# 2020 in review: Year full of change, challenge and opportunity

/ Published Dec. 22, 2020
COLUMBUS, Ohio, 
As 2020 comes to a close, the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime looks back at the highlights of the past year supporting our nation’s warfighters.

**WARFIGHTER ALWAYS**

One of the most significant events of the year was the command transition in July as Navy Rear Adm. Kristen B. Fabry assumed command of the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime and Defense Supply Center Columbus, succeeding Navy Rear Adm. John T. Palmer. The event was held socially-distanced in a pavilion area on the installation as Acting DLA Director Michael D. Scott officiated the ceremony virtually from DLA Headquarters in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. DLA Land and Maritime also gained a new chief of staff over the summer as Air Force Col. Samuel F. Payne Jr. replaced outgoing Air Force Col. Janette Ketchum. DLA Land and Maritime Deputy Commander Kenneth Watson joined the team in the early weeks of fiscal 2020. With DLA Land and Maritime under a maximum telework situation since the statewide shutdown began in mid-March due to COVID-19, Fabry shared her leadership philosophy and impressions from her first two months on the job with associates in a DLA live-streamed Town Hall Sept. 10.

While the latter half of the year was marked by the COVID-19 health emergency, 2020 started strong with procurement activities driven by customer demands primarily from military customers, other DOD agencies and government entities.

One example of the numerous successful procurement actions involved the inclusion of multi-award, multi-year Interconnection Equipment Contracts involving seven companies totaling more than $808 million. The contracts awarded in December 2019 secured interconnection parts, including wiring harnesses, cables, connectors, accessories and installation kits for DOD organizations worldwide. Within a handful of months, the contracts were already paying off for customers.

Supplemental Warfighter support initiatives required DLA Land and Maritime and DLA Aviation to begin the initial phase of absorbing operational responsibilities for DLA’s Industrial Hardware logistics function; a move that will reorganize overall operations and drive increased procurement efficiencies. The transition involves the movement and division of the Industrial Hardware mission currently managed by DLA Troop Support, to be shared by DLA Land and Maritime and DLA Aviation. DLA Land and Maritime is working towards full integration of the new supply chain function into its daily operations and over the course of the next two fiscal years, the Central Ohio logistics hub will add approximately 450,000 national stock numbers to its managing inventory.

**GLOBAL POSTURE**

DLA’s worldwide combat logistics support mission places challenging demands on its procurement capabilities. The nation’s military services, and other DOD customers have critical missions that often involve life threatening situations. These requirements demand rapid responses that include efficient and reliable equipment delivery. Land and Maritime’s logistics operations logged record setting metrics by achieving an all-time material availability high of 90.61% in January. That one-month record for material availability also enabled Maritime to post a 12-month cumulative material availability exceeding 90%, a historical first in its operations.      

Logistics support performance that impressive translated into across-the-board readiness status improvements for national defense-committed customers. Maritime’s power projection activities included superb management of the DOD’s Nuclear Reactor Program. Always a dependable resource for the nation’s vital nuclear deterrent, DLA Land and Maritime operations sustained material availability for the Nuclear Reactor Program above the required 95% for an unprecedented 122 consecutive months. 

Key logistics support successes like these enable the world’s most lethal and efficient military to protect America’s interests during this era of global power competition and are representative of DLA Land and Maritime’s commitment to fiscal responsibility as an integral component in executing its warfighter support mission.

**STRONG PARTNERSHIPS**

Cooperation between DLA Land and Maritime’s leadership, industry and military decision makers generated strategic activities that helped America’s warfighters realize demonstrated readiness improvements.

Land and Maritime held regular collaborative working group meetings with members from all service branches. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines participated as part of this inclusive approach to strengthening planning and execution of logistics procurement support strategies in response to changing mission demands.

DLA Land and Maritime, with representatives from DLA Aviation and DLA Troop Support, met with all five Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Engineering Support Activities in Columbus in a collective effort to achieve procurement cost reductions. 

DLA Land and Maritime Deputy Commander Kenneth Watson was a keynote speaker at the 2020 Tactical Wheeled Vehicles Conference – a forum that brings together leaders from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, military services, industry contracts and suppliers to address present and future wheeled vehicle requirements. 

Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime’s Office of Small Business Programs launched their first-ever virtual Training, Knowledge and Opportunities seminar in May in response to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. The free training is open to any small business interested in learning about federal contracting. Ohio’s shutdown in March impacted the office’s planned TKOs for spring and summer, and led the Small Business team to design integrated virtual instruction.

**ALWAYS ACCOUNTABLE**

Skillfully managing taxpayer resources throughout the procurement process helps promote national readiness. Employing efficient procurement practices enhances the readiness of our military services, positioning them to demonstrate superior lethality when adversaries threaten.

DLA Land and Maritime incorporated DLA’s Automated Indefinite Delivery Contract – known as the Auto IDC tool – during the beginning of fiscal 2020 as an additional cost reduction initiative. Its usage produced two-fold results because it also strengthened industry procurement partnerships and supports improved military readiness. Incorporating Auto IDC into logistics operations, DLA Land and Maritime experienced an initial 30% increase in auto award rates, with another 25% awarded with minimal buyer assist. Once awarded these items are covered by long term contracts for up to one year. Processing more automated procurement activities reduces collective logistics support costs while improving daily operations.

DLA Land and Maritime dedicated a new $17 million, 29,000 square foot Navy submarine support facility that will increase the ability of DLA and the Navy to receive, inspect and distribute submarine components supporting the Navy’s worldwide fleet operations. The new facility completes the consolidation and modernization of a local submarine component processing facility and includes installation of a new automated material handling system, taking full advantage of the new building’s capacity. With a projected completion date of January 2021, the facility will provide a more effective and safe use of space, while supporting a more efficient logistics process.

**WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT**

DLA Land and Maritime purposed its Maritime supply chain to furnish vital logistics support to U.S. Navy ships USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy deployed in response to the worldwide COVID-19 health emergency. Maritime’s operations focused on ensuring delivery of maintenance parts remained reliable during both ships’ operations. Achieving such surety demanded Land and Maritime logisticians meticulously track each ship’s high priority repair parts for availability and delivery.

Equally impressive was DLA Land and Maritime’s expansion and management of its Global Tire Program procurement efforts. The logistics objective is to fulfill all military service tire requirements that could impact readiness during mobilization and sustainment of deployed forces stationed worldwide.

With 2020 drawing to a close and the 1st Quarter of fiscal 2021 underway, DLA Land and Maritime continues to move forward providing innovative solutions and combat logistics support excellence to customers around the globe. Stay tuned for updates on our initiatives by visiting www.dla.mil/landandmaritime.