The Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency

Established 1961

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

DLA

Research & Development

LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH (LTR)

OBJECTIVE

Support DLA business functional units through applied research of advanced technologies to improve 

business processes and operational methods. Leverage the application of leading-edge logistics “out-ofthe box” concepts using business tools driven by disruptive technology to provide global logistics support.

STRATEGIC THRUSTS

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

WARFIGHTER ALWAYS

Program Manager: Dr. Barry Humphrey Barry.Humphrey@dla.mil

• Data quality and governance

• Artificial intelligence / machine learning : business use cases

• Distributed ledger technology – sharing data across DLA and 

vendors. Currently developing use cases. 

• Supply chain risk management – risk information and analysis

• COTS, SAAS, PAAS, AAAS business solutions

• Digital Twins

Applied research for incorporating 

emerging technologies across 

DLA core business processes

Identify and mitigate risks 

across the supply chain

Leverage commercial 

best practices

SUPPLY CHAIN RISKS

DLA is challenged daily to identify and 

mitigate risks to the supply chain –

everything from diminishing 

manufacturing sources for older 

weapon systems to poorly managed 

vendors providing sub-standard parts or 

bad actors providing counterfeits

COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY 

OPPORTUNITIES

DLA needs to incorporate advances 

in commercial best practices. 

Leveraging existing commercial 

capabilities will enable rapid process 

transition upon full scale 

implementation

BUSINESS PROCESSES

DLA’s processes are often inefficient due to 

manual processes and outdated 

technologies. Key decision points such as 

planning inventory levels, on-boarding 

vendors, and accepting in-coming material 

may have errors or inefficiencies that 

disrupt the supply chain
WARFIGHTER READINESS

THE BENEFITS

• Ensure Warfighter safety and weapon system performance through reliability of DLA 

provided parts and a secure supply chain.

• Anticipate Warfighter requirements by combining big data, predictive analytics, and automation.

THE CHALLENGE

The challenge is to balance the need to 

sustain legacy systems to maintain the 

supply chain and continue support to 

the business functional areas, while 

transitioning to new technologies.

THE SOLUTION

The LTR program leverages advanced 

technologies to shape business 

process and ensure supply chain 

security across the DLA network.

DLA RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

LTR PROGRAM

ACCOMPLISHMENTS & ONGOING EFFORTS

• Commercial Industries

• Federally Funded Research and 

Development Centerers (FRDCS)

• University Affiliated Research 

Centers (UARCS)

• Services and Federal

Agencies

• Naval Research 

Laboratories

• Academia

• Digital platforms to automate and secure key business processes that capture vendor data

• Supply chain risk data identification and applications

• Artificial Intelligence / machine learning projects to improve demand forecasting, lead time 

estimation, and backorder prediction use case development 

• Distributed ledger technology applications

• Quantum computing capability assessment and planning for the future.

• Emergent Anti-Counterfeiting technologies

• Metadata management and data quality platforms

Program Manager: Dr. Barry Humphrey Barry.Humphrey@dla.mil

WARFIGHTER ALWAYS

INDUSTRY AND WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIPS

https://www.dla.mil/InformationOperations/Research-And-Development/