# Former DLA directors help chart agency’s course ahead

/ Published July 23, 2024
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 
Former directors shared their insights on the upcoming Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan during a two-hour roundtable discussion July 18 at DLA Headquarters.

The new five-year plan is expected to be released in late August or early September. It will frame how the agency meets the needs of the military services and combatant commands, all of which are transforming to carry out goals of the National Defense Strategy.

DLA is performing well and has a strong reputation, DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly told Navy Vice Adm. Keith Lippert, Army Lt. Gen. Robert Dail, Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek, Army Lt. Gen. Darrell Williams, Navy Vice Adm. Michelle Skubic and DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn.

Although the agency is embarking upon what he and Bunn describe as a transformative era and decisive decade with a strong foundation of performance, future challenges will demand agile, robust, resilient and connected logistics support, Simerly continued.

Challenges will include modernizing the defense industrial base, addressing contested logistics and developing data acumen that supports intelligent decision-making across the Defense Department.

Defining the current state, the directors noted the significant decrease in the defense industrial base that the agency relies on to supply customers and the recent trend toward centralization, as well as the consolidation of original equipment manufacturers.

Simerly said DLA's information technology goals go beyond Digital-Business Transformation and automation. In addition to increasing the ability to share data with the services and protect that data from adversaries, DLA is looking into the use of artificial intelligence to improve parts forecasting for the services.

Some of DLA’s global presence also needs realignment, as many fixed sites are vulnerable and driven by a Cold War construct.

“We should always ask whether we have the right people in the right places and continually evaluate our long-term posture,” Simerly said.

Assessments of the agency’s participation in combatant command exercises and threats in the contested logistics environment will help shape the future layout.

The group also discussed the need to identify specific requirements for overcoming contested logistics challenges.

“We are and will be contested in all domains at all levels of conflict, especially in the cyber realm,” Simerly said, adding that the agency must think, act and operate differently to meet emerging challenges.

The new plan's goals will be outlined as imperatives with corresponding objectives, he continued. Contested logistics challenges will be addressed through four lenses: people, precision, posture and partnerships. “People” involves setting a healthy culture and ensuring employees have the skills to address challenges like contested logistics. “Precision” refers to the understanding of data and awareness of customers’ environments and needs. “Posture” is having people and inventory in the right locations with the ability to seamlessly shift both when necessary. And “partnerships” cover the relationships DLA builds with customers, industry, allies and partners.

Agency assessments indicate that service customers believe DLA provides great value and is critical to mission success, Simerly shared. But they also doubt its ability to provide support during a conflict or crisis, especially in a contested logistics environment. Combatant commands are pressing the agency to achieve greater resilience and effectiveness with less emphasis on efficiency.

Simerly said he values former directors' opinions and believes their insights help provide a 360-degree view of what it takes to launch and implement a strategic plan. In a separate session, the directors also shared what they thought went right or wrong with previous strategies and methods for monitoring progress.

DLA’s new strategic plan is being shaped by numerous sources including 40-plus internal interviews with DLA leaders; over 25 interviews with customers; a detailed analysis in which employees assessed strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; and discussions held during a senior leader offsite in June.

Simerly stressed that DLA was built for change. It was created in 1961 to integrate the management of supplies previously overseen by the services and has adapted over time to absorb increasing logistics management as it meets the emerging needs of warfighters and the nation.

“We are always expected to change, and we have the enduring strengths and qualities to allow us to survive change and thrive under the next conditions,” Simerly said.