Science

and Research

LOGLINES

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2013
DIRECTOR

from the

S

cience and new technologies play

an integral part in our everyday

lives. They also are vital in how we

here at DLA provide the best service to

warfighters day in and day out.

It’s crucial that we stay ahead of the 

curve when it comes to new technologies 

that can improve product performance 

for our customers and reduce costs, 

storage and transportation requirements 

and environmental impact. The inventive 

strategies outlined in this issue help 

make DLA a leader in efficient warfighter 

support as well as a dedicated steward of 

taxpayer dollars.

This issue of Loglines shares insight

into many of the new science and research

programs that DLA is actively involved in. 

DLA Strategic Materials is partnering

with academic institutions such as Penn

State, Yale and MIT to research storage

and transportation of precious materials.

Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek, USN

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

Many of these raw materials are needed

to build military equipment.

DLA chemists play an important part 

in the agency’s success by researching 

new technologies for solutions to 

challenges and creating new products. 

Chemists in DLA not only work together 

throughout the enterprise, but also reach 

outside the agency to collaborate with 

military service research facilities, foreign 

militaries and academia. They share 

information with civilian and government 

science organizations to stay current on 

issues that could affect DLA customers.

Alternative fuel development is crucial

to DLA Energy customers. A new wasteto-liquid-fuel project was developed in

conjunction with the Community Power

Corporation to find solutions to ease the 

military’s dependence on fossil fuels and

highlights the customer-focused initiatives

being developed in DLA Energy.

DLA Troop Support is working

with two military bases to provide

biodegradable food service items in a pilot

program to determine the best way to

meet the Army’s net-zero waste initiative

by 2020. Some items included in the pilot

are biodegradable cups, plates, bowls, lids,

clamshell containers and utensils.

We would not be able to take on these

innovative projects without each and every

team member’s knowledge of customer

needs. These unique projects may not

be well-known, but your dedication to

warfighters is evident in everything you 

do. Thank you for what you do every day

for our customers around the globe.

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

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 September - October 2013 1

A Conversation with ... 16

LogPoints 19

I am DLA Back Cover

DEPARTMENTS

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

September - October 2013

2

6

12

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

www.facebook.com/

dla.mil

www.twitter.com/

dlamil www.dla.mil

www.youtube.com/

dodlogisticsagency

DLA on the Web

24

Behind-the-Scenes Chemistry 2

Chemists are using their expertise in several DLA field 

activities to help customers and suppliers alike.

Turning Waste Into Fuel 6

DLA Energy experts are working on a project to turn 

everything from kitchen scraps to packaging waste into 

usable fuel for generators.

Consumer Research 12

DLA Troop Support is working with two military bases to 

reduce waste by using biodegradable food service ware in 

dining facilities.

Research and Development 14

DLA Strategic Materials works with other government 

organizations, corporate partners and academia to 

ensure a ready supply of critical materials.

Riga Retrograde 20

Riga, Latvia, has become a vital hub for getting goods into 

and out of Afghanistan.

Critical Metals 24

The U.S. military needs germanium in a specific form for 

use in space applications, and DLA Strategic Materials is 

overcoming challenges to meet that need.

Uniforms for Cadets 25

DLA Troop Support is outfitting more than 310,000 Junior 

ROTC cadets with dress uniform shirts and berets just in 

time for the start of a new school year.
2 www.dla.mil

Science and Research

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

CHEMISTRY

Story by Christopher Goulait and Trinace Johnson

or many people, chemistry is a

subject left behind in high school.

But behind the scenes at Defense

Logistics Agency field activities, 

chemists are working in a variety 

of ways to support the agency, from

researching new products to advising on 

disposal and environmental concerns. 

At DLA Energy, chemists act as a link

that helps suppliers and customers work

together to meet technical requirements

while also researching new products

and energy solutions. These chemists

perform many different functions, all

of which revolve around quality and 

technical support, said Dan Baniszewski,

chief of the Product Technology and

Standardization Division in the DLA 

Energy Quality/Technical Support Office.

“Our main role in supporting DLA

Energy is acquisition support with

respect to the technical evaluations 

and exceptions, deviations and waivers 

process,” Baniszewski said.

The Product Technology and

Standardization Division advises on 

technical matters relating to petroleum

fuels, lubricants, additives, alternatesource fuels, missile fuels, coal, and other

or

subject

But

Logistics Agency field activities, 

chemists are working in a variety 

of

F

 to

related products and services, said Mike 

Domen, a chemist with the division. 

Chemists within this division, which is 

located in DLA Energy headquarters, work

with regional chemists to collect routine

test results for the Petroleum Quality

Information System and coordinate

further testing required because of offspecification properties or other concerns 

observed during operations, he said. 

In addition to this testing, DLA Energy

chemists provide technical evaluations 

for acquisition, assist defense fuel support

points, gather research and information,

and work with external agencies and

organizations, he said.

“We perform technical evaluations 

in support of source selections prior

to contract award, as well as consider

any product quality requests from

the contractor during post award and

delivery,” Domen said. “Frequently, a 

supplier will notify us that they require a

change to a quality aspect that was either

stated in the solicitation or was agreed to

during contract award.”

These requests for changes, known

as exceptions, deviations and waivers, 

include anything related to quality,

Domen said. Suppliers’ requests usually

involve delivering a product that doesn’t 

meet a certain property as detailed in

the specification, but other requests 

can include proposing an alternate test

method or testing location, including

a previously unapproved additive, or 

even wanting to substitute a whole 

different product, he added. Exceptions

are something contractors ask for

during pre-award negotiations, whereas 

deviations before product production and 

one-time allowance waivers occur after 

contracts are awarded.

In addition to direct support for

procurement and operations, chemists

also gather research, data and information

to either seek out solutions to customer

problems, find new cost-saving measures, 

or track product quality and trends,

Domen said. In this area, chemists

To get the job done, it’s important 

for chemists to have good 

working relationships with quality 

managers and quality assurance 

representatives, as well as 

the service control points, to 

coordinate technical responses 

and product dispositions.

Christopher Goulait is a public affairs specialist with DLA

Energy. Trinace Johnson is a public affairs specialist with

DLA Aviation.
Loglines l September - October 2013 3

Chemists at the DLA Energy headquarters support the activities of their regional counterparts,

such as these chemists undergoing training in Kaiserslautern, Germany. 

function as project managers for DLA

Energy-funded research and development 

programs for work typically performed

by military research facilities, he said.

They also maintain the Petroleum Quality

Information System database, a worldwide

comprehensive data repository for product 

test results, as well as act as the lead

standardization activity for DLA Energyowned national stock numbers.

At DLA Energy headquarters,

chemists work with many different

divisions and offices, including the 

bulk petroleum products office, bulk 

petroleum supply chain services office, 

direct delivery contracting office, 

inventory and requirements division, and 

the transportation/tankers group, Domen

said. Internal support is also extended to

defense fuel supply points and various 

customer locations using DLA Energyowned products, he said.

To get the job done, it’s important

for chemists to have good working 

relationships with quality managers

and quality assurance representatives, 

as well as the service control points, 

to coordinate technical responses and

product dispositions, Domen said.

“We also maintain contact with our

counterparts at DLA Aviation in Richmond 

[Va.] since we have quite a bit of common 

ground with some of the fuel additives and 

lubricants DLA buys and the specifications 

and NSNs we manage,” he said. “Plus, part

of our team located in San Antonio handles

missile fuel-related matters.”

The chemists also support DLA

Counsel Energy and DLA Finance 

Energy by helping with definitions 

and applications of technical terms in

documents and by reviewing prices 

associated with products DLA Energy

sells to the services.

The duties of a DLA Energy chemist

also extend outside the agency. Along

Photo courtesy DLA Energy Europe and Africa
4 www.dla.mil

Science and Research

with each of the service control points, 

chemists work with the services’ military 

research facilities: the Air Force Research 

Laboratory, Naval Air Systems Command, 

the Naval Research Laboratory, Southwest 

Research Institute, and the Army Tank 

and Automotive Research, Development 

and Engineering Center.

Chemists also maintain contact with 

foreign militaries through NATO, the 

Air and Space Interoperability Council, 

International Air Transport Association, 

and the English-speaking navies of 

America, Britain, Canada, Australia 

and New Zealand, as well as industry 

partners like refiners, suppliers and the 

International Fuel Quality Center. They 

monitor updates to national energy 

policies and environmental regulations 

through forums like the Commercial 

Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative 

and the Clean Air Act Services Steering 

Committee, Domen said. 

“There is active participation in 

military and non-governmental standards 

organizations by attending meetings 

and conferences from the previously 

mentioned organizations, just to name a 

few, where our chemists can network with

government and industry representatives 

to discuss current issues and ensure the 

needs of DLA Energy’s customers are 

represented and considered,” he said.

Working with organizations outside 

the agency can also provide additional 

training and education to build on the 

formal four-year chemistry or chemical 

engineering degrees that form the 

base of a chemist’s knowledge, Domen

said. Aside from a degree or Defense

Acquisition University courses, engaging 

in constant technical evaluations is 

the best way for chemists to keep their

expertise and problem-solving skills 

fresh, he said. On-the-job experience 

enhances the basic principles learned

from formal education, as does attending

technical presentations and discussions

at conferences or external meetings.

Keeping these skills honed is the

difference between business as usual and

a breakdown in communication between

DLA Energy and the military services’ 

technical offices, Baniszewski said. DLA 

Energy’s chemists prevent large delays 

when it comes to resolving technical 

issues and setting technical requirements

for fuel-related solicitations.

“We often serve as the conduit and 

link between the contracting offices 

and the technical point of contact in the

service control points,” Baniszewski said. 

“DLA Energy would have little expertise 

to resolve issues in a way most beneficial 

to the agency without our chemists, since

any outside guidance and assistance

would come with a different perspective.”

At DLA Aviation, chemists are also 

hard at work, advising DLA employees 

and customers on the environmental 

impacts of products, hazardous material

requirements and technical requirements.

The DLA Aviation Engineering 

Hazardous Information Program

Division employs 15 chemists and 

chemical engineers who perform one

of these three functions, said Calvin 

Lee, the division chief. Chemists who 

work on environmental issues focus on 

helping customers procure sustainable

products that reduce the use of hazardous

materials, he said. Chemists in the

DLA Aviation engineering hazardous 

minimization and green products branch

perform this function, collaborating

with the military services considering 

developing or using green products.

Air Force Airman 1st Class Michael Shoemaker

An Airman disconnects a ash point tester that

provides the exact temperature at which the

jet fuel ignites. 

“For the people who are using products that have hazardous components 

to them, we make sure they have the information necessary so they can 

safely use the product, store and sometimes dispose of the products.”

— Angela Johnson
Loglines l September - October 2013 5

“If [customers] find a green product 

and want to find out if it meets the green 

requirements, they contact us and we go

ahead and fund their project,” said Iris

“Maria” Garcia Labuda, a chemist with 

the hazardous minimization and green

products branch. “They do all the testing,

demonstrations and validations.”

DLA Aviation chemists often go to 

military installations to work with service 

members during testing and validation 

phases, Labuda said. Once a green product is approved, the chemists put it into 

the supply system and assign it a national

stock number, which allows it to be used

by the military services. 

When it comes to hazardous material,

chemists in DLA Aviation’s engineering 

section perform a vital role as information 

gatekeepers, said Angela Johnson, a

chemical engineer with DLA Aviation’s 

Department of Defense Hazardous

Material Information Resource System. 

“For the people who are using 

products that have hazardous components 

to them, we make sure they have the 

information necessary so they can safely

use the product, store and sometimes

dispose of the products,” Johnson said.

The Hazardous Material Information 

Resource System is a valuable resource 

maintained by the chemical engineers,

Johnson said. The engineers input

information about potential hazards and

proper use of products, and customers

or users with a subscription to HMIRS 

can search in a variety of ways to find 

that information, she said. In addition

to providing this information, Johnson’s 

division checks the manufacturer-provided 

material safety data sheets for mistakes and

requests that the companies correct and

reissue the data sheets, she said.

In yet another function for DLA

Aviation chemists, William Lizik works as 

an adviser for employees and customers 

about technical, safety and health

requirements.

“I am a technical support helpline for

the customer,” Lizik said. “It could be the

user [or] people transporting or disposing of hazardous materials. We talk to all

branches of the services. We deal with 

anything that could be hazardous, from

radioactive materials to batteries.”

Lizik said he receives questions 

about many different topics, like whether

a certain product is hazardous, how

to properly use products, and how to

dispose of products. He and the other

chemists who work with him contact the

company that manufactured the product

and can forward customers to technical

advisers if needed, he said. 

“We consult the technical people, and

that’s when it’s useful being a chemist,”

Lizik said. “We can make the educated

assessments of people’s questions.”

Lizik said he has received questions 

about whether certain products contain

asbestos, whether an air filter is 

hazardous, and what hazardous materials

might be found in an aircraft survival kit. 

His experience as a chemist helps him

bridge the gap between technical experts

and customers with questions, ensuring

the health and safety of everyone 

involved, he said.

“At the end of the road, someone

will use the information we have,” he 

said. “The warfighter has to have the 

information right now, and it’s our job

to get it right.”

Navy Petty Ofcer 3rd Class Brett Aamold

examines fuel aboard the guided missile

destroyer USS Laboon during a replenishment

at sea with the fleet replenishment oiler

USNS John Lenthall in the Atlantic Ocean.

Navy Petty Ofcer 3rd Class Billy Ho
6 www.dla.mil

Science and Research

Story by Amanda Neumann

ilitary forward operating

bases generate large amounts

of solid waste, including

everything from kitchen

scraps to packaging. A new

research and development project is

helping Defense Logistics Agency Energy

turn that waste into fuel. The mobile

waste-to-liquid-fuel project, developed in

conjunction with the Community Power

Corporation, has produced a prototype

system that can extract 40 gallons of fuel

from a ton of dry waste

“We wanted to develop a mobile

system that could be applied to FOBs

overseas to take advantage of any type

of carbonaceous waste, such as paper,

plastic, cardboard and wood, they

ilitary

bases

of

everything

scraps

research

M

 and

regularly generate,” said Lindsey Hicks,

chemist and strategic energy program

manager in DLA Energy. “It’s not only a

waste management system for them, but

it also produces enough usable fuel to

supplement DLA Energy’s deliveries to

those FOBs, easing some of the burden of

getting fuel to those locations.”

The project is one of several the

agency procured using funds from

the 2009 American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act, Hicks said.

“Originally the project was a

cooperative effort ... for the Army, but

the project fell through,” he said. “Once

we had ARRA funds, we applied them to

the new effort and put out a competitive

statement of work for a bid. CPC won, and

TURNING

WASTE

INTO FUEL

“We wanted to develop a mobile system that could be applied to FOBs 

overseas to take advantage of any type of carbonaceous waste, such 

as paper, plastic, cardboard and wood, they regularly generate.” 

— Lindsey Hicks
Loglines l September - October 2013 7

A front loader deposits trash into the compactor unit

at a solid waste transfer station in Kirkuk, Iraq, in

November 2009. A new waste management prototype

aims at helping reduce waste at forward operating bases

by turning it into liquid fuel, easing the burden of DLA

Energy’s fuel deliveries. 

— Photo by Michael Scheck
8 www.dla.mil

Science and Research

Although the waste-to-liquid-fuel

process is unique, the quest to explore

alternative waste management options

is not a new one, said Jeanne Binder,

strategic energy analyst and former

research and development program

manager in DLA Energy.

“CPC had done previous work with

the Army converting waste to synthetic

gas and to energy, like electricity, but this

DLA Energy project was specifically to 

take that technology and modify it so that

we could produce a fuel we can use in the

battlefield environment,” she said. “To be 

Waste

Processing

Different types of waste material 

are properly dried and compressed 

into small pellets (briquettes) before 

being passed to the biomass gas 

production module.

Briquettes are heated to 700-900 

degrees Celsius, converting them to

a synthetic gas of carbon monoxide 

and hydrogen.

Biomass Gas 

Production

The Waste-to-Liquid-Fuel Process

we had a contract signed in September

2010. Although the CPC waste-to-fuel

study was our only project developed

in-house that was covered by ARRA

funding, there were four procurement

contracts for fuels derived from algae oil

that were also funded through ARRA.”

Air Force Staff Sgt. Sharon Singer
Loglines l September - October 2013 9

able to go from doing a simple wasteto-energy [conversion] to making a fuel

wasn’t simple, but it was feasible. To do

that, they built additional modules for the

fuel conversion.”

In developing the prototype, which

can produce about 25 gallons of fuel per

day, DLA Energy and CPC had to consider

several factors, such as size and mobility.

“The method CPC uses is the most

viable way to do it,” Hicks said. “Although

the process is open technology, the

configuration CPC uses is proprietary, 

so we had to look at the overall cost of

development and the type of materials

we could work with, like if it could handle

many types of material or only one or

two. Plus the size of the module being

developed: Could it be handled by base

personnel or did it require technical

expertise to handle it?”

Housed at CPC’s Littleton, Colo.,

facility, the prototype consists of four

modular containers. The first, the waste 

processing module, is known as the drier.

It ensures the waste, such as wood chips,

walnut shells or cardboard boxes, is dried

properly, then sends it to a compressor

where it’s compressed into small pellets

called briquettes.

“Even though the materials [in the

demo] wouldn’t be particularly what

you would find overseas, the main issue 

is the ability to pelletize different types

of waste materials into a form that

can be handled by the system,” Hicks

said. “You don’t want to use too much

food waste, because when you have too

much water involved, the oxygen in the

water interferes too much during the

conversion. But this basically simulates

what you would be doing overseas once

you would apply this system.”

After they are pelletized, the briquettes

are passed to the second module, the

biomass gas production module. There,

at operating temperatures of 700 to

900 degrees Celsius, the briquettes are

converted to a synthetic gas made up

of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. In

a regular waste-to-energy project, that

gas would go directly into generators to

produce energy. Instead, the gas goes

onto the next module, called “LiquiMax.”

This module uses the “Fischer–Tropsch

process,” a set of chemical reactions, to

turn the gas into a liquid fuel.

“Basically we’re heating the material

without combustion in the presence of

controlled oxygen under pressure,” said

Jose Maniwang, engineer and strategic

energy program manager in DLA Energy.

“The carbon and the hydrogen separate

out, and you’re producing two gasses:

carbon monoxide, which is carbon and

oxygen, and straight hydrogen gas. This

mixture of gas can be used as a fuel or

can be processed under the Fischer–

Tropsch system to produce a liquid

“CPC had done previous work with the Army converting waste to 

synthetic gas and to energy, like electricity, but this DLA Energy project 

was specically to take that technology and modify it so that we could 

produce a fuel we can use in the battleeld environment.”

— Jeanne Binder

A new mobile waste-to-liquid-fuel system turns

unusable waste materials, such as pallets,

cardboard and plastic, into fuel for forward

operating bases. Developed by Defense

Logistics Agency Energy and the Community

Power Corporation, the system was procured

using stimulus funding.

Through the use of the FischerTropsch process, the synthetic gas 

is converted into liquid hydrocarbon 

fuel that can be processed into 

gasoline, deisel or jet fuel.

After being cooled and distilled in the 

final module, the resulting liquid fuel 

is complete in a usable state.

LiquiMax

LiquiMax 

Support
10 www.dla.mil

Science and Research

hydrocarbon fuel, which is what we’re

doing. Depending on how you mix those

[gases] together, you can come up with

the proper fuels you need, whether it be

gasoline, diesel or jet fuel.”

The last step, the LiquiMax support

module, contains a compressor and liquid

fuel distillation subsystem that cools the

liquid fuel, making it usable.

“We’re not producing a whole lot

of fuel, not the large amounts to fly 

planes or to operate convoys of vehicles,

because this is a mobile system,” Hicks

said. “You want it at a scale where you

can get it in and out in a fairly rapid

pace, so it’s producing relatively small

volumes. This is basically a smaller scale

of other alternative fuel initiatives that

use municipal solid waste generated by

local and state governments. In fact, the

fuel produced will mostly be used just

for generator operations, but it beats

trucking in the additional fuel.”

During CPC’s six-month demonstration phase, the module was tested for its

ability to produce small amounts of fuel

from three types of waste, with hopes

that the fuels produced could meet the

commercial specifications of the fuels they 

are meant to replace, Hicks said.

“The results were positive; everything

passed,” he said. “They were able to

produce samples of commercial [aviation]

fuel and commercial diesel fuel. Those

samples were tested by our contractor

lab in San Antonio, and we’ve sent the

[results] to CPC for their review and input.

Now we’re just waiting on CPC to develop

their final report.”

As for now, any plans for the program

to move from an R&D project into a

program of record, with further production

and deployment, depends on the military

services, which will be able to access the

report through the Defense Technical

Information Center, Binder said.

“DLA doesn’t have the ability to

create a program of record for this

equipment; the services have that ability,”

she said. “With a lot of our research that

involves systems, we share the data from

our research with the military services

and then they decide whether they want

to pick it up and move forward with it or

not. We’re a facilitator for them in a way.”

With the major developments of

biodiesel and ethanol in recent years, DLA

Energy is no stranger to the procurement

of alternative fuels, Binder said.

Two of four modules that produce liquid

hydrocarbon fuel and prepare it for nal use.

Fuel from these rapidly deployed systems will

be used primarily for generator operations. 

Courtesy Photo
Loglines l September - October 2013 11

“DLA Energy has been procuring

alternative fuels for quite a while for the

military services to meet their Energy

Policy Act of 2005 goals, which started

the big push to buy the alternative fuels

we have,” she said. “But [earlier fuels]

require a different type of infrastructure

to handle them, and only certain engines

can burn them. These next generation

fuels, the advanced ‘drop-in’ replacement

biofuels and alternative fuels, can be

burned without any modifications. They’re 

used in blends with petroleum, and the

end user doesn’t notice a difference.

Eventually, once these fuels are certified 

and able to be produced in sufficient 

quantities, they have the potential to

become competitive with petroleum.”

With promising results and a need

to explore alternative “greener” fuels,

DLA Energy plans to support several

initiatives aimed at finding the best fit for 

the military services, Binder said.

“A lot of different services are

looking into alternative energy using

waste, algae, alcohol to jet, etc.,” she

said. “There are a lot of different ways,

especially depending on the type and

nature of the feedstock, to do that.

Although biomass fuels are not new,

they’ve been evolving. I think you’ll

see these advanced alternative fuels

become increasingly available over the

next five, 10, 20 years. Most, but not all, 

emit less greenhouse gasses, so they’re

environmentally friendlier. They’ll never

100 percent replace petroleum, but

some of their sources, like crops, are

more sustainable, renewable and well

managed. For me, working with R&D

projects, it’s an eye opener. It’s amazing

technology.”

FORT DRUM

To further support the advancement of the Army’s renewable energy 

goals, DLA Energy issued a competitive 

request for proposal for biomass power 

to be delivered to Fort Drum, N.Y., home 

of the 10th Mountain Division. Under a 

long-term power purchase agreement, 

the RFP included a requirement for the 

design, installation, test, commission, 

operation and maintenance of an onsite or contiguous biomass generation 

facility that can deliver at least 100,000

megawatt hours of electric energy 

annually. As an alternative to the on-site 

biomass power requirement, the RFP also 

included a request for the 10-year supply 

and transmission of electricity generated 

from other renewable energy facilities. 

DLA Energy is currently reviewing and 

evaluating proposals. 

— Amanda Neumann

Kingsbury Browne

Fuel extracted from a new mobile waste-toliquid-fuel prototype will run generators like

this one at forward operating bases worldwide.

The prototype is a smaller scale of other

alternative fuel initiatives that use municipal

solid waste generated by local and state

governments. 
12 www.dla.mil

Science and Research

CONSUMER

RESEARCH

Story by Bill Addison

A

Defense Logistics Agency Troop 

Support pilot program is putting 

biodegradable food service ware 

into the hands of troops at two 

installations to see if the new 

products cut the mustard.

Soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord,

Wash., and Fort Bragg, N.C., began

using cups, plates, bowls, lids, clamshell

A

Defense

Support

biodegradable

into

installations A

products cut

containers and utensils approved

through the Department of Agriculture’s

BioPreferred program in order to test the

products’ reliability and safety, said John

Woloszyn, deputy director of the supplier

support division for DLA Troop Support

Subsistence.

Woloszyn said traditional “to-go”

service ware products were removed from

the dining facilities and replaced with the

BioPreferred items. Signs were added that

ask customers to rate the new products.

Customers can rate the items they 

use one of two ways, either through a 

paper survey provided with the products 

or an online survey, he said. An array of 

educational materials is also displayed 

throughout the dining facilities to explain 

the products and their advantages.

Woloszyn said selecting the right

products for the pilot was a key component

to its eventual success. They needed to

be of good quality, American-made and

comparable in price to products customers

are currently buying.

Each dining facility has enough 

products to conduct a six- to eight-week 

trial of the new items. 

While it will take weeks to compile

data and determine the results, Woloszyn

said the reaction he saw from customers at

the facilities was overwhelmingly positive.

“Most of the customers I talked to were

really excited to know that these products

were biodegradable,” he said. “Even

though we’re trying to meet a government

requirement, most of the folks I spoke with

seemed to just think it made more sense to

go with a biodegradable product.”

If successful, the products will 

help fulfill federally mandated green 

procurement requirements for both DLA 

and its Army customers, he said. 

“I think this is a win-win for both 

sides,” Woloszyn said. 

The BioPreferred program was 

created through the Farm Security and 

Rural Investment Act of 2002 and further 

expanded by the Food, Conservation, 

and Energy Act of 2008. The program, 

which is managed by the Department 

of Agriculture, designates categories of 

bio-based products that are required for 

purchase by federal agencies and their 

contractors, according to the USDA’s 

website on the program, http://www.

biopreferred.gov/.

To meet USDA BioPreferred guidelines, products must be manufactured

using a certain percentage of bio-based

Photo courtesy DLA Troop Support

Participants in the pilot program were asked to

take surveys to rate the quality and usefulness

of the BioPreferred products. Users could rate

the products in the DLA sponsored test either

through on-site surveys or online.

Bill Addison is a public affairs specialist with DLA Troop Support.
Loglines l September - October 2013 13

materials, which varies depending on

the category of item. Disposable cutlery

must contain a minimum of 48 percent

bio-based content. Bowls, plates, napkins

and other tableware items must contain at

least 72 percent, according to the USDA.

But being manufactured with

bio-based materials alone does not

make items biodegradable, which is a

key component to helping DLA’s Army

customers meet their additional green

procurement goals, Woloszyn said.

Biodegradable products would help

Army installations meet their net-zero

waste initiatives, which aim to eliminate

the solid waste installations ship to landfills. Joint Base Lewis-McChord was one of 

six installations identified in 2011 to pilot 

the net-zero waste initiative, according to

a Defense Department news release.

“The Army is looking for us to

meet that net-zero goal by 2020,” said

Ben Saddoris, sustainable acquisition

program coordinator for the joint base.

The installation is one of only a

handful of DoD installations to have

its own composting facility, and base

officials are aggressively seeking ways to 

increase the waste that can be processed

there, he said.

A big part – 20 to 30 percent – of

what the joint base currently diverts to

landfills is post-consumer food waste. 

Replacing plastic and Styrofoam food

service products with biodegradable ones

would have a large impact on JBLM’s

goal, Saddoris said

“That would not only help us meet

the policy requirement, but would also be

a cost savings from not landfilling, and 

also provide us some cost recovery from

the compost product,” he said. “Most of

the items are comparable, some are even

priced lower than what our customers are

using. So they’re looking at products that

would be nearly identical in price to what

they’re paying now.”

Woloszyn stressed the additional

cost savings that would come if more

installations turned to DLA to purchase

the products.

 “If we’re able to get this to take off

throughout the continental United States

through our prime vendors, we’ll really

be able to leverage our buying power and

reduce the price for our customers even

more,” he said.

Photo courtesy DLA Troop Support

BioPreferred products, like the utensils shown

here, replaced the non-biodegradable plastic

food service ware at the pilot locations. The

pilot will test the reliability, durability and overall usefulness of the bio-preferred products as

a means to decrease solid waste production

at military installations.
14 www.dla.mil

Science and Research

RESEARCH AND

DEVELOPMENT

Story by Beth Reece

f somebody, somewhere is working 

on substitutes for critical materials 

used in military equipment, Gary 

Gulino wants to know. 

“If a material is really critical, 

chances are good someone in a laboratory 

or school is looking for a substitute or 

alternative,” the projects administrator 

for Defense Logistics Agency Strategic 

Materials’ Strategic Planning Directorate 

said. 

Gulino and 90 other employees 

in DLA Strategic Materials ensure the 

Defense Department has access to 

raw materials that are needed to build 

military equipment. And while they 

receive constant feedback from the 

services on specific materials, they also 

work to stay on top of industrial trends 

and breaking technologies. 

In February 2012, DLA Strategic 

Materials began offering up to $150,000 

for research and development initiatives 

geared toward increasing domestic 

mining and refining capabilities of critical 

materials such as yttrium and titanium, 

as well as solutions toward conserving 

and substituting other materials. 

The request went out in a broad 

agency announcement, a technique 

government agencies use to contract for 

research and development conducted by 

f

on

used

Gulino

chances

I industry and academia. Those interested 

are asked to respond with a short 

description of the study and how it relates 

to the government’s needs.

DLA Strategic Materials’ request 

generated 18 responses in the first 

year. Four were accepted, and one from 

Pennsylvania State University has already 

been adopted, Gulino said. The school 

delivered a programmable process for 

mapping the location of mineral deposits 

within the United States.

“It gives us another method for 

researching the potential of domestic 

mineral deposits. It’s kind of easy to find 

the ones that people are actively mining, 

but harder to find the ones that people 

have either abandoned or those that have 

never been tapped,” he said. 

Input from academia is good 

because it’s not driven by the need 

to make a profit, Gulino added. He 

expects input later this year from 

Yale University partnering with Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory, a facility in 

Tennessee managed by the Department 

of Energy on comprehensive supply 

chain decomposition and mid-tier 

materials processing. 

Two of the other three submissions

accepted involved rare-earth mining

and processing; the third study assesses

domestic rare earth magnets, the strongest

permanent magnets made and which

are widely used in defense platforms.

The studies are important, Gulino said,

because most of the patents or intellectual

property needed to build the large blocks

from which individual magnets are cut

are held by foreign companies. As a result,

elements used to produce these magnets

are not mined in significant quantities 

within the United States.

“We can buy a block and get it tomorrow, but our job is to look at it from the 

perspective of what would happen if our 

global supply sources ... stopped selling to 

us,” he said. 

Landmark Alaska LLC, a subsidiary of

UCORE Rare Metals Inc., is examining the

feasibility of mining yttrium, a chemical

Extracting yttrium from ores 

is an expensive, complicated 

process that usually generates 

lots of hazardous waste. 

U.S. companies continue to 

search for low-cost methods 

of extraction that minimize 

hazardous waste by-products.
Loglines l September - October 2013 15

element commonly used in electronic

devices and lasers, from Alaska’s depositrich Bokan Mountain. Great Western

Technologies is also assessing a new

process called single-phase extraction of

yttrium for defense applications.

Extracting yttrium from ores is an 

expensive, complicated process that 

usually generates lots of hazardous waste, 

Gulino said, adding that U.S. companies 

continue to search for low-cost methods 

of extraction that minimize hazardous 

waste by-products.

Working with industry and 

academia will hopefully lead to better 

solutions on managing raw 

materials for military use and 

limiting America’s dependence 

on foreign sources of supply, 

he continued. 

“What we want to do is 

capture what everybody is 

thinking and what they’re up 

to,” he said. “Industry will 

talk a lot about what they’re 

doing today, and academia 

tends to explore the future; 

the combination provides 

considerable insight into the 

strengths and potential vulnerabilities 

of the U.S. defense and essential civilian 

industrial bases.” 

 used in electronic

 from Alaska’s

 Mountain. Great Western

 assessing

 single-phase extraction

 applications.

 yttrium from ores

 complicated process

 generates lots of hazardous

 adding that U.S.

 search for low-cost

 that minimize

 by-products.

 with industry and

 will hopefully lead

 managing raw

 for military use and

 America’s dependence

 sources of supply,

 continued.

“What we want to do is

 what everybody is

thinking and what they’re up

 said. “Industry will

 lot about what they’re

 today, and academia

 explore the future;

 electronic

 Alaska’s deposit-

 Western

 assessing a new

 extraction of

 applications.

 ores is an

 process that

 hazardous waste,

 U.S. companies

 low-cost methods

 hazardous

 and

 lead to better

 and

 dependence

 supply,

 up

This ultrapure yttrium

crystal is shown from two

sides. The original size is

2 x 3 cm. Yttrium is a soft

and reactive metal that

has many applications in

high-tech industry.

Yttrium is widely used as a

host material in lasers.
A Conversation with . . .

16 www.dla.mil

You’re one of about 70 entomologists in the Army. Why is your 

particular science important to the 

Defense Department?

Throughout history,

overwhelmingly more soldiers

have been casualties from disease

and non-battle injuries than due to

bombs and bullets. Some of these

epidemic diseases, such as malaria,

typhus, yellow fever, have been a real

devastating feature and shaped the

outcome of many conflicts. We all 

would probably be speaking French

today if Napoleon’s army hadn’t

been decimated from epidemic

typhus, a louse-borne disease.

Common body lice, more than the

bitter winter or Russian soldiers, are

what defeated his army. So that’s

the real driving force for having

preventive medicine personnel in

the military today, about 70 of whom

are also trained as entomologists.

Disease transmission systems are all

around us, and insects often play a

role in that transmission. That’s the

bottom line.

Why did you decide entomology was

the specialty you wanted to go into

within preventive medicine?

It’s been my experience that

opportunities and circumstances

often dictate your path. I first

enlisted in the Army as a forward

observer in the field artillery, so 

basically I was an infantry footsoldier who called in artillery fire.

With that experience under my belt 

I was drawn to a more healing side

of the military. It happened that the

military was actively recruiting for

entomologists, and since I already

had a bachelor’s degree in zoology,

I was able to take the opportunity

to move from combat arms to the

Army Medical Department as a

DLA’s Staff Entomologist Talks about the Science of Preventive Medicine and 

What DLA Team Members Can Do To Head Off Pests

preventive medicine officer. I went 

on to receive a master’s degree in

medical entomology, and that was

how I made the transition.

How does DLA benefit from having 

a preventive medicine specialist on 

its staff?

I think the good thing about

having a variety of backgrounds

and disciplines anywhere is

that everyone brings their own

perspectives, and oftentimes that

Army Lt. Col. Van Sherwood, DLA staff entomologist, gives a presentation on bed bugs during

an Earth Day observance at the McNamara Headquarters Complex.

Jonathan Stack

Army Lt. Col. Van She
DLA Public Affairs

Loglines l September - October 2013 17

r wood

DLA Public Affairs

Loglines l September - October 2013 17

r wood

helps jumpstart good collaboration,

creative solutions, and innovation

among related disciplines. From a

preventive medicine standpoint,

Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce

of prevention is worth a pound of

cure.” So it’s better to be proactive

and try to stop disease processes

before they start. We want to

prevent a threat before it has time

to impact a mission. That’s the

value of preventive medicine in

general, and being part of that

field is quite gratifying. And it’s a 

mindset that’s not restricted to just

health and overall fitness. Perhaps 

it has an influence in some of the 

other things we do, like preventing

things that can be detrimental to

the mission or operations.

What are some of the more general 

pest problems DLA has had to deal 

with?

Common pests can just show up

anywhere, and in this regard DLA is

not alone and we’re not particularly

unique. These may include invasive 

weeds, rodents, ants, roaches, biting

flies and mosquitoes, filth flies, 

and even bed bugs. Where we are

a bit unique is in some aspects of 

our mission. Storage warehouses

of military rations and other

commodities, for example, are great

targets for stored product pests.

Stored product pests are essentially

certain weevils, beetles, and moths

that make a living finding and

eating our bulk or packaged food.

They can decimate vast quantities 

of food. Some of these pests, like the

khapra beetle, can cause internal

injury and death if they’re ingested.

You might have to quarantine and

destroy whole silos or warehouses

of goods based on what kind of pest

got into something.

These all present unique sets of 

issues that have to be dealt with, and

they’re all handled differently as far

as treatment. For example, some

can be fumigated and others can’t,

depending on the circumstances.

Another mission problem area

is the unavoidable shipment of

equipment and material around 

the world. We try to be careful, but

shipments overseas and retrograde

operations back home have the

potential to transport invasive

species. The pinewood nematode is a

classic example. It’s microscopic and

kills trees. To prevent the possibility

of transporting this destructive

pest worldwide, DLA must heatprocess all wood pallets bound for

OCONUS destinations. The pallet

gets a special “DLA burn stamp” to

certify it is nematode free, and it’s all

to prevent the transmission of this

destructive parasite.

When someone comes to you 

with a pest problem, what kind of 

research do you have to do to come 

up with a solution?

Good question! That’s certainly

one of my concerns and probably

a common concern in many

consulting positions — keeping up

with current research and published

literature, which is adversely

impacted by the current travel and

budget restrictions. But that’s the

wonderful thing about the Internet

and technology today in that so

many resources are available online

and remotely.

In addition, the field of

entomology, perhaps due to its

rather low density and quirky 

nature, seems to enjoy an unusually

high level of camaraderie that

extends beyond just the military.

There’s generally a great response

of collaboration and support when

requested. Entomologists really 

seem to go out of their way to help

out. In a recent beetle infestation,

for example, multiple entities — a

state university, the Army Public

Health Command, USDA, a retired

army entomologist — all contributed

resources and expertise to help us

out. They all had a hand in resolving

the situation, from identifying the

pest species, to advice and references

on the proper treatment, to future

preventive measures. It’s all very

reassuring to know that kind of

support network exists.

How have the sciences of 

both preventive medicine and 

entomology evolved in your 17 

years in the field?

I think primarily in two 

fundamental areas: a general 

philosophical shift toward a more 

holistic, integrated approach, and 

also in the way treatments have 

become much more specialized and 
A Conversation with . . .

18 www.dla.mil

targeted. Both of these trends are

very positive.

As an entomologist, integrated

pest management has created the

most striking difference in practice

between when I started and now.

Pest control used to be, for example, 

a simple matter of deciding what

pesticide will eliminate pest “X”

the quickest and cheapest. With 

an integrated approach, we now

think in terms of eliminating the

root cause of a pest problem, what

measures can be taken before or

instead of pesticide application,

and, more generally, how we can

do the greatest good with the least

harm. In many ways, we try to

think of chemical application as a

measure of last resort.

And this idea of specialization

is a particularly exciting area,

because it allows us the ability to

directly treat a causative agent and

not affect an untargeted species,

the immediate surroundings, or

the environment in general. In

weed control, for example, research

and advances in nanotechnology

can target plants at a molecular

level, so a pesticide will only stick

to a particular leaf or texture, or

be activated by a certain molecule

specific to that plant. So when 

applied, it will impact the invasive

species you’re trying to target and

not the native plant sitting next to it.

Here’s an insect example that

I think is really neat. The military

has done quite a lot of research 

on topical insect repellents over

the years. DEET is a military 

product, in use since the 1950s,

and is a wonderful ingredient for

preventing mosquito bites, ticks, 

and other biting insects. But it also

has negative properties, a strong

odor for example, so there’s room

for improvement. At the USDA

research lab in Gainesville, Fla.,

DoD is currently funding research

and testing for the next generation

of repellents. One such chemical

doesn’t repel mosquitoes in a 

traditional sense, but rather takes

you off the dinner menu. What I 

mean by that, is that the chemical

specifically targets a mosquito’s 

sensory feeding trigger, so that

when it lands on your skin, it won’t

feed because it doesn’t recognize

you as a host. You can, quite 

literally, stick your hand into a cage

of hundreds of hungry mosquitoes, 

and they will land on your hand

but won’t feed. It’s an eerie feeling,

and it takes a bit of self- control to

calmly allow mosquitoes to literally 

blanket your hand, but the net

result is zero bites. And that’s what’s

exciting about much research today.

We’re learning to manipulate our 

environment in very precise and

less-invasive ways.

No one really wants to work themselves out of a job, but what can

DLA team members do to make the

pest control side of your job easier?

I think people in general, and

our DLA community in particular,

are more informed and committed

today than ever before regarding

preventive measures. Pest 

prevention is just one aspect of

preventive medicine, and there is a

growing awareness of both.

We know that pests, like 

rodents or roaches, are looking for

food, water and harborage. As a

result, we make sure, whether it’s

around our desk areas or homes or

elsewhere, that we keep our areas

relatively clean and free of crumbs

and trash. Generally people are

very good about keeping candy,

snacks and food wrapped and in

sealed containers. We don’t let 

garbage accumulate in our working

and living areas. As an established

practice, we cover our outside

garbage bins, and it’s picked up

once a week to break the breeding

cycle of filth flies. We’re increasingly 

aware about smothering our coughs

with a cloth or sleeve and washing

our hands more frequently. We’re 

more sanitation and prevention

conscious than we ever have been.

But pests are extremely

resourceful, and they’re very good

at making a living. They will find 

gaps in our armor and find ways 

to make it to the next generation.

Make no mistake, as diligent as we

are or can be, there will always be

opportunities for pests to flourish. 

So don’t worry about working

us out of a job. From a preventive

medicine standpoint, if we do

everything perfectly and foresee

every possible outbreak and attack

before the fact, then the best

that happens is that nothing bad

happens. It’s one of those thankless

types of occupations and is just the

nature of the business. We’d love it 

if everyone thought environmentally

and with a view toward reducing

opportunities for pests and diseases,

and I am encouraged by the number

of people in our workforce who seem

to be doing just that.

From a preventive 

medicine standpoint, 

if we do everything 

perfectly and foresee 

every possible outbreak 

and attack before the 

fact, then the best that 

happens is that nothing 

bad happens. 
LogPoints DLA Public Affairs

BY THE NUMBERS

“It seems almost unbelievably obvious that it’s the people that make it great, 

but we forget that. So it’s important, vitally important that we do this every 

year to recognize what all of you ... and your shipmates that were inducted in 

prior years, both military and civilian [have done]. I tell you, you have left me 

a fabulous organization.”

— DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek, speaking July 30 at the annual

DLA Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

“If left unchecked, pay and benefits will continue to eat into 

readiness and modernization. That could result in a far less

capable force that is well compensated but poorly trained

and poorly equipped.”

— Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, speaking July 31 about

sequestration’s impact on the Defense Department’s 

future decisions.

“I’m a firm believer that improvements to policies and 

processes must be driven by data and objective analysis 

rather than conjecture and opinion.”

— Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology 

and Logistics Frank Kendall on what’s needed to make better 

decisions in improving the department’s acquisitions processes.

“When I got there, we were demilitarizing 200,000 

pounds of scrap at forward operating bases per week, then 

later a million. Since I left, they are up to scrapping about 

5 million pounds of equipment a week. We want to make 

sure we get rid of items that our enemies can’t later use 

against us.”

— Navy Cmdr. William “Jack” May, talking about the 

demilitarization work he led as officer in charge of DLA 

Disposition Services Afghanistan from October 2012 to April 

2013. May, a DLA reservist, was chosen as the Military 

Logistician of the Year in the 2012 Admiral Stan Arthur 

Award for Logistics Excellence.

QUOTABLES

25 GALLONS: 

The amount of fuel able to be produced 

per day by a prototype system DLA 

Energy is looking into that converts 

solid waste to liquid fuel, enough to 

power a 100kW generator for more than 

three hours. 

13,000 KILOGRAMS:

The amount of pure germanium in the 

National Defense Stockpile, enough to 

create more than 400,000 germanium 

wafers used to collect and discharge 

solar power for satellites.

SEPT. 26, 1918: 

The first day of the Battle of the Argonne, 

the last major battle of World War I.

57 PERCENT: 

The proportion of DLA’s 1,300-strong 

uniformed workforce who are reservists.

Loglines l September - October 2013 19
20 www.dla.mil

Riga

Retrograde

Story by Amanda Neumann

F

or the Defense Logistics Agency and U.S.

Transportation Command, Riga, Latvia has

been a bustling hub of activity of late. Already

a supply location for subsistence, Riga, a Baltic

port, is now an important connection for air

transportation to and from Afghanistan.

With long delays on the Northern Distribution

Network, a series of rail and truck routes across Europe

and Central Asian countries used to supply U.S.

warfighters in Afghanistan, Riga’s flights began out of 

necessity, said Tom Shively, the DLA liaison officer to 

U.S. Transportation Command.

“The flying operation kicked off because we needed 

to [quickly] get food into Afghanistan. Since our prime

vendor food was already transiting through Riga, which

has an airfield that can handle wide-bodied 747s, the 

decision was made to figure out what we needed and fly 

that in from Riga to Afghanistan.”

There were numerous advantages to using Riga’s 

location. However, in the beginning, the urgency of need

resulted in higher prices than desired, and DLA and

USTRANSCOM officials recognized the need to drive the 

costs down, Shively said.

“At that time, the rates were high for the inbound

food shipments because we did not have outbound

cargo,” he said, explaining that flights would be going 

F

or

Transportation

been

a

port,

transportation

F

“When you have to y cargo in, you really need to 

y cargo out to get an advantageous rate for the 

lift. So there was an opportunity to get stuff out of 

Afghanistan that needed to come out.” 

— Tom Shively
Loglines l September - October 2013 21

A member of the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron

secures a pallet of copper wire. Copper wire taken out of

Afghanistan is routed through Riga, Latvia, for disposal by

Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services, preventing the

material from falling into adversaries’ hands.

— Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon
22 www.dla.mil

one way empty, which wastes resources

and increases costs.

 “When you have to fly cargo in, 

you really need to fly cargo out to get 

an advantageous rate for the lift. So

there was an opportunity to get stuff

out of Afghanistan that needed to come

out,” he said. “But although the Riga air

operations started off quite expensive,

as time went on, we figured out how to 

configure an outbound load along with an 

inbound load. And, most importantly, the

DLA-USTRANSCOM team figured out 

how to do the bidding process better.”

By creating competition between major

air carriers, DLA and USTRANSCOM were

able to significantly bring down the cost of 

flights, Shively said.

“When we got into a situation where

the carriers were competing with each

other for business, it really drove the

price down dramatically,” he said. “As

a result, costs for airlift from Riga to

Afghanistan are now comparable to

surface costs in many cases, and cargo

movement is far less complex.”

Shively said one of the biggest

challenges is identifying and weighing

cargo for return flights because some 

customers had no ability to weigh goods

needing shipment.

“We had to get scales out there so

that they could really start providing a

better estimate with some credibility to

it. And we found out we were pretty far

off. People thought they had a million

pounds and it really turned out to be

125,000 [pounds],” he said. “So our folks

have learned to pay attention to forecasts

in and out when they’re bidding on 

contracts by the pound.”

With Riga already in use as a prime

vendor food hub, using it for retrograde

flights made good business sense, said 

Steve Dubernas, a logistics management

specialist in the U.S. Transportation

Command Support Division of DLA

Logistics Operations.

“What we’ve been trying to do with 

Riga is tie two supply chains together,” he

said. “You’ve got the subsistence supply 

chain coming in -- consumable goods, 

and then you’re bringing retrograde 

cargo out. Although you would naturally

think there would be more outbound

as we start to close, there is still a

fighting season left in Afghanistan, so 

there is a hesitation to put too much on

the retrograde return flights. So what 

we’re trying to do is market the Riga 

solution to the warfighters that have 

non-consumable items to be taken out or 

[repair parts] that they need repositioned

in Europe or the U.S.”

For the retrograde flights out of 

Afghanistan, Riga is a “transload”

location, meaning items come through

and either terminate in Riga or move

through from there to another military

installation, such as Germany. For DLA

Disposition, Riga is the termination site

for copper, said Vickie Rodgers, planner

for the Afghanistan area of responsibility

in DLA Disposition Services.

“We get a lot of copper wire turned

in,” she said. “When you have a ton of

copper, they make the best [improvised

With Riga already in use as a

prime vendor food hub, using

it for retrograde flights made

good business sense.

— Steve Dubernas

A member of a Defense Logistics Agency

Disposition Services team operates a plasma

cutter at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. The

cutters use electricity and current to cut metal

into small parts, which are then sold as scrap

metal to local vendors.

Marine Staff Sgt. Theresa Seng
Loglines l September - October 2013 23

explosive devices] and that’s something 

you don’t want. So we’ve always shipped 

the copper out to have it processed 

somewhere else, and [Shively’s] team has 

helped us with that.”

Don Phillips, chief of transformation 

strategy in DLA Disposition Services, spent 

six months as site chief at Afghanistan’s 

Bagram Air Base. He said Shively and his 

team were essential in moving items like 

copper out of theater when needed.

“Copper wire eats up a lot of yard 

space so I worked closely with [Shively’s] 

team to arrange for its removal,” he 

said. “And they excelled at that. They 

had timely and effective scheduling of 

[commercial] air retro hauls of the copper 

wire. We would give them a projection, 

and within several days it would be 

scheduled for pickup. The contractor 

would show up, they would put it on 

pallets, prepare it for air movement and 

away it would go. They were essential in 

coordinating the processes behind that. 

The partnership between that team and 

DLA Disposition Services has allowed us 

to better meet the needs of the customer 

in an austere environment and keep pace 

with evolving needs.”

Evolving needs for DLA Disposition 

Services included changing methods 

for removing “regulated waste” from 

Afghanistan. Regulated waste, items of a 

hazardous nature, requires strict controls 

to ensure the material gets disposed of 

properly, Rodgers said.

“Regulated means it needs to be 

watched from cradle to grave, and it needs 

to be done in a certain manner,” she said. 

“You watch that it goes to the place that 

processes it, and you have certifications 

that it was done correctly, basically that 

someone didn’t just dump them away 

somewhere. Although DLA doesn’t 

actually do anything with the hazardous 

materials or waste, we oversee contracts to 

make sure it’s all handled correctly.”

With traditional ground-based exit 

routes challenging and inconsistent, 

DLA Disposition Services and the DLAUSTRANSCOM team, known as the 

DLA-T team, are working together to fly 

some regulated waste out of Afghanistan 

later this year, a first for the agency, 

Rodgers said.

“What we’ve always done in the 

past with regulated waste is ship it out 

through Pakistan,” she said. “But with 

the borders of Pakistan being what they 

are and what they have been, it’s shut us 

off tight. So the DLA-T team is assisting 

us by arranging for commercial transport 

using our contractor to fly it out.”

In addition, the DLA-T team is 

helping DLA Disposition Services bring 

in additional equipment to help with 

the ever-increasing disposal process 

in-country, Rodgers said. 

“As the military pulls everything out, 

our business is increasing,” she said. 

“After years of stockpiling and building 

up, here’s all this stuff and you can only 

pull so much out. The rest has to be 

disposed of. So as everyone else is dialing 

down, we are dialing up trying to go 

through and demilitarize and mutilate all 

this equipment. So we need stuff coming 

in – shears, shredders, torch cutters, 

plasma cutters – and the DLA-T team is 

assisting us, not only with regulated waste 

coming out, but with the stuff coming in, 

the equipment that we need, so we can get 

that out to the forward sites.” 

Palletized cargo is ready for boarding onto 

outgoing ights at Riga, Latvia. Cargo from 

Afghanistan either terminates in Riga or 

continues onto other locations in Europe or 

the United States.

Tom Shively
24 www.dla.mil

Story by Beth Reece

growing need for metals critical

to military space programs

is leading to changes in how

Defense Logistics Agency

Strategic Materials manages

inventories of materials in the National

Defense Stockpile.

Until now, manufacturers that

produce early warning and reconnaissance

satellites have purchased space-certified 

germanium from a Belgian manufacturer

that bought the only American company

previously capable of converting

germanium to the wafer form required

by the U.S. military. The wafers resemble

compact discs and are widely used in solar

cells to collect and discharge electrical

power required to sustain satellites for up

to eight years of continuous operations.

A decline in the quality of metal

being used by the manufacture, however,

resulted in increased failure rates that

prompted military officials to seek a 

new source of supply, said Gary Gulino,

projects administrator for DLA Strategic

Materials’ Strategic Planning Directorate.

“If you don’t use 99.999 percent

pure germanium in the original crystal

growth process, when you finally slice it 

and lay it under a microscope, all those

imperfections are visible, and that affects

its ability to generate power,” he said.

The conversion process typically has

a 40 percent fail rate, but over time that

has increased to 85 percent.

In May 2011, DLA Strategic Materials

agreed to upgrade 3,000 of the more than

16,000 kilograms of pure germanium in the

National Defense Stockpile to germanium

growing

to

is

Defense

Strategic

inventories

A wafers for defense space applications. To do

that, defense officials partnered with other 

national security space activities to award a

contract to an American company to establish a domestic metals production process.

With the domestic process in place, DLA

Strategic Materials then awarded contracts

to process 3,000 kilograms of germanium

metal into wafers.

“We are converting part of the

germanium stockpile to ensure that U.S.

defense industries have access to the

materials in the forms they require,”

Gulino said.

After World War II, Congress moved

aggressively to build stockpiles of critical

materials for national defense purposes.

The premise was that as long as America

had the resources, they could be processed

by American companies.

“But in the 21st century, it’s become

apparent that the problem transcends the

material,” Gulino said, citing germanium

as a good example of a material that can

be mined domestically but not processed

to a usable form in the United States.

“It’s actually cheaper to ship it in

the ore form to foreign locations such as

China for processing into a metal than it

is to do it domestically. There are some

people who are capable of processing it

domestically, but they’re not competitive,”

he said, adding that other locations offer

lower labor and production costs.

An Air Force study on 20 of the

service’s most critical space platforms

revealed that every single one relied on

components produced in China, where

there is little if any product liability, he

added. The tsunami that hit Japan in

2011 further illustrated the risks inherent

in relying on foreign sourcing.

“It’s not so much the industries that

got hit, but a lot of them had high reliance

on regular supplies of pure electrical

power. A lot of the space industry and the

aerospace industry, especially with the

advent of the drone, can’t move without

Japanese industrial capabilities to support

it,” he said.

Gulino stressed that the National

Defense Stockpile was created so America

wouldn’t have to depend on foreign

sources for critical materials during

a conflict or national emergency. The 

2011 Biennial Report to the Congress on

National Defense Stockpile Requirements

identified germanium as a critical 

material that will be stockpiled for the

foreseeable future.

got

on

power.

aerospace

advent

Japanese

it,”

Defense

wouldn’t

sources

a conflict or national emergency. The 

Critical

Metals

Products such as this compact disc-like wafer

are typically created using 99.999 percent pure

germanium. DLA Strategic Materials is converting 3,000 kilograms of its germainium stockpile

into wafers for use by U.S defense industries.

24 www.dla.mil
Loglines l September - October 2013 25

Uniforms

for Cadets

Story by Mikia Muhammad

Uniforms

for

Story by

ust in time for the back-to-school 

season, the Defense Logistics Agency 

Troop Support clothing and textiles 

supply chain supplied distinctive 

dress uniform items to Army Junior 

ROTC cadets. 

To outfit more than 310,000 JROTC 

cadets, DLA Troop Support and the U.S. 

Army Cadet Command have been working 

together to ensure deliveries of new gray 

shirts and berets for the upcoming school

year, Monique Williams, clothing and textiles

supervisor of DLA Troop Support’s Army

recruit cell, said.

“[The Army service uniform] is a new

uniform for the Army, so the JROTC is the

last of the Army to get [their version of it],”

Williams said. “We’re doing the best we

can to fully support the cadets. The whole

uniform transition has been a learning

experience for all of us.”

About 24,000 requisitions have been 

placed in fiscal 2013 at a total value of 

$5.4 million, Williams said. A second wave

of fielding for the new items is set to be 

completed in fiscal 2015. 

James Kilgo, chief of logistics at Cadet

Command, said the two organizations

have remained in constant communication

to reach their common goal of supporting

the cadets.

“[Cadet Command] and DLA have

a personal and professional working

relationship that includes strategic planning,

purchasing, ordering, contracting and

processing shipments of Army clothing and

equipment throughout the continental United

States and overseas to approximately 275

universities’ senior Army ROTC programs

and more than 1,700 high schools’ Army 

JROTC programs,” Kilgo said.

Williams agreed there were a lot of

moving pieces in the mission, including 

coordinating with manufacturers to fill 

uniform orders for cadets.

Cadet Command received $16 million in 

funding to procure the distinctive uniforms 

for cadets within eight brigades throughout 

the United States, Williams said.

The new gray uniform items differ from 

the regular Army and senior ROTC dress 

uniforms, which include white shirts and 

black berets. 

ust

season,

Troop

supply

dress

ROTC

J

 cadets.

An Army Junior ROTC cadet receives an award at North Hardin High School in Radcliff,

Ky. DLA Troop Support Clothing and Textiles has been working with the U.S. Army Cadet

Command to ensure deliveries of new gray shirts and berets to more than 310,000 JROTC

cadets for the upcoming school year.

Mikia Muhammad is a public affairs specialist with DLA

Troop Support.

Photo courtesy DLA Troop Support
I AM

My name is:

William Pagán

I am:

A tailored vendor logistics specialist with DLA Troop Support’s 

subsistence supply chain. Oprah is a yellow Labrador and my 

service dog.

Describe your job in a sentence.

I work to identify and meet customers’ order-fulfillment needs.

How long have you worked for DLA?

I started Aug. 6, 2007. I was on and off due to military training, a 

deployment to Iraq and recovering from injuries. Oprah has being

working in DLA since Feb. 20, 2013.

What is your favorite thing about working for DLA?

The people I work for are always ready to make everything 

happen for the warfighter. There’s nothing more rewarding to me 

than continuing to serve my country.

What is your best memory of working here?

My best memory has to be going through the intern 

program. There were excellent classes, a lot of knowledge, 

and people from very diverse backgrounds. Most of my 

classmates were military veterans, so I felt right at home.

I miss them. And, of course, Oprah coming to work with me.

How do you make a difference?

Having served in the military and knowing what the 

warfighter goes through makes me not take my job and 

position for granted. It makes me push every day to be a

better DLA employee.

William Pagán

(and so is my dog)