from rucksacks and barrier materials to repair parts and food.

“A lot of our customers aren’t aware of the full scope of what DLA can provide, so this spot was created to show them how we’re already involved in equipping them and how we can broaden that support with new items in the future,” said DLA Video Producer Nutan Chada, who traveled with a camera crew to three locations in nine months to produce the commercial.

00:59VIDEO  | 00:59 |DLA...Supporting the Force 2023The video is a remake of one that debuted on AFN in 2011 and has been used in conferences and briefings to portray DLA’s mission. The new version features the Army’s 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Air Force’s 158th Fighter Wing, Marine Corps’ 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and the USS Bataan.  

Chada asked each unit to pick a service member who best represented his or her service to be included in the spot. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Sean Hammel, an aircraft maintenance plans and scheduling superintendent, starred in the original as a senior airman and is in the remake. He said he was “voluntold” to appear in the first and chosen by his team for the second.

“It’s just ironic that I happened to be here for both productions, and it brought back a lot of memories to film the second video just 100 yards away from where we did the first,” he said, adding that he was proud to showcase his unit in a commercial for an agency that equips warfighters with so much gear.

Marine Corps Master Sgt. Troy Nelson, a supply analyst who helps his service assess material readiness, helped arrange the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion's participation in the video at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

“We interact with DLA on a pretty regular basis on multiple fronts whether it’s for requisitions for parts or working with DLA Disposition Services or DLA Troop Support. It’s important for all my Marines to know who DLA is and what it can provide,” Nelson said.

He and Hammel said they’re excited to be a part of Super Bowl programming seen worldwide. AFN has a potential audience of 405,000 viewers. The game will air live on AFN and be available for replay on AFN Now, a new video-on-demand app that launched in early November. 

Advertisers paid a record $7 million for 30-second spots that ran during the 2022 Super Bowl, according to a CNN report. Although AFN is a non-commercial network that replaces regular TV spots with messages from supported commands, Chada said the airing of DLA’s commercial overseas will help spread awareness of DLA.

“This spot is unique and special to me. I think it’s very powerful in telling DLA’s story in just 59-seconds,” she said. “It shows the true power of the picture.”