# Aviation Commander wraps up FY21 accomplishments, recognizes team members during town hall

/ Published Oct. 19, 2021
RICHMOND, Va, 
Defense Logistics Agency Aviation Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. David Sanford held a town hall live streamed from the Frank B. Lotts Conference Center on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia, Thurs, Oct. 14.

“What an amazing year and despite all the challenges we endured, Aviation has thrived.” Sanford said. “Despite the challenges brought on to the commercial and government sectors by COVID, Obligation Authority challenges, and the re-tooling of Services strategies to face peer competitors, the Aviation workforce rose to the challenge to sustain the readiness our warfighters need.”

He then kicked off the town hall by focusing on the many accomplishments achieved by DLA Aviation during fiscal year 21. They included:

- Material availability stayed above 90%

- Aviation’s 85% material reject record exceeded the 84% Headquarters goal.

- Industrial Support Activities met performance-based agreement requirements and support of production schedules

- Met audit-related deadlines

- Results of the Denison Survey were the highest in the history of Aviation and among the highest, if not the highest, in DLA

“Overall, the results were really good. We will continue to improve our culture across the Aviation enterprise so we can better address any concerns that you as a workforce bring forth,” Sanford said.

He also discussed the DLA Strategic Plan’s five lines of effort:

**Warfighter Always** - Tailored solutions to drive readiness

**Support to the Nation** – Deliberate approach, without tradeoff to the warfighter

**Trusted Mission Partner** – Transparency and accountability to our customers

**Modernized Acquisition and Supply Chain Management** – Leading in logistics to deliver best value and manage risk

**Future of Work** – Adapting to new ways of working

Sanford then explained his intent on how Aviation will support the strategic plan through:

- Safely reconstituting the organization and workforce after the constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

- Building a  culture of respect, hard work and accomplishment

- Individual productivity and accountability

- Innovation, process improvement and execution

Next on the agenda was the COVID-19 vaccine mandate President Joseph Biden put in place when he signed Executive Order, 14043, mandating all federal employees, including non-appropriated funded employees, be vaccinated by Nov. 22, 2021. 

“This means by this date, you must have received your final dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or your single dose of the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine,” Sanford said.

The executive ordered signed by the President states unless you have a legally mandated exemption to the vaccination requirement, failure to meet this requirement of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 22, 2021, or to provide proof of vaccination on or before this date, may result in disciplinary action being taken u, up to and including your removal from federal service.

For regular COVID updates, check Vaccinations | Safer Federal Workforce and the DLA Coronavirus Resources:  https://www.dla.mil/Info/Coronavirus/ Timely updates are also provided to the DLA Aviation workforce via system broadcasts by the DLA Aviation Public Affairs Office.

Sanford then transitioned into foot stomping the fact that Oct. 1, marked the 60th anniversary of DLA providing outstanding and unmatched support to the warfighters. He made sure to mention that 2022 marks the 80th anniversary of DLA Aviation.

This provided a timely transition into recognizing the 10 DLA Aviation employees with 40 years or more of service:

Marcial Cora Cruz  - DLA Aviation at Cherry Point

Bruce Dinger - DLA Aviation at Cherry Point

Richard Gorham -  DLA Aviation at Ogden

Lynn Taylor - DLA Aviation at Ogden

Jeff Shields – DLA Aviation Richmond

Rosalind Williams – DLA Aviation Richmond

Everett Henry – DLA Aviation Richmond

Tamara Johnson - DLA Aviation Richmond

Joseph Semien – DLA aviation Richmond

Dave Spargur - DLA Aviation at Ogden

Sanford jokingly stated these employees have been around at least half of the time DLA Aviation has been in existence.

Sanford then closed out the town hall by addressing some of the nearly 80 questions that DLA Aviation employees submitted prior to the town hall. These questions ranged from the future of telework, the DLA Fitness and Wellness Program being reinstituted and will DLA Aviation potentially get into the realm of procuring materials for the government to be able to allow the military to build its own methods of space craft.