Disposition leaders tackle business questions at a distance
 
  By Jake Joy
  Day two of the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services senior leadership summit included a variety of presentations meant to keep the command’s far-flung offices in lockstep as fiscal 2021 gets further underway. The midpoint of the virtual get together was punctuated by close-up examinations of the command’s expeditionary civilian and risk management programs, its property mutilation processes and how it evaluates agreements with business partners. Business Applications and Documents Branch Chief Angie Wilbur led participants through a review of DLA’s disposition partner agreements, provided updates and highlighted “major wins” from the recent fiscal cycle. When it came to her brief on the way forward and challenges the organization could expect to face in the coming year, DLA Disposition Services Director Mike Cannon was listening closely and shared his thoughts. “I applaud you ... for treating this money like it was your own,” Cannon said, referring to the costs associated with the agency’s contract work. He said the command is further along than almost any other entity in the Defense Department when it comes to specialized invoicing types, and he applauded his workforce’s efforts at “putting a critical eye on the [contracting] charges." Business Support Director Mark Aicher talked about Enterprise Risk Management as a “process-driven tool which enables leadership to identify, assess, and control challenges, threats or opportunities.” He said that until relatively recently, DLA and the rest of the Defense Department had lacked a formal, documented risk program, but the department’s drive to become audit ready required such a plan be put in place. Business Support Director Mark Aicher discusses how a command and all of its personnel are responsible for assessing and addressing risk during operations.




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        201028-D-OS362-0008
            Business Support Director Mark Aicher discusses how a command and all of its personnel are responsible for assessing and addressing risk during operations.

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                    VIRIN: 201028-D-OS362-0008 “Everybody is included in this. Everybody is a risk manager,” Aicher said, noting that everything from standard operating procedures to training need to be documented – or it didn’t happen. “Adjudicate the risk you see by doing the right thing. ... Everybody’s responsible.” Civilian Force Provider Hillary Casari briefed on the current state of the agency’s deployer cohort. During the past two decades, uniformed and civilian disposition personnel have provided the bulk of deployments and “downrange” work that DLA handles to meet and provide for warfighters where they are. Arduous deployments continue for the command, and she stressed that ensuring deployers are taken care of throughout the process requires exceptional communication as the foundation of success. Casari spoke at length on the myriad ways the agency keeps potential deployers and their supervisors in the information loop – before, during, after, and way after their deployments. She stressed that DLA’s deployment contingent was among its most important personnel, laudable for the risks they take and the frontline services they provide, and she detailed ways in which those volunteers should rightfully be recognized for their contributions to the mission, including time off and monetary awards. The leadership summit concludes Oct. 29 with discussions on contracting, capital projects and how to utilize the DLA Office of Inspector General.