DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

The Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency November / December 2018

DLA INSTALLATION OPERATIONS RICHMOND

 BUGLE 

 BOYS (and Their Girls)

 The Elk of Defense

 Supply Center

 Richmond

Researching Solutions

 DLA Strategic Materials Partners with

Research and Development

Portraits of Persistence

Participants Show Value of the Workforce 

Recruitment Program in Mid-Career

Moving the Mountain

DLA Disposition Services Helps Remove

Mounds of Scrap from Kwajalein Atoll
DLA Director 

Army Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams

DLA Vice Director

Ted Case

Chief of Staff

Kristin K. French

Director, Public Affairs

Joseph M. Yoswa

Deputy Director, Public Affairs

Patrick H. Mackin

Managing Editor

Phil Prater

Senior Editor

John R. Bell

Writers

Beth Reece

Dianne Ryder

Layout and Design

Paul Henry Crank

LOGLINES

THE OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION OF THE 

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY 

Army Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

From the Director

C hange is constant, but one thing that never changes is DLA’s 

commitment to warfighter support. It’s our ultimate purpose and 

the one thread that connects every team member, no matter what 

we do or where we serve. Every day, the DLA team brings total focus to 

strengthening the readiness and lethality of our warfighters wherever they 

are around the globe. While there are many ways to measure the success 

of an organization, at DLA we define our success by warfighter readiness. 

For example, we bring you a great interview with DLA Aviation 

Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. Linda Hurry. She discusses how her 

team is addressing the challenges affecting readiness in the military 

aviation community. Additionally, you’ll get to know this senior leader’s 

human side as she discusses her philosophies on career and leadership. 

Both the Department of Defense and DLA have prioritized global 

posture as a way to improve warfighter readiness and lethality. DLA 

Energy contributed a story about its partnership with the Marine Corps 

Expeditionary Energy Office to help Marines customize fuel to their 

specifications when deployed in austere locations. 

Obstacles to readiness include orders that get held up in the 

shipping process because of issues with labeling, packaging or some 

other discrepancy. Suspended stock, as it is known, is a huge problem 

that results in backorders that cause negative ripple effects down the 

distribution line. DLA Troop Support assembled a team of experts to work 

with DLA Distribution to attack the problem head-on. You can read about 

their efforts in this issue.

In other articles, you’ll read about DLA Disposition Services’ removal 

of millions of pounds of scrap metal left on the Kwajalein Atoll during 

World War II, DLA’s recent efforts to mitigate potential risk to the 

strategic materials supply chain and the history of the National Stock 

Number system.

To adapt my favorite Miami Hurricanes phrase, when it comes to 

DLA’s support to the warfighter, “It’s all about readiness!” In a rapidly 

changing world, DLA provides support for our warfighters as no one else 

can and, as these stories illustrate, does so in diverse and phenomenal 

ways. Enjoy this issue of Loglines. 

Warfighter First! LL

LOGLINES is the authorized publication for the 

Defense Logistics Agency’s workforce of federal 

civilians, active-duty military and Joint Reserve 

Force augmentees at agency activities worldwide 

and industry customers of DLA. Contents of this 

publication are not necessarily the official views of, or 

endorsed by, the U.S. government, the Department 

of Defense or the Defense Logistics Agency. 

LOGLINES is prepared electronically, using desktop 

publishing applications; no commercial typesetting 

costs are involved. Photos not credited are courtesy 

of agency sources. Submissions and correspondence 

may be sent to the address below:

Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency 

Office of Public Affairs 

8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 2545 

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221

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If you would like to be on the Loglines mailing list, please 

email loglines@dla.mil with your name, organization and 

complete mailing address.
Bugle Boys (and Their Girls) ...............02

For almost 80 years, Defense Supply Center Richmond has 

cared for a unique part of America’s natural heritage. 

Forging Fuel ............................................05

DLA Energy helps deployed Marines customize fuel to their 

needs while in the field.

Researching Solutions ..........................09

DLA Strategic Materials partners with DLA Research 

and Development. 

Moving the Mountain ........................... 14

DLA Disposition Services helps remove mounds of scrap 

metal from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. 

The Making of an NSN ......................... 18

DLA uses National Stock Numbers to manage supplies 

efficiently throughout their life cycles and drive competition.

Back in the Fight ....................................24

DLA Troop Support Industrial Hardware team works with 

DLA Distribution to tackle suspended stock. 

Portraits of Persistence ........................ 27

Participants show the value of the Workforce 

Recruitment Program in mid-career. 

Departments

A Conversation with ... ......................... 21

Air Force Brig. Gen. Linda Hurry

DLA NewsWire .......................................26

I am DLA ..................................Back Cover

Greg Turner

02

18

05

24

Features

www.twitter.com/dlamil www.youtube.com/dodlogisticsagency

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

READER SURVEY

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THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Story by Natalie Skelton, DLA Aviation Public Affairs

Photos by Jackie Roberts

BUGLE BOYS

(AND THEIR GIRLS)

When the crisp autumn air permeates the 

woods of Virginia, the elk population at 

Defense Supply Center Richmond finds itself 

in the mood for love. Bugle calls of the wooing bull 

elk pierce the quiet, signaling a mating ritual that 

may include wallowing in mud and headstrong males 

battling for the affections of the elk cows in the herd.

Elk were once part of Virginia’s native wildlife, but 

overhunting and the establishment of farms in prime 

grazing land led to their rapid decline. The last native elk 

was killed in 1855, according to a Virginia Polytechnic 

University master’s thesis from 1943.

James Bellwood was the last private owner of the 

land now home to DSCR. In 1900, he imported a pair of 

elk from Yosemite National Park and Washington State 

to start a herd of his own.

THE ELK OF DEFENSE SUPPLY CENTER RICHMOND

In their 100-plus-year residence at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia, 

the Bellwood elk have garnered worldwide attention. Their first foray into the 

national spotlight came after The Saturday Evening Post ran a story titled “The 

Elk That Joined the Army.” From there, news and interest in the herd only grew.

— Photo Illustration by Paul Crank (Original Photo by Jackie Roberts)
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November / December 2018 3

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DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

During Bellwood’s ownership, the herd grew to more than 20 

animals, and their presence brought visitors by the hundreds to 

view them in their natural surroundings. After Bellwood’s death, 

his family sold the land to the Army under the condition that the 

herd would be maintained and cared for. A handshake sealed the 

deal, and the Army built its supply depot on more than 600 acres 

purchased from the family in 1941.

The elk grazed the land along Kingsland Creek on the southern 

edge of the installation and in the winter were fed forage 

purchased for military horses. When horses were phased out 

of service, DLA officials were left with the challenge to continue 

caring for the elk. So employees, having grown fond of the 

animals, donated money through an annual fund drive held by 

the Elk Relief Association. The Elk’s Bawl, as it was called, served 

as a critical means of support until it was discontinued in 1972 

because of Army regulations prohibiting solicitation. 

In 1975, the Officers’ Wives Club took up the fundraising 

mantle and engaged in bakeoffs and other efforts to raise 

money. Soon after, the installation established a wildlife 

management council and appointed a facilities engineer to 

serve as conservation officer. Yet another source of funding was 

established — this time, an Elk Feed Fund Council collected 

money from recycling, donations from private and civic groups 

and the occasional sale of one of the herd.

In 2013, the Office of General Counsel at DLA determined 

the installation could designate funds to continue caring for the 

Bellwood elk and funding, management and care now fall under 

the purview of DLA Installation Operations Richmond. Jimmy 

Parrish, chief of the Environmental Management Division, DLA 

Installation Operations Richmond, said caring for the herd is a 

joint effort between the Environmental Management Division and 

the Installation Management Division.

“The environmental folks handle all of the permitting 

requirements and public relations, and the installation folks 

handle the physical care and feeding,” Parrish said. “This teaming 

has worked very well throughout the years.”

From an environmental perspective, Parrish said, the team 

considers it “an honor” to have the elk at DSCR. “We are the only 

[Department of Defense] facility to have a regulatory permit to exhibit 

the elk. We take this responsibility very seriously — not only for the 

care and well-being of the elk but also because of their historical 

significance and meaning to the installation and its employees.”

Though other military installations across the country boast 

populations of wild animals that can be hunted, the Bellwood elk 

population is unique, as it is off-limits to hunters. The Bellwood 

elk — 30 in all — live on 25 acres of fenced grassland bordered by 

a stand of oak trees. Though they are wild animals, the herd does 

greet its handlers at mealtimes, “screaming” their salutations and 

jostling for a prime spot at the feed bin.

Donald Matre, motor vehicle operator at DLA Installation 

Operations Richmond, said the people who care for the elk on a 

daily basis are all animal lovers. 

“We take the responsibility of assisting with the care of the 

elk very seriously and consider it a privilege to be entrusted to do 

so,” Matre said. “We feed them a dietary supplement of deer feed, 

corn and alfalfa daily, monitor them for any serious illness or injury 

and assist the veterinarians when they’re needed.”

Matre added that as an ailing elk recovers, “it’s very satisfying ... 

to watch [its recovery] and see it thrive and return to good health.”

The elk are only handled during veterinary exams; the animals 

are first tranquilized to minimize stress and the chance of harm 

to either elk or human. Parrish said food and veterinary bills total 

about $15,000 annually.

As residents of the installation, the histories of the elk 

are recorded for posterity. Births, deaths and the occasional 

head-in-a-bucket incident all become part of DSCR installation 

ELK FACTS

• Elk are a different species from reindeer 

and are significantly larger.

• Male elk are called bulls; females are 

called cows.

• Cows gestate for nearly 250 days, giving 

birth in mid-May through July.

• Calves are born with spots and develop 

their brown coats at around 6 months.

• Only bulls grow antlers. The first set 

comes in around 1 year of age, and as 

they grow they are coated with soft tissue 

called velvet. The bulls scrape off the 

velvet when the antlers start growing.

• Bulls with six points on their antlers are 

known as Royal elk; Imperial elk have seven 

points and Monarchs have eight points.

• Bull elk can weigh as much as 1,100 pounds 

and are considered fully mature at age 7. 

They stand about 6 feet tall at the shoulder.

• Cows are mature at age 3 and weigh 

roughly half as much, at around 550 

pounds. They are also shorter — roughly 

4 feet tall at the shoulder.
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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

history. One particularly mischievous character, Junior, required 

the assistance of the veterinarian to pry off a red feed bucket 

that he’d become a little too fond of. In seasons past, Bellwood 

bulls have also tangled their antlers in barbed wire and gone 

toe-to-toe with a parked tractor. The tractor was the clear loser, 

suffering a punctured radiator and doors.

“Watching them interact and noticing the distinct personality 

traits that some of them exhibit is very interesting. They are all 

extremely curious. We are also responsible for the unpleasant 

task, which none of us look forward to, of having to bury them 

when one dies,” Matre said.

When the elk go to that great pasture in the sky, Parrish 

said, as government property they are “respectfully” interred at 

various locations around the installation. “We like to keep them 

close to home.”

Being the wild creatures they are, elk are prone to fence 

jumping, poaching or other mishaps, but Parrish said the 

security force on the installation does “an outstanding job” 

protecting the herd. 

“We also routinely ensure that the fences are well maintained 

and kept up to date,” he said. The installation keeps the herd at a 

size the installation can sustain by transporting surplus members 

to other wildlife preserves or parks around the state. 

The installation is in the process of transferring two elk 

in Richmond to be placed on exhibit at Marymount Park in 

Richmond, one of four licensed elk exhibitors in Virginia.

In their 100-plus-year residence here, the Bellwood elk have 

garnered worldwide attention. Their first foray into the national 

spotlight came after The Saturday Evening Post ran a story titled 

“The Elk That Joined the Army.” From there, news and interest in 

the herd only grew. Locally, residents and installation employees 

have regarded the elk as family. Installation and local papers have 

also published naming contests for calves over the years.

The installation recently teamed up with Virginia’s 

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture to help develop a joint Elk Management Plan. The 

state began reintroducing elk into the wild in 2012, and today 

more than 200 elk range over land in the southwest part of the 

state. Those elk came from a herd in Kentucky; there are no plans 

to integrate the Bellwood herd into this one, though. 

“Both parties felt that, though they are still wild, our elks 

are far too tame to be entered into another wild population,” 

Parrish explained. 

Visitors continue to come and see the elk; anywhere from 10 

to 20 people each week stop by. 

“We built the visitor observation stand just off Jefferson Davis 

Highway for the sole purpose of attracting visitors to our elk, rather 

than them having to enter the installation,” Parrish said. 

“Many keep track of the elk throughout the year and can easily 

locate and identify the new calves,” he said. “This stand has been 

very well used. In addition, our employees still find their elk to be 

well worth the viewing. Some of us find the presence of the elk 

herd to be relaxing and a visible link to our past.” LL

THOUGH THEY ARE WILD ANIMALS, 

THE HERD DOES GREET ITS HANDLERS 

AT MEALTIMES, “SCREAMING” THEIR 

SALUTATIONS AND JOSTLING FOR A 

PRIME SPOT AT THE FEED BIN.

Donald Matre, motor vehicle operator for the Installation Management Division of DLA 

Installation Operations Richmond, Virginia, says the elk are extremely curious. In seasons 

past, Bellwood bulls have tangled their antlers in barbed wire and in one case gone toe-to-toe 

with a parked tractor; the tractor lost.
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LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Story by Connie Braesch

DLA Energy Public Affairs

Getting the high-quality fuel 

warfighters need to conduct their 

missions is not as straightforward 

as pulling up to a gas pump. 

To ensure military aircraft, vehicles and 

equipment operate at peak performance, 

Defense Logistics Agency Energy relies 

on the injection of three additives into 

commercial jet fuel: icing inhibitor, 

corrosion inhibitor/lubricity improver and 

static dissipater. 

“The additives prevent formation of 

ice in fuel, fight microorganism growth, 

reduce fuel-system corrosion problems, 

add lubricity, and improve ground safety 

during storage, transfer and issue,” said 

Samuel Cooks, energy initiatives program 

FORGING FUEL

manager for DLA Energy’s Strategic Policy 

and Programs Directorate. 

For enduring locations and defense 

fuel support points, suppliers normally 

inject the necessary additives before 

final delivery to a base, camp or station, 

Cooks explained. But sourcing militaryspecification fuel in an expeditionary 

environment on short notice or in small 

quantities can be tough. 

“For small-scale requirements in 

remote locations or when commercial 

delivery of military-specification fuel isn’t 

available in the local market, on occasion 

the fuel must be additized on-site to 

sustain operations,” he said. 

According to Marine Corps Forces 

Pacific, the Corps needs an expeditionary 

fuel additive injection system to address 

this critical capability gap. To help find a 

mission-capable solution, in fall 2017, the 

Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office 

partnered with DLA Energy.

“Facilitating development of this 

tactical capability helps enhance 

supply-chain resilience,” said Marine 

Corps Maj. Kelvin Chew, technology and 

experimentation analyst for the Marine 

Corps Expeditionary Energy Office. “This 

foraging capability supports expeditionary 

advanced base operations in a contested 

environment by allowing units to leverage 

commercial fuel stores to support a single 

fuel supply chain.”

FIELD TESTING THE EXPEDITIONARY MOBILE FUEL ADDITIZATION CAPABILITY SYSTEM

Marine Corps Cpl. Michael Michehl, a noncommissioned 

officer with Marine Wing Support Detachment 24, controls 

forward arming and refueling point operations after 

refueling a Bell AH-1W Super Cobra during a field test for 

the Expeditionary Mobile Fuel Additization Capability system 

as part of the Rim of the Pacific exercise at Pohakuloa 

Training Area, Hawaii. 

— Photo by Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Adam Montera
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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

“THE ARMY’S SYSTEM 

WEIGHS OVER 950 

POUNDS AND REQUIRES 

HEAVY EQUIPMENT TO 

MOVE. THE ONE WE’RE 

BUILDING IS JUST OVER 

200 POUNDS.”

 — MARINE CORPS

 MAJ. KELVIN CHEW

Why Additize?

While military aircraft, vehicles and 

equipment can use commercial-grade fuel, 

the inclusion of additives helps improve 

equipment performance and life span. 

“It is important because it allows the 

aircraft to fly higher, faster without the 

worry of the water in fuel freezing up ... 

and you don’t have to worry about ground 

vehicles overheating,” said Marine Corps 

Chief Warrant Officer David Gentry, airfield 

officer in charge at Marine Wing Support 

Detachment 24. “If operating in the colder 

climate, the static will build up, but the 

static dissipater will help remove it.”

“Anytime you’re talking about military 

aviation, you want them to perform at the 

top level,” said Marine Corps Chief Warrant 

Officer Richard Cordes, liaison officer to 

the Naval Petroleum Office. “Yes, aircraft 

can use different grades of aviation fuel. 

But think of it like this: If you use one tank 

of lower-grade fuel in your vehicle, is it 

going to hurt it? No, not that one tank. But 

over prolonged time, it’s going to lessen 

the performance and life of that vehicle.” 

Identifying a Solution

Sometimes timing or conditions mean 

the services have to buy commercial 

fuel and convert it in the field. Special 

equipment, training and quality-control 

measures are then needed. 

“Right now, the Air Force and the 

Army do it on a sustainment-brigade 

level where they additize hundreds of 

thousands of gallons,” Gentry said. “We’re 

looking to additize smaller quantities.”

To develop the prototype system, the 

Expeditionary Mobile Fuel Additization 

Capability team turned to Hammonds 

Technical Services. Since 1986, the 

company has built equipment specifically 

for additive injection.

“The Army is the primary user of 

larger systems that handle bulk fuel on a 

larger scale. Those systems are basically 

mobile fuel farms,” said Jeff Hammonds, 

vice president of engineering and sales 

for the company. “The Marines came to 

us for something truly two-man portable, 

lightweight and smaller for lower 

product-delivery flow rates, so we took 

our commercially available equipment and 

implemented that small-scale design.” 

Chew further emphasized the 

importance of the size and weight of the 

EMFAC system. 

“The Army’s system weighs over 950 

pounds and requires heavy equipment to 

move,” he said. “The one we’re building 

is just over 200 pounds. We’re taking 

an existing fuel additization system 

and downsizing it so it can be more 

expeditionary and mobile, and require a 

lighter footprint.” This means units in the 

field can customize their own blends of 

fuel, he explained.

Putting the System to the Test

The Marine Corps Expeditionary 

Energy Office has been training Marines 

from across the country on operating 

the system. 

“We received a lot of feedback on this 

system, which has allowed us to improve 

the design — not just in the past few 

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Adam Montera

Marine Corps Cpl. Garrett Subik, a bulk fuel specialist with 

Marine Wing Support Detachment 24, moves a fuel line 

toward a landing pad in order to start fueling a AH-1W Super 

Cobra helicopter during a field test for an Expeditionary 

Mobile Fuel Additization Capability system as part of the Rim 

of the Pacific exercise at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii.
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November / December 2018 7

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DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

weeks but over the course of months,” 

Chew said. “We have made improvements 

so we have the best-informed design.”

In July, during the 2018 Rim of the 

Pacific exercise in Hawaii, the EMFAC 

portable additive injector system was put 

to the test in a full-scale exercise. 

“RIMPAC is a huge operation involving 

many countries. So if we can use it in this 

type of environment, it gives us more of a 

real-world scenario where fuel that needs 

to be injected can go from inception all the 

way into the aircraft,” Cordes said.

Although testing during RIMPAC 

was led by the Marine Corps, the Army 

also participated. Marines and soldiers 

independently operated the EMFAC 

system to additize fuel trucks for use in 

a Forward Arming and Refueling Point at 

Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii. 

Exercise participants practiced using 

the system in countries where fuel didn’t 

meet military specifications, Cordes 

added. “With the system, we can inject 

the fuel with the needed additives, put 

it directly into an M-970 — which is a 

mobile refueler — take it forward and use 

it to refuel aircraft and equipment.”

The full-scale scenario required 

the Marines and soldiers to set up and 

calibrate the equipment, calculate additive 

amounts, give a thorough briefing of the 

operation, execute proper additization, 

recirculate the fuel, pull samples and run 

laboratory tests.

“Once we were satisfied the fuel 

met military specifications, we used the 

fuel on the runway to refuel operational 

aircraft,” Gentry said.

“The focus is on validating the 

systems’ performance and the users’ 

ability to safely operate the system in 

an operational environment during a live 

exercise,” Chew said. “They need to get 

acquainted with the environment and 

use the system without all the comforts 

and safeguards of being in a controlled 

environment like the base.”

Training and quality control were also 

a significant part of equipment testing, 

he added. 

“Everyone involved was given familiarization training on the setup, calibration, 

operation, safe handling and troubleshooting of the injector system before 

every evolution of the testing,” Chew said. 

“The Marines and soldiers also received 

extensive training on fuels laboratory 

testing and quality specifications.”

DLA Energy quality assurance 

representatives played a key role in the 

delivery of commercial-grade fuel by 

monitoring the additization process and 

laboratory specification tests.

“We get involved with training the 

Marines and the Army for additiveinjection processes and procedures that 

help them within their exercises and when 

they deploy,” said Jeffery Feltner, DLA 

Energy Pacific quality manager. “We go 

through the processes on how to sample 

the fuel, test it, and understand the 

premixing of additives and injection rates.”

The joint-service partnership has 

been invaluable, and the presence of DLA 

Energy QARs enabled the Marines to 

learn more about fuel than they would 

have otherwise, Chew added.

Marine Corps Sgt. Andrew Grable examines a sample of 

fuel before conducting laboratory testing to ensure it meets 

military specifications. The Marines tested a prototype 

Expeditionary Mobile Fuel Additization Capability during 

the Rim of the Pacific exercise.

The Marine Corps Expeditionary Mobile Fuel Additization 

Capability prototype system is the Hammonds Model TPI3T-3A Portable Fluid Powered Additive Injector. It is a small, 

easy to use, two-man carry system.

Connie Braesch

Connie Braesch
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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

“We have identified what could go 

wrong, how to mitigate risks, and the roles 

and responsibilities of the EMFAC team,” 

he added. “To be able to demonstrate that 

the Marines are capable of additizing fuel 

on their own in an austere environment is 

a great success.”

“From when the Urgent Universal 

Need Statement was signed in December 

2017 to where we are now has been a 

pretty fast process for [such] a complex 

operation,” he added. “Now it’s just 

refining the process.”

What’s Next?

The Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office plans to take the feedback and 

lessons gathered throughout the training 

and testing and incorporate them into its 

field procedures and training guides.

“Before it’s released to operating 

forces, we must ensure they have the 

proper documentation and procedures to 

follow,” Chew said. “Eventually, we hope 

to integrate fuel additization into our 

Petroleum Laboratory Specialist Course 

at the Marine Corps Bulk Fuel School at 

Fort Lee [Virginia].”

Cordes, the senior Marine Corps fuels 

officer, is working with all the stakeholders 

to report the feedback to DLA and to 

Headquarters Marine Corps.

“This capability is extremely critical,” he 

said. “This system gives the Marine Corps 

that secondary ability if DLA can’t source 

the military-specification fuel we need in 

the area we’re operating.” 

While the capability is needed, Cordes, 

Gentry and Chew agreed the preference is 

to use DLA-provided fuel.

“Our intent is not to replace DLA 

Energy’s role,” Chew said. “It’s to train 

Marines and soldiers to do this in 

contingency operations where MILSPEC 

fuel isn’t available.”

As the Department of Defense 

executive agent for bulk fuel, DLA Energy’s 

goal is to improve the efficiency and 

effectiveness of the fuel supply chain, 

Cooks added. 

“To be clear, DLA Energy is not moving 

away from procuring and delivering 

MILSPEC fuels. Yet, this capability gives 

the services a portable, small-scale 

solution addressing the historic gap 

between requirements generation and 

when DLA Energy can deliver a MILSPEC 

product,” said Army Col. Doug Henry, 

former DLA Energy chief of staff. “We 

look forward to helping the Marines and 

the other military services innovate this 

rapid-deployment injection capability to 

increase lethality through greater supplychain resiliency and strengthen readiness 

postures to meet global requirements.” 

In the coming months, Chew said his 

office will continue to work with Marines 

across the nation to familiarize them with 

the process.

“We’re going to continue experimentation and work with wing and ground 

units to expand the exposure and gain 

more advocacy and requirements from 

the fleet,” he said. “As we look forward at 

venues where operating forces can train 

to maintain this capability, we’ll ensure 

they stay proficient so when they need 

to use this for its intended purpose, they 

aren’t starting from scratch.”

The Marine Corps 7th Engineer 

Support Battalion at Camp Pendleton, 

California, plans to conduct another 

full-scale EMFAC test next spring during 

Operation Pacific Blitz, Chew said. LL
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LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Story by Dianne Ryder

S

ince just before World War II, the 

U.S. National Defense Stockpile has 

acquired and stored critical metals, 

minerals and agricultural supplies to 

reduce the nation’s dependence on 

foreign sources in national emergencies. 

To supply those materials, the Defense 

Logistics Agency Strategic Materials 

team provides safe, secure and 

environmentally sound sources, working 

with DLA Information Operations’ 

Research and Development team. 

Stockpiling and Supply Chains

The stockpile and R&D fall under the 

Strategic and Critical Materials Stockpiling 

Act, said Brian Gabriel, chief of the DLA 

Strategic Materials Planning Branch. 

“Essentially, we are [the Department 

of Defense’s] agency for looking at raw 

material supply chains during conflicts,” 

Gabriel said. There are potential vulnerabilities in the supply chain, and his team 

understands the risks of relying heavily on 

foreign manufacturers for raw materials.

Gabriel said there are about 200 

materials on the strategic materials 

“watch list.” 

“The old saying is, we go from A-Z — 

aluminum to zinc,” Gabriel said. “When we 

do our primary analysis, which runs in a 

two-year cycle, we’re running about 100 

RESEARCHING 

SOLUTIONS

materials through our economic analysis 

— which is a lot of materials for our small 

teams to cover.”

There are recycling and reclaiming 

authorities for strategic and critical 

materials that allow DLA Strategic 

Materials to work with domestic industry 

to qualify substitutes, he said. 

Gabriel explained these are new 

authorities granted in recent National 

Defense Authorization Acts, specifically in 

a 2017 bill.

“On programs where we see a supply 

chain risk from our analysis team, we 

don’t necessarily see stockpiling as the 

ideal solution right now. We’ve been 

 DLA STRATEGIC MATERIALS PARTNERS WITH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, sends its excess used 

engine parts to DLA Strategic Materials at Hammond 

Depot, Hammond, Indiana, through the Strategic Materials 

Recovery and Recycling Program. Super alloys are then 

stripped from the parts. By recycling parts, the government 

doesn’t have to invest in new materials, saving the taxpayer 

millions of dollars.

Nutan Chada
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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

THE FIBERS PRODUCED 

BY THE DOMESTIC 

COMPANIES LOOKED 

COMPARABLE TO OR 

EVEN BETTER THAN THE 

FOREIGN FIBER.

 — BRIAN GABRIEL

working with R&D to do more novel risk 

mitigation programs,” Gabriel said. 

Finding Domestic Solutions

One of the team’s biggest challenges 

is gaining dominance over foreign 

manufacturing of rare-earth materials.

“One thing that comes up constantly 

is the issue with rare-earth elements 

— the rare-earth market itself is heavily 

dominated by [foreign nations that] have 

good mineral endowments,” Gabriel said. 

“We can create some domestic production 

or get some alternative to those ... 

materials into the DoD supply chains that 

adds to the robustness or resiliency of 

those supply chains.” 

It’s a high-visibility area because of 

the interest in materials where there is a 

known foreign reliance issue, he said. 

“There’s a big push within the 

executive branch as a whole to try to 

make the U.S. more self-sufficient,” Gabriel 

said. “We’ve had to participate on two 

executive orders — one related to the 

overall defense industrial base, another 

specifically on critical minerals for all the 

government agencies to collaborate on.” 

Federal officials are also seeking 

solutions before the issue becomes big 

enough to hurt U.S. jobs, Gabriel said. 

“They’re looking for policy changes that 

will [reduce foreign reliance] in the long 

term. But resolving these overall economic 

large market issues takes a lot of time,” he 

said. “These things move in cycles, [but] 

there’s been a lot of movement in the 

rare-earth market and new technologies. 

I think the market is looking better for that 

particular material for domestic production 

in the next couple of years.”

He pointed to DLA’s carbon-fiber project as particularly successful. Carbon fibers 

are used in satellite applications, and in the 

past, foreign manufacturers who produced 

technically advanced carbon fibers held the 

monopoly on those materials. 

While DLA doesn’t have the resources 

or the mandate to set up its own 

factories, the agency can and has set up 

smaller scale projects like carbon fiber 

production, said Matt Hutchens, DLA’s 

R&D program manager.

“We started [the project] because 

there was a supply risk with foreign, 

ultra-high-modulus carbon fibers used 

on satellite structures,” he said. “There 

was a domestic product that became 

available and the folks that build the 

satellite structures needed to qualify it at 

a materials level.”

The fibers produced by the domestic 

companies looked comparable to or even 

better than the foreign fiber, Gabriel said. 

After the domestic company fully qualified 

the materials, it was able to create 

designs based on the domestic fibers.

Collaboration and Innovation 

One goal in partnering with R&D is to 

set up a program that will spark domestic 

recycling capabilities for rare-earth 

elements, Gabriel said. 

“So instead of mining them, which 

is difficult in the U.S., we can use waste 

streams,” he said. 

A waste stream is the complete flow 

of waste from domestic or industrial 

areas to final disposal. Recycling lessens 

the content of a waste stream as it moves 

down the line.

Vaibhav Jain, a materials engineer 

in DLA Strategic Materials, talked about 

other difficulties with mining. 

“To start a new mine, especially in the 

U.S., is so expensive,” he said. “The whole 

process takes 10-15 years.” 

Workers excavate a site at Urban Mining Company’s facility 

for manufacturing neodymium/iron/boron magnets in San 

Marcos, Texas.

Courtesy Photo
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November / December 2018 11

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Jain explained that it’s easier to work 

from existing mines already in production.

“One of the contracts we have 

found is [with] Rio Tinto — they have 

a copper smelting process in Utah,” he 

said. Smelting is the process of extracting 

metals from their ore by heating and 

melting. “When they recover copper from 

the ore, they have a lot of waste stream 

that goes out that’s of no use.” 

Rio Tinto has put in the initial work and 

found a good amount of rhenium, which 

is an important critical material for DLA, 

used in high-octane fuel, super alloys and 

weapons systems, Jain said. 

Recovering materials from the waste 

stream is expensive, but it’s something 

Rio Tinto has done successfully with DLA’s 

help, Jain said.

“If they could optimize the process and 

improve their circuit, they would be able 

to recover extra material from the waste 

stream that’s already there because of the 

copper-smelting process,” he said. 

Gabriel noted that recovery and 

domestic production of materials greatly 

reduces the amount DLA needs to 

maintain in the stockpile. 

“Primarily, we look at foreign sources 

and single points of failure in the supply 

chain, and we come up with what we 

call the stockpile requirements,” he said. 

To determine how much new material 

needs to be produced, his team does an 

economic analysis.

All these efforts have also created 

more competition in the rhenium market 

and increased domestic sources of supply 

for jet engines, Gabriel said.

“It’s a better solution overall for us and 

for industry partners to do that domestic 

production,” he said. 

Stockpiling still works in some 

cases because there are materials DLA 

will always need to stock, Gabriel said. 

But by collaborating with R&D, DLA 

Strategic Materials is setting up unique 

programs that extend how DLA and 

DoD approach sustainment of critical 

materials beyond stockpiling.

“Now, using creative problem-solving 

skills we can stand up capabilities and 

new ideas,” Gabriel said. 

Jain agreed. “If you solve a problem 

of production by something that already 

exists, the problem is solved for the next 

several years or next several decades.” 

Magnets and magnet alloys are 

important to DLA’s mission as well, Jain 

said. But the U.S. had few domestic 

companies to manufacture the rare-earth 

supplies permanent magnets are made 

from. DLA is working with Urban Mining 

Company in Austin, Texas, to solve this. 

“We need magnets for regular work as 

well as for specialized weapons systems 

applications and precision-guided bombs,” 

Jain said. “They are critical to the weapons 

systems in DoD.”

Jain said UMC finds magnets at 

the end of life cycle from hard drives, 

phones and MRI machines, and using a 

proprietary process, the company makes 

new magnets it says are better than the 

original product. 

Using recovered waste, UMC takes 

a neodymium magnet, the most widely 

used type of rare-earth magnet, and 

inserts it directly into its own magnetrecycling process.

In 2014, DLA’s main focus for the 

program was stockpiling materials. 

“Now, we’re using other risk-mitigation 

approaches — stockpiling, recycling, 

working with domestic industries to build 

up technologies for domestic production, 

qualifying these domestic materials — 

the whole toolbox itself is much larger 

for the stockpile program and for DLA,” 

Gabriel said. “DLA R&D has been a big part 

of that in expanding the toolbox.”

Recycling Versus Recovery

Federal agencies and facilities are directed to implement acquisition programs 

aimed at encouraging new technologies 

Eric Deal of DLA Strategic Materials checks out a lens 

from Anniston Army Depot, Alabama. Germanium will be 

extracted from the lens and stockpiled until needed.

High-purity stabilized ceramic powders are produced by 

a chemical synthesis method. The powders yield a rareearth-based ceramic thermal barrier coating made from 

yttria-stabilized zirconia, which DLA uses to achieve heat 

resistance and thermal control in jet engines and in the 

space program.

Nicholas Burlingame, Xylon Technical Ceramics

Nutan Chada
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12 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

and building markets for environmentally 

preferable and recycled products.

While recovery occurs in the waste 

stream, recycling refers to the reuse 

or regeneration from an end-of-lifecycle product. 

Hutchens said DLA’s R&D mission 

differs from that of DLA Strategic 

Materials because the latter is viewing 

the risks “of a whole gamut of materials,” 

while R&D focuses more on inventory 

control and acquisition processes. But 

they work together when there’s a 

potential R&D processing solution. 

“We’ve done some small business 

innovation research on the rare-earth 

recycling, but we’re [looking] at some other 

areas to do that as well where we can 

recycle products that are foreign-sourced, 

essentially,” Hutchens said. “Where [DLA 

Strategic Materials sees] a risk, a need or 

maybe even just a significant cost reduction 

that we can achieve, we’ll talk to them and 

see what their requirements are.” 

On Oct. 1, 2017, the R&D group 

became part of DLA Information 

Operations. Now, in addition to investing 

in anti-counterfeiting efforts, Hutchens 

said another fairly new project involves 

working with DLA Distribution to expand 

the use of lithium-ion batteries in forklifts.

“We’re looking at what sort of 

modernization could we do in the 

distribution warehouses — utilizing 

robotics, robotic stackers and improving 

data management,” he said. 

Jain said DLA is also exploring the 

recycling process for lithium-ion batteries.

“We’re always looking for ways to 

recycle what the current feedstock is. 

Lithium-ion has lithium, cobalt and a small 

amount of rare-earths,” he said. “But 

sometimes we have limitations on how 

much feedstock we can get.”

Hutchens said DLA R&D has been 

participating in a robust Battery Network 

program since 2010. The program 

reduces life cycle costs and logistics 

requirements by reducing the size and 

weight of personal and vehicle batteries 

and extending their run time. The team 

is also working on new designs to reduce 

environmental hazards. 

Hutchens explained that batteries 

referred to as wet, or flooded lead-acid, 

are no longer used. 

“Some of the military’s batteries 

have been merged over to the new 

technology, which is the absorbent glass 

material — it’s more of either a gel or 

harder substance inside instead of a 

liquid acid,” he said. “It performs better, 

it has much better vibration resistance, 

you don’t have to replace acid and so 

you’re getting rid of all that maintenance 

activity out in the field.”

Two types of batteries that no longer 

have any commercial use, 2HN and 4HN, 

are used for turret power on the Bradley 

Fighting Vehicle. 

“We found a company that would 

do the research and development to 

give us a new advanced battery that will 

outperform [the old batteries] but will 

have the same fit and function,” Hutchens 

said. “The old ones will go away or be 

disposed of, and once the new ones are 

qualified, we’ll just buy them off of a new 

[National Stock Number].”

The new battery replaces about 

120 pounds of electronic equipment, 

Hutchens said.

“We think it’ll save about $8 million of 

procurement a year, when you look at all 

the components this battery replaced,” 

he said.

Future Technologies

In addition to BATTNET, DLA R&D 

uses diverse manufacturing methods to 

innovate in the discrete-parts support 

of fielded weapons systems and is 

investigating other technologies. 

These initiatives include casting and 

forging and additive manufacturing, or 

3D printing. 

“Every day they’re looking at more 

parts that they prefer to use this process 

for,” Hutchens said. “We’re actually going 

back and working with the services for 

legacy parts within the supply system.”

Another necessary innovation is 

microcircuit emulation, because of the 

hard-to-find older microcircuits DLA 

still uses. 

“We are spending about $10 million 

a year to advance the production 

capability as microcircuits [become] more 

obsolete,” he said. “It saves billions of 

dollars — that’s actually one of our bigger 

manufacturing technology programs.” 

Finally, DLA’s Energy Readiness 

Program is used to qualify alternative 

fuels, such as biofuel, Hutchens said. 

“Sometimes suppliers add large 

doses of antioxidant to the fuel to mask 

unstable characteristics of the fuel,” he 

explained. However, DLA R&D developed 

methods to identify high levels of 

antioxidants and assess the underlying 

quality of the fuel. Testing is necessary 

to determine how alternative fuels such 

as biofuels will perform in comparison to 

traditional jet fuels. LL

An ingot made via electron-beam physical vapor deposition  

is created from recycled yttria-stabilized zirconia EB-PVD 

waste, which has just been removed from the press used 

to form recycled powder into the ingot shape.

Nicholas Burlingame, Xylon Technical Ceramics
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November / December 2018 13

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DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION P18280503

DEPARTMENT 

OF DEFENSE 

MAINTENANCE 

SYMPOSIUM

sae.org/events/dod

DECEMBER 17–20, 2018

TAMPA, FLORIDA

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to participate in the 2018 DoD 

Maintenance Symposium. The Symposium will illuminate the National 

Defense Strategy by focusing on its objectives and its three distinct “lines 

of effort.” It is co-located with the Defense Maintenance and Logistics 

Exhibition and brings over 1,500 defense maintenance professionals together 

for concentrated learning, collaborating, and technology exploration. 

The Symposium is the only DoD hosted event solely focused on maintenance 

and sustainment of weapon systems and equipment.

Join delegates representing the full range of the maintenance and 

sustainment communities — military personnel, government civilians, 

industry, academia, maintenance and industry leadership to gain awareness 

of critical issues, advance your knowledge, share technical insights, and 

address the complex challenges that are influencing the DoD maintenance 

and sustainment enterprises.

Administrative support provided by SAE International under contract with the U.S. Department of Defense

MAINTAINING AMERICA’S LETHAL COMPETITIVE EDGE

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY DOD 

AS A DOD SPONSORED EVENT AND ACCORDINGLY MEETS 

DEPARTMENTAL GUIDELINES FOR ATTENDANCE BY ALL MILITARY 

SERVICES, AGENCIES, AND INDUSTRY.

DoD Approved
page

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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Story by Tim Hoyle, DLA Disposition Services Public Affairs

DLA DISPOSITION 

SERVICES HELPS 

THE ARMY REMOVE 

MOUNDS OF SCRAP 

FROM A REMOTE 

PACIFIC ISLAND

MOVING

THE MOUNTAIN

I

n January 1944, soldiers and Marines 

battled together in the Marshall 

Islands to liberate Kwajalein Atoll. 

More than 74 years later, soldiers 

serving there have a new ally in the 

Defense Logistics Agency, as they drive 

away a new threat — 6 million pounds 

of scrap. 

For more than six years, the Army 

garrison on Kwajalein has been planning 

to rid the atoll of the unwanted metal, 

with the help of DLA Disposition Services. 

In 2012, the garrison’s transportation 

officer contacted Wayne Tisdale, area 

manager for DLA Disposition Services’ 

site at Guam, asking for DLA’s help. 

However, declines in the global scrap 

metals market and funding levels, along 

with the atoll’s remote location in the 

Marshall Islands, prevented the agency 
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November / December 2018 15

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

“THE SCRAP VOLUME WAS NOT ONLY MASSIVE, IT HAD BEEN 

THERE SO LONG THAT SOME OF IT HAD BECOME EMBEDDED AS 

PART OF THE LANDSCAPE, AS WELL AS PROTRUDING PAST THE 

SHORELINE INTO THE WATER AT SOME POINTS.”

 — FARON CORDREY

from offering a contract to remove and 

dispose of the scrap. 

Tracy Hart, director of acquisition 

for DLA Disposition Services, said 

an improved world market on scrap 

sales and sufficient customer funding 

made 2017 the right time for DLA 

Disposition Services to award a service 

contract. Hart praised the contracting 

personnel, staff from DLA Disposition 

Services Pacific region, U.S. Indo-Pacific 

Command and local leaders for their 

teamwork and “herculean efforts” to 

complete the task.

Faron Cordrey, DLA Disposition 

Services’ Pacific region director, recalled 

that when he first saw the piles of scrap, 

he didn’t know where to start.

“The scrap volume was not only 

massive, it had been there so long that 

some of it had become embedded as part 

of the landscape, as well as protruding 

past the shoreline into the water at some 

points,” Cordrey said. “Additionally ... it was 

very difficult to assess — just too vast, 

and the scrap so varied.” 

Scrap material is normally segregated 

by type for easier sale or recycling. But the 

different types collected on Kwajalein were 

piled together for more than 40 years. 

 Jon Mitsuyasu, DLA Disposition 

Services’ operations chief/program 

manager for the region, and Daniel 

Schuemann, a contracting officer, were 

on Kwajalein before scrap removal began. 

Mitsuyasu provided training on scrap 

recognition to the contracted employees. 

Schuemann provided guidance on the 

terms of the contract.

As preparations continued, Bernie 

Solovey, chief of the Acquisition Hazardous 

Division, took over from Schuemann and 

worked on the contract language to help 

ease challenges in performing the work. 

“It became apparent that some 

[contract language] was impeding 

progress and the contractor asked for 

some changes that would allow him to 

hire a subcontractor with experience 

working on the atoll,” Solovey said. “As 

contracts are a partnership between the 

government and the contractor, it was 

decided to accept these changes at no 

cost to the government.” Those changes 

Nikki Maxwell

Operators use heavy equipment to load and transport 

millions of pounds of scrap material to heavy barges 

that will take it away for sorting and recycling in the city 

of Majuro in the Marshall Islands.
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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

helped the contractor remove the scrap 

more effectively, he said.

Wallan Hashimoto, a DLA Disposition 

Services contracting officer representative, 

helped prepare for the start of the 

removal process. Hashimoto said one of 

his big challenges was “to marshal the 

resources available from our customer, 

the U.S. Army and their local Department 

of Public Works.”

As the contractor continued to 

segregate the scrap, a subcontractor 

arranged for barge removal. That 

happened in late spring, when the rainy 

weather made it even harder to load 

and transport the scrap, said Arthur 

Yri, a general supply specialist for DLA 

Disposition Services.

“If I was able to avoid the rain 

showers, the high humidity still resulted 

in soaked clothes,” Yri said. “The 4-mile 

round trip to the scrapyard was mostly 

completed on foot at least twice a 

day, but sometimes four times a day. 

The scrapyard had no electrical power, 

phone or restroom, and only had a small 

covered area for the workers to get out 

of the weather.” 

Operations Specialist Johnny Lee said 

the wet weather made loading the second 

barge just as hard. 

“Most days I worked 12 hours with 

varying extreme-weather conditions,” Lee 

said. “It was either 90-plus degrees or 

torrential downpours.” 

Hart complimented the 

professionalism and resiliency of those 

involved as they dealt with pressures, bad 

weather and uncertainty. Cordrey said it 

helped that the workforce was dedicated 

from the beginning. 

“To make this happen, there was 

total buy-in from the entire DLA team to 

ensure success,” he said.

 Yri and Lee said the soggy treks 

across the scrapyard let them gather 

their thoughts, and enjoying the scenery 

helped them stay resilient. And that 

scenery isn’t just beautiful; Kwajalein and 

its neighboring islets of Roi and Namur 

were the first of the Marshall Islands to be 

captured by U.S. forces as they advanced 

toward the Philippines and the Japanese 

islands. “I had no idea the part Kwajalein 

played in WWII,” Yri said. For those visiting 

Kwajalein, he recommended a walking 

tour of the battle sites.

After great effort from a lot of people, 

Yri and Lee saw significant amounts of 

scrap leave the island. The first barge 

departed Kwajalein June 3 with almost 1 

million pounds of scrap. The remaining 5.1 

million pounds left on another barge July 9. 

Although the amount of scrap, the weather 

and other challenges made the removal a 

big task, “the challenges just motivated the 

team even more,” Cordrey said.

“One thing that never wavered was 

DLA’s commitment to making this happen 

and to support the warfighter,” he added. 

“In this situation, we, as DLA, proved 

ourselves as the experts in scrap removal. 

And throughout the evolution, that level of 

knowledge proved invaluable in allowing 

us to help the customer.” 

Hashimoto also noted the relationships built with the people on Kwajalein 

“MOST DAYS I WORKED 

12 HOURS WITH 

VARYING EXTREMEWEATHER CONDITIONS. 

IT WAS EITHER 

90-PLUS DEGREES 

OR TORRENTIAL 

DOWNPOURS.”

 — JOHNNY LEE

After decades of waiting, some of the 5 million pounds 

of scrap material remaining for transport will be on its 

way to join the first 1 million pounds that was removed 

by barge in June.

Johnny Lee
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November / December 2018 17

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DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

— the active-duty service members who 

were the customers, the representatives 

of the Marshallese people and the staff at 

DPW — were critical to the final result. 

“I would especially like to single out 

Mr. Walter Gordon of DPW ... who worked 

tirelessly to connect me with the people 

on island who could make things happen 

for our prime contractor,” Hashimoto said. 

“Mr. Gordon went above and beyond what 

would be expected to help Disposition 

Services help our contractor in getting his 

scrap removal operation started.” 

The scrap removed on the two 

barges will undergo further sorting and 

then recycling in Majuro, also part of the 

Marshall Islands. Hart said the removal 

eliminated a “mountain of scrap for 

residents and subsequent generations.” 

With mountains of metal gone, Cordrey 

said the next step is for DLA personnel to 

train the garrison staff to recognize certain 

types of scrap so they can segregate it 

before it’s removed for further disposal. 

Recyclable metals are shipped to Guam’s 

scrap contractor for sale.

“In a nutshell, we’re working with the 

garrison to train them on how to manage 

and establish a scrap yard,” Cordrey said. 

Explaining the benefits of the proper 

controls make disposal more efficient, 

saving time and money, he said.

DLA Disposition Services has also 

supported Kwajalein with other services, 

such as receiving and reusing property. 

The DLA Disposition Services site at Guam 

provides those services to Kwajalein, and 

its staff routinely receives usable items 

and other material from the atoll. Tisdale, 

for example, worked with Kwajalein 

personnel during the summer to arrange 

for five firetrucks to be shipped to Guam 

for potential reuse. LL

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A delivery driver unhooks one of the firetrucks from 

Kwajalein sent to the DLA Disposition Services site in 

Guam to be offered for reutilization.
page

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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Story by Beth Reece

No two are the same. Whether they label ballpoint pens, 

combat boots or spare parts, National Stock Numbers 

have become the axis of federal supply. Take them 

away and the systems and processes used to manage 

materiel would come to a halt.

“If NSNs somehow disappeared, we’d be in big trouble. We 

could still place and fulfill orders based on the manufacturer’s 

part number, but managing those items through the supply 

chain would be a time-consuming process because our 

logistics systems and those of the services are all designed 

around NSNs,” said Raymond Zingaretti, director of Logistics 

Information Services for Defense Logistics Agency Logistics 

Operations. 

NSNs are 13-digit codes assigned to every item repeatedly 

bought, stocked, used, distributed and disposed through the 

federal supply system. More than just a long number, NSNs 

THE

MAKING

OF AN NSN

are a gateway to information like the item’s manufacturer, 

dimensions and cost – all critical details for logisticians who 

manage military supplies throughout their life cycle. 

Birth of the NSN

NSNs were created after World War II when officials 

realized that similar items used by more than one military 

service had multiple names and part numbers, making it 

difficult for the services to share supplies. Washers, for 

example, were also commonly called shims and spacers. 

While one service used the term “washer” and gave it their 

own unique stock number, other services gave it different 

names and created their own unique stock numbers. The 

different naming conventions made it seem as if one unit or 

service had plenty in stock while another had none, resulting 

in duplicate purchases. 

In 1952, Congress approved the Defense Cataloging 

and Standardization Act to improve the services’ ability to 

share supplies, and in 1998, DLA assumed cataloging of all 

Department of Defense supplies whether managed by the 

services or DLA. Standardizing the name of items with the same 

form, fit and function under a single NSN led to better visibility and 

control of supplies while also decreasing prices, Zingaretti said. 

“When you give unique stock numbers to multiple versions 

of essentially the same part, you lose your ability to drive 

competition among suppliers and drive down the cost. It also 

creates the need for additional warehouse space because you’ve 

got to store the items in multiple bins,” he said.

Today there are over 7 million NSNs. Zingaretti’s staff of 

almost 350 catalogers in Battle Creek, Michigan, create about 

70,000 new NSNs each year at the request of the services 

and equipment program managers using data like the item 

name, manufacturer’s part number, unit price, physical and 

performance characteristics, special-handling instructions, shelf 

life and disposal procedures. Those NSNs and the accompanying 

data are stored and routinely updated in the Federal Logistics 

Information System.

Jeff Landenberger

Kristin Truex, a logistics data cataloger for DLA Logistics Operations, has been creating and 

updating National Stock Numbers in the Federal Logistics Information System for over 18 years. 
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November / December 2018 19

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DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Creating New NSNs

NSN creation usually starts before the rollout of a new 

weapon system when program managers, suppliers and DLA 

representatives are outlining all the pieces that make up the 

system. This careful review is conducted so planners can ensure 

spare parts are available throughout the system’s life cycle. 

“During this provisioning process we determine how we’re 

going to sustain materiel in the long run. It’s essentially a 

supportability analysis to determine what parts on the system 

we’re going to fix, what parts we’re going to throw away and 

which parts we need for repairs,” Zingaretti said.

The result is a list of items that already have NSNs because 

they’re used on other systems and a list of parts that need to be 

assigned NSNs and uploaded in FLIS with details in 25 or more 

categories, such as dimensions and material make-up. 

“Our goal is to describe the item fully so the services know 

what they’re getting,” said Michael Plants, a logistics data 

cataloger who processes data and NSNs for valves. “A ball valve, 

for example, has a body, stem, ball and flow-control device. I 

identify all of the materials of those products so the services 

know what each individual part is made of.”

Knowing the material can be critical in cases where only 

one type of metal is approved for use on a particular vehicle, 

aircraft or ship, he added. Other characteristics he includes 

are operating pressures and temperatures, as well as the 

connection type. Though it usually takes about one hour for 

Plants to create an NSN for a new valve, sometimes catalogers 

have to spend hours analyzing manufacturers’ drawings to 

decipher details like dimensions. 

“Interpreting drawings is a very difficult and time-consuming 

process, and that’s why we spend part of the 12 to 18 months it 

takes to train new catalogers teaching them how to read technical 

drawings,” Zingaretti said. 

Adding descriptions in areas such as demilitarization and 

safety is another challenge because FLIS, which was developed 

in the 1990s, requires users to input codes, a practice that’s 

earned catalogers the nickname “code talkers.” Logistics 

Information Services is developing a plan to update FLIS with 

current technology. 

8455013209735

Jeff Landenberger

Logistics data catalogers like Michael Plants include details in 25 or more categories, such 

as dimensions and physical make-up, when creating new National Stock Numbers for parts 

being introduced to the military supply chain.

Even common items like military and civilian medals have National Stock Numbers.

— Photo by Beth Reece
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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

“It would be easier to have a drop-down menu with 

options like ‘sell to the public’ rather than code ‘A,’ which 

you’ve got to remember the meaning of or continually look 

up,” Zingaretti added. 

Breaking Down the Numbers

Like telephone numbers with separate sections for the area 

code, exchange and unique four-digit number, NSNs are made up 

of four distinct parts with each separated by a hyphen. The first 

four digits are the Federal Supply Group and the Federal Supply 

Class, both of which organize supplies into logical families. 

Construction and building materials make up supply group 56, 

for example, and items that fall into that category are subdivided 

into supply classes, such as 5620 for tile, brick and block. There 

are 78 supply groups and 645 classes in all. 

The next two digits depict the country of origin code, such 

as “00” and “01” for the United States. The final seven digits are 

the Unique Serial Number, a sequential number automatically 

generated by FLIS. The country code and Unique Serial Number 

together are known as the National Item Identification Number.

“In areas like order management, distribution and disposition, 

the NIIN can be used to refer to a part. It’s a shorthand way of 

identifying what the item is,” Zingaretti said. 

But the first four numbers are sometimes used by material 

handlers to determine whether an item needs special handling. 

Employees at DLA Distribution and DLA Disposition Services sites 

must be able to recognize whether an item is nuclear-weaponsrelated material, for example, because regulation requires that it 

be returned to the Air Force immediately upon discovery. 

Current Workload

DLA will begin cataloging parts for the new B-21 Raider in 

2019. The provisioning, cataloging and acquisitioning process 

is expected to take about seven years, Zingaretti said, adding 

that DLA’s goal is to input all data in FLIS before the first 

aircraft is delivered.

In September, catalogers completed data entry and NSN 

assignment for over 52,000 parts for the new F-35 Lightning 

II. Though cataloging is normally done before unit equipping, as 

is expected with the B-21, the initial supply support concept 

for F-35 parts put stocking, storing and distribution in the 

hands of manufacturers. 

“Everything was going to be run by contractors so there 

was no need to catalog the items. But then these parts started 

showing up in our disposition yards and DLA Disposition Services 

folks had no data on these parts whatsoever because they hadn’t 

been cataloged,” Zingaretti said.

DLA began cataloging the parts so disposal experts had the 

information necessary to properly strip defensive capabilities 

of excess material from the fighter jet simply by referring to the 

demilitarization code associated with the NSN. Demilitarization 

codes indicate the degree of destruction required before an item 

can be disposed of.

Requests for new NSNs also occur when the services 

repeatedly order new items. Although NSNs generally live forever 

after they’re created, catalogers like Kristin Truex dedicate their 

days to updating data in FLIS.

“DLA product specialists may ask us to change a part number 

or update a source because there’ve been manufacturing 

changes, or we might need to update characteristics of an item,” 

she said, adding that cataloging is more than just data entry. 

“We also do a lot of research. For instance, if we’re updating 

technical data from a new drawing and notice one of the codes 

has changed, it’s our job to review it and make sure the code is 

correct,” Truex said.

Though most troops may think of the NSNs on their 

equipment as just official labels, catalogers and logisticians view 

them as a link to critical data needed to support supplies from the 

time they’re purchased until they’re disposed of, Zingaretti added. 

“The real power of the NSN is that other than cataloging 

items into segments and providing a way to identify supplies the 

same way across the services, it gives us a common language 

for planning, procurement, warehousing, distribution, repair and 

disposition,” he said. LL

A NATIONAL STOCK NUMBER IS 

THE OFFICIAL LABEL APPLIED 

TO AN ITEM OF SUPPLY THAT IS 

REPEATEDLY PROCURED, STOCKED, 

STORED, ISSUED AND USED 

THROUGHOUT THE FEDERAL 

SUPPLY SYSTEM.

WHERE DO THE NUMBERS

COME FROM?

8145 - 01 - 189 - 6934

NATIONAL ITEM

ID NUMBER

FEDERAL

SUPPLY CLASS

This code

is used

to group

like items:

8145 is

tents and

tarpaulins.

This code

indicates

country

of origin:

00 and 01

are U.S.

codes.

This code

indicates

grouping

number:

can be random

or can identify

a subgroup.

This code

indicates

the Unique

Item Number:

identies the

specic part.

{

{
Courtesy Photo

Air Force Brig. Gen Linda Hurry, Commander, DLA Aviation

How did your career lead you to command Defense 

Logistics Agency Aviation?

It’s amazing how my background fits perfectly 

with the mission of DLA Aviation. I’ve had two joint 

logistics assignments with U.S. Transportation 

Command, attended joint programs for intermediate 

and senior service schools, served as the deputy 

commander for maintenance at an air logistics 

complex (one of our biggest customers) and 

commanded the Air Force Supply Chain Operations 

organization at both the group and wing level (about 

60 percent of DLA Aviation’s mission). I’m not 

sure anyone could have designed a more perfect 

background for this position. 

As the commander of DLA Aviation, how would you 

describe your role and your priorities?

My role is to lead and care for our amazing 

3,800-person team and their 

families, inspire excellence 

and solve problems through 

teamwork and relationships. 

I’m not a very technical person, 

so I’ve focused more on the 

leadership and team building 

aspects of the job. 

I’ve tried to create an 

environment that allows folks 

to think differently, encourages 

innovation and empowers the 

team to drive change for the right 

reasons — namely, to drive up 

availability and drive down cost. 

Our job is simple: support 

warfighters across the globe. 

This can only be done by building 

strong relationships with the 

services and industry. This is a 

team sport. To me, the best way to increase warfighter 

readiness, affordability and speed is through these 

partnerships — so that together we can build trust 

and confidence in the DLA Aviation supply chain. 

When I got here last summer, I shared my priorities with 

the team, which are pretty simple: people, mission and 

safety. All three are important, but if you take care of the 

people, the people will safely take care of the mission.

I also asked the team to do several things: Do what is right 

to support the warfighter; use common sense; challenge 

the status quo; think differently; make our operation 

better than yesterday; and no matter what, take care of 

one another. 

This team has responded in spades, and I’m honored to 

serve alongside them. We’ve had to deal with plenty of 

operational challenges and entirely too many of what I like 

to call life’s little curveballs, but we’re getting through all of 

them together!

It’s been a little over a year since you took command of 

DLA Aviation. What are some of the highlights so far? 

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a year already, but what 

an amazing team and an unbelievable mission. We truly 

are a team of warfighters supporting warfighters. To be 

afforded the opportunity to command this joint logistics 

organization is a true honor, just as it’s a tremendous 

privilege to be part of such an incredible 

group of professionals. I couldn’t have 

been more blessed. 

If you look at what we’re doing with 

our strategic contracting efforts to 

partner with industry, it’s amazing. 

It’s no longer us versus them. We’ve 

progressed to the point where we’re 

putting contracts in place so that the 

Department of Defense and industry 

work together to solve challenges 

with obsolescence, aging aircraft, cold 

supply chains, unstable demands, etc. 

Our Captains of Industry efforts have 

already produced significant results 

for our service partners. And we’re just 

getting started. We’ve got 13 more 

lined up for next year.

Our DLA Small Business team also 

hit a home run this year. In addition to 

The commander of DLA Aviation 

discusses the command’s recent 

achievements, her priorities for 

boosting warfighter support and the 

leadership lessons she’s gathered 

during her Air Force career.

A Conversation with ...

Air Force Brig. Gen. Linda Hurry

page

November / December 2018 21

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION
all our huge COI successes, we’ve awarded over $1.5 

billion in contracts to small businesses, the highest 

ever in DLA Aviation’s history. We’ve also implemented 

a multiplatform commercial pricing strategy with 

major original equipment manufacturers that drove 

months out of the proposal/evaluation time and is now 

considered a best practice across DoD. 

Additionally, we’ve developed a sustainment 

contract approach to identify potential engineering/

obsolescence issues in advance — reducing quote 

time to 30 days from six months. Our team expanded 

long-term contracts and implemented tactical 

innovations to increase procurement output by 21 

percent and cut time-to-award from 63 days to 55 

days, an 11 percent improvement. The team is also 

on target to exceed our 22,000 long-term contracts, 

eliminating manual workload and driving savings of 

$185 million. It’s absolutely amazing to watch what 

happens when you point the team in a direction, 

empower them and then get out of their way while 

they work together to make it happen.

What’s your focus for the next year?

We’ve got a lot of work to do, and our focus will 

be in two areas: human-capital development and 

logistics operations. 

We intend to increase our focus on developing and 

recognizing our workforce. I’ve had the honor to present 

a significant number of 30-, 40-, and 45-year service 

certificates, which is absolutely wonderful. 

But with every certificate comes the stark reality 

that those Jedi masters could soon retire. We need to 

build the bench. We’re going to increase our focus on 

professional development and bringing in new talent. 

Likewise, I’m turning up the heat on our recognition 

programs. While I truly believe logistics is a team sport 

and all the major subordinate commands are in this 

together, when it comes time to compete for awards 

and recognition for my DLA Aviation teammates — 

sorry, guys; it’s game on! 

From an operational perspective, we need to improve our 

wholesale materiel management to include a 2 percent 

increase in materiel availability, a 10 percent reduction in 

backorders, a 3 percent improvement in supplier on-time 

delivery and 5 percent reduction in suspended stock. 

We’re also going to expand our use of strategic contracting 

solutions that directly improve warfighter readiness, 

increase automated contract awards to reduce manual 

workload by increasing our long-term contracts and 

partner with industry to develop other innovative 

contracting methodologies. In doing so, we must 

continue our laser focus on developing solutions in 

support of the nuclear enterprise, F-35 sustainment, the 

Navy’s Rhino Recovery effort, the Army’s Apache and 

Black Hawk depot repair and global operations, and the 

Air Force’s F-22 and F-16 sustainment effort.

What are some weapons-systems-support challenges 

facing DLA Aviation? What are your expectations? 

We have numerous aged weapons systems. The B-52 

was built in the ‘50s, yet it’s going to be flying another 

couple of decades. Many other airframes have reached 

their service life but can’t be retired due to delays in 

new programs. In many cases, we’re seeing things 

break that no one ever intended to replace and there’s 

no supply chain in place to support them. At the same 

time we’re bringing on new weapon systems, we’re 

challenged with rising costs, obsolescence, cold supply 

chains, unstable demand patterns, poor or nonexistent 

technical data packages, diminishing sources of supply, 

[Commercial and Government Entity] compromise 

issues and cyber threats. 

Adding to the complexity, Congress gave the services 

extra funding to increase the readiness of aviation 

platforms. While obviously no one is complaining about 

this, the reality is, in many cases, this “readiness” has to 

start with parts provided by DLA. Unfortunately, those 

demands were not forecast and because the average 

lead time for aviation parts is more than 300 days, the 

desired and measurable increase in readiness is going 

to take time.

Besides being innovative, my expectation to get 

through these challenges is for our team to capitalize 

on our strategic partnerships with industry to 

leverage their collective strengths: their platform/

parts expertise, engineering support, data analytics 

and production and repair capacity. We need to 

be completely transparent about our challenges, 

communicate openly, benchmark across industry 

groups and capitalize on the best practices within the 

commercial marketplace. 

Conversely, we need our industry partners to be 

accountable; deliver on their promises; increase the 

timeliness of their goods and services; help us increase 

our materiel availability; reduce unfilled backorders; and 

overcome these unexpected demand spikes. We’ve 

already created a contractual framework to attack 

obsolescence and minimize the number of no-bids, but 

I bet there are other things industry could do to help us 

identify and eliminate vulnerabilities and risks. Solving 

these challenges will be a team sport.

page

22 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY
The full interview with Air Force 

Brig. Gen. Hurry can be found in 

the online version of Loglines:

www.dla.mil

Would you share some of the leadership traits or career 

choices that have made you successful? 

First and foremost, leadership is a gift, but it’s also a 

tremendous responsibility. You have to completely own 

everything that happens or doesn’t happen — good or 

bad — in your organization. And I firmly believe respect 

is something you have to earn; it’s not dependent on 

rank or position.

Likewise, you also have to remember that leadership is 

not a popularity contest. Sometimes you have to make 

a call that folks are not going to agree with. That’s OK, as 

long as you make the decisions for the right reasons and 

for the greater good. If that’s the case, then make the 

tough call and stick with it. Remember, decisions can’t be 

for personal benefit; leadership is not about you.

I also believe the most important thing you can ever do 

is just be yourself; be genuine.No matter what happens, 

don’t try to be someone else. Just because you’re a 

supervisor or in charge doesn’t mean you have to be 

mean, yell or play bad cop. It’s OK to be nice. It’s OK to be 

down to earth. It’s OK to relate with and try to understand 

your subordinates. You absolutely have to enforce 

standards and hold people accountable, but that doesn’t 

mean you change who you are while you’re doing it. 

Next, I think it’s important to stay humble, stay grounded 

and remember your priorities. I don’t care if you’re the 

newest member on the team or the commander. We 

all put our pants on the same way, and we all have to 

figure out for ourselves what’s important. None of us can 

afford to get so big for our britches that we forget what 

our real priorities in life are. For me, my three kids don’t 

care whether I’m in charge of a wing, a base or nothing 

at all. To them, I’m Mom — and I’m still going to be Mom 

whenever I get out of the Air Force. So no matter what 

happens or how successful you are in your career, make 

sure you don’t get that part goofed up.

My next recommendation is to never go it alone. Logistics 

is a team sport; so is life. I tend to talk about this a lot 

because I’ve played a lot of different sports, so I think in 

terms of team unity and effort. Life is no different. It’s 

not something you have to deal with by yourself. Always 

remember, you have a wingman; don’t be afraid to ask 

for help. And that means all of us, whether you’re a new 

airman or a commander or somewhere in between. 

Build relationships. Even if you just want to bounce an 

idea off someone, let them give their opinion. Two heads 

are better than one. Think of it like the lifelines in “Who 

Wants to Be a Millionaire?” But here, we’re not limited 

to just three. Look around at your co-workers, leaders, 

mentors and friends. Think of the relationships you’ve 

made throughout DoD and in industry. These networks give 

new meaning to the “phone a friend” concept. Use this to 

your advantage. I promise it will pay huge dividends. 

Listen. The best thing you can do in almost every situation 

is listen. Don’t talk, don’t interrupt, don’t finish people’s 

sentences. Just listen. It’s really that simple, and it’s really 

that important. If you don’t, you’re going to miss something 

important. Everyone on your team has a story. If you don’t 

know their stories, you can’t lead the team.

Welcome diversity. Surround yourself with folks who think 

differently from you. Diversity is important. Your team 

needs to have different types of education, experiences, 

backgrounds, etc. You need to be able to look at problems 

through different lenses, and you have to enable those 

folks to convey their true opinion. You don’t want a bunch 

of “yes men” because the result will be nothing more than 

groupthink. The team has to be able to tell the figurative 

“emperor” he has no clothes.

The next nugget is to be positive and be resilient. Be that 

“glass is half full” kind of person. We all know people 

who are like that; they’re usually the types of people we 

enjoy being around, who build successful teams with high 

morale. We also all know folks who are more of the “glass is 

half empty” type and the effect that attitude can have.

I challenge you to take the more positive approach. Life is 

going to happen, and it’s going to happen to all of us. So 

when life throws you a curveball, just go with it; phone 

a friend and get the help you need so you can focus on 

what you can do, not on what you can’t. If you focus on 

the positive, I promise it will help you rebound much faster. 

I’m speaking from personal experience on this; at some 

point, life is going to throw all of us a curveball or two. The 

question is, do you have the ability and the resiliency to 

stand back up and move forward?

My last leadership nugget is “Don’t be afraid to laugh.” 

Laughter and humor are good for you. It breaks the tension, 

helps build cohesive teams and breaks the monotony of 

daily life. So don’t take yourself so seriously you can’t laugh. 

Like I said: Things happen and they happen to everyone. 

The important thing is how you react. If a leadership 

opportunity or, heaven forbid, even a curveball comes your 

way, just be yourself, be genuine, be humble, be positive, 

listen, laugh and internalize the fact that life and everything 

that we do is really a team sport. LL

page

November / December 2018 23

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION
page

24 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Story by John Dwyer III, DLA Troop Support Public Affairs

When his supply chain was 

charged with helping resolve 

problems with grounded 

items at Defense Logistics Agency 

Distribution hubs — an issue that 

directly affects warfighter readiness — 

José Pereira assembled a specialized 

Industrial Hardware team to hit the 

road and get to work. 

As chief of DLA Troop Support’s 

Industrial Hardware Division, Pereira leads 

a team of quality assurance, technical 

and engineering specialists. They’re 

responsible for IH items such as nuts, 

bolts, seals and other repair parts needed 

to maintain weapons systems. 

BACK IN 

THE FIGHT

Addressing suspended stock — 

items with labeling, packaging and other 

discrepancies found during shipment 

— requires a certain skillset he knew his 

team could put to use.

Special Skills

Pereira recalled it was “eye opening” 

to see the amount of suspended stock 

at DLA Distribution Centers in New 

Cumberland, Pennsylvania, and San 

Joaquin, California. These items can’t go 

on their way to fill customer orders until 

the problems with them are resolved. 

Pereira knew that although DLA 

Distribution center workers have a 

INDUSTRIAL HARDWARE TEAM WORKS WITH

DLA DISTRIBUTION TO TACKLE SUSPENDED STOCK solid grasp of packing and labeling 

requirements, clearing suspended stock 

requires additional specialized training 

and experience, which his staff could use 

to help. So he coordinated with the two 

main DLA Distribution hubs to arrange for 

his folks to provide hands-on assistance. 

“On the tech/quality side, everyone [at 

IH] has experience, whether it’s military, 

quality assurance or a technical degree 

like engineering,” making them the best 

resource for the job, said Shaun Strain, 

an IH quality assurance specialist who 

traveled to the DLA Distribution center at 

New Cumberland to assist in August. 

With their broad range of specialized 

skills, Strain said he and his counterparts 

can identify discrepancies in labeling, 

packaging and requirements listed in item 

specifications and drawings. They use 

detailed measurements, special markings 

and other methods to determine whether 

there truly is a material issue or if an 

easier fix could avoid sending the item 

back to a vendor and prevent additional 

delay for the customer. 

DLA Troop Support and DLA Distribution employees work 

together to position packing kits for vehicle-mounted 

speakers for shipment from DLA Distribution in New 

Cumberland, Pennsylvania. The team works together — 

DLA Troop Support in identifying issues and resolutions, 

DLA Distribution in shipping the items — to get previously 

“suspended stock” on the move.

Courtesy Photo
page

November / December 2018 25

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

THE INDUSTRIAL HARDWARE TEAM’S WORK HAS 

HELPED DLA TROOP SUPPORT REDUCE $22 MILLION 

OF SUSPENDED STOCK ACROSS OVER 3,000

BACK-ORDERED LINES.

“We can look at it as product specialists, 

relabel it if the material is good and get it 

out,” Strain said.

He said that while his traveling team 

of quality specialists are a linchpin in the 

process, it takes a team to get the job 

done. Specialists like Strain can identify 

why an item has become suspended stock, 

but most corrective actions have to be 

coordinated with other experts. 

Coordinated Solutions

The quality assurance team is guided 

by a prioritized list from DLA Distribution 

identifying the highest value and oldest 

suspended stock.

Once the team identifies the errors, a 

DLA Troop Support resolution specialist 

on the IH team changes the way the 

item is coded in DLA’s systems. DLA 

Distribution can then move the items 

out to the customer or back to a vendor 

to be corrected. 

Coordination with DLA Troop Support 

is vital, Strain said. The quality team 

serves as the hands-on assessors. But 

the resolution specialists are the ones 

changing the way the item’s condition is 

coded in DLA’s systems. They make sure 

the automated systems between DLA 

Troop Support and DLA Distribution are 

updated, clearing the path for the items to 

ship discrepancy-free. 

“Now the distribution center knows 

what they need to do, items get relabeled 

and they get out the door within the next 

day or so,” Strain said. “Because we’re all 

there working together, getting it all figured 

out and fixed.”

Not all items can be corrected on-site, 

Strain added. For those that can’t, the total 

cost of DLA correcting the discrepancy 

can’t outweigh a threshold value set by 

DLA Distribution. That threshold is related 

to the cost of sending the products back 

to the vendor, to ensure good stewardship 

of taxpayers’ money. There are certain 

exceptions for priority orders, though. 

According to Strain, items with current 

back orders that can be handled on-site 

are corrected to expedite movement. The 

cost differential is then accounted for 

through post-award contracting officers at 

DLA Troop Support. 

The post-award team makes the 

process work on the backend. Whether 

it’s an on-the-spot correction or the 

materiel has to go back to the vendor, the 

post-award team provides the IH team 

contract guidance and communicates 

with the vendor. 

As the experts in what the contracts 

specify for labeling, packaging and 

specification requirements, the post-award 

team communicates with vendors and 

coordinates adjustments to contracts 

when needed. Their guidance is important 

to how the IH team addresses the issues it 

finds, Strain said. 

Materiel Back on the Move

By clearing the suspended stock at 

the DLA Distribution centers, the team 

not only speeds up delivery of materiel, 

it also clears customer back orders and 

prevents a bigger problem.

Strain noted that if an order is put in 

while there’s still suspended stock, “then 

we’re going to have another back order. 

So let’s get it cleared before it gets to 

that point.”

In addition to helping customers 

get the materiel they need, the team 

identifies and corrects issues tied to “bad 

actors” trying to defraud the government 

by supplying nonconforming parts that 

don’t meet customer specifications — 

known as Commercial and Government 

Entity compromise. Coordinating with 

DLA Headquarters and the team at DLA 

Troop Support, quality specialists at 

DLA Distribution have identified some 

CAGE-compromised items and helped 

resolve them to get the right items to the 

customer, Strain said. 

The team, part of an enterprise 

effort led by DLA’s Technical and Quality 

Assurance Division Stock Readiness 

program managers Jennifer Smith and 

George Berkery, has made an impact. 

Smith noted the IH team’s work has helped 

DLA Troop Support reduce $22 million of 

suspended stock across over 3,000 backordered lines.

The work involved to clear suspended 

stock and make that kind of impact takes a 

team. And thanks to the skills of IH’s quality, 

resolution and post-award employees, the 

team is getting the job done. LL

Courtesy Photo

Mathew Parayll from Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, helps 

the team by inspecting a vehicle equipment mount. Moving 

the suspended stock takes a full complement of subjectmatter experts working together.
page

26 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

DLA NewsWire

DLA TROOP SUPPORT PROVIDES FOOD, GENERATORS, 

OTHER MATERIALS FOR HURRICANE FLORENCE RELIEF EFFORTS

Defense Logistics Agency Troop 

Support employees were prepared 

for Hurricane Florence well in 

advance of it hitting the coast of the 

Carolinas Sept. 14.

“When reports of the storm and 

its possible impact began surfacing, 

the DLA Troop Support team began 

working with our customers and 

vendors to ensure supplies needed 

for victims in the affected areas 

would be available,” Navy Capt. 

William Clarke, DLA Troop Support 

Operations and Plans director, said. 

The team filled requirements for 

the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency in support of both federal 

and local needs. 

DLA Troop Support materials 

provided to FEMA include:

• 107 generators

• 167,000 cases of Meals, 

Ready-to-Eat

• 1,296 flotation devices

and gloves

• 1,320 waders

Additionally, DLA Troop 

Support’s Subsistence supply chain 

provided 31,000 cases of MREs 

and 47,000 cases of bottled water 

for Department of Defense forces 

deployed to provide aid. 

Subsistence also coordinated 

with DLA Distribution to ensure the 

delivery of more than 16,000 cases 

of MREs to Marine Corps Base Camp 

Lejeune, North Carolina.

— Janeen T. Hayes

DLA Troop Support Public Affairs 

More Online: go.usa.gov/xPBkU

The records, which document 

the Environmental Installation 

Restoration Program at the center, 

were not being kept according to 

National Archives and Records 

Administration standards. They 

were disorganized and stored in 

unapproved boxes inside an old 

outdoor container.

Had this not been addressed, “the 

paper would have slowly degraded 

from moisture, excess heat and possible infestation — losing the value 

RECORDS 

OVERHAUL HELPS 

AGENCY COMPLY 

WITH ARCHIVES 

STANDARDS

Cleaning up and restoring contaminated soil and groundwater 

at the 908-acre Defense Logistics 

Agency Distribution Center in San 

Joaquin, California, is important, 

but so is properly storing the paper 

records of that effort.

The DLA Installation 

Operations offices in San Joaquin 

underwent a records management 

overhaul July 16-Aug. 3 in which 

the Environmental Division 

consolidated 350 boxes of 

records into 150 after organizing 

and indexing them. Lee Spikes, 

records officer for the component, 

conducted on-site training 

and evaluations at the center, 

prompting employees to clean up 

records that had been building up.

they add to possible future litigation 

and Freedom of Information Act 

requests,” Spikes said.

During the overhaul, personnel 

put the records in approved boxes 

and moved them into a climatecontrolled area. This will preserve 

the documents and ensure they’re 

available for the required 50 years 

post-cleanup.

— Amber McSherry

DLA Information Operations

More Online: go.usa.gov/xPBkP 

Army Spc. Andrea Salgado Rivera
page

November / December 2018 27

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

People often think of traditional college students seeking 

their very first career positions when they think of the 

Workforce Recruitment Program, but this is only part of 

the story. 

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and other disabilities years 

ago, yet I’ve lived an amazing life through an incredible variety of 

employment experiences, international travel, volunteering, being 

a Marine wife — and being an employee of the Defense Logistics 

Agency for nearly a decade.

How did I get where I am now? It all hinged on one decision, 

and it was not an easy one. 

After becoming a single mother with three teenagers, I 

returned to college to finish my bachelor’s degree, then went on 

to earn my master’s and finally my doctorate.

At Oklahoma State University, while I was finishing 

my seventh and final statistics course and working on 

my dissertation, I heard testing 

accommodations could be 

offered to a student if they chose 

to make their disability known. 

When I learned this would allow 

me an extra hour and a private, 

quiet room during testing times, I 

decided I would declare mine.

It seemed a risky move, and 

I wondered if it would shoot me 

in the foot later, as a full-time job 

seeker. I didn’t want others to 

know of my disability, and I didn’t 

want special treatment. It has 

taken me years to realize such accommodations truly are OK and 

help level the playing field. 

I was in chronic pain and needed extra time and quiet space 

on exams to concentrate and succeed. Thankfully, my university 

granted both.

PERSISTENCE

In May 2006, I had just completed all my doctoral coursework 

and quite suddenly lost my oldest son just eight months later; 

he was 26. Grieving takes time, but by summer 2008 I was back 

to working on my dissertation. That year, I received an offer to 

meet with a federal interviewer at the main campus in Stillwater, 

Oklahoma, 90 miles away from home in Tulsa. I thought it might 

be a good thing but had no real idea of all it would lead to.

After the interview, I didn’t quite understand what this very 

professional, suit-wearing Navy woman meant when she said to 

me, “You are exactly what the government is looking for.” But I just 

smiled, handed over all requested paperwork and left very happy. 

In about March 2009, the calls began coming in from 

Germany, the National Institutes of Health near Washington, 

D.C., and DLA Distribution at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, 

offering WRP internships. I accepted the DLA offer to work as 

a management and program analyst 113 miles from my Tulsa 

home. I knew absolutely nothing about government work or 

grades when I accepted, but I knew it was the best option.

As a WRP participant, I was given many assignments, but the 

ones I enjoyed the most were those in which I worked with our 

DLA security specialist, and another with equipment specialists, 

usually from the Air Force, who 

come to DLA to evaluate parts 

that needed to be identified 

because their National Stock 

Numbers weren’t readable. 

That parts program required 

considerable coordination and 

cooperation between DLA 

Inventory Integrity personnel, 

who noted the problem; 

warehouse employees, who 

pulled and staged the parts for 

viewing; and the equipment 

specialists, who would decipher 

and determine exactly what the part was for and proper labeling 

so it could be repaired, sent to a customer or put back into 

stock depending on its condition code. This program had a high 

“no-show” rate, which I enjoyed creatively fixing, bringing those 

“no-shows” to zero on our weekly staff reporting. 

DLA WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM

PORTRAITS OF

PAMELA CIRCO WEBB

STITCHES OF SUCCESS

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28 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

At the end of my 14-week internship, I received the 

five-week extension WRP offers. When that ended, my 

second-line supervisor told me, “Come back Monday, Pam; 

you have a full-time job.”

I was moved from the Inventory Integrity Office to the 

Stock Readiness Team, then finally to the Performance 

Excellence Office, where I managed multiple projects and 

programs. Later, the opportunity arose to administer the 

WRP for DLA Distribution in Oklahoma City for four years. 

My first year, we brought on 13 students and hired three 

full time.

One of my business passions is to help solve program 

and project problems. Another is bringing people together 

to accomplish great things. 

I also love simplifying and streamlining processes using skills 

I learned in my career and education, and from lessons I learned 

as a child who begged her mother to teach her to sew and knit 

starting in fifth grade. 

By high school, I had become an excellent seamstress. I later 

discovered that designing and constructing clothing gives one 

creativity and problem-solving skills that can be adeptly used in 

the workplace. I’ve always been so thankful to my mom for those 

countless hours of learning.

I’m now entering my 10th year with DLA and am experiencing 

the privilege of participating in the Enterprise Rotational Program 

at DLA Headquarters, where I’m learning from and working with 

the Human Resources Forward Presence Training Team. 

WRP and DLA have completely changed my life. LL

My journey to an opportunity with the Workforce 

Recruitment Program at the Defense Logistics Agency 

began with seeking help for depression while on active 

duty as an Army officer. 

Raising my right paw in taking the oath as a cadet on The Plain 

at West Point, later volunteering for Airborne, Infantry, Ranger 

School and Special Forces — each was significant. Seeking help for 

depression has proven just as important. 

In 2008 I retired from the Army and for several years worked as 

a contractor. Then, in what was to become a multiyear trek in the 

job-seeking wilderness, I returned to school in my 50s to improve 

my skills. Being a recent graduate led to my eligibility for the WRP. 

As a job applicant, I was more concerned about my age, 

the yawning gap in my work history and my lack of experience 

outside the Department of Defense than I was about my 

invisible disabilities. 

I stumbled on the WRP 

in a workshop at the Virginia 

Department of Aging and 

Rehabilitative Services, where a 

guest speaker mentioned he had 

entered federal service through 

the program. I learned more about 

the WRP from the disability office 

of my school, the University of 

Maryland University College, and 

applied by the deadline.

Temperamentally, I was 

comfortable with an internship. 

I welcomed the opportunity and 

approached it as a tryout. Up to then, I had felt like someone 

peering through a knothole in the fence yearning for a chance to 

get back on the playing field and prove myself. 

I was confident I had much to offer and just needed an 

opportunity. I interviewed with a volunteer WRP recruiter from 

Department of Veterans Affairs, with the results going into my 

Department of Labor WRP profile.

The words of the recruiter buoyed my spirits: “One day 

someone is going to read your resume, realize what they have 

and bring you on board.” 

In part, my confidence was based on my experience in a 

series of assignments over 12 years as a staff officer at the 

Army’s (now) Human Resources Command, Special Operations 

Command Europe, Combined Forces Command/U.S. Forces Korea 

and Army Personnel. I had also worked as a contractor and as a 

strategic planner on the National Guard Bureau Joint Staff. 

Many of my duties jibed with those of a management and 

program analyst. For eight of those years I supervised a mix of 

soldiers, sailors, airmen and Army civilians. In addition, earning 

two master’s degrees required me to examine contemporary 

corporate issues and best practices, sharpen my insights and 

improve my business acumen. 

It was uplifting to receive inquiries from hiring managers 

and to interview for positions with the Navy’s Civilian Personnel 

Office and Bureau of 

Medicine, the Federal Deposit 

Insurance Corporation, Army 

Communications-Electronics 

Command, Veterans Health 

Administration, Defense 

Technical Information Center 

and DLA. 

Why DLA? In my 

experience, DLA moved the 

quickest along the timeline of 

an interview, tentative offer 

and final offer, with words 

matching actions all along the 

way. A very positive experience. 

I attribute this to Catherine Callender, WRP coordinator, and 

Allison Johnson, an HR specialist. DLA’s placement of about 

26 percent of its 2016 WRP participants in longer-term and 

permanent positions through Schedule A hiring actions was 

also a factor. 

MICHAEL GRANT

THE NEXT CHAPTER

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November / December 2018 29

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

My colleagues and supervisor, Dennis Ellis, have been most 

welcoming. I have been able to contribute to DLA’s anticipated 

return to the Joint Staff Manpower and Personnel Directorate, 

which handles the Joint Staff’s equal employment opportunity 

and reasonable accommodation functions, as well as to the 

planning and execution of two Special Emphasis Program 

observances in support of Asian-American and Pacific Islander 

Month and LGBT Pride Month.

In addition, I am working with EEO specialists to revise 

onboarding briefings to new DLA employees, as well as periodic 

briefings to seasoned employees and managers.

In conclusion, the WRP is a blessing. DLA and the WRP 

provided an opportunity I had long sought: to get back to work 

and add more chapters to my working life. Regardless of how 

it works out beyond the internship, I will be forever grateful for 

that opportunity. LL

I joined Defense Logistics Agency Aviation in Richmond, 

Virginia, through the Workforce Recruitment Program in 

2016, after years working with people who have disabilities.

My motivation in life is to make a positive difference in the 

lives of others, so I was excited to know I would be helping provide 

reasonable accommodations for employees through the DLA 

Equal Employment Opportunity Office.

I also felt well-prepared. I was already certified by three 

states to administer medication and had volunteered as a basic 

life support technician for a rescue squad. And I had firsthand 

experience dealing with the challenges of a disability. 

As a youngster, I wore thick glasses and was named “Koogle” 

by my peers in reference to the way my eyes moved. Koogle was 

a brand of peanut butter that came in a jar and had a pair of eyes 

that appeared to be cross-eyed. So I was the “Koogle” kid. 

When we moved from Utica, New York, to Philadelphia, 

Pennsylvania, I was enrolled in a school for the blind, where I 

was an outlier of sorts. I have enough sight to function, which 

meant that for the rest of 

my education, I could not see 

blackboards or small fonts 

clearly because of my shifting 

eyes. The most embarrassing 

part of being mainstreamed 

was the attention from the 

other students because my 

head often moved while my 

eyes shifted. 

And yet in high school I 

joined the Civil Air Patrol. I 

wanted to be a pilot. Nobody 

had told me I would be 

excluded from what “normal” 

people do. In fact, I currently 

hold a driver’s license only 

because I have permission from 

my optometrist, who forbids 

me from driving at night.

After high school I took a certificate course at Temple 

University, aimed at training group-home workers to mainstream 

people with developmental disabilities into community-based 

care instead of institutions. 

My sister was a victim of the mass institutionalization of 

people with developmental and emotional disabilities and 

because of her oppositional behaviors; her doctors at nowclosed Rome Developmental Center in Oneida, New York, 

saw fit to break her legs to prevent her from harming others. 

I later had the opportunity to work in some of RDC’s first 

community-based programs. 

The courses at Temple were extremely difficult — so 

much that I could not describe why at the time. Without 

assistive technology in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, I could not 

get an adequate grade during a class but absorbed all of the 

subject as I restudied. 

Years later, I went back to school at Virginia State University 

to earn my bachelor’s degree. With the use of modern assistive 

technology, I managed to stay on the dean’s list for four years.

This led me to apply for the WRP, which led me to join 

DLA Aviation.

My first internship taught me the basics of EEO-related 

issues. By my second appointment, I began to witness the 

importance of the work by following the caseload’s progress. 

Harold McManus (then-EEO 

director at DLA Aviation) 

and Deborah Winston, the 

current director, gave me 

a case to work. I’m now in 

training to become an EEO 

counselor.

The mentorship from 

both directors changed my 

career goals. In my youth, I 

was interested in physical 

care for others; currently, I 

plan to take care of others 

by combating discrimination 

and disparagement in the 

workplace while providing 

accommodations to 

employees interested in 

increasing their output for DLA. 

The WRP allowed me to use and further the knowledge I 

gained in earning my degree and gave me the opportunity to 

serve the United States warfighter. LL

DOUGLAS GRAVES

A VISION OF SERVICE

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cover4 WWW.DLA.MIL

LOGLINES

THE RIGHT SOLUTIONS — ON TIME, EVERY TIME

I AM DLA

My name is: 

Gregory Turner

I am: 

Serving as a forward logistics specialist for DLA Troop 

Support Pacific in the Singapore Support Office.

Describe your job in a sentence: 

As the only forward logistics specialist for DLA Troop 

Support in the Singapore area of responsibility for all 

classes of supplies, I provide contracting and acquisition 

logistics support to the military services, civilian agencies 

and other customers in the Indo-Pacific region. 

How long have you worked for DLA? 

I have been with DLA Troop Support since December 

2014.

What is your favorite thing about working for DLA? 

The opportunity to support the warfighter, our men and 

women who put their lives on the line every day to serve our 

country. 

What are your best memories of working here? 

Supporting Cobra Gold, one of the largest military exercises in the IndoPacific region. It builds on the longstanding friendship between Thailand and 

the United States.

How do you make a difference? 

Due to the time difference between customers and headquarters, forward logistics 

specialists have the utmost latitude to make significant decisions without supervisory 

assistance. I make a difference by developing solutions and recommendations for 

customer problems, including emergencies.

Greg Turner