Inside this issue: nside this issue:

Central and South America Mission entral and South America Mission 

of DLA Energy Americas East f DLA Energy Americas East

Americans Missing In Ac mericans Missing In AcƟon

Green Strike Group reen Strike Group

Cryogenics Support ryogenics Support
FROM THE

Patrick J. Dulin

Acting Commander, Defense Logistics Agency Energy

2 www.energy.dla.mil

Acting Commander

Patrick Dulin

Acting Deputy Commander

Mike Scott

Chief of Staff

Navy Capt. Charles Race

Public Affairs Offi cer

Irene Smith

Editors

Susan Lowe

Terry Shawn

Christopher Goulait

Layout/Design

Idella Fletcher

Energy Source is an offi cial publication 

distributed by and for the Defense Logistics 

Agency Energy and fuel-oriented clientele. 

Contents of this publication are not necessarily the offi cial views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. 

government, Department of Defense, 

Defense Logisitics Agency or Defense 

Logistics Agency Energy. Energy Source is 

prepared by desktop publishing applications. 

Photos not credited are courtesy of DLA 

Energy sources.

Address correspondence to:

ATTN: DLA Energy-DCA

8725 John J. Kingman Rd.

Suite 4950

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6222

Commercial: 703-767-4108

Address email to:

EnergySourceMagazine@dla.mil

Warfi ghter support is at the 

core of the Defense 

Logistics Agency Energy’s mission. Enhancing that support to be able 

to fulfi ll the requirements of our customers more 

effi ciently and effectively goes beyond the focus of 

this edition of the Energy Source as something we 

strive for every day.

On an organizational level, DLA Energy is in 

the process of restructuring itself to better support 

the warfi ghter through our Enterprise Business 

Systems Energy Convergence process. Energy 

Convergence will align DLA Energy to the majority 

of the DLA enterprise, allowing the organization 

to evolve to better suit the needs of our suppliers 

and customers. 

DLA Energy’s support to the warfi ghter can be 

seen across the world, in many forms. Both domestically and in our regional offi ces, DLA Energy 

is commended for our top-notch support for the 

training exercises that keep the services ready 

for any situation, from combat training to disaster relief. Working with other countries on these 

exercises, along with fuel exchange agreements 

and memorandums of understanding, presents an 

opportunity to strengthen our forces and our ties 

between nations.

We also come to the aid of nations in their 

times of need, and supporting disaster relief had 

no clearer example than the exemplary efforts 

seen during Operation Tomodachi. One year after 

the earthquake and tsunami, DLA Energy continues to ensure uninterrupted fuel and cryogenics 

support to the region. 

Additionally, while we are responding to increasing demand in Africa, it comes at a time 

when we are adapting to changes in our warfi ghter 

support mission relating to the drawdown in Iraq. 

DLA Energy continues to support fuel requirements 

during the Department of Defense drawdown from 

Iraq and the stand-up of the Department of State’s 

U.S. Mission-Iraq requirements. We are working 

closely with both departments to ensure contracts 

are in place on time, and that all needs are met 

during this transition.

As a fi nal note, the DLA Energy fi scal 2012 Annual Operating Plan is now available on the DLA 

Energy website, www.energy.dla.mil, for more 

information on our ongoing efforts involving our 

goals, initiatives and objectives for warfi ghter support and how they align with those of DLA. 

Commander ommander
Spring 2012

Energy Source l Spring 2012 3

pg 4

pg 24

pg 39

pg 30

The Central and South America Mission .......................... 4 

Delivering fuel to support the interdiction of drug traffi cking and providing disaster 

relief are a few of the challenges for DLA Energy Americas East.

Operational Energy .......................................................... 10 

Importance of operational energy emphasized at seminar, December 2011.

Americans Missing In Action ........................................... 1 3

DLA Energy provides fuel support to the Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action 

Accounting Command.

 

Cryogenics Support ......................................................... 15

Cryogenics support continued in Japan after disaster: The road to recovery one 

year later.

Uninterrupted Fuel Support ............................................ 19

Rail tank car transitions ensure uninterrupted fuel support in Japan.

Earthquake Preparation .................................................. 24

DLA Energy Americas prepares for “the big one.”

Exercise Cope North 12 .................................................... 26

DFSP Andersen fuels aircraft in support of a multinational exercise.

Green Strike Group .......................................................... 28

DLA Energy procured biofuel for the Navy to fuel the Green Strike Group.

Conversion Designed To Save .......................................... 30

Jet fuel conversion to commercial grade designed to save millions.

Contents ontents

Foreign Military Sales ...................................................... 34

Foreign Military Sales Program connects allies with supplies.

DLA director visits fuel facilities in Hawaii ..................... 36

Navy Vice Adm. Harnitchek, DLA director, visits agency disposition and fuel facilities on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

DoD announces Excellence in Journalism award ............ 38

Defense Logistics Agency Energy public aff airs team, wins fi rst place in the Unit 

Magazine Format category for the Energy Source magazine.

Front cover photo by: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer DistrictSouth. Taken July 12, 2011, in Afghanistan.

Back cover: stock photo of the United States Capitol Building by Orhan Cam.

Warfighter Support arfighter Support

The face of the Defense Logistics Agency Energy.
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

4 www.energy.dla.mil

The Central and South he Central and South America Mission merica Mission of DLA Energy f DLA Energy Americas East mericas East

By Irene Smith, DLA Energy Public Aff airs

Delivering fuel to support the interdiction of drug traffi cking and providing disaster relief 

during international disasters like Operation Unifi ed Response in Haiti in 2010 are a few of the 

challenges faced by the Defense Logistics Agency Energy Americas East offi ce.

The region

DLA Energy Americas is one of four regional locations ensuring the successful 

accomplishment of the DLA Energy mission. The Americas East offi ce, also located in Houston, 

is one of two subordinate regional offi ces. Army Lt. Col. Martine Kidd is the commander of the 

Americas East offi ce. 

U.S. Southern Command is one of the four combatant commands that the Americas East 

offi ce supports. The USSOUTHCOM region comprises 31 countries and 15 areas of special 

sovereignty. The region represents about one-sixth of the landmass of the world assigned to 

regional unifi ed commands, according to its website. 

As commander, Kidd is responsible for ensuring the Americas East offi ce provides energy 

solutions to both U.S. forces and non-Department of Defense customers within a 31 country 

area of responsibility by executing distribution, inventory and quality assurance functions. 

“DLA Energy Americas receives, stores, distributes and provides quality assurance for 

a full range of fuels, including F76 marine diesel, JP8 and Jet-A1 fuel to motor gasoline, or 

MOGAS, across the entire SOUTHCOM AOR. Additionally, the Americas East offi ce coordinates 

for delivery by a number of transportation modes, including air, sea and truck, to forward 

operating locations in South and Central America,” Kidd said. 

“We accomplish our mission by ensuring effi cient execution of the bulk fuels distribution 

plan,” Kidd continued. “Specifi cally, we arrange transportation by pipeline, tank truck, barge or 

ocean liner from a variety of storage locations, including both government and commerciallyowned storage facilities. More importantly, we ensure the quality of fuel from procurement 

source to fi nal point of sale.”

To accomplish its mission, the DLA Energy Americas East offi ce oversees 54 into-plane 
Energy Source l Spring 2012 5

locations supporting the military and the federal civilian agencies with commercial aviation 

fuels at commercial airports. There are three international fuel support agreements in 

the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility, with agreements in place in Peru, Argentina and 

Chile. Additionally, there are 35 gas and oil bunker locations, four operation locations and a 

network of distribution sites including fi ve defense fuel support point locations throughout the 

SOUTHCOM AOR. 

Supporting exercises and drug interdiction

“Our focus is meeting SOUTHCOM requirements,” DLA Energy Americas East offi ce Deputy 

Director Bo Luzey said. “We provide fuel to support a variety of exercises throughout the year 

using three principal defense fuel support points located within to the SOUTHCOM AOR. The 

three DFSPs are at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and DFSP 

Rodman in Panama. We work tirelessly to satisfy the requirements in support of their mission 

demands. Our support enables improved surveillance and the larger SOUTHCOM counternarcotics mission through increased loiter times (time on station). The more we can increase 

their ability to remain in the area performing necessary surveillance, the more they are able to 

identify and counter terrorist drug activity in the AOR.”

“In the Americas East offi ces, we are responsible for more than 300 customers just in the 

continental U.S. alone,” Luzey explained. “Unimproved highway and road networks, unreliable 

telephone networks and limited bulk fuel storage availability provide logistical challenges. We 

have oversight of 20 main supplier contracts as well as the transportation aspect to make sure 

quality and quantity are there. We’re the face of DLA Energy; the Americas East offi ce is the 

interface with the customer and supplier.” 

SOUTHCOM Joint Petroleum Offi ce, ScoƩ Kastner 

and DLA Energy Liaison Offi cer, Leo Bryant during 

a conference call for an upcoming conƟ ngency 

operaƟ on. Photo courtesy from DLA Energy Americas. 
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

6 www.energy.dla.mil

The DLA Energy Americas East offi ce also provides fuel support to critical exercises in 

the area. From January 2011 through January 2012, the DFSP throughput was 38,321,651 

total gallons, Luzey noted. Bunkers’ marine gas oil accounted for 386,048.8 barrels per year 

at a cost of $42,805,657.40, and jet fuel, Jet A1 without fuel system icing inhibitor, came to 

384,246.70 barrels per year at a cost of $44,451,635.44, he said.

Drug traffi cking represents a signifi cant threat to security and stability in the 

Western Hemisphere. Drugs are smuggled into the U.S. through cargo ships and 

maritime containers destined for ports on the Eastern Seaboard. U.S. Navy, U.S. 

Coast Guard and partner nations routinely patrol the waters in the Caribbean Sea, 

Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacifi c on a year-round basis on drug interdiction 

missions, according to the 2011 

National Drug Threat Assessment 

produced by the Department of 

Justice.

These combined exercises 

with South American and Central 

American countries not only 

foster partnerships and build 

inter-operability; they also help 

stimulate local economies where 

ground fuels may be purchased 

under local procurement authority, 

Luzey explained.

“We’re constantly watching 

the weather, and how it affects 

shipments of tankers going 

through the Panama Canal,” 

Luzey said. “We’ve been a critical 

element in ensuring the success 

of the warfi ghter in the AOR. We 

support the PANMAX exercise, an 

annual U.S. Southern Commandsponsored multinational exercise 

that focuses on ensuring the 

defense of the Panama Canal 

that takes place in July and 

August. About 22 ships and 

3,500 personnel from 16 nations, 

including the United States, participated in live and simulated training scenarios in the vicinity 

of Panama and from various U.S. locations.” 

Providing support and building relationships

DLA Energy Americas has two petroleum liaison offi cers, one supporting NORTHCOM and 

the other supporting the SOUTHCOM mission. The LNO to SOUTHCOM is based in Miami. 

Additionally, there is a team of quality assurance representatives, based at Homestead Air 

Force base, Fla. Together, the QARs and LNOs provide critical support to South and Central 
Energy Source l Spring 2012 7

America fuel operations, including Bermuda, Mexico and the southeastern U.S. This team is 

responsible for a bilingual, fi ve-person team that supports exercises and operations throughout 

the region. Inventory and transportation branches track and transport products, and the 

auditability branch works closely with the DFSPs to monitor and resolve fuel accounting issues. 

This ensures the government’s multimillion dollar inventory of fuel in the region is properly 

managed and accounted for, Luzey explained.

The Homestead QAR offi ce, led by supervisory quality assurance specialist Clay Allen is 

critical for the support for Central and South America. He oversees eight inventory and quality 

assurance representatives stationed in Homestead who support the SOUTHCOM AOR.

“We are responsible for contract pre-award survey requests on prospective vendors, 

contract performance assessments at commercial airports and sea ports as required, and 

property administration at DFSP Rodman 

in Panama,” Allen said. 

“We also respond to 

customer complaints as 

requested,” Allen continued. 

“We are usually called upon to 

respond to natural disasters to 

act as DLA Energy liaisons on 

the ground, as we are always 

prepared to deploy. We provide 

sampling and testing support to 

the presidential support team.” 

The most satisfying aspect 

of the job is customer support 

visits to DoD customers, civilian 

industry partners and working 

with the vendors, Allen noted.

“The day-to-day 

management is more about 

having good relationships 

with the suppliers and the 

customers. We ensure that our 

vendors understand what we 

expect of them, and a result 

is knowing they provide a 

quality product safely to our 

warfi ghters,” he said. “Also, by 

providing ‘boots on the ground’ 

knowledge to our region and 

our contracting staff, we ensure they have the best information available and provide the best 

solution to our customers.”

“You might think the language barrier is a challenge, but we work through that,” Allen 

explained. “When critical communication is required, such as in pre-award surveys, our 

vendors have people involved who read and speak English. Routine assessments with small 

into-plane providers provide the biggest challenge, but there is an ‘app for that’ [in the form of 

mobile translation applications].”

Quality Assurance RepresentaƟ ve Trent Buck and Roberto Silguero from NuStar tesƟ ng fuel in BalƟ more, 

Md. Photo courtesy from DLA Energy Americas.
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

8 www.energy.dla.mil

A native speaker on the team and a DLA Energy-provided language learning program also 

assist with reading reports and ensuring polite interactions, Allen said. 

In times of hurricanes and 

national disasters, Allen and 

his QARs serve as Federal 

Emergency Management 

Agency liaison offi cers. A 

fuels contingency contract 

was awarded in September 

2011 to provide fuel for FEMA 

regions IV and V. When the 

earthquake struck Haiti, DLA 

Energy Americas provided 

humanitarian assistance 

and disaster relief efforts at 

multiple locations in Haiti.

“The biggest challenges 

come with trying to get 

petroleum and energy 

support in some of the most 

austere locations within Latin 

America,” Allen said. “To 

name a few, some things 

that make it challenging are 

small requirement quantities, 

extremely rugged terrain and 

frequent changes in mission 

requirements.” 

“The scope of this position 

changed dramatically with 

the Haiti earthquake,” Allen 

explained. “We were forced 

to work outside the box, 

especially in the fi rst week 

following the initial tremor. 

Because you can never 

predict the severity of a 

natural disaster, even the 

best developed plans cannot 

provide all the answers when 

a disaster of this magnitude 

strikes.” 

Allen explained how the 

biggest challenge to quality 

assurance in Latin America and 

the Caribbean is ensuring force 

protection. 

“Force protection is a matter of awareness and relying on our embassies to provide us 

current events. Prior to travelling, normally 30 days in advance, we submit a theater/country 

A U.S. Coast Guard observing boarding offi cer and a Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard boarding 

team conduct a drug smuggling exercise aboard a Federal Bureau of InvesƟ gaƟ on small boat 

off the coast of St. John's, AnƟ gua and Barbuda, March 15, 2011, during exercise Tradewinds 

2011. Tradewinds is a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -directed, U.S. Southern Commandsponsored joint/combined annual exercise designed to improve cooperaƟ on and interoperability 

of partner naƟ ons in responding to regional security threats. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PeƩ y 

Offi cer 3rd Class George Degener/Released.
Energy Source l Spring 2012 9

clearance request, Allen said.

We got advice on threats and acceptable 

hotels by staying in contact with the local 

news and State Department bulletins, as well 

as just talking with each other, Allen noted. 

Bridging the region

Leo Bryant is the liaison offi cer assigned to 

USSOUTHCOM in Miami, Fla. A DLA employee 

since 2004, Bryant serves as the principal 

DLA Energy planning advisor and consultant 

to the directorate of operations and logistics 

for USSOUTHCOM regarding bulk petroleum 

logistics planning, in support of USSOUTHCOM 

and its components' war planning and 

contingency execution efforts.

“I think of myself as a facilitator, a 

bridge between the stakeholders, customer, 

vendors, contracting and quality folks. I get 

everyone together,” Bryant said. “I work in 

coordination with the combatant command 

joint petroleum offi cer, Scott Kastner, to bridge 

the gap between SOUTHCOM components 

and DLA Energy, which enables the command 

to effi ciently achieve its mission goals by 

satisfying their petroleum and energy needs.”

“The biggest challenge to the SOUTHCOM 

mission, outside of disaster and humanitarian 

relief efforts, is the counter-narcotic effort,” 

Bryant said. “The bad guys constantly change 

routes, operating in the most austere locations 

you can think of. During the rainy season, dirt 

and gravel roads get washed out and trucking 

becomes out of the question. Some of the 

areas of delivery may even require security 

assets in order for the fuel to get there.”

“DLA Energy has to fi gure how to deliver 

fuel in the most remote regions, under the 

most challenging circumstances. We have to 

think outside of the box all the time and be 

very creative in our efforts,” Bryant continued.

Bryant credits Direct Delivery Fuels, led 

by Kathryn Fantasia, for their success in 

supplying fuel to remote locations.

“We do a lot of work with Kathryn 

Fantasia’s group,” Bryant said. “They’ve pulled 

off a lot of miracles. We’ve found contractors 

where none existed before.”

As a result of the SOUTHCOM mission, 

the Americas East offi ce has created many 

opportunities for new vendors in the region as 

well as helped stimulate local economies. 

“A lot of the people we do business with 

are ‘mom and pop’-type operations where 

they require training on how to get in the DLA 

Paperless Ordering and Receipt Transaction 

Screens system; and on how to use it,” Bryant 

said. “Vendors like it because it expedites 

payments and the customers enjoy the ability 

to track their purchases. Army South is one of 

our biggest components with the majority of 

the exercise planning requirements. We assist 

them putting together their requirements so 

that DLA Energy can get a contract awarded. 

The biggest challenge is to nail down the 

requirements.”

A U.S. Coast Guard observing boarding offi cer and a Trinidad and Tobago Coast 

Guard boarding team conduct a drug smuggling exercise aboard a Federal Bureau 

of InvesƟ gaƟ on small boat off the coast of St. John's, AnƟ gua and Barbuda, March 

15, 2011, during exercise Tradewinds 2011. Tradewinds is a chairman of the Joint 

Chiefs of Staff -directed, U.S. Southern Command-sponsored joint/combined annual 

exercise designed to improve cooperaƟ on and interoperability of partner naƟ ons in 

responding to regional security threats. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PeƩ y Offi cer 3rd 

Class George Degener/Released.
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

10 www.energy.dla.mil

OPERATIONAL ERATIONAL ENERGY

By Susan Lowe, DLA Energy Public Aff airs

A ssistant Secretary of Defense for 

Operational Energy Plans and Programs 

Sharon Burke briefed Joint Petroleum 

Seminar attendees Dec. 14 in the McNamara 

Headquarters Complex at Fort Belvoir, Va.

The presentation was titled Energy for 

the Warfi ghter-The DoD Operational Energy 

Strategy. 

Burke told the joint petroleum offi cer 

audience that her offi ce was established 

because the Defense Department uses 

“a signifi cant amount of petroleum” and 

Congress wants “the department to take a 

look at the way it uses fuel.” 

“The Department of Defense accounts 

for 80 percent of all federal government 

use [of fuel] and 2 percent of liquid fuels 

when it comes to the [entire] country’s 

consumption,” she said. “As a single institution user, we are a very signifi cant player in 

consumption terms.” 

The operational energy plans and programs offi ce reports to the Offi ce of the Under 

Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, which, as Burke points out, 

makes perfect sense.

The keys to changing the way the department uses fuel, she said, are in the acquisition 

community. Burke also pointed out there are technological questions to be addressed and “it’s 

very much a part of the logistics world.” 

“So you need to be aware of all three if you’re going to change the way the department 

uses energy,” she said. “Being in the same group and reporting to the same undersecretary 

has been extremely helpful.” 

We’re looking at energy consumed directly during military operations as well as in readiness 

activities, Burke said.

She reminded the group that “our mission makes us a huge consumer of energy; we’re a 

global force capable of rapid deployment for a very broad range of missions.” The department 

needs to be able to do whatever the president asks, and that inherently requires a great deal 

of energy, she said. 

The department is being asked to do more with less, Burke said. The reality is the DoD has 

 Assistant Secretary of Defense for OperaƟ onal Energy Plans and 

 Programs Sharon Burke at the Joint Petroleum Seminar Dec. 14, 2011,

 in the McNamara Headquarters Complex at Fort Belvoir, Va. 

 Photo by Christopher Goulait.
Energy Source l Spring 2012 11

been tasked with more missions, and even 

though the troops have improved capabilities, 

the energy challenge is getting more 

complicated, she explained.

It’s a strategic challenge to move the kind 

of fuel the DoD does. A lot of fuel has to move 

through countries that the U.S. may not have 

robust relationships with. And it’s a tactical 

challenge as well, she said. 

“DLA Energy does a fabulous job of moving 

fuel to main supply points,” Burke said to the 

group. 

But because our troops require so much 

fuel, we’re creating a huge supply line that 

is vulnerable to attacks. The supply line 

becomes a target. So if we can use less fuel 

and take trucks off the road, it reduces the 

risk of casualties along the supply line, she 

explained.

“Congress can tell us to do something and 

the president can make a commitment, but 

ultimately this is about what is best for the 

warfi ghter and what they need and want. The 

goal of this energy strategy is to make sure 

the forces have the fuel they need. That’s 

what you all do, and you do it brilliantly,” 

Burke said. 

Going forward, there are three ways to 

make sure that our forces continue to have 

the fuel they need, Burke said. 

The fi rst is more fi ght for less fuel. That 

means reducing the volume of fuel needed 

for operations. Improving fuel effi ciency or 

effectiveness is another way to say that, 

Burke explained.

The second is more options for less risk. 

Diversify the range of options there are for 

fueling so there are a variety of sources that 

can meet the mission; protecting the security 

of the supply is imperative, she said.

Burke continued by saying, the third way 

to ensure our forces have the fuel they need is 

more capability for less cost. The department 

must think about how it builds the future 

force, and take energy considerations into 

that. 

 

“We can’t just ask for fuel and expect 

we’ll get it; we need to think about energy 

requirements in the early stages of planning. 

This type of planning will provide more 

military capabilities, lower the risk to our 

forces and result in lower costs for our future 

force,” she said.

Burke reminded the audience that the 

acquisition process is complicated and it will 

take some time to change the system.

“We’re required by law to change the 

system, and we will, but when you build a 

future force, there’s not a one-stop shop,” 

Burke said. 

We’re working with the services to come 

to some kind of meaningful metric, such as 

getting more military output for the energy 

input. This is a tough metric to get to, but 

that’s where we’re going, she said.

After the presentation, Burke and retired 

Army Lt. Gen. Claude Christiansen, director 

of the Center for Joint and Strategic Logistics 

at the National Defense University, took 

questions from the audience. 

“We’re required 

by law to change 

the system, and 

we will, but 

when you build 

a future force, 

there’s not a 

one-stop shop,” 

Burke said. 
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

12 www.energy.dla.mil

AMERICANS MERICANS

MISSING IN ISSING IN ACTION

12 www.energy.dla.mil
Energy Source l Spring 2012 13

By Terry Shawn, DLA Energy Public Aff airs

Right: Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii 

(Sept. 9, 2011) - Members of the Joint POW/MIA 

AccounƟ ng Command escort a transfer case from a 

U.S. Air Force C-17 during an Arrival Ceremony to honor 

fallen U.S. personnel whose idenƟƟ es remain unknown. 

The remains receiving full military honors represent 

losses associated with the Vietnam War and were 

transported to the Central IdenƟfi caƟ on Laboratory 

to undergo analyses. The ulƟ mate goal of JPAC is to 

achieve the fullest possible accounƟ ng of Americans 

lost during the naƟ on’s past confl icts. DoD photo by 

Staff Sgt. Aaron D. Allmon II, U.S. Air Force/Released.

LeŌ : Kracheh, Cambodia (Feb. 8, 2011) – U.S. Army 

Staff Sgt. Lauren Shaw (leŌ ) uses a water hose to soŌ en 

soil during recovery eff orts in Cambodia. Shaw is deployed with a specialized recovery team from the Joint 

POW/MIA AccounƟ ng Command that is excavaƟ ng an 

aircraŌ crash site searching for two Americans missing 

from the Vietnam War. The ulƟ mate goal of JPAC, and 

of the agencies involved in returning America’s heroes 

home, is to conduct global search, recovery, and laboratory operaƟ ons in order to support the Department 

of Defense’s personnel accounƟ ng eff orts. DoD photo 

by Mass CommunicaƟ on Specialist 1st Class Barry 

Hirayama, U.S. Navy.

While the Defense LogisƟ cs Agency Energy and its regional offi ces are known to carry out humanitarian aid 

or fuel and logisƟ cal support when disasters strike around the world, eff orts in other areas of worldwide aid and 

assistance are someƟ mes overlooked.

With fuel support provided by DLA Energy, the Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in AcƟ on AccounƟ ng Command, 

known as JPAC, send their invesƟ gaƟ ve and recovery teams around the globe as part of their ongoing mission to 

recover more than 83,000 American warfi ghters sƟ ll missing from past confl icts.

“JPAC’s main goal, for any recovery operaƟ on, is to return home those brave Americans who paid the ulƟ mate 

sacrifi ce as a result of war,” Army Maj. Ray Osorio, JPAC public aff airs said in March.

The JPAC conducts global search, recovery and laboratory operaƟ ons to idenƟ fy unaccounted-for Americans from 

past confl icts in order to support the Department of Defense’s personnel accounƟ ng eff orts, according to the JPAC 

website. The command, acƟ vated in 2003, is located on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and employs more than 400 joint 

military and civilian personnel. 

During JPAC’s ongoing mission to recover American warfi ghters sƟ ll missing, the command has sent invesƟ gaƟ on 

and recovery teams to Vietnam, Cambodia, Republic of Philippines, Panama, Okinawa, the Solomon Islands, Indonesia, 

China, New Guinea, Germany, France, South Korea and Laos, as well as other sites of American combat.

DLA Energy Pacifi c stands at the ready to supply drums of diesel, gasoline and kerosene to support JPAC’s mission. 

For example, the Korea sub-region is equipped to coordinate their eff orts with JPAC’s logisƟ cs team. The sub-regional 

offi ce is prepared to volunteer support in the form of quality assurance representaƟ ves to ensure fuel drums and the 

necessary equipment, such as drum pugs, hand pumps and bung wrenches are delivered and arrive in agreement with 

contract requirements, DLA Energy Pacifi c in Korea Deputy Commander Ralph Wells said. 

The JPAC maintains four permanent detachments to assist with command and control, logisƟ cs and in-country 

support during invesƟ gaƟ on and recovery operaƟ ons. Detachments have been established in Hanoi, Vietnam; 

VienƟ ane, Laos; Bangkok and Honolulu. In order to facilitate logisƟ cal support to teams, the JPAC maintains storage 

faciliƟ es in Hawaii, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Europe and Papua New Guinea. Having these faciliƟ es strategically placed 

around the world minimizes costs and provides quick access to supplies for teams in remote locaƟ ons, according to the 

command’s website, hƩ p://www.jpac.pacom.mil/.
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

14 www.energy.dla.mil 14 www.energy.dla.mil

At Misawa Air Base, Japan, personnel at a cryogenics facility in Sendai, Japan 

indicate the height of the tsunami wave that washed through their plant March 11, 

2011. Photo courtesy of DLA Energy Pacifi c. 

14 www.energy.dla.mil
Energy Source l Spring 2012 15

By DLA Energy Pacifi c in Japan

CRYOGENICS YOGENICS

 S SUPPORT 

March 2012 marked one year since “3/11,” the 

earthquake and tsunami that caused severe 

damage to the northeast coast of Japan. For 

the Defense Logistics Agency Energy Pacifi c’s 

Japan offi ces, one of the areas the disaster impacted 

was the contract for cryogenics support to U.S. Air Force 

customers at Misawa Air Base, Japan.

Cryogenics, or very low temperature materials, are 

important to the U.S. military in support of aircraft 

operation and maintenance for cooling and providing an 

inert gas to replace an explosive atmosphere, for safety 

reasons. 

DLA Energy's customers in Japan use liquid oxygen 

and liquid nitrogen, often referred to as LOX and LIN, 

respectively. Pilots consume LOX as aviators' breathing 

oxygen during high altitude fl ights along with its use at 

base hospitals. 

The U.S. Air Force at Misawa required an 

uninterrupted supply of LOX to continue their mission 

servicing F-16 Fighting Falcon jet aircraft. Additionally, 

the 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron needed LIN to 

support voluntary departure fl ights that totaled more 

than 1,400 passengers and 7.5 cargo tons. Using 

teamwork to establish a series of logistics solutions 

over a 10-month period, alternate resupply eventually 

transitioned back to commercial deliveries. 

Energy Source l Spring 2012 15
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

16 www.energy.dla.mil

In 2007, DLA Energy Aerospace Energy awarded Tohsan Company Ltd. contract line items 

for LOX and LIN deliveries to Misawa Air Base. But on March 11, 2011, during the same 

contract period, Tohsan’s cryogenics facilities at Sendai and Hachinohe, Japan, were both 

destroyed. The tsunami crushed materials in its path, washed away anything not fi rmly secured 

and left behind a deep layer of mud. That same day, DLA Energy Pacifi c’s Japan offi ce started 

work with its U.S. Air Force counterparts to ensure uninterrupted support to Misawa—especially 

given their disaster response role for Operation Tomodachi.

In the days following the event, even highway travel was in question for the North Honshu, 

Japan, area. Initial cryogenic support to Misawa came via airlifts from Yokota Air Base, Japan. 

Contracting channels confi rmed Yokota cryogenics suppliers Tachikawa Sanso and Shin Sagami 

Sanso could supply increased quantities of product to the 374th LRS Cryogenics Plant at 

Yokota. Once received, LOX and LIN were transferred into 400-gallon containers and loaded on 

a C-130 Hercules aircraft for the fl ight north. 

This initial support, while necessary, was labor-intensive. It also involved small parcel 

quantities, double-handling of product and “burn-off” product loss during transfers, shipping 

and purging, as well as a large expense for each air movement. 

As the next method, DLA Energy Pacifi c in Japan’s Army Sgt. 1st Class Caleb Whitaker, 

petroleum distribution supervisor, worked with the 374th Contracting Squadron to establish 

contract truck support. Starting April 2011, trucks moved the full cryogenic containers north to 

Misawa, emptied and purged them, then returned the empty tanks back to Yokota for refi lling. 

This was a big step forward, cost-wise, but still a huge effort to manage full and empty 

containers with a 1,400 kilometer roundtrip. 

About that time, the original supplier, Tohsan, offered to supply liquid nitrogen from a west 

coast facility at Akita, Japan, unaffected by the earthquake. Contracting offi cer Sylvia UriasVallejo and contracting specialist Janell Davilla at DLA Energy Aerospace Energy confi rmed 

acquisition procedures and put this solution into motion. 

First, quality assurance representative Richard Knapp received a pre-award survey tasking 

to evaluate the Akita facility. An onsite inspection confi rmed the plant met U.S. government 

and Department of Defense requirements for quality, and Tohsan’s contract was reactivated. 

The fi rst commercial delivery of LIN, audited at the load and delivery points by QAR Richard 

Dennis, commenced May 2011. That success relieved the 374th LRS and 35th LRS of the LIN 

portion of the container fi lling and management, plus decreased the truck movements. 

“That’s our last remaining 

Operation Tomodachi support effort,” 

Air Force Staff Sgt. Samuel Aldritch 

noted at the 374th LRS Fuels Service 

Center on Yokota.

However, container deliveries over 

the highways remained the resupply 

method for LOX for the following 

months.

Cryogenics, or very low temperature materials, are important 

to the U.S. military in support of aircraŌ operaƟ on and 

maintenance for cooling and providing an inert gas to replace 

an explosive atmosphere, for safety reasons. DLA Energy’s 

customers in Japan use liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen, oŌ en 

referred to as LOX and LIN, respecƟ vely. Pilots consume LOX as 

aviators’ breathing oxygen during high alƟ tude fl ights along with 

its use at base hospitals. Photo courtesy of DLA Energy Pacifi c.

16 www.energy.dla.mil
Energy Source l Spring 2012 17

Later in 2011, the scheduled 

cryogenics solicitation and 

contracting process resulted in 

Tohsan’s award to supply LIN to 

Misawa Air Base, continuing their 

ongoing commercial deliveries. 

Additionally, Tohsan indicated their 

Sendai facility had recovered, 

and LOX production tested to DLA 

Energy’s quality requirements 

and deliveries could resume. 

In support of Tohsan’s offer, 

Dennis performed the pre-award 

survey Nov. 22, 2011, to confi rm 

production status and quality 

at Sendai. Tohsan eventually 

received the LOX Contract Line 

Item award and stood ready to 

supply liquid oxygen to the 35th 

LRS.

For the fi rst delivery, Knapp witnessed the truck loading and laboratory analysis of the LOX 

Jan. 25. While the Sendai area still showed evidence of damage, Tohsan’s cryogenics plant 

had little visible effects almost a year following the disaster. The few tell-tale signs of the 

tsunami included a high water mark of about nine feet on the LOX storage tank and the closed 

laboratory building. 

The facility fully restored truck loading and production areas, and the laboratory operations 

used a temporary building to house new analysis equipment. Loading procedures and lab 

testing were validated, and the trucks moved north. 

At the close of Sendai business, Tohsan and longtime point of contact Tsutomo Mori 

communicated through local personnel how they all deeply appreciated the support of the 

United States and its military services. U.S. personnel performed a large portion of the cleanup 

effort at Sendai Airport and the general Sendai area, including the industrial section supplying 

cryogenics. Their thanks were gratefully accepted. 

As scheduled, the cryogenics delivery arrived at Misawa Air Base Jan. 26. The 35th LRS 

personnel met and escorted the truck to their cryogenics plant. After Air Force receipt quality 

procedures, the supplier transferred the 2,000 gallon cargo to the customer’s tank. The 

successful fi rst delivery and Tohsan’s previous contract history allowed DLA Energy Pacifi c’s 

Japan offi ce to request certifi cate of conformance procedures for reduced inspections.

“This delivery closes the last part of Operation Tomodachi support for us,” Air Force Master 

Sgt. Christopher Lasher said on behalf of the 35th LRS Fuels Service Center at Misawa Air 

Base, echoing earlier sentiment from the 374th LRS at Yokota. 

The road to recovery for North Honshu cryogenics represents successful teamwork among 

DLA Energy, its U.S. Air Force customers and the commercial suppliers in Japan. All parties 

involved overcame challenges with logistics solutions that can benefi t future 

crises. 

The experience can be summed up with the ethos of the Operation 

Tomodachi symbol: “Tomodachi” meaning friends, with the supporting line 

“Don’t Give Up!” “

Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Twyman of 374th LogisƟ cs Readiness Squadron, leŌ , and Army Sgt. 1st Class Caleb Whitaker of the Defense LogisƟ cs Agency 

Energy Pacifi c in Japan observe the loading of fi lled 400-gallon cryogenics tanks May 2, 2011, at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The locally contracted truck 

delivered the containers 700 kilometers north to Misawa Air Base to ensure uninterrupted support of the U.S. Air Force mission and OperaƟ on Tomodachi 

disaster support. Photo courtesy of DLA Energy Pacifi c.
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

18 www.energy.dla.mil

UNINTERRUPTED FUEL NINTERRUPTED FUEL 

SUPPORT
Energy Source l Spring 2012 19

At Toyokawa, Japan, Chiyonori Shimizu of 374th ContracƟ ng Squadron and Hiroyuki Taniguchi of DLA Energy 

Pacifi c in Japan assist facility personnel to roll out a newly manufactured 45-ton rail tank car that has passed 

inspecƟ on. Photo courtesy of DLA Energy Pacifi c.

By DLA Energy Pacifi c in Japan

A long term transition to larger rail tank cars in support of U.S. operations in Japan is at 

hand. 

This team effort by the United States government, the Japan Oil Transportation 

Company Ltd. and manufacturer Nippon Sharyo Ltd. worked through planning challenges 

over a period of several years. On the U.S. side, Defense Logistics Agency Energy Pacifi c’s 

Japan offi ce, Naval Supply Fleet Logistics Command Yokosuka, 374th Logistics Readiness 

Squadron and Yokota Air Base’s 374th Contracting Squadron are key players in making the 

transition a success. 

Rail movements of bulk petroleum are an important delivery mode for DLA Energy 

customers, and rail tank car design is important. 

To haul liquid petroleum, common tank car design is a horizontal steel tank with a 

dome top access hatch. The tank bottom of the conveyance drains into a piping manifold 

that can be connected to a customer’s receipt hose line. The tank car can be top-loaded 

through the hatch or bottom-loaded through the manifold. Tank cars have come a long 

way since the fi rst banded wooden “tanks” were mounted on fl at cars and moved over the 

rails in the 1800s. 

The importance of rail cars to the Department of Defense is probably best shown 

during World War II, as virtually all tank cars in use moved oil supporting the war effort. 

By the 1950s, rail remained important for petroleum, 

even in competition with other transportation modes like 

pipelines and tanker trucks. Based on the wide range 

of commodities hauled, tank car design now considers 

requirements including insulated or non-insulated, 

pressurized or non-pressurized, top- or bottom-loading, 

and other variations. 

In recent years the government of Japan mandated 

changes in rail gauge and operating speeds that affect 

shipments for U.S. customers. As a result, the leased 35-

ton rail cars previously in use could not continue to safely 

operate at the higher speeds needed, or move in large 

enough groups to meet demand. 

Additionally, the 35-ton cars were reaching the end of 

their useful service life. Contract solutions were sought 

to resolve new transportation requirements and provide 

uninterrupted support.

Market research by DLA Energy’s transportation 

manager, Army Master Sgt. Larry Gillead, began October 

2006 and indicated a shortfall for tank car availability. 

Research expanded in 2007 to identify manufacturing 

sources.
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

20 www.energy.dla.mil

During the planning stage that followed, 

DLA Energy, the involved defense fuel support 

points and 374th Contracting Squadron on 

Yokota Air Base, Japan, closely cooperated to 

combine real world requirements with proper 

contract procedures. The language skills and 

contracting experience of DLA Energy Pacifi c 

in Japan’s administrative offi cer, Christina 

Dennis, and supply distribution specialist, 

Hiroyuki Taniguchi, were especially valuable to 

resolve issues. 

Considering the changes, U.S. concerns 

focused on the ability to move quantities 

meeting customer needs, rail car staging 

at receipt locations and compatibility of offloading connections. A proposal by the JOT to 

use Japan’s Model TAKI 1000 45-ton railway 

tank car addressed all these items, plus safety 

issues: 

• The car has a capacity to hold 16,270 

gallons of product with a total load 

weight of 45 tons, and reaches a 

maximum speed of 95 kilometers 

per hour, which is the highest speed 

allowed in Japan. 

• Its construction uses corrosionresistant rolled steel in a “frameless” 

structure. The tank and under-frame 

are permanently joined by welding to 

strengthen the overall tank body. 

• In support of staging the cars for 

receipt, the outlet manifold allows 

product discharge on both sides of the 

car. 

• Internal pressure is maintained using 

a pressure and vacuum valve. This 

safeguard prevents potential damage 

caused by pressure created during 

unloading or severe temperature 

changes. Without that feature, if 

the car was steam cleaned, then the 

hatches sealed up, a resulting vacuum 

could collapse the tank. 

• For safety, uncontrolled leakage of fuel 

is prevented by both the bottom valve 

and side valves. 

The actual transition from 35- to 45-ton 

rail tank cars played out over several years, 

managed from 2008 by DLA Energy Pacifi c 

in Japan’s petroleum distribution supervisor, 

Army Sgt. 1st Class Caleb Whitaker. The plan 

used available 36-ton rail cars until new 45-

ton cars could be manufactured. 

In April 2008, site visits to U.S. loading 

and discharging locations confi rmed car 

staging requirements. These staging activities 

ensured safety and operational requirements 

were met and the following contract 

performance work statement benefi tted from 

the surveys. 

In June 2008, DLA Energy Pacifi c in Japan, 

374th Contracting Squadron, Fleet Industrial 

Supply Center Yokosuka and Japan Freight 

Railway Company fi nalized contract solicitation 

details for a lower cost rail car leasing 

program to be executed during fi scal year 

2009. Additionally, that month, the Nichiyu 

Co. Ltd.’s new QUICKER quick disconnect 

couplers were identifi ed as a way to ensure 

a secure, spring-loaded connection to attach 

and remove hoses at the rail car manifold. 

An example of the QUICKER quick disconnect coupling is examined at Yokota Air Base, Japan. 

Photo courtesy of DLA Energy Pacifi c. 
Energy Source l Spring 2012 21

By January 

2009, a postaward conference 

approved 

conversion from 

older 35-ton to 

modern 36-ton rail cars, reducing the total 

fl eet from 110 to 55 rail tank cars, resulting in 

a $276,000 savings, with a target start date 

of April 1, 2009. 

Leading up to contract performance, 

inspections by Whitaker and quality assurance 

representatives Richard Knapp and Richard 

Dennis ensured the operating condition and 

clean state of all 36-ton rail cars before they 

were received. 

The contractor delivered the rail tank 

cars on schedule and the fi rst alignment and 

loading took place at DFSP Tsurumi April 

1 and 2, 2009. A total of 13 rail cars were 

loaded with 11,900 gallons each and delivered 

to the customer at Yokota Air Base. The team 

closely observed hoses, adapters and camlock connection functions. 

Whitaker declared it a “fl awless overall 

operation on both ends—no leaking, good 

loading and discharging times.” 

Periodic performance plan inspections 

continued this oversight.

Phase-in of the larger 45-ton rail cars 

under the second option of the contract also 

met the schedule for 2010. As planned, the 

contractor delivered the fi rst set of 12 45-ton 

rail cars to DFSP Tsurumi in August. Having 

the cars on-site also allowed DFSP personnel 

to align them to ensure top-loading headers 

and catwalk ramps operated properly. 

The U.S. government accepted all 12 rail 

cars and put them into service in October 

2010, as planned. Over three years, an 

additional 36 leased 45-ton rail cars will be 

put into service to make a total of 48 in the 

fl eet serving U.S. customers.

In 2011, rail car manufacturer Nippon 

Sharyo Ltd. offered DLA Energy Pacifi c’s 

Japan offi ces the opportunity to visit their 

construction facility at Toyokawa, Japan, near 

Osaka, Japan. Whitaker attended the fi rst date 

in July with members of JOT. 

In August, distribution specialist Hiroyuki 

Taniguchi and Knapp, with Chiyonori Shimizu 

from 374th Contracting Squadron, made the 

second visit and participated in the inspection 

of completed rail cars on site. Intense quality 

control scrutiny checked weld points, interior 

and exterior paint, interior zinc tank coating 

thickness and the function of each moving 

part, like the hand brakes or manifold valves. 

The end date for transition to the 45-ton 

rail tank cars is set for Sept. 30, 2013, under 

a lease contract valued at $4,466,760. 

Working across several years, the project 

showcases the kind of stewardship DLA 

Energy performs to ensure the warfi ghters 

get the energy they need to perform their 

mission. It is also a credit to the U.S. Navy’s 

NAVSUP FLC and U.S. Air Force’s 374th LRS 

for their involvement in the process. The 

combined U.S. and Japan effort to ensure 

uninterrupted resupply by rail during a time 

of transition stands as an example of how 

cooperation with DLA Energy Pacifi c’s Japan 

offi ce’s host nation is a big part of DLA 

Energy’s and Japan’s shared success.

QUICKER ConnecƟ on 

installed on rail car manifold 

and receipt hose line is 

demonstrated at Yokota Air 

Base, Japan. Photo courtesy 

of DLA Energy Pacifi c.

an. 
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

22 www.energy.dla.mil

Earthquake arthquake 

 Preparation Preparation

22 www.energy.dla.mil
Energy Source l Spring 2012 23

By DLA Energy Americas West

Stock Photo

Energy Source l Spring 2012 23
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

24 www.energy.dla.mil

The residents of Southern California 

regularly joke about the massive 

earthquake that is predicted to hit 

their region. Every day, it seems, Southern 

California has some minor tremor, so the 

inhabitants don’t think too much about it.

The last major quake to hit the region 

was the 1994 Northridge earthquake at 

6.7 on the Richter scale. Some inhabitants 

believe the region is due for a big one at 

any time. Defense Logistics Agency Energy 

Americas actively supports federal, state 

and local government emergency efforts and 

preparation for an occurrence such as a largescale earthquake.

Lee Oppenheim, deputy director of the DLA 

Energy Americas West offi ce at San Pedro, 

Calif., and recent transplant from Virginia, said 

he didn’t notice the tremors.

“The fi rst two times an earthquake 

rumbled through, I did not even realize it was 

an earthquake,” Oppenheim said.

Oppenheim, along with Daniel Schmidt, 

operations management specialist DLA 

Energy Americas West and Chuck McWilliams, 

DLA Energy Americas’ liaison offi cer to 

U.S. Northern Command and the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, attended the 

Dec. 8 Los Angeles Earthquake Resilient Angel 

Tabletop exercise, or TTX. The event was 

hosted by the Greater Los Angeles Federal 

Executive Board, the U.S. Department of 

Homeland Security, FEMA Region IX and the 

Los Angeles Area Continuity of Operations 

Leadership Working Group. 

More than 275 people attended the 

exercise representing more than 150 different 

federal, state, county and municipal agencies. 

The TTX built upon fi ve years of previous 

tabletop exercises and focused primarily 

on continuity of operations theory and 

enhancement. 

The TTX plenary session opened with 

introductory remarks from John Torres, the 

Los Angeles Federal Executive Board Chair 

and special agent in charge with the Bureau 

of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. An exercise 

overview by Farley Howell, FEMA Region IX 

federal preparedness coordinator, followed. 

To provide a frame of reference for 

the TTX, Margaret Vinci, Ph.D., Caltech 

Seismological Laboratory, and Doug Given, 

Ph.D., U.S. Geological Survey, presented on 

the likelihood of a 7.8 earthquake occurring 

along the San Andreas Fault and the 

anticipated impact of such an event on the 

populace, buildings and homes, transportation 

networks, gas and fuel pipelines, water 

conveyance tunnels, pipes and aqueducts, 

electrical transmission towers and lines and 

telecommunication cables. 

This part of the plenary session highlighted 

several aspects. First, the San Andreas 

fault historically doesn’t produce small 

earthquakes. If the San Andreas fault does 

slip, the magnitude of the earthquake will 

most likely be above 7.0 on the Richter scale, 

according to Vinci and Given. 

Secondly, the road and utility infrastructure 

supporting the Los Angeles Basin is channeled 

through several narrow passes in the San 

Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, 

and many of the transportation and utilities 

networks cross the San Andreas fault itself 

in a number of places. A 7.8 earthquake, as 

presented in the scenario, would produce 

widespread and lengthy disruptions of 

transportation networks and utilities. These 

disruptions would also complicate emergency 

response and restoration of essential services 

and functions, according to the seismologists. 

Following the sobering plenary session, 

participants moved to their pre-determined 

exercise session breakout groups. These 

groups, composed of a wide-spectrum of 

federal, state, county and municipal agency 

representatives, brought many different 

perspectives and a wide array of challenges to

DLA Energy Americas prepares for “the big one”
Energy Source l Spring 2012 25

the table.

The focus of the exercise session breakout 

groups was on continuity of operations 

plans. Volunteer facilitators led the breakout 

sessions and guided the groups through how 

a COOP may unfold within a major earthquake 

scenario. 

“I found the breakout sessions to be 

incredibly benefi cial in understanding 

[continuity of operations] planning, theory 

and implementation,” Schmidt said. “I was 

surprised at the sheer sophistication of the 

agencies’ COOP.”

The breakout groups noted overarching 

common strengths and areas of improvement 

of the agencies’ continuity of operations 

plans as they progressed through the 

scenario. Following the breakout sessions, 

a representative from each breakout 

group briefed the strengths and areas of 

improvement identifi ed to the entire plenary, 

called a “hot wash.” 

“The main overarching strength identifi ed 

was the exceptional interaction and 

coordination between volunteer agencies, 

private sectors, local, state, federal agencies 

and the intensive [continuity of operations] 

planning that has already taken place by all 

agencies,” McWilliams said.

McWilliams explained that a main 

weakness that had been identifi ed was 

not knowing how long operations could be 

sustained before having to transfer essential 

functions to offi ces outside the disaster zone.

“Resilient Angel provided the combined 

DLA Energy Americas team with invaluable 

information in preparing for a variety 

of natural disasters and in developing, 

implementing and enhancing organizational 

continuity of operation plans,” Oppenheim 

said.

Resilient Angel dovetails into a larger Los 

Angeles Basin earthquake exercise, Golden 

Guardian, to be held in May 2012. 

“We’re looking forward to participating in 

Golden Guardian 2012,” McWilliams said. 

“I believe DLA Energy and its support of 

DHS and FEMA requirements will be key 

to addressing sustainability of continuity 

operations challenges in the event of a major 

catastrophe in the L.A. Basin, as well as other 

areas in the United States.”

Stock photo by Dariusz Kantorski - released
WARFIGHTER SUPPORT

26 www.energy.dla.mil

Cope North 12 ope North 12

By Army Master Sgt. Michael Hubbert, DLA Energy Pacifi c in Guam

Exercise Cope North 12 and the three nations taking part were fueled by the Defense 

Logistics Agency Energy during the exercise’s three-week run from Feb. 11 to Feb. 24 at 

Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

More than 1,000 military members from the United States Air Force, Japanese Air Self 

Defense Force, and Royal Australian Air Force throughout the Pacifi c participated in this 

fi eld training exercise focused on coordination and evaluation of air tactics, techniques and 

procedures. 

Since the fi rst Cope North exercise was conducted in 1978, the goal of the exercise has 

been for participating units to demonstrate their ability to rapidly deploy forces and train 

together to improve their aircrews’ ability to employ tactical air power as a multinational force. 

Andersen Air Force Base hosted Exercise Cope North for 10 years as a bilateral training event 

between the JASDF and U.S. Air Force. This year’s exercise was the fi rst time that the RAAF 

participated. 

The 36th Logistics Readiness Squadron provided exceptional support to the forces 

participating in Cope North 12. The squadron provided nearly 2.7 million gallons of fuel through 

the use of R11 and R12 refueling vehicles. They refueled numerous U.S. Air Force aircraft such 

as the F15, F16, E3, KC135, KC10, C5, C17, B52 and C130, in addition to JASDF F16, F2, and 

E2, as well as RAAF F18 and 737. 

Seventy-seven aircraft participated in Exercise Cope North, conducting more than 1,066 

sorties. Sixty-seven airmen from the LRS conducted 24-hour-a-day operations for 10 

consecutive days, ensuring that each sortie was launched without delay. The average response 

time was 7.16 minutes. 

Defense Fuel Support Point Guam on Naval Base Guam indirectly supported this critical 

exercise as well through increased pipeline transfers of JP8 fuel to DFSP Andersen. In all, DFSP 

Guam pushed 3,229,379 gallons of JP8 to Andersen Air Force Base over a 10-day period. 

Although DLA has a fuel exchange agreement with Japan, both Japan and Australia elected 

to use the “direct bill” method of payment for the fuel they received during the exercise. 

DLA Energy facilitates this method of billing and payment by issuing Department of Defense 

Form 1896 Fuel Identaplates to the foreign countries with the applicable foreign government 

customer DoD Activity Address Code, known as a T-DoDAAC, embossed on the identaplate. 

The JASDF and RAAF aircraft then present this identaplate to the LRS personnel for refueling 

operations. 

The LRS fuels personnel use the information from these identaplates to process fuel 

transactions in the fuels enterprise system. Once the information is transmitted to the Defense 

Finance and Accounting Services, the specifi c digits in the T-DoDAAC tell DFAS to generate a 

bill or invoice and which country to send it to for payment. This method of payment simplifi es 

the billing and payment process for both the U.S. and the foreign country, and allows the onthe-ground warfi ghter to focus on the mission at hand.
Energy Source l Spring 2012 27

LeŌ : U.S. Navy Airman Catrina Tessier, an aircraŌ 

crew chief assigned to Electronic AƩ ack Squadron 

(VAQ) 136, prepares an EA-6B Prowler electronic 

aƩ ack aircraŌ for a mission during Exercise Cope 

North at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 

12, 2010. The U.S. Air Force and the Japan Air 

Self-Defense Force conduct Cope North annually at 

Andersen Air Force Base to increase combat 

readiness and interoperability, concentraƟ ng 

on coordinaƟ on and evaluaƟ on of air tacƟ cs, 

techniques and procedures. U.S. Air Force photo by 

Staff Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey/Released.

Right: Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Ornellas from 

the 36th LogisƟ cs Readiness Squadron assists in 

refueling for Exercise Cope North 12 at Andersen 

Air Force Base, Guam. The United States Air Force, 

Japanese Air Self Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force were fueled by the Defense LogisƟ cs 

Agency Energy during the exercise’s three-week 

run from Feb. 11, to Feb. 24. Photo courtesy of DLA 

Energy Pacifi c.

Graphic by Senior Airman Carlin Leslie
Energy

28 www.energy.dla.mil

Making it happen

The U.S. Navy’s Green Strike Group will 

receive the largest single government 

purchase of biofuels, as announced by Navy 

Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Department 

of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Dec. 5, 

2011, resulting from the Defense Logistics 

Agency Energy’s 450,000 gallon alternative 

fuels contract award to Dynamic Fuels, LLC of 

Geismar, La. Nov. 30, 2011.

Working with Navy requirements, DLA 

Energy contracted to have 100,000 gallons 

of hydrotreated renewable JP5 jet fuel and 

350,000 gallons of hydrotreated renewable 

F76 marine distillate fuel, known as HRD76, 

available for delivery between Jan. 1 and 

May 1, 2012. Feedstocks used to develop the 

fuels do not compete with food production.

Fuel will be used in the 2012 rim of the 

Pacifi c exercise. Since the fuel is designed 

to be a “drop-in replacement,” to traditional 

petroleum fuels, no engine modifi cations 

are needed for use in Navy-tested ships 

and aircraft. The Navy will receive “neat,” or 

unblended, biofuels and blend the product 

themselves before use.

“The Navy has always led the nation in 

transforming the way we use energy, not 

because it is popular, but because it makes 

us better war fi ghters,” Mabus said. “This 

unprecedented fuel purchase demonstrates 

the Obama Administration’s commitment 

to seeking energy security and energy 

independence by diversifying our energy 

supply.”

Making it possible

Fuel purchases like this wouldn’t be 

possible without the efforts of DLA Energy. 

Its Bulk Petroleum business unit coordinated 

the contract between the Navy and Dynamic 

Fuels. From the request for proposal June 

27, 2011, to the Nov. 30, 2012 award, the 

business unit adapted their processes to 

meet the Navy’s requirements for the sizable 

biofuels contract.

By Christopher Goulait, DLA Energy Public Aff airs

The aircraŌ carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) leads a mass formaƟ on of ships from 

South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, France, Canada, Australia and the United 

States July 24, 2010, during Rim of the Pacifi c 2010. RIMPAC, the world’s largest 

mulƟ naƟ onal mariƟ me exercise, is a biennial event that allows parƟ cipaƟ ng naƟ ons 

to work together to build trust and enhance partnerships needed to improve mariƟ me 

security. The U.S. Navy will be using 450,000 gallons of biofuel procured by the Defense 

LogisƟ cs Agency Energy during RIMPAC 2012. U.S. Navy photo by 1st Specialist Class 

ScoƩ Taylor.

Green Strike reen Strike 

 Group
Energy Source l Spring 2012 29

“What’s different about the way that 

we purchased this fuel as opposed to our 

standard way of purchasing is that the 

contract is going to be fi xed price per gallon,” 

Bruce Blank, Bulk Petroleum director, said.

“It’s going to be funded through the Navy, 

and not through the Defense Working Capital 

Fund. For this particular effort there is a 

domestic restriction, which means that the 

feedstock source needs to come from the U.S. 

or Canada,” Blank continued. “We also needed 

to ensure that given these parameters, our 

selected supplier could provide the fuel within 

the timeframes required by the customer.”

Blank noted that DLA Energy’s efforts this 

time are in support of the Navy’s Green Strike 

Group local operations 2012 effort, but that 

the bigger goal is eventually sailing the Green 

Fleet in 2016.

PACIFIC OCEAN (July 13, 2010) The Military SealiŌ Command fl eet replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO-200) extends fuel lines toward the amphibious 

assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) during Rim of the Pacifi c 2010 exercises. RIMPAC is a biennial, mulƟ naƟ onal exercise designed to strengthen 

regional partnerships and improve mulƟ naƟ onal interoperability. The U.S. Navy will be using 450,000 gallons of biofuel procured by the Defense LogisƟ cs 

Agency Energy during RIMPAC 2012 U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Orlando Perez/Released.
Energy

30 www.energy.dla.mil

The Defense Logistics Agency Energy

has partnered with the Air Force to expand its 

use of commercial grade jet fuel for military 

aircraft in an effort to save millions of dollars 

in fuel costs. 

Jet fuel is designed for use in aircraft 

powered by gas-turbine engines. As the 

largest consumer of jet fuel among the 

military services, the Air Force spent $7.2 

billion on 2.7 billion gallons of fuel in 2010, 

according to the Air Force Petroleum Agency. 

“The move away from military specifi cation 

fuel, known as JP8, to commercial fuel, known 

as Jet A in the continental U.S., is going 

to provide huge dollar savings,” Air Force 

Petroleum Agency Commander Air Force Col. 

Tom Redford said. “The conversion is part 

of the Department of Defense’s efforts to 

maximize the use of commercial fuels. We can 

achieve signifi cant price reductions because 

the fuel production ratio is dependent on 

demand.”

DoD’s fuel consumption varies from year 

to year in response to changes in mission and 

the tempo of operations. Most of DLA Energy’s 

bulk fuel purchases are for JP8 and ranged 

from 60 to 74 million barrels annually over 

the past decade, which is the equivalent of 

165,000 to 200,000 barrels per day. The Air 

Force and the Army represent the primary 

consumers of JP8. The Navy consumes JP5, 

which is another type of aviation fuel that is 

less fl ammable, allowing for safe storage on 

ships, according to the DLA Energy’s Fiscal 

2010 Fact Book. 

By moving toward greater use of 

commercial fuels, the DoD can take advantage 

of more competition and less handling costs, 

which mean a reduced price for jet fuel. 

Air Force Petroleum Agency Jet A Program 

Manager Air Force Master Sgt. Greg Carrow 

said. In addition, by implementing a more 

effi cient and effective global supply support 

network for storage and distribution, DoD 

should see even greater savings, Carrow 

pointed out. 

“The Jet A conversion is about taking 

advantage of supply chain effi ciencies and 

combining it with operational fl exibility to 

create greater energy savings and security,” 

Carrow noted. “It also complements the DoD’s 

strategic alliance with the airlines by using 

alternative fuel and commercial Jet A blends.” 

Increased Jet A fuel usage will allow more 

use of commercial pipelines, thus making it 

easier to resupply DLA bulk fuel terminals, 

which will reduce transportation and inventory 

storage costs, Richard Jaekel, DLA Energy Jet 

A program manager said. 

Baseline studies performed by DLA and 

the Air Force Research Laboratory showed use 

of Jet A in transport aircraft depended not on 

technical considerations, but on logistics, cost 

and policy considerations. 

By Irene Smith, DLA Energy Public Aff airs
Energy Source l Spring 2012 31

U.S. Air Force personnel with the 379th ExpediƟ onary LogisƟ cs Readiness Squadron, hook up the 6-inch refueling hose from the R-22 fueling equipment on a 

commercial receipt truck, at an undisclosed locaƟ on. As the largest consumer of jet fuel among the military services, the Air Force spent $7.2 billion on 2.7 billion 

gallons of fuel in 2010. Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Desiree Hayden. 

“Although aircraft are cleared to fl y on Jet 

A,” Redford explained, “we must make sure 

nothing hampers the operational missions 

fl own by the Air Force, Army or Navy since we 

share supply chains.” 

"One of the research projects dealt with 

the fuel freezing point differences between 

JP8 and Jet A. Testing B52s, B1s, F-15s and 

the KC-135, the Air Force Research Laboratory 

determined there would be little operational 

impact with the conversion to Jet A based on 

the 7 degree difference in the specifi cation 

fuel freezing points. The fuel freezing point of 

JP8 is minus 47 degrees Celsius maximum, 

while Jet A fuel freezing point is minus 40 

degrees Celsius maximum,” Redford said. 

Jet A is the commercial fuel within CONUS 

while the commercial fuel in most locations 

outside the continental U.S. is Jet A1, which 

has the same specifi cation fuel freezing point 

as JP8. 

In order to meet military requirements, 

DLA ensures three additives: an anti-static 

additive, a fuel system icing inhibitor and 

a corrosion inhibitor/lubricity improver, are 

added to the commercial Jet fuel, Jaekel said. 

“This involves injecting the additives 

somewhere along the supply chain, which 

starts at the refi nery and ends when the fuel 

is issued to an aircraft or other end user,” 

Jaekel added.

In November 2009, the Air Force began a 

pilot demonstration at four Air Force locations. 

Since then they have expanded and now a 

total of nine locations are issuing Jet A with 

additives. Over a two year period, more than 

255 million gallons of Jet A have been
Energy

32 www.energy.dla.mil

purchased from Air Force locations 

and another 234 million gallons was 

purchased from commercial airports. This 

means nearly half a billion gallons of Jet 

A have been purchased over a two year 

period without any known operational 

or maintenance impacts. Additionally, 

two Air Force locations operating on 

commercial airports have been using Jet 

A with additives since 1995, again without 

impact. 

Throughout 2012, the Air Force plans 

to expand the use of commercial aviation 

fuel to an additional 14 bases within the 

continental U.S. 

A complete cost benefi t analysis 

has recently been completed with 

resounding success. As a result, the Air 

Force Petroleum Agency plans to initiate 

a decision package to Air Force senior 

leadership early May recommending 

conversion of its remaining locations in 

CONUS to Jet A. Long-term, the plan 

is to expand conversion to commercial 

specifi cation product worldwide, Redford 

said.

There were a total of 148 operable 

petroleum refi neries in the United States 

as of Jan. 1, 2011, according to the 

U.S. Energy Information Administration. 

Jet fuel makes up 9 percent of refi nery 

production. More gallons of Jet A fuel are 

produced in CONUS than JP8, meaning 

volume and competition drive the market.

Minimizing the DoD’s use of military 

specifi cation fuels has its advantages.

Demand for crude oil in the U.S. has 

remained relatively fl at over the past 20 

years, but international demand has been 

surging, driving up global oil prices. China 

is the world's second largest oil consumer 

and the country’s demand for energy 

remains very strong at about 9.2 million 

barrels of oil a day. Chinese oil demand is 

up 10.5 percent in the past year and analysts 

project the nation’s oil appetite is increasing 

at a rate that exceeds 1 million barrels per 

day, according to the Associated Press. 

Prices of JP8 and Jet A fuel were the same 

until June 1, 2011, when the Offi ce of the 

Secretary of Defense and DLA recognized the 

potential savings and dropped the price of 

Jet A fuel by two cents, providing $1 million 

in savings from June – October 2011 to DoD 

customers using Jet A.
Energy Source l Spring 2012 33

Senior Airman JusƟ n Gilbert collects a fuel sample for tesƟ ng at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, on May 26, 2011. Gilbert is a fuels laboratory technician 

assigned to the 48th LogisƟ cs Readiness Squadron. Department of Defense photo by Senior Airman Eboni Reams, U.S. Air Force. Released. 
We Are DLA e Are DLA

34 www.energy.dla.mil

Last year, a South American country

used the Defense Logistics Agency’s Foreign 

Military Sales Program to purchase an 

old, rusted-out fi re truck and turn it into 

something useable. 

“The 1947 fi re truck was just a big 

piece of rust and never looked like it would 

drive again,” Linda Kimberlin, DLA Logistics 

Operations logistics management specialist 

said. “The next picture they show me, it’s 

beautiful: It’s painted beautiful red, with new 

ladders, wheels and tires on it.”

She said it looked spectacular, and now 

that country has a fully operational fi re truck 

thanks to FMS. 

The FMS Program is the governmentto-government method for selling U.S. 

government vehicles, equipment, and other 

goods and services to foreign militaries. The 

foreign governments pay total costs, and all 

deals are marked by a signed government-togovernment agreement. 

FMS is part of security cooperation 

authorized by the Foreign Assistance Act 

of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act 

of 1968. In order for a foreign country to 

purchase DoD items, Kimberlin said, a letter 

is sent from an eligible foreign nation’s 

government to its U.S. Embassy. The embassy 

forwards the request to the State Department, 

which then determines what the requestor 

may or may not have. Following that, requests 

are sent to a case manager.

FMS cases are assigned to DLA or one 

of the military services for management by 

the Defense Department’s Defense Security 

Cooperation Agency. The Army, Air Force 

and Navy oversee cases involving servicemanaged equipment. 

DLA manages the spare parts that go with 

the services’ weapons systems, so in those 

cases, the agency has a secondary support 

role, Kimberlin said. 

“We support military department-managed 

FMS cases with our logistics processes, 

which are receiving, storing and issuing 

material, processing requisitions, billing for 

the material, and fi nancially tracking those 

FOREIGN 

MILITARY ILITARY 

SALES 

Two members of the Canadian 435th Air to Air Refueling Command prepare the 

squadron’s C-130 Hercules for a refueling. DLA’s Foreign Military Sales Program 

team recently met with Canadian representaƟ ves about buying spare parts for 

C-130 Hercules aircraŌ the country purchased. Photo by Navy PeƩ y Offi cer 1st 

Class John R. Johnson.

DLA Energy works with 

foreign militaries through 

programs like fuel exchange 

agreements, direct bill 

agreements and fuel support 

agreements as Implementing 

Arrangements under the 

acquisition and crossservicing agreement process, 

as well as through foreign 

military sales programs. 

By Jonathan Stack, DLA Energy Public Aff airs
Energy Source l Spring 2012 35

processes,” she said.

The two types of cases DLA manages are 

cases involving DLA Logistics Information 

Service and excess defense items managed 

by DLA Disposition Services, she said.

DLA Logistics Information Service provides 

foreign customers with codifi -cation services 

and cataloging data for DLA- and servicemanaged items. The information ranges 

from national stock numbers and sources to 

descriptions and weights. 

“DLA Disposition Services manages excess 

defense articles,” Kimberlin said. “Excess 

material is turned into DLA Disposition 

Services, which can sell it at a reduced price 

to a foreign country.”

DLA Disposition Services doesn’t sell any 

actively used combat uniform, U.S.-only 

technology items, items containing friend or 

foe identifi cation, or anything with a digitized 

pattern, including uniforms and accessories.

“We sell to foreign customers, not so they 

can be aggressors, but so they can defend 

their own country or their own region, keep 

balance of power, and ... help us as a partner,” 

Kimberlin said.

DLA sells to Canada, Mexico, all of Western 

Europe, Israel, Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, 

Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan, among many 

other countries, she said. In total, DLA deals 

with more than 100 countries, involving 

nearly $2 billion in annual sales.

She said countries buy items from DLA 

daily, and she recently met with Canadian 

representatives about buying spare parts 

for C-130 Hercules aircraft the country 

purchased. 

“They had one C-130 last year. Two more 

are being delivered early,” she said. “So we’re 

scrambling to keep up with the spare parts 

because they came off the production line 

early.”

Kimberlin also recently met with Israeli 

representatives who told her they have more 

than 10,000 requisitions in DLA’s system.

“Israel is usually one of our top fi ve 

purchasers,” she said. “Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, 

Korea, Egypt and Israel are usually always 

vying for the top fi ve positions.” 

As a part of the FMS Program, 

representatives of foreign countries can 

visit DLA activities, such as DLA Disposition 

Services, to view excess material and 

determine if they want to purchase an item, 

Susan Witek, DLA foreign visit coordinator, 

said. 

“Excess material is sold as is, where is,” 

Kimberlin said. “So it behooves them to come 

and look at the material because it can be in 

poor condition or it can be salvageable, and 

they want to know that before they spend the 

money.”

This is one of two types of visits a foreign 

representative makes to a DLA activity. The 

other is when foreign fl ag and general offi cers 

visit DLA Headquarters and meet with the 

director or another senior leader.

“They will generally do a courtesy visit and 

ask for a DLA overview that tells them how 

we are set up and structured,” Witek said.

She said representatives use these visits 

to learn about DLA and how it works, and 

most say they appreciate the idea of all of the 

services buying their supplies through one 

agency rather than all of them doing it on 

their own.

“The visits are very important because 

VIPs like to come here and see how this side 

of the world works,” Kimberlin said. 

Canadian Navy Lt. James Classen, navigator for the frigate HMCS Calgary 

(FFH 335), observes operaƟ ons from the bridge of the liƩ oral combat ship USS 

Freedom (LCS 1) with Lt. Aaron Geary, Freedom’s offi cer of the deck. Freedom 

and Calgary parƟ cipated in Rim of the Pacifi c 2010, the world’s largest internaƟ onal mariƟ me exercise. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Ed Early.
We Are DLA e Are DLA

36 www.energy.dla.mil

DLA director visits fuel LA director visits fuel 

facilities in Hawaii acilities in Hawaii

By Monique Randolph

Defense Logistics Agency Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek

visited DLA disposition and fuel facilities on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, March 13 

as part of a weeklong trip to see the agency’s operations in the Pacifi c theater. 

During his fi rst stop at DLA Disposition Services Pearl Harbor, the director was given a tour 

of the sprawling 27-acre operation currently located at former Naval Air Station Barbers Point 

but scheduled to relocate to Pearl Harbor in 2013 due to 1999 Base Realignment and Closure 

legislation. 

DLA Disposition Services is the last Department of Defense site to vacate the former naval 

air station, said Dennis Baxter, acting deputy director of DLA Disposition Services Pacifi c. 

The site processes everything from clothing and furniture to electronics and ship parts, 

affording every opportunity for eligible property to be reused or sold before disposition, Baxter 

said. 

“It’s really amazing when we can reutilize the items for military customers, because it keeps 

[those items] active with the warfi ghters. Our entire inventory is also posted on our website, 

so it’s available worldwide,” Baxter said. 

The Army transports much of the material to and from the facility, including items 

that must be shipped to the mainland to be destroyed, Baxter said. These items, marked 

“demanufactured,” are deemed to have no reutilization or resale value and must be incinerated 

at a stateside demilitarization center. 

Harnitchek also visited the Navy’s Fleet Logistics Center, where he received a briefi ng on 

and a tour of the Red Hill 

underground fuel storage 

facility. The facility consists 

of 20 fuel tanks located 

hundreds of feet below 

ground and was constructed 

between 1940 and 1943 to 

replace vulnerable aboveground fuel storage tanks 

that were located around 

Pearl Harbor. 

ScoƩ Hedrick, deputy director of fuel and facility 

management at U.S. Naval Supply Systems 

Command Fleet LogisƟ cs Center Pearl Harbor, and 

DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek at 

the Red Hill underground fuel storage facility on 

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, March 13. 

Photo by Monique Randolph.

36 www.energy.dla.mil
Energy Source l Spring 2012 37

“Each tank is 250 feet tall, 100 feet in 

diameter and holds 12.6 million barrels of 

oil,” said Scott Hedrick, deputy director of fuel 

and facility management at U.S. Naval Supply 

Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Pearl 

Harbor.

Also essential to fuel operations at FLC Pearl 

Harbor is the upper tank farm, which consists of 

six above-ground fuel tanks located a few miles 

from the Red Hill facility. 

“The upper tank farm provides us the 

capability to receive and distribute fuel at the 

same time, but is in need of recapitalization,” 

Baxter said.

DLA Energy provides funding for sustainment, restoration and modernization, and military 

construction projects for FLC Yokosuka, Japan, and Pearl Harbor — including Red Hill — in the 

Pacifi c theater. 

Harnitchek’s FLC visit concluded with a driving tour, during which Hedrick showed him 

some of the military construction improvements that were funded by DLA, including a $5 

million upgrade to a pier used to refuel Navy aircraft carriers at Pearl Harbor and a $22 million 

project to replace aging 

underground piping with 

new above-ground pipes, 

Baxter said. The upgrades 

also included the installation 

of a new plant that monitors 

the temperature and 

measures the amount of fuel 

piped into the pier, providing 

more accurate metering and 

accounting during fueling 

operations, he said. 

ScoƩ Hedrick, deputy director of fuel and facility 

management at U.S. Naval Supply Systems 

Command Fleet LogisƟ cs Center Pearl Harbor, gives 

DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek a 

tour of the Red Hill underground fuel storage facility 

on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, March 

13. Photo by Monique Randolph.

Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek was briefed on and had a tour of the Red Hill 

underground fuel storage facility. The facility consists of 20 fuel tanks located 

hundreds of feet below ground and was constructed between 1940 and 1943 to 

replace vulnerable above-ground fuel storage tanks that were located around 

Pearl Harbor. Photo by Monique Randolph.
We Are DLA e Are DLA

38 www.energy.dla.mil

DoD announces Excellence in Journalism 

awards By Terry Shawn, DLA Energy Public Aff airs

T he winners of the 2011 

Defense Media Activity 

Excellence in Journalism 

Awards Program were 

announced by the Department of 

Defense March 16. The awards 

program recognizes print and 

broadcast journalists for outstanding 

achievement in furthering the 

objectives of the Department 

of Defense Internal Information 

Program, according to the DoD’s DMA 

website.

Among the winners were: Defense 

Logistics Agency Energy public 

affairs team, winning fi rst place in 

the Unit Magazine Format category 

for the Energy Source magazine. 

Irene Smith, Idella Fletcher, Susan 

Lowe, Terry Shawn and Christopher 

Goulait were all recognized for their 

contribution and production of the 

quarterly publication.

Also recognized by DMA were: 

Beth Reece, DLA public affairs, who 

won fi rst place in the News Feature 

category by an individual for her 

article titled “DLA disposal team 

enters fi nal stage of equipment 

drawdown in Iraq”; Goulait placed 

second in the Series category for his 

three-part series on social networking; and DLA public affairs members Kathleen Rhem, Beth 

Reece, Sara Moore, Jonathan Stack and Jacob Boyer earned second place in the Unit Website 

category.

The winners of the DMA program advance to compete in the Department of Defense 

Thomas Jefferson Awards, which recognizes military and civilian employee communication 

professional for outstanding achievement in furthering the objectives of the DoD’s Internal 

Information Program. 

Energy Source cover July 2011 graphic by Susan Brown
Name: Charlene Smoot

Job: Logistics management specialist in the Defense 

Logistics Agency Energy Aerospace Energy business unit, 

Materiel Support branch in San Antonio. I have a broad spectrum 

of logistics responsibilities; a “Jacqueline-of-all-trades” if you will. My customer 

relationship management duties include: working with new Aerospace Energy customers for new business leads, answering customer inquiries, and doing marketing and customer 

outreach to our broad Department of Defense and non-DoD customer base by attending conferences and 

explaining to customers the wide scope of our products and services.

I am also a branch lead for transportation and services, including forecasting and program execution. I 

currently serve as backup and because I am hazardous materials certifi ed by the Department of Transportation, coordinate the transport for several of the hazardous materials we ship. Additionally, I’m an 

Aerospace Energy subject matter expert for our transition to Enterprise Business Systems, as well as Web 

content manager for the Aerospace Energy. Because of my varied background, I can quickly identify support for our customers. If I don’t know the answer, I can usually fi nd it. I pride myself on performing the 

best customer support possible. 

Energy experience: I’ve been a logistics management specialist since I transitioned from the Air Force 

when DLA Energy took over my organization in 2001. However, previously I was an inventory management specialist and IMS supervisor in the USAF for this same organization since 1989. Prior to working 

in fuels, I began my government career as an inventory manager for jet engine parts for the Air Force at 

Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, in 1985.

Challenges and rewards of the job: I really enjoy helping our unique Aerospace Energy customers, ranging from DoD warfi ghters using our gases for fl ight line and reconnaissance balloons, to federal civilian 

agencies and commercial companies using our rocket and missile propellants. The biggest reward is the 

knowledge that the small part we play in providing the propellants and gases support some really big 

programs. I mean, how many people can say they helped provide the fuel to launch a rocket or put up an 

important DoD satellite to support our troops?

My most recent challenge was fi lling in for my boss for several months to keep the transportation offi ce 

going-- while doing some of my regular job, too! We had a continuous stream of new containers that 

required acceptance, transport to and from vendors for fi lling, and on to sites overseas. Setting up supply chains with multiple modes of shipment, fi guring out how we could ship certain containers, working 

with DOT to secure special permits, and changing destinations were some of the more unique challenges 

we’ve worked through. Without my great co-workers and their can-do attitude, we couldn’t have succeeded.

A memorable mission: I’ve had many memorable moments and unique opportunities in my career. I’ve 

seen the Space Shuttle in preparation for fl ight and launch at Cape Canaveral, Fla. I’ve found

 myself in a face to face conversation with Buzz Aldrin, discussing future propulsion systems at a 

conference. And, I’ve seen the now-retired Titan rocket being prepared for launch at Vandenberg 

AFB, Calif. Not bad for a farm girl from Texas!

Future Plans: After the EBS transition, I will be a demand planner under EBS and keep many of

 my customer support responsibilities, except transportation.

M

of

rela

ne

Energy Source l Spring 2012 39
Providing Energy roviding Energy 

 Solutions Worldwide Solutions Worldwide

Available at www.energy.dla.mil