DLA

PACIFIC

On the Rim

LOGLINES

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY MAY – JUNE 2013
DIRECTOR

from the

D

aily news reports from around 

the world get our attention. 

The Pacific has garnered much 

of that attention recently with joint 

military exercises, the rebalancing 

of the U.S. security presence in the 

region and diplomatic uncertainties. 

With all of those challenges and more 

that will surely come, DLA Pacific’s 

focus never waivers. DLA Pacific 

works with customers each and every 

day, developing better strategies for 

whatever the mission requires, no 

matter the distractions. 

The more than 1,250 DLA military 

and civilian employees within the Pacific 

region take care of customer support 

requirements for more than 52 percent 

of the globe – an area covering more 

than 100 million square miles. That is a 

monumental task and one that requires 

Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek, USN

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

exceptional focus on customers and 

the mission in light of the geographic 

challenges and budget constraints. 

This issue of Loglines focuses on 

DLA’s support in the Pacific region. 

From mission support to the Navy’s 

littoral combat ship, the USS Freedom, 

to developing a new prime vendor in 

the Philippines, DLA provides the best 

logistics support, contract pricing and 

international coordination for our 

customers 

As the Defense Department reforms 

how it buys services, we are at the 

forefront of cost savings initiatives as we 

work with the Army on its prepositioned 

stock for the Pacific. Our collaborative 

project is anticipated to help save the 

Army and Defense Department more 

than $29 million in four years. 

These significant cost savings also 

keep DLA on track with our aggressive 

goal to save $10 billion in five years 

through my “Big Ideas” initiative. 

By continuing to be a cost-effective 

logistics leader around the world, we 

prove that not only is our commitment 

firm in our long-standing warfighter 

support, but we are doing our nation 

proud across the Pacific by being good 

caretakers of the taxpayer’s dollars 

while supporting the warfighter as a 

unified team. 

Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency Office of Public Affairs 8725 John J. Kingman Road Suite 2545 Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221 703-767-6200 E-mail: loglines@dla.mil

DLA Director

Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek

DLA Vice Director

Ted Case 

Chief of Staff

Renee L. Roman

Director, Public Affairs

Douglas Ide

Deputy Director, Public Affairs

Jack Hooper

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

Official Flagship Publication of the Defense Logistics Agency

Managing Editor: Kathleen T. Rhem

Editor: Jacob Boyer

Layout/Design: Paul Henry Crank

Writers: Beth Reece

Sara Moore

Amanda Neumann

Lally Laksbergs

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:

LogLineS StAff
CONTENTS

Loglines l May - June 2013 1

Supplying Forces in the Pacic 2

As the United States rebalances its strategic interests with 

an eye toward the world’s largest ocean, DLA Pacific ensures 

warfighters throughout the region have what they need. 

Million Dollar Savings 6

DLA is working with the Army to save money maintaining the 

pre-positioned stock the service keeps for contingencies.

A Prime Location for Food 10

A new DLA Troop Support subsistence prime vendor ensures 

troops in the region will get food more quickly.

Support at Sea 14

DLA supports Rim of the Pacific, a biennial multinational 

maritime series of exercises that is the world’s largest.

Refueling in the Antarctic 18

During Operation Deep Freeze, DLA Energy partners with 

other commands to get needed fuel to scientists in Antarctica.

Expeditionary Exercise 20

DLA Distribution Expeditionary participates in a 

multinational logistics exercise for the first time.

Singapore Bound 22

The Navy’s new littoral combat ship, the USS Freedom, is 

being supported by DLA during its deployment to Singapore.

New Mission on Okinawa 24

DLA Energy takes over fuel responsibilities from a 

disestablished Army unit on the Japanese island.

Opportunities and Inspiration 30

A partnership between DLA and the National Industries for 

the Blind puts visually impaired people to work.

Taking Over for Savings 36

DLA Document Services takes responsibility for all Navy and 

Marine Corps office document devices.

A Conversation with ... 27

LogPoints 29

I am DLA Back Cover

DEPARTMENTS

DLA PACIFIC

May - June 2013

2

10

20

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

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2 www.dla.mil

A member of the 8th Theater Sustainment 

Command communicates with the main command 

post from a helicopter during a training exercise 

designed to test the unit’s ability to deploy to an 

austere environment anywhere in the Pacic. DLA 

supports about 40 such exercises each year. 

— Photo by Army Spc. Tiffany Dusterhoft
Loglines l March - April 2013 3

Supplying 

Forces

in the

Pacic

Story by Beth Reece

ardly a month goes by when 

Defense Logistics Agency Pacific 

employees are not supporting 

training exercises in which U.S. 

troops simulate full-scale war. 

DLA’s response would be massive if the 

United States became engaged in military 

action in the Pacific region, said Marine 

Lt. Col. Stephanie King, chief of the DLA 

Pacific Logistics Operations Center. 

“We’d have a lot more folks coming 

into theater who’d require sustainment 

support, so requisitions would be dropped 

at a rapid rate. All of DLA would be 

hustling to provide supplies, everything 

from food to fuel,” King said. 

More than 1,250 military and civilian 

employees make up DLA Pacific, with forward locations in Hawaii, Alaska, Japan, 

South Korea, Guam, Okinawa, Singapore 

and Thailand. The sheer size of the Pacific 

region, which covers 52 percent of the 

globe, makes DLA’s mission there unique 

and sometimes challenging, DLA Pacific 

Commander Army Col. Joe Arnold said. 

DLA Troop Support employees in Guam 

are 14 hours ahead of their counterparts in 

Philadelphia, for example. 

“We don’t have the luxury of telling 

ardly a month goes by when 

Defense Logistics Agency Pacific 

employees are not supporting 

training exercises in which U.S. 

troops simulate full-scale war. H

DLA’s response would be massive if the 

Loglines l May - June 2013 3

Marines assigned to the Fleet Antiterrorism 

Security Team Company Pacic conduct a 

live-re exercise at Camp Rodriguez, South 

Korea. Marines in such locations as South 

Korea, Guam and Australia are among DLA’s 

key customers in the Pacic.

Navy Petty Ofcer 3rd Class James Norman
4 www.dla.mil

customers we can’t give them answers on 

critical logistics support until tomorrow 

because everybody in Philadelphia has 

gone home,” he said. 

DLA works to stay ahead of customer 

requirements by placing employees with 

key commands and staff. A DLA liaison is 

assigned to headquarters staffs with U.S. 

Pacific Command, U.S. Forces Korea and 

U.S. Forces Japan. Warfighter support 

reps are also co-located with major units 

such as the Navy’s U.S. Fleet Activities 

Yokosuka, Japan, and U.S. Army 

Garrison Yongsan, South Korea, to meet 

service members’ most immediate needs.

“Our [warfighter support representatives and liaison officers] aren’t just what 

we used to call ‘part chasers,’” said Andrew 

Drake, DLA Pacific Logistics Operations 

Center deputy chief. 

WSRs and LNOs have to know the 

operational plans and contingency plans 

for their respective region and are involved 

in operations planning, exercises and daily 

staff meetings. And as military customers 

increasingly rely on DLA to help forecast 

what they need, how much and where, 

Drake said those team members have 

become responsible for picking up informa-

tion and intelligence that customers don’t 

ordinarily relay to logisticians.

“That’s a key piece, because sometimes 

the services don’t know what details they 

need to share with us in order for us to 

better meet their requirements,” he added.

Exercise support makes up a large 

chunk of DLA Pacific’s mission. While a 

DLA support team participates in about 

10 major USPACOM exercises each year, 

such as Key Resolve in South Korea and 

Terminal Fury in Hawaii, primary-level 

field activity representatives are busy 

supporting about 30 additional exercises 

run by each branch of the service, as well 

as special operations forces.

Many of the exercises are held annu-

ally, but the logistics support plans continu-

A landing craft approaches the USS Bonhomme 

Richard in the Pacic Ocean near Okinawa, 

Japan. DLA provides food and fuel to U.S. Navy 

vessels throughout the Pacic.

Navy Petty Ofcer 2nd Class Adam M. Bennett
Loglines l May - June 2013 5

ally change due to frequently changing 

scenarios and the high turnover rate of 

military members stationed throughout 

the Pacific, Drake said. DLA participates in 

planning conferences for each exercise, but 

getting customers to identify their requirements well in advance can be difficult.

“Each year we find ourselves helping to 

shape the customers’ requirements because 

we know what they need more than they 

do,” King added. “But that’s what we’re 

here for; we’re here to support them.” 

DLA also strives to keep customers’ 

costs down.

“If we’re shipping containers of [meals, 

ready-to-eat] to some location where we 

don’t normally have a presence, we can 

save them a lot of money by sending them 

on a ship well ahead of time rather than flying them in at the last minute,” Drake said. 

Meanwhile, the military footprint in 

the Pacific is evolving. Current defense 

strategy calls for a rebalancing of the U.S. 

security presence throughout the region. 

Details are still being finalized, but 

former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta 

told defense reporters in November 2012 

that officials are considering a 60-40 

split among Navy ships in the Pacific and 

Atlantic oceans. 

“The goal for DLA is to stay plugged 

in with customers to ensure we’re 

postured to meet their readiness requirements,” Arnold said, adding that he 

expects an increased presence of troops 

in the region to be driven primarily by 

increased exercises.

The Marine Corps is working to gradually boost its presence in Australia by 

sending units there on rotational deployments. Anticipating troops’ demand 

for fresh food, DLA Troop Support has 

started conducting market research 

that will eventually lead to subsistence 

contracts, King said. 

Senior leaders have also asked that 

DLA evaluate what it stocks and where 

to ensure the right items are on shelves 

where they’re most needed, Arnold 

added. DLA Distribution is working to 

ensure it has the capacity to support the 

relocation of about 5,000 Marines to 

Guam, for example. And in Hawaii, DLA 

employees are looking for ways to reduce 

inventory and get out of warehouses that 

need costly repairs.

“We’re really taking a hard look at 

cleaning out the attic with help from DLA 

Headquarters to rid ourselves of dormant 

stock that hasn’t had a demand in years,” 

he said. 

The changes make now a good time to 

be a member of DLA Pacific, Drake and 

Arnold agreed.

“I don’t know too many positions 

in the United States where you have to 

be knowledgeable about all of DLA’s 

services and be capable of touting that to 

customers. I’m continually learning all 

the time,” Drake said. 

Sailors aboard an aircraft carrier perform maintenance on the ship’s ight deck reghting 

system while under way in the Pacic Ocean. 

Parts for maintenance and repair are provided 

by DLA.

Marines load evacuees aboard a CH-46E Sea 

Knight helicopter during a mock noncombatant evacuation operation at Camp Hansen, 

Japan. DLA is ready to provide supplies ranging from food to blankets and tents in support 

of disaster relief efforts. 

Marine Corps Cpl. Garry Welch Navy Petty Ofcer 3rd Class Robert Winn
6 www.dla.mil

Story by Lally Laksbergs

LA’s supplier and distribution 

network supplies warfighters’ 

needs by diligently contracting 

and fulfilling customer’s requirements on time and on location. 

These successful businesses practices 

got the attention of officials in the Office 

of the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army 

for Logistics in September 2011, when 

the organization’s leaders approached 

the DLA director to ask for help cutting 

costs associated with stock that was being 

wasted each year.

“This project connects to the director’s 

‘Big Ideas’ by reducing inventories and 

optimizing the infrastructure we have out 

there,” Peter Halseth, DLA deputy Army 

national account manager said.

The Army determined that a 

considerable percentage of its stocks 

D

These successful businesses practices 

6 www.dla.mil

Million

Dollar 

Savings
Loglines Loglines l March - April 2013 l May - June 2013 7

packaged petroleum products, barrier 

and construction materials, rations, 

and clothing required to sustain combat 

operations. Army Pre-positioned Stock 

4 is one such set of supplies located in 

Japan and South Korea and is the first set 

of stock to be included in the initiative.

“We are starting this initiative with 

APS-4 because it is the most stable area 

at this time,” John Davis, a logistics 

management specialist for the Army staff, 

said. “The thought was to start with one 

location and then, after success with that 

stable APS, the initiative will have more 

credibility to be implemented at other 

APS sites.”

The Army expects to save $29 million 

on APS-4 by 2015. These savings are 

realized by better forecasting, not replacing 

expired items, not purchasing 60-day 

supplies, and defering procurement and 

saving funding, Davis said. 

“We were looking for any way we 

could to mitigate and reduce our Army 

shelf-life costs for DLA-managed items,” 

he said. “We realized DLA has distribution 

assets where we buy and warehouse.”

The project’s three-phase process 

resembles a long-held Army methodology 

of “crawl, walk, run” with regards to 

implementing a new process or standard, 

Davis said. 

To initiate Phase 1, a review process 

of 14,000 line items was completed. 

An overlap of 4,000 repair parts was 

discovered between the Army stock and 

what DLA held in stock, Halseth said.

Once the repair parts overlap was 

found, testing of 188 items was done to 

prove that AMC and DLA would be able 

to not only have joint visibility on the 

inventories, but would also be able to 

coordinate effectively. 

The test was successful, and the 

Army decided to move ahead with the 

expansion of support, Halseth said.

were going bad every year. It was 

replacing approximately $5 million worth 

of short-shelf-life items each year and 

found that many of those items were 

bought from DLA, Halseth said. Those 

findings encouraged further discussions 

and collaboration to assist the command 

in reaching its savings objectives. 

This initiative was developed between 

DLA Logistics Operations, top Army 

logisticians and Army Materiel Command 

to identify and execute new management 

practices for DLA-managed, Army-owned 

stock to reduce replacement costs for the 

Army, starting with Army pre-positioned 

stock in the Pacific area of operations. 

The Army maintains a strategic 

inventory of sustainment supplies, 

known as pre-positioned stock. These 

stocks sustain forward-deployed and 

initial follow-on ground forces. They 

include major end items such as 

engines, repair parts, medical supplies, 
8 www.dla.mil

“I didn’t think we were going to get as 

far as we already have,” Halseth said. “The 

results we achieved in Phase 1 helped us to 

move this forward with momentum.” 

DLA is helping reduce future Army 

spending by removing duplicate supplies 

and is able to maintain responsive 

support for contingencies, Halseth said.

“We have a lot of senior leadership 

buy-in from the Army on this, and 

we know this is high on the Army 

logistics list of things that need to be 

accomplished.” he said.

Currently, the project is in Phase 2, 

which involves testing an additional 

4,000 items. A select number of those 

will be used to test a complete order and 

delivery process. 

Phase 3 will be a complete review of 

sustainment stock as requested by AMC, 

including an analysis of the remaining 

balances of the war reserves is to improve 

shelf-life liability costs.

“There are cost savings not only to 

the Army, but to the Defense Department 

overall,” Halseth said. “DLA also sees 

cost savings due to better forecasting, 

reducing the number of buys, improving 

positioning of products, etc.” 

Improving forecasting is also critically 

important for the Army, Davis said.

“For the Army, improved forecasting 

cuts down on shelf-life liability significantly. We are divesting management of a 

significant amount of shelf-life items over 

to DLA so that they can rotate the items 

with DLA inventory so it all stays fresh,” 

Davis said. 

By improving forecasting and using 

DLA’s methods for rotating stock, the over-

all cost of the solution remains small, but 

the gains will be considerable, Davis said.

Workers install shelves into a U.S. Army selfcontained portable fueling station at Sagami 

Army Depot, Japan. Sagami Army Depot is 

a major maintenance and storage facility for 

Army Pre-positioned Stock 4. DLA is helping the 

Army reduce spending and maintain responsive 

support for contingency operations.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Sean Riley
Loglines l May - June 2013 9

“There are two basic, major 

advantages: We are not replacing expired 

items, and we are buying almost half of 

what we used to buy for those 4,188 line 

items,” Davis said. “Those line items 

equal 316,000 individual pieces, and that 

is a major cost savings.” 

Because of improvements in forecasting 

and reduction of stock losses, both DLA 

and the Defense Department are expected 

to see cost savings from this project. 

 “It’s a win-win for both organizations,” 

Halseth said. 

When the Army determines what 

supplies are needed to deploy into a given 

theater, that information is forwarded to 

AMC to make it happen.

“Army Materiel Command is 

the center of gravity for developing 

requirements, defining them for the Army 

[war reserve secondary items] and then 

walking it through the various levels of 

validation,” Bill Gibbs, program manager 

for Army WRSI, said.

AMC does not currently have a 

methodology for rotating stock, Gibbs 

said. Improving inventory management 

involves controlling four factors: shelf-life 

expiration, deterioration, obsolescence 

and excess.

 “One of the four factors will always 

affect the stock,” Gibbs said. “Some of 

the factors are predictable, while others 

cannot be predicted due to variables or 

mission requirement changes.”

Because of these variables, AMC 

reviewed sustainment stock needs and 

associated costs and realized it was spending a lot of money on items it wasn’t using.

“We took a look at all these items 

and asked how much it was costing us 

on average to buy this stock, leave it on 

the shelf and leave it static,” Gibbs said. 

“We were averaging approximately $20 

million a year for items lost.”

Many of those items are stocked 

by DLA.

“Once the item is in the system with 

DLA, they are managing all of those 

issues,” Gibbs said. “We have now 

mitigated the static stock situation of 

buying an item, letting it sit on the shelf, 

and then throwing it away.” 

DLA’s worldwide distribution network, 

warehouse resources and contingency 

contracts, allow the agency to better match 

customers’ needs to mission requirements.

“DLA is able to meet the Army’s 

wartime requirement because of the depth 

and breadth that we have as an enterprise 

worldwide without having to have the 

product right there,” Halseth said. 

Gibbs agreed.

 “DLA is a global enterprise. AMC is 

a global enterprise. The APS stocks are 

theater-centric, but can be global-centric 

very quickly. You aren’t working in a 

single theater anymore. You are now 

working globally,” he said. “We need to be 

good custodians of the taxpayers’ money, 

but at the same time we need to support 

the warfighters’ needs.”

Upon the conclusion of this initial 

project with APS 4, DLA intends to expand 

the scope of the initiative to encompass all 

Army pre-positioned stock locations and 

the other military services. 

“We are currently in discussions with 

other military services to help determine 

their sustainment needs and how better to 

assist them in producing significant cost 

savings in these areas,” Halseth said. 

“We are starting this initiative with APS-4 because it is the most stable 

area at this time, ... to start with one location and then after success 

with that stable APS, the initiative will have more credibility to be 

implemented at other APS sites.”

— John Davis

Cost savings are expected to be realized as the Army Pre-positioned Stock 4 program begins 

promoting better forecasting, reducing quantities purchased and improving the positioning of 

the products for a global-centric enterprise.

Air Force Senior Airman Derek VanHorn
10 www.dla.mil

A Prime Location f

Story by Amanda Neumann

Photos by Jaime Lim

he Defense Logistics Agency’s 

prime vendor warehouse in the 

Philippines, which opened in 

November, promises to be a hub 

of subsistence in the U.S. Pacific 

Command area of responsibility. With a 

heightened Defense Department focus on 

operations in the Pacific, the warehouse 

offers drastically reduced turnaround 

times, lowered transportation costs 

and the opportunity to fulfill more than 

100 subsistence orders a year to ships 

deployed to the Pacific Rim.

Although DLA Troop Support’s 

he Defense Logistics Agency’s 

prime vendor warehouse in the 

Philippines, which opened in 

November, promises to be a hub 

of subsistence in the U.S. Pacific 

Command area of responsibility. With a 

T Subsistence Prime Vendor Program, a 

system of commercial providers that offer 

food distribution, already had a prime 

vendor in Japan, DLA Troop Support 

noticed an increasing need for a prime 

vendor location in the Philippines, said 

Jose Jamir, DLA Troop Support Pacific’s 

subsistence chief in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

“One of the biggest factors we noticed 

was that our operational tempo was 

getting really hectic over there,” he said. 

“Our support was coming from different 

locations, and it was a big challenge to 

provide the right logistics support to the 

people in that area. For a while, we were 

providing support out of our Japan prime 

vendor, which required transportation 

arrangements to meet the required delivery 

dates. We came out with a business case 

analysis [detailing] our frequency and 

how much business we anticipated, and 

we determined the best approach was to 

be proactive and establish a platform over 

there. At the same time, the president 

said our focus was shifting toward that 

direction, so it made sense.”

In June 2012, after a meeting with 

Philippine President Benigno Aquino, 

10 www.dla.mil
Loglines l March - April 2013 11

or Food

land and afloat. Before the Philippines 

warehouse opened, receiving shipments 

from the West Coast usually took weeks, 

Jamir said.

“Shipments used to come from the 

West Coast to Japan to the Philippines,” 

he said. “[Once items arrived in] Japan, 

we would temporarily store them at our 

prime vendor site there. Because those 

items were going [by ship], they usually 

took at least two or three weeks just to 

arrive. From Japan to Manila, it would be 

another two weeks. Our turnaround time 

was almost four weeks.”

U.S. President Barack Obama reminded 

Americans of the importance of the U.S. 

role in the Pacific.

“On security and military issues, 

we had discussions about how we can 

continue to consult closely together, to 

engage in training together, work on a 

range of regional issues together,” Obama 

said, “all of which is consistent with the 

announced pivot by the United States 

back to Asia, and reminding everybody 

that, in fact, the United States considers 

itself, and is, a Pacific power.”

After deciding on a location, DLA 

Troop Support picked California-based 

Coastal Pacific Food Distributors, the 

second-largest worldwide military 

distributor of food and related products, 

to be the prime vendor in the Philippines. 

A prime vendor contractor for DLA since 

1998, Coastal Pacific provides service 

throughout the western United States, 

Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Japan, South 

Korea and Singapore, according to the 

company’s website.

As a prime vendor, Coastal Pacific 

provides procurement, warehousing 

and food distribution to customers on 

Loglines l May - June 2013 11

Workers stand outside one of three dry-storage 

facilities that are part of DLA Troop Support 

Pacic’s prime vendor warehouse in the Laguna 

province of the Philippines. The 646,000-squarefoot Coastal Pacic Food Distributors warehouse 

also has three cold storage facilities and holds 

almost 30 days of supplies overall.
12 www.dla.mil

The Philippine warehouse, DLA Troop 

Support’s 23rd subsistence platform, 

has several benefits, most importantly 

faster response times and substantial 

transportation savings, Jamir said.

“First, we save money on transportation,” he said. “We estimate the agency 

will save over $500,000 in transportation 

costs a year by shipping from the [U.S.] 

West Coast directly to the Philippines. Also, 

instead of ships getting their provisions from 

husbandry agents, they can go through the 

prime vendor, where it’s a lot cheaper.”

At the Philippine warehouse, visiting ships have an alternative to using 

expensive husbandry service providers, 

provision companies in locales where the 

Navy has a possible presence or port call 

for its ships, Jamir said. These husbandry 

providers can supply water, line up tug 

boats, remove ships’ sewage, and handle 

any needed supplies.

“If a prime vendor is not servicing 

those areas, the ship’s only means of 

getting provisions are through husbandry 

service providers,” Jamir said. “A lot of 

times their costs are just so much and we 

have no choice but to buy through them.”

In addition to cost savings, by eliminating the extra transportation leg, the 

new warehouse turns shipment times 

from weeks into days, said Navy Cmdr. 

Jason Bridges, commander of DLA Troop 

Support Pacific.

“With the prime vendor in the 

Philippines, the idea is to have turnaround within two days because we 

have storage of materials,” he said. “The 

customer sees two or three days instead 

of two or three weeks.”

With the warehouse expected to 

be at full operating capacity by April, 

DLA Troop Support initially ran into a 

challenge with the Philippine Department 

of Agriculture, Bridges said.

“The biggest challenge we had was 

meeting the Philippine government 

importation requirement,” he said. 

“We went over in January, met with the 

Department of Agriculture and established some protocols so that we can ship 

our meat into the country and store it at 

a commercial facility, which was the real 

issue. We wanted to make sure that we 

met their requirements while still providing us flexibility to operate and become 

more efficient than we are.”

Storing everything from frozen meat 

to cornflakes, the 646,000-square-foot 

warehouse can hold almost 30 days of 

supplies. Located in the Laguna province, 40 minutes south of Manila, the 

warehouse has three cold and three dry 

storage facilities, Bridges said. Just about 

everything – enough to support a dining 

facility or troops’ daily requirements from 

breakfast items to dinner – can be found 

there, he added.

“It’s a forward stocking point, 

meaning it holds material not based in 

[the continental U.S.],” he said. “It’s 

where the prime vendor is stocking 

food for us. Although a local Philippine 

subcontractor owns it, it’s dedicated to 

us. But local food products, fresh fruits 

and vegetables are generally not stocked 

at the facility. The prime vendor buys 

them from the local market. So even if we 

Visitors from DLA Troop Support Pacic and 

Coastal Pacic Food Distributors take a tour 

of the freezer in the new subsistence prime 

vendor warehouse in the Philippines. The 

warehouse, operated by California-based 

Coastal Pacic, is DLA Troop Support Pacic’s 

23rd subsistence prime vendor platform.

Representatives from DLA, Coastal Pacic 

Food Distributors and Philippine subcontractor 

Jentec cut the ribbon symbolizing the grand 

opening of the Coastal Pacic warehouse in the 

Philippines Nov. 15, 2012. The 646,000-squarefoot warehouse, with both cold and dry storage 

facilities, can hold up to 30 days’ worth of food 

for ships deployed to the Pacic Rim.
Loglines l May - June 2013 13

don’t stock it, we procure it and deliver 

it once the ship orders it. If there’s an 

emergent requirement that we need to 

meet, we can fly it in too, like we just did 

with eggs.”

With plenty of room for expansion in 

the facility, the prime vendor currently 

uses two of the largest storage rooms 

there: a 22,600-square-foot cold storage 

and a 25,800-square-foot dry storage, 

allowing for ready support of any ship, 

Jamir said.

“Right now, for the dry storage, it 

holds 720 pallet spaces,” he said. “For 

the chilled, it’s 80 pallets, and for frozen, 

it’s 288 pallets. In our initial analysis, the 

frequency was estimated to be only about 

40 to 60 ships supported in one year. Then 

in the succeeding year, we were seeing 

double the number. I would estimate that 

for the Philippines right now, we will be 

reaching well over 100 orders.”

With several ships deployed in the 

area, the Philippine warehouse can get 

multiple orders from the same ship.

“Some ships, depending on their 

operational commitment to the area, pull 

in, place an order [and leave],” Jamir said. 

“Then in seven or eight days, they pull 

back in again and place another order. 

Or sometimes they’re going to be in port 

for four or five days. Then they’ll place an 

order upon arrival and place another order 

prior to departure.”

Ships needing subsistence place their 

orders through the fleet logistics center 

that services them. In and around the 

Philippines, that center is in Yokosuka, 

Japan, Jamir said. Yokosuka, in turn, 

enters its requirements into DLA Troop 

Support Subsistence’s web-based 

ordering system.

“The prime vendor receives orders 

and notifies Yokosuka that they are 

able to fill it,” Jamir said. “If there is 

anything they cannot fill, they would 

offer a substitute. After talking to the 

customer, if the substitute comes back 

[approved], they process everything. 

The ship gives their location and time of 

delivery, and our prime vendor shows 

up with all the requirements.”

Another important requirement 

is the ability of the prime vendor to 

support surge clauses, requests made 

in the event of humanitarian or disaster 

relief efforts, Bridges said.

“If there’s a contingency, like a 

humanitarian assistance operation for 

an earthquake or tsunami, the vendor 

is required to be able to surge to 300 

percent of what their normal average 

monthly demand is,” he said. “That 

means in order to meet the increased 

demand that we expect in that surge, 

whether it’s more ships or more people 

on the ground, the vendor is contractually 

required to support that up to 300 

percent before DLA steps in and starts 

paying for airlifts and other things.”

With $500,000 in sales from January 

to March, the warehouse supplies major 

customers in the Philippines, including 

carrier strike groups, amphibious ready 

groups, supply ships and others assigned 

to Joint Special Operations Task ForcePhilippines. The prime vendor warehouse 

is currently projected to bring in 

anywhere from $5 million to $8 million 

in sales a year, Bridges said.

“We think sales are going to be higher 

than projected, but it’s hard to say how 

much,” he said. “One of the major reasons 

we put the warehouse there is because 

we’re seeing an increase in requirements 

coming through the Philippines. We have 

an expectation that it’s going to continue 

to grow. By having that food capability 

there, it should increase the amount 

of local materials that we procure and 

provide to [the Defense Department].” 

Workers at the Coastal Pacic Food Distributors warehouse, in the Laguna province of the 

Philippines, unload pallets of food. California-based Coastal Pacic is DLA Troop Support Pacic’s 

subsistence prime vendor in the Philippines.

Another important requirement is the ability of the prime 

vendor to support surge clauses, requests made in the event 

of humanitarian or disaster relief efforts.
14 www.dla.mil

Support at Sea

Story by Lally Laksbergs
Loglines l May - June 2013 15

hat started as an exercise 

involving a few nations and 

several hundred personnel 

in and around the Hawaiian 

Islands in 1971 has turned into 

the world’s largest biennial international 

maritime exercise involving thousands 

of representatives from nations around 

the world. The Rim of the Pacific exercise 

has evolved into a prominent display of 

cooperation among many nations, and 

DLA has supported the exercise since its 

beginning, providing the vital needs of 

participants for the past 42 years.

RIMPAC provides a unique training 

opportunity that helps participants foster 

and sustain cooperative relationships that 

hat started as an exercise 

involving a few nations and 

several hundred personnel 

in and around the Hawaiian 

Islands in 1971 has turned into 

the world’s largest biennial international 

W are critical to ensuring the safety of sea 

lanes and security on the world’s oceans, 

U.S. 3rd Fleet officials said.

In 1999, DLA became heavily involved 

in RIMPAC from planning through 

completion, said Deb Spencer, a tailored 

vendor logistics specialist who supports 

DLA Pacific at DLA Troop Support. 

“RIMPAC has been part of our 

contracts for so long that we know what 

we have to do to get the customer what 

they want, when they want it and where 

they want it delivered,” Spencer said. 

Although DLA Troop Support headquarters is located in Philadelphia and 

the exercise takes place around Hawaii 

– two locations with a six-hour time 

difference – communication has not been 

a problem over the years.

“Because of our past experience, current knowledge, and intense communication with our Hawaii Pacific office, the 

time zone differences have never been a 

challenge,” Spencer said.

RIMPAC 2012 was hosted by the U.S. 

Pacific Fleet June 29-Aug. 3. Twentytwo nations, 42 ships, six submarines, 

and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 

people participated in the exercise. The 

theme was “Capable, Adaptive, Partners,” 

and the last reference was evident in the 

exercise’s international partners, including Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, 

France, Indonesia, India, Mexico, 

The guided missile cruiser USS Princeton receives biofuel from the 

Military Sealift Command’s eet replenishment oiler USNS Henry J. 

Kaiser during a replenishment at sea. The Navy, in partnership with 

DLA Energy, demonstrated its Great Green Fleet for the rst time 

during Rim of the Pacic 2012, a biennial multinational exercise in 

and around the Hawaiian islands. 

— Photo by Navy Seaman Ryan J. Mayes

Loglines l May - June 2013 15
16 www.dla.mil

Malaysia, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, 

New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, 

Russia, Singapore, South Korea, the 

United Kingdom, Tonga and Thailand.

DLA Troop Support provided four of 

its major commodities to the exercise: 

clothing and textiles, construction and 

equipment, medical, and subsistence. 

There was strong demand for subsistence 

and medical. The former alone amounted 

to roughly $5.7 million.

“DLA Troop Support Pacific has been 

a major player throughout the years in 

ensuring the optimum support for our 

warfighters participating in the RIMPAC 

exercise,” said Jose Jamir, subsistence 

chief for DLA Troop Support Pacific.

Support levels for each iteration of 

RIMPAC vary because of the number of 

participants, countries involved, ships, 

aircraft and more, Jamir said.

“Close coordination with Fleet 

Logistics Center Pearl Harbor ensured the 

success of our support to the fleet,” he said. 

“A majority of the customers are U.S. Navy 

units with some customers from the Army, 

Air Force and the Marines.”

Knowing requirements ahead of time 

ensures that proper inventories are on 

hand, which results in a timely response to 

customers during the exercise, Jamir said. 

“For land-based replenishment, a 

DLA subsistence representative was at 

the replenishment site to ensure vendors 

were at the correct location, stevedores 

were ready, the loading and unloading 

equipment was there, and everything was in 

good condition for the customer,” he said.

Multiple replenishments occur 

during the five-week exercise. These 

replenishments happen at sea and 

on land. Replenishments can involve 

everything from food and water to fuel 

and petroleum products.

DLA Energy procured advanced 

biofuels to power the ships of the Navy’s 

A Canadian sailor aboard the HMCS Victoria 

signals to a helicopter to raise the hoist cable 

while receiving priority repair parts during Rim 

of the Pacic 2012. DLA provided support for 

sea- and land-based replenishment require-

ments throughout the multinational exercise.

Navy Petty Ofcer 2nd Class Derek R. Sanchez
Loglines l May - June 2013 17

Green Strike Group.

RIMPAC 2012 featured the first demonstration of the Navy’s “Great Green Fleet,” 

during which U.S. surface combatants and 

carrier-based aircraft tested, evaluated and 

demonstrated the cross-platform utility and 

functionality of biofuels, according a press 

release from U.S. 3rd Fleet. 

DLA’s bulk petroleum business 

unit coordinated the contract between 

the Navy and Dynamic Fuels LLC. The 

business unit adapted its processes to 

meet the Navy’s requirements for the 

sizable biofuels contract.

“[This was] funded through the 

Navy,” Bulk Petroleum Director Bruce 

Blank said.

The contracted biofuel was delivered 

to Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet 

Logistics Center Puget Sound, Wash., 

blended by Navy personnel and then 

loaded onto the Military Sealift Command 

fleet replenishment oiler USNS Henry J. 

Kaiser for replenishments at sea.

Since the fuel is designed to be a 

“drop-in” replacement to traditional 

petroleum fuels, no engine modifications 

were needed to use it in Navy-tested ships 

and aircraft, DLA Energy officials said.

MSC operates about 110 

noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that 

replenish Navy ships, conduct specialized 

missions, pre-position combat cargo at 

sea around the world, and move military 

cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. 

forces and coalition partners.

“Our mission is service to the fleet,” 

said Navy Capt. Sylvester Moore, MSC 

Pacific commander. “Delivering advanced 

biofuel to the fleet is a great opportunity 

to demonstrate our capabilities and to be 

a part of the continued efforts of the Navy 

to develop new technologies that will 

advance mission capabilities.”

During the exercise, DLA Energy 

contracted fuel distribution support at 

several locations in Hawaii, including 

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Marine 

Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Schofield 

Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield, Barbers 

Point Naval Air Station, Pacific Missile 

Range Facility Barking Sands and 

Pohakuloa Training Area, according to 

DLA records.

“To fuel the RIMPAC fleet, DLA Energy 

Pacific’s eight defense fuel support points 

throughout Hawaii provided a combined 

total of more than 32 million gallons of 

fuel products,” Lee Edwards, DLA Energy 

Pacific’s deputy director, said. “From 

commercial tanker trucks to Military Sealift 

Command oilers, the outstanding fuel 

support was safely provided to 41 ships and 

well over 1,600 aircraft from 22 different 

participating countries.

“DLA Energy Pacific remains poised 

and ready to provide seamless, warfighter 

support to our nation and international 

partners in training, operations, or 

contingencies,” he said.

RIMPAC 2014 is scheduled for 

summer 2014. 

An MH-60R Seahawk helicopter from 

Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6 delivers 

food and supplies to the aircraft carrier USS 

Nimitz during a vertical replenishment at 

sea. The carrier was on its way to Hawaii to 

participate in RIMPAC 2012, a biennial exercise 

that DLA has supported since the 1970s. 

An Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refuels 

a Marine Corps F-18 Hornet over Hawaii in 

support of RIMPAC 2012. DLA Energy Pacic 

provided a combined total of more than 32 

million gallons of fuel products to the summer 

2012 exercise.

Navy Petty Ofcer 3rd Class Ian A. Cotter

Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephany D. Richards
18 www.dla.mil

Refueling in

the Antarctic

Story by Chrisopher Goulait,

DLA Energy Public Affairs

icebreaker, and cargo [operations] 

went off without a hitch,” said John 

Joerger, tanker project officer at MSC 

headquarters. “We had no weather 

delays, which meant that the tanker was 

in and out rapidly and did not impede the 

dry cargo operations.”

Fuel delivered during the 2012‐2013 

refueling mission included mid‐grade 

unleaded gasoline, marine gas oil, and 

two grades of kerosene‐based aviation 

turbine fuel, JP5 and AN8, all meant for 

use in extreme‐cold‐weather conditions.

Knapp explained that each fuel was 

specifically chosen for Antarctic use.

The gasoline required by contract 

was Class E5, the highest volatility 

classification, he said. Aviation turbine 

fuel JP5 has a high flashpoint limit, 

a minimum 60 degrees Fahrenheit, 

making for safer handling on carriers 

and other vessels. The aviation turbine 

fuel AN8 is a specific arctic grade with 

a lower freezing point and properties 

that ensure it will flow at extremely 

low temperatures for uninterrupted 

aviation and heating purposes. That 

property is crucial for flights into South 

Pole Station and activity there during 

hen it comes to refueling 

missions, Defense Logistics 

Agency Energy will go to the 

ends of the earth to support its 

customers, in one case, literally.

DLA Energy supports Operation Deep 

Freeze, which annually takes advantage 

of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer to 

deliver fuel and supplies to U.S. research 

stations in Antarctica through Military 

Sealift Command.

“Operation Deep Freeze is a very 

critical mission for the people who live 

and work on Antarctica,” said Navy Capt. 

Sylvester Moore, commander of MSC 

Pacific. “Without this resupply mission, all 

operations in Antarctica would end and 

the scientific community would lose the 

opportunity to conduct research and study 

not only the continent of Antarctica, but 

its impact on our global climate.”

More than 6 million gallons of fuels were 

delivered to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, 

to support those operations during this 

season’s fuel offloading Feb. 11-15, said 

Richard Knapp, a quality assurance 

specialist with DLA Energy.

“The tanker portion went very well. 

There was great cooperation with the 

hen it comes to refueling 

missions, Defense Logistics 

Agency Energy will go to the 

ends of the earth to support its 

customers, in one case, literally. W

DLA Energy supports Operation Deep 

winter no-fly conditions, Knapp said.

“For DLA Energy, the remote 

locations and cold operating conditions 

of the Antarctic dictate the procurement 

process,” Knapp said.

That process takes place more than 

a year in advance of the shipment. Bids 

are normally solicited in September for a 

delivery window of Dec. 1‐Jan. 31 of the 

following year, plus a 30‐day carry‐over 

period, he said.

“This represents the optimum time to 

avoid a literal deep freeze,” Knapp said.

On this most recent operation, 

DLA Energy awarded the contract to a 

Greek firm that supplied the fuels. Fuel 

pumping at the origin finished Dec. 28 as 

DLA Energy Europe and Africa quality 

assurance representatives provided on‐site 

quality assurance for the cargo, Knapp 

said. QARs also accepted the shipment 

for MSC’s time-chartered motor tanker 

Maersk Peary.

But the delivery process as a whole 

involves much more than that, Knapp 

explained.

“To get the only annual shipment of 

fuel from Western Europe to Antarctica 

and McMurdo Station’s ice pier, MSC 

18 www.dla.mil
Loglines l March - April 2013 19

vessels follow a route that can involve 

some of the worst sea conditions and 

hazards that exist anywhere,” Knapp said.

He said the weeks at sea that are 

needed to make the delivery are filled 

with unpredictable and harsh weather, 

along with increased hazards from 

floating ice. While the region is most 

accessible in January and February, the 

last 17 miles of the journey still need 

icebreaker ships to create a channel 

through the ice shelf.

“Expert navigation and cooperation 

between icebreaker, tanker and freighter 

are required,” Knapp said.

The shipment is offloaded by 

members of MSC flown in ahead of 

the ships’ arrival to McMurdo. Cargo 

operations officers and Navy personnel 

provide support during the delivery, 

though the overall responsibility for 

Operation Deep Freeze belongs to an 

Air Force‐led task force that directs 

both the air and sea components. Once 

the MSC-delivered cargoes arrive at 

McMurdo Station, the Air Force takes 

over, Knapp said.

With more than 50 years of refueling 

missions, these Antarctic waters aren’t 

840,000 gallons of diesel fuel, mostly in 

55‐gallon drums bound for Antarctica,” 

Knapp said. “While above‐ground 

storage tanks were being built by U.S. 

Navy Seabees, static storage was created 

by allowing two fuel vessels to freeze 

in the ice off shore. The tanker [USS] 

Nespelen and U.S. Navy oiler YOG-34 

supplied that bulk petroleum. On land, 

a pipeline was constructed using flexible 

hoses to deliver product from the 

tankers to fill the new tank farm.”

The process changed to allow for 

more practical and economical delivery 

of the large amounts of fuel via tanker 

cargo ship when MSC began providing 

the tankers in the 1980s, Knapp said. 

These double‐hulled ships could hold 

nearly 10 million gallons of different 

fuels, separated during the trip to 

ensure quality.

From the historic 55‐gallon drum 

to today’s transport via tanker and 

distribution of fuel and supplies to even 

more remote stations by air and over the 

snow, each successful delivery provides 

uninterrupted research operations 

through the year until the next Deep 

Freeze operation ramps up, Knapp said. 

An LC-130 Hercules unloads DLA Energy-procured 

fuel supplied during a previous Operation Deep Freeze 

Antarctic refueling mission. The aircraft delivers fuel 

and supplies to remote locations throughout the 

Antarctic continent. 

— Photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Efrain Gonzalez

exactly uncharted, Knapp explained.

“This annual resupply to U.S. 

research stations in Antarctica was 

first established for the 1955-1956 

season and represented a buildup 

of capabilities to allow continued 

scientific study by the National 

Science Foundation,” he said.

The construction mission was 

tasked to the Navy, which has led 

its own expeditions in the region 

since 1839, Knapp said. The Navy 

established its Little America I base in 

1929 to allow its occupants to “winter 

over” and explore farther into the 

continent, leading to the eventual 

establishment of the more permanent 

McMurdo and Amundsen South Pole 

Station camps.

The first petroleum support 

provided as a part of Operation 

Deep Freeze between 1955 and 

1956 was a combination of 

packaged products and bulk 

shipments of arctic‐grade diesel 

and aviation gasoline, Knapp said. 

“A construction battalion 

center at Davisville, R.I., loaded 

the USS Wyandot with over 

Loglines l May - June 2013 19
20 www.dla.mil

Expeditionary

Exercise

Story by Sara Moore

T

he Defense Logistics Agency has 

long prided itself on its ability to 

provide capable, agile logistics 

services to customers anywhere in 

the world. This spring, the agency 

got a chance to practice and demonstrate 

that expeditionary capability in a new 

venue, a large-scale combined exercise in 

the Pacific. 

DLA participated in Combined 

Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore 2013 in 

late April. CJLOTS is part of Foal Eagle 

2013, an exercise run jointly by the South 

Korean joint chiefs of staff and Republic of 

Korea–U.S. Combined Forces Command. 

Foal Eagle is a series of 20 inter-related 

training exercises spanning land, air, maritime, expeditionary and special operations. CJLOTS is a field training exercise 

that demonstrates the U.S. military’s 

ability to move people and equipment over 

the sea in coordination with a host nation 

military. Specifically, DLA Distribution 

Expeditionary participated in CJLOTS, 

showcasing its theater consolidation and 

shipping point capability. 

“DLA’s goal as part of the exercise is to 

demonstrate the expeditionary capability 

to planners within the [U.S. Forces Korea] 

and [U.S. Pacific Command] staffs,” said 

Marc Parsons, program manager for 

DLA Distribution Expeditionary. “We 

will also demonstrate our Humanitarian 

Expeditionary Logistics Program, which 

is currently being developed within a joint 

T

he Defense Logistics Agency has 

long prided itself on its ability to 

provide capable, agile logistics 

services to customers anywhere in 

the world. This spring, the agency 

got a chance to practice and demonstrate 

T

Sailors check water depth from a landing auxiliary rescue craft during a joint logistics over-theshore exercise at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va., as part of Operation 

Hampton Lion. DLA Distribution Expeditionary participated in the exercise, and was scheduled 

to participate in a multinational version of it in April. 

20 www.dla.mil

capability technology demonstration.” 

The HELP, he explained, provides 

logistics information about supplies 

flowing through ports and staging areas 

to recovery managers and supporting 

organizations during humanitarian 

assistance or disaster relief missions. 

HELP allows deployed users from U.S. 

Transportation Command, DLA and 

other organizations to establish and 

maintain visibility of disaster supplies 

regardless of their origins.

Although DLA Distribution Expeditionary participated in Joint Logistics Overthe-Shore 12 in August 2012 at Joint 

Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story 

in Norfolk, Va., this was the first time 

the agency has participated in CJLOTS 

in South Korea, Parsons said. For this 

exercise, DLA Distribution Expeditionary 

was set to establish a theater consolidation 

and shipping point at Dogu Beach in 

Pohang, South Korea. DLA Distribution’s 

expeditionary team deployed with all 

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christopher M. Burke
Loglines l May - June 2013 21

the proper equipment, like deployable 

structures and communication assets, he 

said. During the exercise, the expeditionary 

team cross-docked containers coming from 

the port of Busan to forward the cargo to 

DLA Distribution Korea, where it was to be 

combined with air cargo and transported 

to customers. Cross-docking is the practice 

of unloading materials from one transport 

and loading them directly onto another 

transport without using any storage in 

between. 

More than 30 DLA employees were 

scheduled to participate, including 

members of the expeditionary team and 

representatives from DLA Distribution 

Korea and DLA Information Operations, 

Parsons said. These employees prepared 

to work closely with the other forces 

involved in the exercise, using real cargo 

in a realistic situation, said Wayne Henry, 

DLA lead operational planner for the 

Pacific theater in the Joint Logistics 

Operations Center. During the exercise, 

the combatant commander was scheduled 

to test the readiness of all available 

capabilities, including DLA, so the 

situation is as realistic as possible, he said.

“The only thing missing is probably 

some kinetic action from the enemy,” Henry 

said. “You’re actually moving the equipment 

in the environment, across the ocean, on the 

beach; you’re using real people, real forces, 

real equipment, the identical equipment 

that’s in the distribution expeditionary 

capability. So it’s real.”

DLA’s goal for this exercise was to 

demonstrate its capabilities and integrate 

smoothly with joint military operations, 

Henry said. With that in mind, planning 

has been ongoing at all levels within DLA, 

U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. 

Forces Korea.

“This is a huge exercise,” he said. 

“Every part of DLA is involved, just like 

we would be in a contingency.”

Parsons said he expected DLA 

Distribution Expeditionary to be 

successful within the exercise, noting that 

it is the first time the expeditionary team 

was to operate as a satellite site from 

an existing distribution center that was 

connected via the Distribution Standard 

System. This allows customers to access 

shipment status and other information 

about orders. In past exercises, the 

expeditionary team has always operated 

in a stand-alone capacity, he said. 

“This is a great opportunity to 

demonstrate DLA’s expeditionary 

capabilities to our customers and 

stakeholders,” he said. “It also provides 

an excellent training opportunity for our 

employees, ensuring that we maintain the 

expeditionary capability readiness.” 

In addition to training for employees 

and practicing integration with combatant 

commanders, participating in CJLOTS 

also allows DLA to send an important 

message to its warfighter customers, 

Henry said, demonstrating the agency’s 

dedication to meeting their needs.

“We want to show the warfighter that, 

yes, we’re engaged,” he said. “We take this 

very seriously; we recognize this is a very 

important exercise, and we want to be 

ready to support when the time comes.” 

Loglines l May - June 2013 21

Navy Petty Ofcer 3rd Class Ryan Steinhour

Background Photo by Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christopher M. Burke

A Marine guides a heavy equipment vehicle 

carrying gear onto a high-speed vessel before 

leaving for Foal Eagle 13. DLA Distribution 

Expeditionary was scheduled to participate 

in Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, 

one part of the U.S.-South Korea exercise, 

in April. 
22 www.dla.mil

Singapore Bound

Story by Amanda Neumann

Photos by Navy Lt. Cmdr. David Ozeck

A shallow draft allows them to operate 

closer to land. An aircraft carrier, or 

deep-draft ship, couldn’t get that close.”

One of four already delivered littoral 

combat ships, the Lockheed Martin-built 

Freedom also marks a change in the type of 

logistic support she receives, Woods said.

“The new platform is so compact, 

it can’t carry a lot of repair parts like a 

regular ship does,” he said. “Because 

the store rooms on the ship are smaller, 

they’re space constrained, so they 

only carry their maintenance items on 

board as opposed to repair parts. Plus 

they’re supported under a new system, 

called distance support. That means if 

something breaks and they’re on the 

West Coast, their logistics support will be 

provided from San Diego.” 

Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, in Pearl 

Harbor, Hawaii.

“The Freedom presents the opportunity 

for increased training and interoperability 

with many of the smaller navies in the U.S. 

Pacific Command area of responsibility,” 

he said, “Over there, our larger ships often 

cannot operate in the littorals.” 

Littorals are shallow seas close to 

shore. As the first ship in her class, with 

a top speed reported to be 40 knots, the 

378-foot Freedom can easily perform 

coastal patrols, Woods said.

“Littoral literally means close to the 

shore, as opposed to deep-water or bluewater navy,” he said. “It’s a new concept 

for coastal patrol. The big thing with the 

LCS is they’re a shallow draft. That’s the 

amount of the ship below the water line. 

he first of the Navy’s littoral 

combat ships, the USS 

Freedom, set off on her maiden 

deployment March 1, leaving her 

home port of San Diego for an 

eight-month deployment to Singapore. 

After a stop at Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam, Hawaii, to replenish, refuel 

and recharge her crew, the 3,000-ton 

prototype arrived in Southeast Asia in 

late April. The Defense Logistics agency 

is supporting the ship’s food and fuel 

needs as it goes through its first major 

cruise.

The ship’s deployment to Singapore 

will allow the U.S. to participate in joint 

operations with smaller navies in the 

region, said Hubert Woods, Defense 

Logistics Agency Pacific liaison officer to 

he first of the Navy’s littoral 

combat ships, the USS 

Freedom, set off on her maiden 

deployment March 1, leaving her 

home port of San Diego for an 

eight-month deployment to Singapore. 

T

USS Freedom

The littoral combat ship USS Freedom receives 

subsistence replenishment from DLA Troop 

Support Pacic during a March stopover at 

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The 

Freedom, which arrived in Singapore in April 

for an eight-month deployment, is the rst of 

the U.S. Navy’s LCS ships to deploy from its 

home port in San Diego.

22 www.dla.mil
Loglines l March - April 2013 23

receive several replenish-ments while 

at sea, mainly from Singapore. During 

her stopover March 11-14 at Joint Base 

Pearl Harbor-Hickam, the ship received 

its first replenishment from DLA Troop 

Support Pacific, Jamir said.

“Once the ship arrived in Hawaii, [DLA 

Troop Support Pacific] went into action 

delivering food,” he said. “They needed 

to stock a lot of prepared foods, and we 

delivered eight pallets worth $26,700 

March 12 while the ship was in port.”

Most of the ship’s fuel will come from 

DLA Energy bunker contracts, allowing 

fuel to be purchased globally at reduced 

rates, Woods said.

“The LCS is a modular ship,” he 

said. “For this deployment, the ship is 

using the surface module, which means 

she’ll primarily require regular diesel 

fuel. There’s a defense fuel supply point 

in Singapore where she’ll be able to get 

most, if not all, of her fuel.” 

With long-term plans indicating 

future LCS deployments will be split 

between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, 

the Freedom’s first deployment will be 

one of discovery, Woods said.

“Right now, DLA has its finger on her 

because she’s a major muscle movement 

for the Navy,” he said. “Once the crew 

gets the concept down, the ship’s 

requirements can be better 

forecasted. It always takes 

longer to identify initial 

requirements. Once you 

do though, the rest is just 

stamping them out.” 

A DLA Troop Support Pacic team member checks the subsistence order for the littoral combat 

ship USS Freedom. The Freedom, in Singapore for an eight-month deployment, received 

replenishments during a March stopover at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Loglines l May - June 2013 23

Since the ship doesn’t carry repair 

parts, keeping abreast of maintenance 

requirements becomes a top priority for 

the crew, Woods said.

“The Navy uses the Preventative 

Maintenance System,” he said. “For the 

end user, it’s very simple: It’s basically 

a required maintenance card that tells 

the operator the daily, weekly and 

monthly maintenance actions. Whatever 

the equipment is, the periodic service 

requirement is on there.”

In addition, the condensed size of 

the Freedom means subsistence items 

also have to be restocked on a regular 

basis, said Jose Jamir, subsistence chief 

at DLA Troop Support Pacific.

“All of the subsistence requirements 

the ship needs for the next six months 

have already been pre-positioned 

at DLA’s prime vendor location in 

Singapore,” he said. “The ship has 

extremely limited space for storage; in 

fact, they can only hold eight pallets 

of food. That means they need to be 

replenished consistently throughout their 

deployment. With limited manpower and 

only three cooks, they are not nearly as 

robust as a regular ship.”

With a forward stock 

of specialty menu items 

such as frozen lasagna 

for her rotating crew, the 

Freedom is scheduled to 
24 www.dla.mil

New Mission

on Okinawa Story by Christopher Goulait, 

DLA Energy Public Affairs

responsibility for fueling Department 

of Defense activities on the island 

through the new DLA Energy Pacific at 

Okinawa office March 15.

DLA Energy Pacific Commander 

Navy Capt. Kevin Henderson said the 

Army decided to remove the 505th 

Quartermaster Battalion from its force 

structure in 2009 and asked DLA Energy 

to assume its petroleum mission. Based 

on DLA Energy’s bulk petroleum executive agent role and the overall economic 

benefits, the organization agreed to take 

on the responsibility.

Ed Guthrie, deputy director for the 

Okinawa office, explained support for 

hen the Army decided 

to deactivate its 505th 

Quartermaster Battalion on 

Okinawa, Japan, Defense 

Logistics Agency Energy 

stepped up to assume critical pieces of 

the unit’s mission: delivery of strategic 

bulk fuel and quality control.

After a 30-month transition 

process, DLA Energy assumed 

hen the Army decided 

to deactivate its 505th 

Quartermaster Battalion on 

Okinawa, Japan, Defense 

Logistics Agency Energy 

stepped up to assume critical pieces of 

W

24 www.dla.mil

DLA Energy Pacic Commander Navy Capt. 

Kevin Henderson (left) and new DLA Energy 

Pacic in Okinawa Commander Marine Maj. 

John Finch symbolically reopen the fuel gate 

at Defense Fuel Support Point Okinawa, Japan, 

during the assumption of mission ceremony 

March 15.

Robert Tate
Loglines l March - April 2013 25

organizations on the island will remain 

the same even though the operations 

have changed hands.

Guthrie said the new 

DLA Energy Okinawa office 

is staffed by more than 20 

Americans and 100 foreign 

national employees. The 

office is assisted by DLA 

Information Operations and 

DLA Installation Support 

government employees.

Keith Stedman, deputy 

director of DLA Energy’s defense fuel 

support point management business unit, 

said having an operation commanded 

and staffed by DLA Energy personnel and 

supplemented by a Japanese workforce is 

a first for DLA Energy. 

Henderson said that 

while the staffing is unique, 

the workforce’s overall DFSP 

experience in the region also 

plays a role.

“For many years, DLA 

Energy has directly funded 

service-run DFSPs as well 

as funded government 

and contractor-owned, 

contractor-operated DFSPs,” Henderson 

said. “However, this is the first time ever 

that DLA employees will actually perform 

day-to-day DFSP operations, including 

receipt, storage, inventory accounting, 

quality management, maintenance and 

issue of product.

“While this is precedent setting for 

DLA Energy, it is important to know that 

DLA Energy Pacific employees have vast 

experience operating DFSPs around the 

world as civil servants and active duty 

military for all four services.”

Stedman added that DLA Energy is 

now also responsible for maintaining 

the fuel facilities as well as the quality 

of the fuel issued to the island’s primary 

customers at Kadena Air Base and 

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

Support for 

organizations on the 

island will remain the 

same even though 

the operations have 

changed hands.

Loglines l May - June 2013 25

Marines extinguish a fuel re during training at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on 

Okinawa, Japan. These and other exercises 

on Okinawa are now supported by DLA Energy 

since it assumed the strategic bulk fuel and 

quality control missions from the Army’s 505th 

Quartermaster Battalion March 15. 

— Photo by Marine Lance Cpl. Alyssa Gunton
26 www.dla.mil

 Army Sgt. Class Howard Reed

Enhancing DLA Energy’s relationship with those and all Okinawa customers is one way in which the transition 

affects DLA Energy’s customer support 

to the region, Guthrie said. DLA Energy 

is working with customers to maintain 

clear and open lines of communication 

to have direct involvement in meeting 

each of the military services’ energy 

needs in the region.

Enhancing support to Okinawa also 

strategically supports the overall DLA 

Energy Pacific mission, Henderson said.

“DLA Energy Pacific has been working to strategically position fuel and 

infrastructure to support U.S. Pacific 

Command’s warfighters,” he said. “The 

Okinawa bulk fuel mission is a very 

important piece of that strategic plan 

and a natural fit for DLA Energy and the 

Pacific region.”

It was a natural fit that still required 

planning and coordination to effectively 

transfer the mission, Stedman explained.

“The decision process was supported 

by a business case analysis. DLA 

DLA Energy is working 

with customers to maintain 

clear and open lines 

of communication to 

have direct involvement 

in meeting each of the 

military services’ energy 

needs in the region.

Marines attach a fuel hose to an F/18 Hornet at 

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa, 

Japan. DLA Energy Pacic at Okinawa now 

serves as the primary supplier of fuel to the 

air station . 

26 www.dla.mil

A Soldier with the 505th Quartermaster 

Battalion opens a hatch to get a fuel sample on 

Okinawa, Japan. This duty is now performed 

by DLA Energy after it assumed the strategic 

bulk fuel and quality control missions from the 

battalion March 15.

Energy Pacific took the lead at that 

point and drove the mission transfer to 

completion,” he said.

Guthrie said that DLA Energy 

Pacific used an integrated process team 

to ensure a seamless transfer. The 

overall IPT included leadership from a 

council of colonels, who were assisted 

by action officers and smaller teams 

representing subject matter experts from 

DLA Energy and various U.S. Pacific 

Command units. Each team developed 

its own plans of action and milestones to 

manage timelines and integrate processes 

between teams.

“All of this work equates to a smooth 

and seamless transfer of mission from 

the 505th Quartermaster Battalion 

over to DLA Energy, while not affecting 

the service being rendered to the 

warfighters,” Guthrie said. 

Marine Lance Cpl. Courtney White
A Conversation with . . . DLA Public Affairs

Loglines l May - June 2013 27

A Conversation with . . . DLA Public Affairs

Loglines l May - June 2013 27

What do you see as your role as 

commander of DLA Pacific?

My role as commander is to 

represent the DLA director within 

the Pacific region. My responsibility 

is to provide a single DLA interface 

for U.S. Pacific Command 

warfighters through a collaborative 

network of forward-positioned and 

continental U.S.-based DLA support 

capabilities. We’re responsible 

for full warfighter support, which 

entails directing and coordinating 

DLA efforts in support of day-today mission requirements, logistics 

planning and engaging senior 

leaders among our customers. 

Success in my position really boils 

down to responsiveness, effective communication and strong relationships.

How does DLA Pacific interact 

with the agency’s primarylevel field activities to provide 

for warfighters spread across 

the Defense Department’s 

largest geographical 

combatant command?

We communicate daily with the 

regional field activity commanders 

and directors. As part of our 

collaborative efforts, we host monthly 

“synchronization huddles,” share 

weekly summary reports, and provide 

updates during senior leader visits to 

the region. These interactions create 

a great venue for sharing customer 

intelligence and keeping up with all 

the “big rocks” DLA is dealing with 

across the Pacific.

In addition to this type of 

interaction, we have consciously 

created ways to enhance our 

communication with key customers 

as a cohesive DLA team. We saw 

a need to create better dialog with 

the customers on specific topics like 

support to humanitarian assistance 

and disaster relief events and gaining 

a better understanding of planning as 

U.S. military leaders strive to rebalance 

forces and capabilities to the Pacific 

DLA Pacic’s Commander Talks About How the Agency Supports Warghters Spread Across the United States’ 

Largest Geographical Combatant Command.

region. Our annual Pacific logistics 

forums held in Hawaii created a 

vehicle to achieve this objective. We 

work together to hold smaller scale 

events in other areas throughout 

the Pacific, sometimes hosted by 

DLA Pacific and other times by one 

of the regional DLA field activity 

commanders or directors.

Finally, we saw the need to 

gain a better understanding of the 

warfighters’ needs relative to the 

operations plans in the Pacific. DLA 

Pacific co-hosted a set of meetings 

Army Col. Joe Arnold, DLA Pacic commander, discusses logistics issues with Col. Kathleen Gavle, 

commander of U.S. Army Garrison Daegu, South Korea.

Photo Courtesy DLA Pacic

Army Col. Joe Arnold
A Conversation with . . .

28 www.dla.mil

in South Korea with the DLA Joint 

Logistics Operations Center and the 

support of the U.S. Forces Korea 

logistics director that brought the 

warfighter logistics community 

together with DLA planners from 

across the agency to talk about 

customer requirements under current 

plans. This not only played out to 

increase cross-agency communication 

and communication with our 

customers, it also produced a signed 

DLA support plan documenting our 

commitment to the “Fight Tonight” 

capability of U.S. forces in South Korea.

With the Defense Department’s 

pivot to operations in the U.S. 

Pacific Command area of responsibility, what are some of the 

challenges DLA Pacific faces?

The “pivot” to the Pacific is more 

of a rebalance of forces. The United 

States doesn’t turn away from any 

area of the world, as might be suggested by the term pivot, but we do 

rebalance our forces when needed. 

This was seen when we entered the 

conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and 

our force balance shifted more heavily 

to that area of the world. As that need 

subsides, the rebalance we are seeing 

now is toward the Pacific and the 

complexities found within this region 

of the world.

At the moment, I do not foresee 

any challenges with our ability to 

support warfighters in the region. 

Based on what we know today, I 

believe we are postured to meet 

current and emerging requirements in 

support of the USPACOM missions 

The challenges associated with the 

rebalance really stem from working 

to stay up to date with the military 

services as they work through this 

rebalance to the Pacific for their 

forces. We have key people embedded 

with these warfighters in the Pacific, 

gleaning nuggets every day that help us 

stay prepared to support current and 

developing mission and force structure 

plans. The strong leaders that we have 

across the DLA activities within the 

Pacific are picking up these signals and 

staying ahead of the game. 

Among the many actions taken 

to keep us ready and capable are 

efforts like DLA Distribution’s Theater 

Consolidation and Shipping Point 

initiatives, which are designed to 

improve efficiencies and effectiveness 

of material distribution throughout the 

region. These initiatives reduce customer 

wait time and eliminate redundant 

ground transportation channels.

Another action is DLA Energy’s 

efforts to ensure infrastructure and 

agreements remain in place and are 

well managed to support the services 

at every step. DLA Troop Support 

is leaning forward to establish a 

subsistence prime vendor in the 

Philippines, and DLA Disposition 

Services is working to support 

equipment moves from base closures 

associated with service realignments.

Efforts to date give me the 

confidence to say we are postured 

to support and will remain that way 

throughout any force reshaping that 

happens within the Pacific.

What unique aspects set DLA 

Pacific’s mission apart from 

the agency’s other geographic 

commands?

The USPACOM area of 

responsibility spans from the West 

Coast of North America to the eastern 

shores of Africa, covering more than 

100 million square miles, or roughly 

51 percent of the earth’s surface, which 

makes it the largest geographic area 

of responsibility of all the geographic 

commanders. In addition to the 

aforementioned, the USPACOM AOR 

contains 36 nations, speaking 3,000 

languages or dialects, practicing more 

than 20 distinct religions. These 

countries are strikingly diverse in 

terms of size, population, culture and 

history. Lastly, the world’s six largest 

militaries operate in the Pacific region.

The USPACOM commander 

not only has to deal with this wideranging diversity, he also has the only 

area of responsibility that touches all 

the other combatant commanders’ 

areas. This requires him to maintain 

strategic awareness on activity that 

covers the globe.

Maintaining international 

partnerships within the Pacific is 

high on the USPACOM commander’s 

priorities since the command operates 

without an established international 

organization like NATO in Europe. 

DLA works hard to support this 

goal as well as many others through 

honoring international agreements, 

hosting international visitors on 

educational tours of logistics facilities, 

and participating in international 

logistics talks.

Finally, the situation in Korea, 

where the war never officially 

ended, creates a unique situation 

most regions don’t deal with day to 

day. This condition cannot be fully 

appreciated without an assignment in 

South Korea, or at the very least, a trip 

to the Demilitarized Zone. 

We have key people embedded with these warghters, gleaning 

nuggets every day that help us stay prepared to support current 

and developing mission and force structure plans. 

There’s more to the conversation with Arnold, including his 

thoughts on the future of DLA Pacic. The full interview can be 

found in the online version of Loglines at http://www.dla.mil 
LogPoints DLA Public Affairs

1947 

The year U.S. Pacific Command was 

established. It is the oldest and largest of 

the United States’ geographic combatant 

commands. 

14

Maximum number of days Defense 

Department employees can expect to be 

furloughed in fiscal 2013 after Congress 

passed a continuing resolution.

525 

Cases of kosher-for-Passover meals, 

ready-to-eat that DLA Troop Support 

Subsistence sent overseas for Jewish 

service members during Passover, equal 

to 6,300 meals.

17 MILES

The distance ships heading to U.S. 

research stations in Antarctica require 

icebreaker support, just shy of 300 

football fields. 

BY THE NUMBERS

“The biggest concern is the department’s people and its mission.”

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel,

talking about sequestration and potential furloughs during a March 28 Pentagon press briefing

“When I talk to small business and ask, ‘What can you do?’ 

the typical answer is anything. I don’t need people who can 

do anything. I need people who can do their best thing. The 

opportunities are there.”

DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek,

speaking about the agency’s small-business opportunities at

a Retired Military Officers Association luncheon

“To be selected for the Unit of the Year award ... speaks 

volumes for the level of effort the folks put in during this 

particular disaster relief effort. It showcases what DLA can 

bring to the fight in an operation like this.”

Army Col. Roger McCreery, DLA Joint Logistics Operations Center 

chief, on accepting Salute Magazine’s Unit of the Year award in 

recognition of the JLOC’s efforts during and after Hurricane Sandy

“The retrograde from Afghanistan is one of the most 

challenging military transportation operations in history in 

terms of scale and complexity. Our number of vehicles in 

Afghanistan has dropped by nearly half in the past year.” 

Army Brig. Gen. Steven Shapiro, current deputy commander of 1st 

Theater Sustainment Command and the next commander of DLA Troop 

Support, on moving military personnel and equipment out of Afghanistan

“I can tell you, the direction I’ve been given from Mr. Case 

and Admiral Harnitchek is that our foot is still firmly on 

the audit-readiness accelerator. We will continue to press 

on, see what happens with the political climate and then 

as things get closer, we are going to have to figure out if we 

need to re-prioritize what we’re working on in order to still 

achieve the goal.”

DLA Finance Deputy Director Simone Reba,

on the agency’s continued emphasis on audit readines

QUOTABLES

Loglines l May - June 2013 29
30 www.dla.mil

Story by Sara Moore

Opportunities 

and Inspiration

National Industries for the Blind

n three large warehouses in Austin, 

Texas, more than 100 employees 

work every day distributing clothing 

and textile products to the Air Force 

and Marine Corps. They navigate 

the buildings’ 366,000 combined square 

feet, picking and processing thousands of 

orders each day. Their accuracy rate for 

orders is near perfect. And most of the 

employees accomplish all this without the 

benefit of full, or in some cases any, vision. 

The warehouses, run by the Travis 

Association for the Blind, carry 5,385 

items in 424 product lines, which 

n three large warehouses in Austin, 

Texas, more than 100 employees 

work every day distributing clothing 

and textile products to the Air Force 

and Marine Corps. They navigate 

the buildings’ 366,000 combined square 

I are distributed to 4,300 destinations 

around the world. In 2011, the 

employees, 84 percent of who are blind 

or visually impaired, sent out 358,000 

orders to the Lackland Air Force Base, 

Texas, recruit training center and all Air 

Force customers worldwide; the Marine 

Corps recruit depots at Parris Island, 

S.C., and San Diego; and all other 

Marine Corps customers with a 99.9 

percent accuracy rate. 

The Travis Association for the Blind 

is one of the organizations that support 

the Defense Logistics Agency through a 

partnership with the National Industries 

for the Blind. Several different agencies 

support DLA through this partnership, 

offering a variety of goods and services to 

help keep warfighters mission ready. 

In Austin, the Travis Association for 

the Blind has manufactured products 

for the Defense Department for 70 

years, but began its clothing and textiles 

distribution function in 1998. One of the 

employees who has been involved since 

the beginning is Nolan Blair, the manager 

of the training and employment services 

department for TAB’s distribution 

services. Blair, who was born with optic 

nerve atrophy, has worked for TAB since 

1997, when he was part of the pilot virtual 

prime vendor program, shipping out 

accessory items for the military. Through 

a series of promotions, he moved on to 

management positions starting in 1999. 

In addition to his current duties, he heads 

up the Mobility Technology Department, 

ensuring employees’ assistive technology 

needs are met and training employees on 

how to use the technology. 

30 www.dla.mil

Courtesy Photo

Nolan Blair, who manages the Training and 

Employment Services Department for the 

Travis Association for the Blind’s distribution 

services, has worked supporting DLA since 

1997. Blair was born with a visual impairment 

and went totally blind in 2009 but has never 

stopped working and helping others with visual 

impairments adapt to the workforce.
Loglines l May - June 2013 31

Blair, whose father was in the Air 

Force, was pursuing a music degree in 

1997 when he decided to take a break and 

work for TAB. Though he never finished 

his degree, he said his current position has 

rekindled his passion for teaching because 

he gets to train new employees and help 

them be successful in their work.

“I feel like I’ve come full circle now 

that I’m training people and teaching 

people how to do different things on the 

computer,” he said. “I feel really good 

about that, that I did come full circle. 

It took a while, but I have always liked 

teaching folks things, so I get a great joy 

out of that.” 

Having been born with a visual 

impairment, Blair was used to dealing 

with limitations in the workplace, but in 

2009, a medical operation gone wrong 

rendered him totally blind, and he found 

himself facing major adjustments and 

new challenges. While it initially seemed 

overwhelming, he said, his years of 

experience at TAB, where he watched so 

many visually impaired people overcome 

challenges, gave him strength.

“Starting years ago in a warehouse, 

it was something you just didn’t see: a 

blind person or visually impaired person 

working in a warehouse among forklift 

operators and navigating through a 

large facility,” he said. “But we have 

three buildings in the retail department 

averaging over 100,000 square feet each, 

and our people navigate to those locations 

and maneuver around independently. It 

helped me, when I did go totally blind, to 

realize that life does move on and anything 

is possible. I couldn’t stay on my pity pot 

that long, because I had the surgery and 

I was back to work in two weeks. I just 

looked at everybody that was working here 

and saw those guys doing the day to day.”

Finding a place to overcome those 

daily challenges has been one of the most 

rewarding parts about working for TAB 

for Dwayne Cunningham, a warehouse 

clerk specialist who is totally blind. The 

son of an Air Force officer, Cunningham 

served in the Marine Corps for several 

years before losing his sight in the Gulf 

War. After that, Cunningham said, he 

found himself a bit unsure of the way 

ahead. He went back to school at the 

University of Texas, earning a bachelor’s 

degree in social work and psychology 

and three other degrees in chemical 

dependency human services, counseling, 

and marriage and family chemical 

dependency. After graduating in 2005, he 

went to work at TAB and has been filling 

various roles since then. 

Loglines l May - June 2013 31

Workers pick items in the warehouse of the 

Arizona Industries for the Blind in Phoenix. 

As an organization that supports DLA through 

a partnership with the National Industries for 

the Blind, AIB provides distribution and parts 

machining services from several different 

locations.

“It helped me, when I did go totally blind, to realize that life 

does move on and anything is possible.”

— Nolan Blair

Courtesy Photo
32 www.dla.mil

“I am on what we call here a rotational 

status,” Cunningham said. “I go wherever 

the need is greatest as it relates to work. 

I’ve pretty much worked in every depart-

ment with the exception of maybe one.” 

This diversity in his day-to-day tasks 

makes the job enjoyable for Cunningham, 

a lifelong fitness buff who enjoys stay-

ing active. Also, engaging in meaningful 

employment gives him a sense of purpose 

that the loss of his sight threatened to 

take away, he said.

“After I lost my sight I was thinking, 

‘What am I going to do?’ So I went 

applying and got hired,” he said. “It 

made me feel very comfortable being 

around those persons of like disabilities. 

Everybody here is visually impaired. 

We all go through the same trials and 

tribulations. We all have mortgages or 

rent or car payments and have to buy 

diapers and milk, to keep food on the 

table, the lights on.”

Another thing that was threatened by 

Cunningham’s loss of sight was his ability 

to serve the country he loved, he said. 

However, working for TAB has allowed 

him to continue to serve the military, 

which he still has very close ties to: two of 

Cunningham’s sons are graduates of the 

U.S. Naval Academy and are serving in 

the Navy. 

“The most important thing is that 

32 www.dla.mil

Sailors perform maintenance on a lighting 

xture in a weapons cargo elevator aboard the 

aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. Lighting 

products are one of the main items provided 

to warfighters from the Arizona Industries 

for the Blind, an organization that supports 

DLA through a partnership with the National 

Industries for the Blind.

Navy Petty Ofcer 3rd Class Lex T. Wenberg
Loglines l May - June 2013 33

I’m still serving my country,” he said. 

“Putting the material together for those 

people that are still in the service that 

I know – family members of mine, 

specifically my sons, that are still in the 

service – and getting that product to 

them as quickly and as readily available 

to them as possible.”

More than 1,000 miles away, in 

Phoenix, another National Industries for 

the Blind partner organization supports 

DLA, giving opportunities to hundreds 

more blind or visually impaired 

employees. The Arizona Industries for 

the Blind provides distribution and parts 

machining services to DLA from several 

different locations. 

AIB’s main distribution function 

revolves around lighting products for 

DLA Aviation. Employees at AIB’s 

175,000-square-foot, state-of-the–art 

facility receive, store, pack, mark, bar 

code, tag, handle, repackage and distribute 

lighting products that range from the size of 

a pencil eraser to 4-foot fluorescent tubes. 

AIB also handles 2,500 different insignia 

items that include Navy ship signal flags, 

enlisted insignia and awards. AIB carries 

more than 30 million pieces of inventory 

for these contracts, with 1,100 orders 

shipped worldwide each day and 250,000 

orders annually. The organization has had 

a 99.8 percent inventory accuracy rate for 

the 15 years it has supported distribution 

services for DLA. 

One of the employees who contributes 

to this success is Amy Butterfield, a young 

woman with a master’s degree in political 

science and a passion for her job. Born 

three months premature with retinopathy 

of prematurity, Butterfield is blind in one 

eye and visually impaired in the other. 

She started at AIB in 2008 as a front desk 

coordinator, but was quickly given the 

opportunity to become an administrative 

clerk in the manufacturing division. 

In 2009, she moved to the warehouse, 

where she picks, packs and performs 

quality control on orders. Butterfield has 

aspirations to use her degree and become 

a teacher, but for now she is enjoying 

the positive work environment and the 

valuable experience she is gaining at AIB.

“A person could say, ‘Well, she has a 

master’s in government, what is she doing 

working in a warehouse?’ This is a training 

ground,” she said. “I see it as a very serious 

training ground, because if I don’t know 

how to work in the small things, in small 

beginnings, then how would I be able to 

handle the big projects I want to go for? I 

have to start out with the small.”

Working for AIB has given her 

confidence in the workplace and 

improved her time management skills, 

Butterfield said. Also, it has given her a 

chance to serve her country, something 

that she has always dreamed of doing. 

“I wanted to somehow serve in the 

military but knew I couldn’t because I 

had a visual limitation, and here I am 

sending supplies to the military,” she 

said. “That, to me, is such an honor. I’m 

so blessed.”

The opportunity to work benefiting 

the military, and more importantly to 

work supporting his family, is also a 

source of pride for James Caldwell, an 

AIB employee who works as a computer 

numerically controlled machine operator 

in the organization’s Parts Machining 

Division. Caldwell, who is legally blind 

but has some useful vision, has worked 

for AIB since 2008. Before joining the 

organization, he had been out of work for 

Loglines l May - June 2013 33

Amy Buttereld, who was born with retinopathy 

of prematurity and is blind in one eye, picks and 

packs orders in the warehouse for the Arizona 

Industries for the Blind, an organization that 

supports DLA through a partnership with the 

National Industries for the Blind.

“I see it as a very serious training ground, because if I don’t know 

how to work in the small things, in small beginnings, then how 

would I be able to handle the big projects I want to go for?”

— Amy Buttereld

Courtesy Photo
34 www.dla.mil

accuracy and making sure that all the 

picks were exactly correct. I was among 

the lowest in errors there.”

Caldwell brought that same work ethic 

to AIB, he said, and he is committed to 

maintaining high standards and setting an 

example for his family. 

The ability to support a family or even 

just to fit in with the workforce at large and 

contribute to a larger cause is a common 

theme among the visually impaired 

employees who support DLA. Steady, dayto-day employment helps them overcome 

the limitations or stereotypes imposed on 

them by society, they said. 

Cunningham, the Marine veteran, 

noted that a common misperception of 

blind people is that they cannot work or 

are forced to peddle goods on the roadside 

to survive, but he said people like him 

are breaking that mold every day. In his 

case, in addition to his job and time 

with his family, he spends many hours 

volunteering as a mentor with the 

Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, 

teaching self-defense classes at the local 

YMCA and taking the kids on trips to 

college football games. He also advises 

the United Way on transportation, health 

and welfare issues related to people who 

34 www.dla.mil

several years and was doing volunteer 

work and serving as the primary 

caregiver for his four children. However, 

when the opportunity to work arose, he 

jumped at the chance to use his years of 

experience working in warehouses, which 

began helping his father in his sheet 

metal shop when he was young. 

“It’s great just being able to get up 

and go to work every day, to have a job,” 

Caldwell said. “I have three boys, so to 

me that’s very important that they learn 

that this is what we do: We get up, we go 

to work.”

While working at AIB has allowed 

him to work with other individuals 

with similar visual impairments, that 

wasn’t always the case for Caldwell, 

who after working for several years at 

his father’s sheet metal shop decided 

he wanted to prove he could succeed on 

his own. He took a job at a distribution 

center for a hardware chain and 

worked hard to ensure his impairment 

did not affect his performance. 

“I’ve always been really careful to 

not make a spectacle of myself in looking 

really close at the paperwork, etc.,” he 

said. “But apparently they noticed me 

putting my head close and filling out 

forms, so they called me up there the 

first day and asked what it was, and I was 

honest with them and said I did have low 

vision, and they were willing to give me a 

chance. So I just felt from the beginning 

to go ahead and not give them any reason 

to fire me. So I really worked hard on my 

Dwayne Cunningham, a Marine Corps veteran 

who lost his sight in the Gulf War, works 

as a warehouse clerk specialist for the 

Travis Association for the Blind, one of the 

organizations that support DLA through a 

partnership with the National Industries for 

the Blind.

Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo

James Caldwell, who works for the Arizona 

Industries for the Blind as a computer 

numerically controlled machine operator, has 

had a visual impairment his whole life. His ve 

years with AIB, which is an organization that 

supports DLA through a partnership with the 

National Industries for the Blind, have given 

him a way to support his family and contribute 

to the workforce.
Loglines l May - June 2013 35

“There’s really no reason anymore for that blind person to sit at home and wonder 

why they can’t get a job, because they’re out there.”

— Dwayne Cunningham

are visually impaired. 

“It’s very nice to break that 

stereotype,” he said. “My point is that 

we’re doing something different. We’re 

not doing the basic stereotype [of blind 

people]. I have friends here that play on 

a baseball team, and they’re very, very 

active. We’re outside of what the norm 

society thinks of for blind people: just 

staying at home, not interacting socially. 

We do everything anybody else does; we 

just have to do it a little bit differently.”

Cunningham’s co-worker Blair 

agreed, noting that he still enjoys being 

active in the local music scene and 

occasionally giving lessons. Technology 

has given visually impaired people a 

huge advantage in all aspects of life, 

because they now have the same access 

to information as everyone else, he said. 

“That’s evened the playing field quite 

a bit in the workplace,” Blair said. “Now 

you have an affordable device where you 

can get all your emails and information 

from other various accounts like Twitter 

and Facebook. There’s really no reason 

anymore for that blind person to sit at 

home and wonder why they can’t get 

a job, because they’re out there. The 

technology is available. In the last five 

years, it’s just been astronomical.”

Technology allowed Butterfield to 

earn both her degrees, a task that she 

said was difficult but rewarding. She said 

she is committed to living as normal a life 

as possible despite her disability. An avid 

hiker, in October 2010 she was among a 

group of 22 blind and visually impaired 

people who hiked the Grand Canyon 

from rim to rim in one day. The 17.5-hour 

hike benefited the Foundation for Blind 

Children in Phoenix, and it gave her the 

chance to achieve something great as part 

of a team, she said.

“It wasn’t just a great thing to 

be proud of, it was like a crucible 

experience,” she said. “I felt like not only 

were my team members responsible for 

me, but I felt responsible for them. It was 

a give and take.”

Butterfield also participated in a 

Capitol Hill internship while in graduate 

school and said she plans to continue to 

achieve great things, with her experience 

supporting DLA through AIB serving as a 

launching pad. 

“I don’t want anything to stop me,” 

she said. “I just want to experience life 

and not let this limitation limit me.” 

Navy recruits try on their new navy working 

uniforms at Recruit Training Command, Great 

Lakes, Ill. The Travis Association for the 

Blind, one of the organizations that support 

DLA through a partnership with the National 

Industries for the Blind, distributes thousands 

of items to recruit training centers across 

the country.

Loglines l May - June 2013 35

Scott A. Thornbloom
36 www.dla.mil

efense Logistics Agency Document 

Services has taken responsibility 

for all Navy and Marine Corps 

office document devices following 

a Jan. 25 Department of the Navy 

policy memorandum.

The policy, signed by Navy Chief 

Information Officer Terry Halvorsen, 

brings about 70,000 devices under 

DLA Document Services, which is the 

organization’s largest single opportunity 

in its history. The change was made in an 

effort to save money using the efficient 

procurement and managerial capabilities 

of DLA Document Services. 

Don Reiter, the initiative’s leader, 

said the policy has other goals. 

“We need [information technology] 

efficiencies that improve how [the 

Department of the Navy] acquires and 

manages its copiers, printers, scanners 

and multifunctional devices,” he said. 

“This strategic sourcing approach, 

utilizing DLA Document Services, will 

create substantial savings needed by the 

department at a low risk. This initiative 

goes a long way toward maintaining [Navy 

and Marine Corps] readiness at a lower 

sustainment cost, doing more with less.” 

John Peterson, DLA Document 

Services director of business, said the 

policy relieves Navy and Marine Corps 

activities of contracting, supplying and 

managing their office document devices 

by shifting those responsibilities to 

DLA Document Services. Those actions 

are core functions of DLA Document 

Services, and its staff has the necessary 

experience and support infrastructure to 

achieve the savings goal. 

“Our managed print services 

approach includes a professional and 

experienced staff, contracts that are 

leveraged Department of Defense-wide 

and competitively awarded, and a highly 

refined assessment process to determine 

the optimal device fleet solution,” 

Peterson said. “We also integrate 

requirement fulfillment with on-demand 

print options and provide automated 

accounting, funding and billing.” 

Michele Spiro, DLA Document 

Services deputy director of operations, 

who is responsible for the Equipment 

Management Solutions Program, said 

the organization plans to use proven 

strategies to save the Navy and Marine 

Corps money. A significant part of those 

savings will be achieved by eliminating 

and consolidating costly single-function, 

desktop devices and replacing them with 

networked multifunctional devices. 

“Multifunctional devices help an 

organization do more with less by providing more functionality at a significantly 

lower total cost of operations,” Spiro 

said. “The transition from single-function 

devices to multifunctional devices is 

a low-risk money saver that increases 

capacity and capability.” 

The new policy is part of a 

“fundamental change in the way we think 

about data,” Halvorsen said.

We are getting great support from 

senior leadership who have been willing 

to give up their own printers and walk the 

extra steps to a shared printer or look at 

data on the screen,” he said. 

DLA Document Services’ 

expertise in conducting assessments 

will determine the optimal device 

The policy brings about 70,000 devices under DLA Document Services, 

which is the organization’s largest single opportunity in its history. 

efense Logistics Agency Document 

Services has taken responsibility 

for all Navy and Marine Corps 

office document devices following 

a Jan. 25 Department of the Navy 

policy memorandum.

D

TAKING OVER 

FOR SAVINGS Story by Lisa Hake, 

DLA Document Services

36 www.dla.mil
Loglines l May - June 2013 37

configurations for Navy and Marine 

Corps commands and organizations, 

ensuring that requirements are 

fulfilled, Spiro noted. The assessment 

process provides benchmarks 

of existing device inventories 

and operating costs, identifies 

organizations’ document equipment 

needs, and delivers recommendations 

on optimal mixes of devices.

Steve Sherman, DLA Document 

Services director, said the organization 

will also help the Navy and Marine 

Corps implement best printing 

practices, such as two-sided and blackand-white printing, to save more.

“This initiative capitalizes on DLA 

Document Services’ core capabilities 

and infrastructure, as well as over 30 

years of experience in managing office 

equipment for the DoD,” Sherman said. 

“DLA Document Services has refined its 

expertise and skills over many years to 

become an effective life-cycle manager 

of all required services to deliver costefficient office devices across the DoD.” 

Loglines l May - June 2013 37
I AM

My name is:

Prapun “Pao” Jantawee

I am:

A site manager at the DLA Disposition Services site in Bangkok, Thailand. 

 Describe your job in a sentence: 

Warfighter support and applying stewardship in meeting customers’ needs 

generally describes my unique job. We provide disposal services via the 

Federal Excess Personal Property Program throughout 40 sites in Thailand 

and other pacific areas such as Singapore, the Philippines, and Diego 

Garcia in the Indian Ocean. We are a two-person site, working under the 

U.S. Embassy on a Joint United States Military Advisory Group Thailandhosted compound.

How long have you worked for DLA?

I have been working with DLA since 2004, so about nine years. 

What is your favorite thing about working for DLA?

I like the various programs we have in place to assist the customers in 

disposing of excess property, but what stands out for me is the satisfaction 

I get when we overcome unique disposal challenges. For 

example, we handle disposition of property located in remote 

sites, including on mountains, in jungles, on islands and in 

restricted areas. All of this could not be possible without 

coordination with various offices in DLA Pacific.

What is your best memory of working here?

There are so many good memories that I really want to tell 

about. I like the fact that I can help our customers on day-to-day 

disposal issues. I also enjoy when we all get together at yearly 

conferences to discuss various topics within each others’ area 

of responsibility. It’s the team work within the Pacific that really 

makes me feel like I’m with family. 

How do you make a difference?

With my military background in the Royal Thai Air Force, I try to 

support warfighters beyond their expectation. This is how I make 

a difference. 

Prapun Jantawee