RELIEF

EFFORTS

HURRICANE SANDY

EFFORTS

HURRICANE SANDY

LOGLINES

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2013
DIRECTOR

from the

DIRECTOR

from the

I

t’s been a great year for the Defense

Logistics Agency. In early 2012, I

announced a plan to save $10 billion

over five years with our theme being 

“significantly improve performance 

to the warfighter while dramatically 

reducing cost.” It is an aggressive goal,

but we are fully engaged in numerous 

strategic initiatives to achieve it. With

10-in-5, we set out to get ahead of the 

fiscal challenges facing the department 

and do our part for America’s warfighters. In November, as Hurricane 

Sandy threatened the Northeast coast, 

DLA once again responded immediately 

— this time doing our part for our fellow 

American citizens. We anticipated, we 

planned and we executed. 

We already had a close, collaborative network of industry partners, 

the Federal Emergency Management 

Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek, USN

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

Agency, U.S. Northern Command and 

the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When 

Sandy made landfall, DLA was already 

prepared to deliver assistance and 

relief to those in need. Team DLA truly 

delivered on the promise of “significant 

actions, urgently executed.” 

From DLA Energy making it possible 

to provide fuel for first responders, 

gas stations, hospitals and even public

transportation, to DLA Troop Support

— with the help of DLA Distribution — 

delivering more than 6 million meals, 

water, blankets, medical equipment and 

more to the devastated region, the DLA 

workforce showed what you’re capable 

of and made a monumental difference in 

the lives of those affected by the disaster.

I was able to travel to New York and 

New Jersey to witness the relief efforts 

firsthand, and I was extremely proud of 

and impressed by the DLA leaders and 

employees on the ground, as well as the 

countless others in warehouses, offices 

and other behind-the-scenes locations

throughout the enterprise who made our 

support possible. I know each and every 

one of you would do it again. 

When I talk about the team at 

DLA, I often say I don’t know exactly 

what you’re going to do, but I know it’s 

going to be great, and your response to

Hurricane Sandy was just that — great. 

Happy New Year DLA, and thanks for 

all you do.

Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency Office of Strategic Communications 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

Frederick N. Baillie

Director, Strategic Communications

Douglas Ide

Deputy Director, Strategic Communications

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 November - December 2012

CONTENTS

Loglines l January - February 2013 1

Eye of the Storm 2

Before and after Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, 

DLA provided critical supplies and services to the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency-led relief effort.

Fueling East Coast Relief 8

With power down and fuel supplies inaccessible, DLA Energy 

helped fuel relief efforts and bring comfort to Hurricane 

Sandy’s survivors.

After Sandy 14

Vehicles and equipment provided by DLA Disposition 

Services to local governments through the Law Enforcement 

Support Office were crucial in many cities’ recovery efforts.

Pushing Forward 16

DLA Troop Support provided meals, cots, generators, water 

pumps, blankets, medical equipment and more to aid in 

recovery and keep survivors going.

Getting It There 18

DLA Distribution exercised its distribution network to ensure 

needed supplies were where they were needed, when they 

were needed in the days following Hurricane Sandy.

African Nations, American Logistics 24

DLA Europe and Africa manages Defense Department 

logistics across the African continent in support of U.S. Africa 

Command operations.

Combating Counterfeits 28

DLA and a partner firm use plant DNA to mark microcircuits 

in an effort to keep counterfeit electronics out of the nation’s 

supply chains.

A Conversation with ... 20

LogPoints 23

I am DLA Back Cover

DEPARTMENTS

HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS

Front Cover

— Photo illustration by Paul Henry Cra

January - February 2013

2

8

16

28

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

www.facebook.com/

dla.mil

www.twitter.com/

dlamil www.dla.mil

www.youtube.com/

dodlogisticsagency

DLA on the Web
2 www.dla.mil

Eye of the Storm

Story by Jacob Boyer

s Hurricane Sandy bore down on

the East Coast in late October,

Defense Logistics Agency team

members from across the agency

prepared to ensure the storm’s

survivors had what they needed to pick

themselves up and start repairing the

storm’s damage. From gasoline to blankets

and generators to food, DLA supplied the

Federal Emergency Management Agency,

U.S. Northern Command, state and local

governments, and survivors with a wide

range of critical items in the storm’s

aftermath and beyond.

“I often say that nobody knows 

logistics better than we do, and DLA 

proved it time and again over the 

last few weeks,” DLA Director Mark 

s

the

Defense

members

prepared

survivors

A

 had

Harnitchek wrote in a Nov. 16 blog 

to employees. “We anticipated, we 

planned, we moved out. With weather 

reports showing Sandy staying strong 

and with a bull’s-eye on NewYork/New 

Jersey, DLA Energy started moving fuel 

trucks to the area Oct. 29. FEMA placed

its first fuel order for support to first 

responders Nov. 1. With trucks already 

at the FEMA identified staging area at 

Joint Base [McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, 

Army National Guard Soldiers team up

with New York City’s Office of Emergency

Management and the Red Cross to provide

food, water and cleaning supplies to Hurricane

Sandy survivors at distribution sites in Far

Rockaway, N.Y. DLA Troop Support provided

more than 6.2 million meals to the storm’s

survivors.

Navy Petty Ofcer 1st Class Julian T. Olivari
Loglines l January - February 2013 3

N.J.], DLA’s response was immediate.”

Hurricane Sandy developed from a

tropical wave in the western Caribbean

Sea Oct. 22 and began working its way

toward the East Coast. On Oct. 29, the

storm curved north-northwest and moved

ashore near Atlantic City, N.J., as a

post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force

winds. Its storm surge hit New York City

that same day, flooding streets, tunnels 

and subway lines and cutting power in

and around the city. In West Virginia, a

blizzard that dropped more than 2 feet

of snow left thousands without power.

With a nor’easter poised to hit the region

Nov. 7, thousands of people displaced and

millions without power, quick action on

the part of all involved was crucial.

DLA’s Joint Logistics Operations

Center, the agency’s focal point for gathering and analyzing information involving

its operations, jumped into action, said

Army Col. Roger McCreery, JLOC chief.

The center typically runs in two eight-hour

shifts, with a full staff ready to respond

to requests between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m.

and a staff duty officer able to respond 

between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. As the storm

approached the Northeast, the JLOC

added a third shift and went to 24-hour

operations.

McCreery explained the JLOC has 

a “graduated response plan” in place to 

immediately add personnel and a third 

shift when needed.

“Even before the storm hit, we

increased to a third shift,” McCreery said.

“That way we had 24-hour ops coverage,

which mirrors some of the other operations

centers involved in the storm relief: the

Federal Emergency Management Agency,

the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S.

Northern Command.”

The extra personnel came from 

other entities within DLA Headquarters, 

including civilians, active-duty service 

members and reservists, said Buzz 

Hackett, the JLOC’s deputy chief. Other 

personnel took on roles as liaison officers 

at critical partners in the relief effort. 

More than 40 DLA personnel embedded 

themselves with other organizations.

“No two disasters or hazards are the 

same,” Hackett said. “In this case, what 

we found ourselves doing was providing 

support to FEMA and the Corps of 

Engineers. ... We sent many more [liaison 

officers] to work with state governments. 

We hadn’t necessarily done that in the 

past. We sent many more LNOs to embed 

with governments and agencies, whereas 

in the past we didn’t expand that LNO 

network to this degree.”

“FEMA placed its rst fuel order for support to rst 

responders Nov. 1. With trucks already at the FEMA 

identied staging area, DLA’s response was immediate.”

— Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek

A home destroyed by Hurricane Sandy is covered with debris in the Breezy Point neighborhood in Queens, N.Y. Generators provided by DLA Troop

Support helped restore power to the hard-hit area.

Army Sgt. William Adams
4 www.dla.mil

Army Lt. Col. Janice Sypolt, who 

works on Strategic Network Optimization 

plans and initiatives in DLA Logistics 

Operations Strategic Programs and 

Initiatives, was one agency team member 

who found herself working in an 

unfamiliar area. She went to New Jersey 

Nov. 6 to act as the agency’s liaison to the 

state’s government. She said that when 

she arrived, she immediately helped 

state officials communicate with and 

understand the agency better, smoothing 

communication among the recovery 

effort’s many partners.

“It’s very important for DLA to have a 

face working with an organization rather 

than just a voice at the end of the phone,” 

she said. “I worked with the New Jersey 

State Police, FEMA and a lot of other 

organizations on questions that came up on

how DLA would be able to support them.”

Sypolt, who has worked as an LNO 

in military operations before, said there 

were differences and similarities between 

those previous experiences and working 

with civilian agencies during disaster 

relief operations. The state police’s 

rank structure, which is based on the 

military’s, made it easy to communicate, 

More than 100 houses burned down in the

Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, N.Y.,

after Hurricane Sandy’s oodwaters denied

access to reghters. Contracts from DLA

Disposition Services helped clear debris from

hard-hit areas.

Navy Petty Ofcer Ryan J

Courtade

Additional Video Resources

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

satellites captured a global view of Hurricane Sandy

from birth to landfall in this animation from Oct. 21-30.

View this video and others at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/

archives/2012/h2012_Sandy.html.
Loglines l January - February 2013 5

she said. Working with FEMA, which has 

a different structure than organizations 

she’s worked with in the past, was a 

challenge as Sypolt learned her away 

around. But overall, she said, all the 

involved organizations worked together 

to help survivors.

“I really felt like I was making a 

difference,” she said. “A lot of time when 

you’re a liaison officer during an exercise, 

it’s just an exercise. There’s a world of 

difference between an immediate need 

and ‘Okay, it’s just an exercise.’ I was 

definitely responding to the needs of the 

state of New Jersey and its citizens.” 

As of Nov. 15, the JLOC had helped

coordinate the delivery of 48 pallets

of bottled water, 107 water pumps, 51

generators, 500 sets of cold-weather

clothing, 172,500 blankets, 4,000 cots, 200

hypothermia-prevention kits, six portable 

X-ray machines, more than 6.2 million

meals, and nearly 14 million gallons of fuel

to affected areas. More than 1 million of the

meals and three extra generators were sent 

to Charleston and Martinsburg, W. Va.

Contracting for generators to ease 

the burden of power outages and pumps 

to aid in drying out soaked buildings 

and infrastructure were two challenges 

unique to this storm, Hackett said. The 

agency positioned generators and highcapacity pumps at Joint Base McGuireDix-Lakehurst to augment and support 

the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 

meeting those needs. The agency also 

helped USACE in contracting out the 

removal of more than 75 million pounds 

of trash and debris.

In addition to the liaison officers who 

went to work with other organizations, 

FEMA and USACE sent LNOs to work in 

the JLOC to better facilitate communications, Hackett said.

“Our LNOs and the LNOs who have 

come to us have been key in keeping lines 

of communication open between the 

organizations,” he said.

FEMA sent Audrey Terry, deputy 

director of the Property Management 

Division in its Logistics Management 

Directorate, to DLA to work in the JLOC 

and coordinate support. She said she 

was there to help maintain situational 

awareness, provide updates, track the 

status of requirements, and coordinate 

with the right people to make sure 

missions were accomplished. She said 

her background as an Army ordnance 

officer made it easy for her to “plug and 

play” in the JLOC once she adjusted to 

its operations.

“Because this was the first time 

that the FEMA Logistics Management 

Directorate had a liaison officer go over to 

DLA, what I didn’t know was the seating 

arrangement and battle rhythm and how 

I would fit into the structure,” she said. 

“That was quickly overcome as I rapidly 

adjusted to their operational tempo and 

military environment.”

Terry, who is the first LNO FEMA 

has sent to DLA during a disaster relief 

operation, said DLA is a valuable partner 

to FEMA during a crisis like the one that 

followed Hurricane Sandy.

 “During Hurricane Sandy, FEMA 

was able to immediately tap into DLA’s 

capabilities in order to support our 

survivors and first responders much more 

quickly,” she said. “DLA helps us to go big 

and go fast. We really do appreciate the 

close collaboration and great support that 

DLA provides to FEMA.”

McCreery said communication like 

that facilitated by LNOs is critical in contingency operations like this relief effort.

“Being able to communicate critical 

“DLA helps FEMA go big and go fast. We really do 

appreciate the close collaboration and great support that 

DLA provides to FEMA.”

— Audrey Terry

An Airman monitors the removal of water from

homes flooded by Hurricane Sandy in the

Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, N.Y.

DLA Troop Support provided 107 pumps to

support dewatering operations in New York

and New Jersey.

Army Sgt. William Adams
6 www.dla.mil

information to make decisions and 

influence what’s going on is critical. The 

JLOC plays an important role in that 

communication,” he said.

The LNOs allowed JLOC staff members

to collect a variety of information so they

could present needs to leaders at DLA

Headquarters and the agency’s primarylevel field activities, McCreery said. As 

requests for support came in, FEMA

communicated these requirements to the

agency through the JLOC.

“We collect that information and 

present it to the leadership so they have 

a common operational picture and good 

situational awareness of what’s going on,” 

McCreery said. “It allows them to make 

decisions to leverage capabilities. It also 

allows them to give the nation’s civilian 

leaders an idea of what DLA is doing and 

what it is capable of doing.”

FEMA’s requests, coupled with 

DLA’s ability to deliver supplies and 

USACE’s engineering expertise, led to 

apartment buildings getting power back 

in the Breezy Point neighborhood in 

Queens, N.Y., a borough where power 

“Your rapid response was invaluable to helping our residents 

through this very challenging time. Many thanks for stepping into 

action when New York City needed you most.”

— New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg

New York Army National Guard Soldiers

assemble generators to be used at polling

places in New York City as Election Day

approaches. DLA Troop Support provided 51

generators to help restore power in the city

and beyond.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy
Loglines 

l January - February 2013

7

outages remained a challenge long after 

the storm.

 “We’re all elements supporting 

[FEMA],” McCreery said. “A request 

may be generated by the New York City 

Housing Authority: ‘We need help with 

generator support at Apartment Building 

X.’ The Corps of Engineers looks at their 

capabilities, and DLA has positioned 

capabilities to augment them. It gets 

sorted out and vetted by FEMA at the 

state and national levels.”

McCreery said the overall team 

effort from throughout DLA has been 

phenomenal.

“The capability of this organization 

is enormous,” he said. “Being able to tap 

into that takes a very concerted effort and 

a team to do that. The agency’s support 

has been tremendous. The feedback folks 

are getting on the ground is positive on 

how DLA has leaned forward and assisted 

in this relief effort.” 

Terry, the FEMA liaison officer, said 

DLA and FEMA’s partnership to support 

Sandy’s survivors was another step in 

strengthening a crucial partnership in 

disaster relief operations.

“DLA is such an important ally and 

partner,” she said. “I would hope that this 

collaboration continues in the future. As 

we work more closely with DLA, we will 

be able to better support our citizens and 

first responders.”

DLA’s efforts in the days following

Sandy’s devastation have not gone 

unnoticed. New York Mayor Michael 

Bloomberg wrote a letter to Harnitchek 

thanking him for the agency’s efforts. 

The mayor cited supplies such as meals, 

generators, water pumps, blankets, medical

supplies and fuel as vital to the effort.

“Many New Yorkers across the city 

were impacted by this severe storm, and 

your rapid response was invaluable to 

helping our residents through this very 

challenging time,” Bloomberg wrote. 

“Many thanks for stepping into action 

when New York City needed you most.” A Coast Guardsman works the rigging of a

submersible pump while conducting dewatering operations at the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in

New York City. Pumps provided by DLA Troop

Support helped New York and New Jersey dry

out after the storm.

Coast Guard Petty Ofcer 2nd Class Jaclyn Young
8 www.dla.mil

Fueling East

Coast Relief

Story by Terry Shawn

s Hurricane Sandy moved up the 

East Coast, Defense Logistics 

Agency Energy personnel devised 

a strategy to provide support for 

what would turn into a storm of 

historic proportions.

DLA Energy began tracking 

Hurricane Sandy Oct. 25, and DLA 

Energy Americas prepared to support 

the organization’s ground fuel 

contingency contract with the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency from 

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

“When Hurricane Sandy hit, our team 

was already in place, trained and ready to 

go,” DLA Energy Commander Air Force 

Brig. Gen. Giovanni Tuck said. “DLA 

remained committed in our support 

to our federal and civilian partners on 

the relief efforts for those impacted by 

Hurricane Sandy.”

Army Col. Ron Ross, DLA Energy

Americas commander, led his team and

established operations at Joint Base

McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, working with

DLA fuel contractor Foster Fuels to help

answer fuel needs in New York and New

Jersey. Anticipating fuel requirements

from FEMA, DLA Energy had the

s

East

Agency

a

what

historic

A

 proportions.

contractor dispatch 60 trucks containing

175,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 25,000

gallons of motor gasoline from Foster

Fuels’ Brookneal, Va., facility.

“Fort Dix was established as an 

intermediate staging base,” Ross said. 

“Foster Fuels started with 40 [fuel trucks] 

at Fort Dix and 20 at Westover Air 

Reserve Base in Massachusetts, another 

established ISB. All assets were then 

consolidated to Fort Dix, totaling 60 

assets, and as the operations grew, these 

assets expanded to approximately 285-

300 fueling assets.”

Ross’ 15-person team provided contingency support to FEMA to meet critical

fuel requirements.

The task force from DLA Energy 

Americas coordinated with Fort Dix 

personnel and received “first-class 

support,” with a fenced motor pool, 

generators, light sets, tents, and 24/7 

maintenance support for life support 

equipment, Ross said. 

“A team effort ... allowed the area to 

expand, supporting approximately 300 

fueling assets, vehicle and equipment 

maintenance, defueling operations, life 

support, which included a heated tent 

for eating and a catering area, latrines 

and an operations center for Foster 

DLA ENERGY

Terry Shawn is a writer for DLA Energy Public Affairs.
Loglines l January - February 2013 9

Fuels and [DLA Energy] Americas’ task 

force,” Ross said. 

Ross went on to praise Joint Base 

McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst for providing 

additional lodging in the barracks for 

drivers, defense fuel acquisition center 

support personnel and police escorts.

“The Fort Dix leadership checked in

with us daily to ensure we were being

supported and if there were any needs not

being met. This phenomenal support had a

major and direct impact on the successful

execution of the mission,” Ross said.

DLA Energy personnel worked closely 

with state and local authorities. As one 

example, Navy Cmdr. Bruce Kong, DLA 

Energy’s inventory management deputy 

division chief, was embedded in the New 

York governor’s office in Manhattan as a 

liaison officer. 

“My role was to ensure DLA Energy 

provided the appropriate level of support 

to the governor’s office, City of New 

York and impacted counties, FEMA and 

Defense Coordinating Office with fuelrelief efforts,” Kong said. 

Kong worked directly with

FEMA’s Joint Fuel Office to establish 

communication with state and local

officials, emergency responders from each 

county, National Guard troops at Floyd

Bennett Field, assorted power companies,

and the 12 hospitals that make up the

Greater New York Hospital Association to

ensure they had the fuel they needed to 

accomplish their missions.

Sandy Moves Nearer and

Conditions Deteriorate

After Sandy made landfall in New

Jersey, more than 8.5 million people in

21 states lost power. In response to the

outages in New York and New Jersey, DLA

Energy issued a warning order to Foster

Fuels in anticipation of emergency fuel

requirements resulting from the storm.

By this time, DLA Energy had contracted for 200,000 gallons of fuel per day:

175,000 gallons of diesel and 25,000 gallons of motor gasoline for first-responder 

vehicles and power-restoration equipment.

Coordinating fuel deliveries and 

dispatching trucks to locations identified 

by FEMA was an around-the-clock 

operation, Ross said. Operations rapidly 

grew from approximately 300 assets 

supporting three first-responder sites to 

about 51 first-responder sites throughout 

the region. 

“As the full extent of the storm 

was recognized, we realized that the 

first-responder requirements would 

increase,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Tam 

Gaffney, DLA Energy Americas at San 

Pedro, Calif., commander and a member 

of the team. “Foster Fuels immediately 

ordered an additional 50 trucks to 

support the increased requirements, 

and there was no hesitation from drivers 

and subcontractors.” 

Fuel trucks wait for police escort at Joint

Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. DLA coordinated with state and local ofcials to deliver

fuel to areas affected by Hurricane Sandy

in direct support of the Federal Emergency

Management Agency. 

Army Maj. John Adams
10 www.dla.mil

Gaffney served as the night-shift 

officer in charge at the intermediate 

staging base along with Army Lt. Col. 

Martine Kidd, DLA Energy Americas 

at Houston commander, who served as 

Ross’ deputy during fuel-relief operations 

and day-shift officer in charge. The two 

were able to assimilate into new roles 

within the ad hoc organization, which 

included personnel from DLA Energy 

Americas and DLA Energy defense fuel 

support point managers, Kidd said. There 

were multiple challenges, and one of the 

first was the lack of a standard tasking 

system, Gaffney said.

“We were receiving fuel requirements 

from multiple organizations in multiple 

formats, from emails to phone calls, and 

the required eTasker system was largely 

ignored due to the fast and furious pace 

of the operation, but our team didn’t miss 

a beat,” she said. 

The task force quickly adapted 

into a single team and developed 

procedures that enabled officials to 

control the support being delivered by 

the contingency contractor and satisfy 

information demands that were sent 

around the clock, Kidd said. 

“As the operation matured, we 

established an efficient battle rhythm. 

Day shift often put out fires, allowing 

night shift to concentrate on accounting 

and prepping for the next day’s missions,”

Gaffney said.

Another challenge the team 

encountered was managing the everincreasing demand for information. 

“We were trying to balance mission 

execution with accounting and reporting 

requirements in an extremely highvisibility environment. Through the 

often-manic pace of the operation, 

we never lost sight of the end goal: 

to provide emergency and essential 

fuel to those devastated by the super 

storm,” Gaffney said. “In doing so, our 

team quickly developed tracking and 

reporting mechanisms to ensure all the 

requirements were met, tracked, as well 

as accurately reported.” 

This was no small feat considering 

the team initially operated with a group 

of quality assurance representatives and 

no accounting or inventory management 

experts, Gaffney said. 

FEMA Calls for Support

The team got its first fuel request 

from FEMA – to establish fuel sites at 

West Orange, Freehold and Vineland, 

N.J. – Nov.1, said Karen Hammack, 

the DLA Energy contract specialist 

responsible for the FEMA-DLA Energy 

contingency contract. 

Because DLA Energy had prepositioned the contractor’s fuel trucks at

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, trucks

were dispatched to locations within an

hour of the request, DLA Energy Americas

Deputy Director Frank Wright said.

It was a risk, Tuck said.

“We decided to lean forward; we 

put risk out there,” Tuck said. “Within 

the span of 24 hours, we closed 95-98 

percent of our requirements.” 

A Foster Fuels employee lls a bus with gasoline. DLA Energy worked with the contractor to

answer fuel needs in New York and New Jersey.

Photo courtesy Foster Fuels
Loglines l January - February 2013 11

DFSP managers worked closely 

with Bill Pollock, DLA Energy’s 

FEMA ordering officer, to validate all 

requirements, Gaffney said.

“Our resourceful and proactive [noncommissioned officers] on the ground 

developed an internal tasking process, 

translating Pollock’s requirements into 

taskings that were coordinated with 

Foster Fuels,” she said. 

DLA Energy Plans and Operations

Director Stephen Grace said the

organization issued about 1.1 million

gallons of motor gasoline and 333,000

gallons of diesel fuel to New York and New

Jersey from Oct. 29-Nov. 7. New York 

received 52 percent of that fuel.

DLA Energy officials, who had already 

requested the contractor double its supply to

400,000 gallons of fuels per day, prepared

for fuel resupply by tugboat and fuel barge in

the event roads became impassable. 

In less than three weeks, estimated 

DLA Energy fuel support to FEMA in 

New York and New Jersey included:

• 80,000 gallons of unleaded fuel and

8,000 gallons of diesel dispatched

to 230 civilian gas stations.

• Almost 90,000 gallons of unleaded

fuel and nearly 80,000 gallons of

diesel fuel dispatched to 38 firstresponder sites.

• Fuel to Operate 11 Red Cross 

mobile kitchens.

• About 3,500 gallons of unleaded 

fuel and 3,500 gallons of diesel 

dispatched to support mass transit

at the New Jersey Meadowlands.

• 73,500 gallons of unleaded fuel 

and 173,000 gallons of diesel 

dispatched to New York’s Floyd 

Bennett Field first-responder and 

transit site.

Ross had high praise for the fuel 

contractor.

“Foster Fuels was adaptive, flexible 

and mission success-focused 24/7. They 

executed like a military operation by 

building a coalition and partnership 

with many of the top petroleum and 

environmental companies as part of their 

team,” he said.

Ross attributed daily safety briefings 

by the contractor as the reason there were 

no accidents or spills of any kind during 

the fuel-support operations. He said that 

was an impressive feat for an operation of 

this size. 

“[The company] is attuned to the 

importance of the environmental and 

Army Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy

Service members distribute fuel to Hurricane

Sandy survivors at New York City’s Staten

Island Armory. DLA Energy provided fuel to

the Federal Emergency Management Agency

to be distributed at armories throughout New

York and northern New Jersey.
12 www.dla.mil

hazardous material handling, and this 

performance is truly award-winning in 

that regard,” Ross said.

Tapping the Heating Oil Reserves

At the request of the state of 

Connecticut, the Department of Energy 

loaned DLA Energy 4.2 million gallons 

of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel from the 

Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve to 

deliver to Connecticut fuel distributors 

to address fuel shortages. This was a 

continuation of an agreement announced 

Nov. 2, when President Obama declared 

that Hurricane Sandy had created a 

severe energy supply interruption.

The fuel, which was distributed to 

state, local and federal responders in 

the impacted area, was used to provide 

additional supplies to ensure continued 

response and recovery efforts. This 

included fuel for emergency equipment 

and buildings, including electric 

generators, water pumps, federal 

buildings, trucks and other vehicles, 

according to an Energy Department 

release. 

To satisfy the requirement, DLA

Energy arranged for barge shipments to

transport the fuel from storage facilities in

Groton, Conn., to New Haven, Conn. DLA

Energy Americas maintains surveillance

of the heating reserves and regularly

tests to ensure the fuel is usable, Quality

Assurance Manager Scott Artrip said.

“We were proud to be part of the

Energy team that quickly responded to the

needs of the state of Connecticut, ensuring

an uninterrupted supply chain,” Ross said.

Two more transfers of ULSD from

the reseve were transported by barge to

New Haven, totaling more than 5 million gallons.

Returning to Houston

After receiving deactivation 

guidance from FEMA, Ross’ team began 

demobilizing Nov. 16. 

Soldiers install electrical generator equipment at a Carteret, N.J., fuel depot that lost power during

Hurricane Sandy. DLA Energy provided fuel to state, local and federal responders for electric

generators and water pumps. 

E.J. Hersom
Loglines 

l January - February 2013 13

After three weeks of round-the-clock 

oversight of the operations, all personnel 

returned to their home stations safely 

Nov. 21, said Army 1st Sgt. Pete Martinez 

Jr. of DLA Energy Task Force Americas.

Gaffney said the successful operation 

was due to the teamwork of many 

individuals, including the drivers, subcontractors and National Guardsmen.

“In retrospect, the DLA and DLA 

Energy response to Hurricane Sandy will 

be viewed as unprecedented, I believe,” 

Kidd said. “It goes without saying, but it 

is great to be part of an organization that 

makes things happen by ... delivering to 

those in need when it matters most.”

The estimated account of DLA 

Energy’s assistance includes: 

• 6.9 million gallons of unleaded fuel 

and 4.1 million gallons of diesel fuel

dispatched to New Jersey.

• 2.6 million gallons of unleaded 

fuel and 387,000 gallons of 

diesel fuel dispatched to New 

York.

• More than 5 million gallons of 

ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel to 

Connecticut.

• Fuel to 272 civilian gas stations 

in New York and New Jersey.

Ross said his team and its partners 

worked well together to bring relief to 

Sandy’s survivors.

“This [relief operation] was seamless as

the partners embedded in the operations

performed as one organization,” Ross said.

“This was a DLA team success story.”

Editor’s note: Numbers in this article are the best

estimates available at press time. Final numbers

will not be known until after reconciliations are

nished with Foster Fuels.

Photo courtesy Foster Fuels

A truck prepares to leave Foster Fuels’

Brookneal, Va., facility. In anticipation of fuel

requirements from the Federal Emergency

Management Agency, DLA Energy ofcials had

the contractor dispatch 60 trucks containing

175,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 25,000 gallons of motor gasoline to areas affected by

Hurricane Sandy.
14 www.dla.mil

After Sandy

Story by Ken MacNevin and Jake Joy

ehicles and equipment Defense 

Logistics Agency Distribution 

provided to first responders in 

New York and New Jersey played 

crucial roles in saving lives 

during and after Hurricane Sandy. 

Through the Law Enforcement 

Support Office, DLA Disposition Services 

shipped about 300 items worth $3 million to 18 different law enforcement and 

public safety agencies immediately following Hurricane Sandy. Those items and 

generators and personal gear procured by 

V law enforcement and other agencies prior 

to Sandy helped first responders save 

many lives.

Detective Clint Daniel, of the Point 

Pleasant Beach, N.J., Police Department 

said most people in the Jersey Shore 

town evacuated, but when Sandy roared 

ashore, people who stayed too long had 

to be rescued from their homes. Two 

all-wheel drive cargo trucks and three 

Humvees the city received through DLA’s 

Law Enforcement Support Office made 

the difference, he said. 

Ken MacNevin and Jake Joy work for DLA Disposition in

Skiddy, Kansas.

After Sandy Story by Jake Joy and Ken MacNevin

ehicles and equipment Defense

Logistics Agency Disposition

Services provided to first 

responders in New York and

New Jersey played crucial

roles in saving lives during and after

Hurricane Sandy.

Through the Law Enforcement 

Support Office, DLA Disposition 

Services shipped 282 items worth $3.9 

million to law enforcement and public 

safety agencies immediately following 

Hurricane Sandy. Those items and 

generators and personal gear procured by 

law enforcement and other agencies prior 

ehicles

Logistics

Services provided to first 

responders

New

roles

V

 in saving

to Sandy helped first responders save 

many lives.

Detective Clint Daniel, of the 

Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., Police 

Department, said most people in the 

Jersey Shore town evacuated, but 

when Sandy roared ashore, people who 

stayed too long had to be rescued from 

their homes. 

Two all-wheel-drive cargo trucks and 

three Humvees the city received through 

DLA’s Law Enforcement Support Office 

made the difference, he said. 

“We had to go to the Coast Guard

station and evacuate the Coast Guardsmen, 

and they helped us with the water rescues,” 

Daniel said. “We couldn’t have made it

without [the DLA-provided vehicles].”

Daniel said the vehicles were pushed 

to the limits of their abilities, but they 

kept going, letting the town’s police 

officers conduct lifesaving activities at the 

storm’s height. 

Driving through water high enough 

that cooling fans on engines slipped 

beneath the saltwater and fan blades 

broke off, officers saved 64 people from 

Point Pleasant Beach and a neighboring 

small town, Daniel said.

In New York, where state police 

have relied on DLA-procured aircraft 

to conduct a variety of missions in the 

past, Sandy was no exception. As the 

storm’s winds battered the state, police 

14 www.dla.mil

Jake Joy and Ken MacNevin work for DLA Disposition Services

Public Affairs.

DLA DISPOSITION SERVICES
Loglines l January - February 2013 15

“We had to go to the Coast Guard station and evacuate the Coast Guardsmen, 

and they helped us with the water 

rescues,” Daniel said. “We couldn’t have 

made it without [the DLA-provided 

vehicles].”

Daniel said the vehicles were pushed 

to the limits of their abilities, but they 

kept going, letting the town’s police 

officers conduct lifesaving activities at the 

storm’s height. 

Driving through water high enough 

that cooling fans on engines slipped 

beneath the saltwater and fan blades 

broke off, officers saved 64 people from 

Point Pleasant Beach and a neighboring 

small town, Daniel said.

In New York, where state police 

have relied on DLA-procured aircraft to 

conduct a variety of missions in the past, 

Sandy was no exception. As the storm’s 

winds battered the state, police officials 

said rescue personnel were flown to Long 

Island, Fire Island and Fishers Island, 

conducted railroad and traffic surveys, 

and delivered first-responder supplies 

aboard surplus Army helicopters received 

from DLA.

City of Rye police, in Westchester 

County, N.Y., on Long Island Sound, used 

LESO-provided Humvees, 5-ton trucks 

and rescue equipment to reach 12 victims 

stranded in flooded areas otherwise 

inaccessible.

“The vehicles acquired through LESO 

provided first responders with access to 

isolated areas, but perhaps more importantly, with the reassurance that even 

under severe weather conditions, we 

would be able to respond to residents in 

need,” Rye Police Commissioner William 

Connors said.

In addition to providing vital equipment, DLA Disposition Services set up 

contracts for the removal of more than 67 

million tons of debris in the storm’s wake.

”XXXXXXXXXXXXX XX XXX.,” 

said somebody in NYC Sanitation Dept., 

“XXXX XXXX XXXX.”

DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark 

Harnitchek lauded the entire DLA team 

in a blog post shortly after the storm.

“I’ve been impressed with this great 

DLA team since I came here a year ago,” 

he wrote. “Your response in such a critical

time of need was yet another example of 

why I continue to be impressed. You did 

big things in a big way. And you bolstered your already excellent reputation 

throughout the government.”

Among the accomplishments 

Harnitchek cited was the nearly 60 million pounds of scrap and storm wreckage removed through DLA Disposition 

Services contracts. He praised the 

agency’s ability to anticipate, plan and 

move out in support of FEMA response 

efforts. 

“I often say that nobody knows logistics better than we do, and DLA proved it 

time and again over the last few weeks,” 

he wrote. 

officials said rescue personnel were 

flown to Long Island, Fire Island and 

Fishers Island, conducted railroad and 

traffic surveys, and delivered firstresponder supplies aboard surplus Army 

helicopters received from DLA.

City of Rye police, in Westchester 

County, N.Y., on Long Island Sound, 

used LESO-provided Humvees, 5-ton 

trucks and rescue equipment to reach 

12 victims stranded in flooded areas 

otherwise inaccessible.

“The vehicles acquired through LESO 

provided first responders with access 

to isolated areas, but perhaps more 

importantly, with the reassurance that 

even under severe weather conditions, we 

would be able to respond to residents in 

need,” Rye Police Commissioner William 

Connors said.

In addition to providing vital equipment, DLA Disposition Services set

up contracts for the removal of more

than 75 million pounds of debris in the 

storm’s wake.

DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark 

Harnitchek lauded the entire DLA team 

in a blog post shortly after the storm.

“I’ve been impressed with this great 

DLA team since I came here a year ago,” 

he wrote. “Your response in such a critical

time of need was yet another example of 

why I continue to be impressed. You did 

big things in a big way. And you bolstered your already excellent reputation 

throughout the government.”

Harnitchek praised the agency’s 

ability to anticipate, plan and move out in 

support of FEMA response efforts. 

“I often say that nobody knows 

logistics better than we do, and DLA 

proved it time and again over the last few 

weeks,” he wrote. 

Loglines l January - February 2013 15

A Humvee procured by the City of Rye Police

Department, in Westchester County, N.Y.,

through the Law Enforcement Support Ofce

fords oodwaters on its way to rescuing people

stranded after Hurricane Sandy swept through

the region. Humvees and 5-ton trucks received

by the department from DLA Disposition

Services helped its ofcers rescue 12 people.

— Photo by Detective John Wood, Rye Police Department
16 www.dla.mil

Pushing Forward

Story by Bill Addison and Michael Tuttle

efense Logistics Agency Troop 

Support supplied urgently 

needed items to the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency 

and other federal agencies 

assisting people in states affected by 

Hurricane Sandy.

The storm, which made landfall 

in New Jersey Oct. 29, left a path of 

destruction that displaced thousands of 

people and left millions more without 

power throughout the Northeast. A 

following nor’easter hit the area Nov. 7, 

creating further damage and hampering 

the relief efforts.

DLA Troop Support provided 

more than 6.2 million meals, 51 power 

generators, about 172,500 blankets and 

cots and more than 250 types of medical 

efense

Support

needed

Emergency

and

assisting

D

 people

items, including hypothermia protection 

kits and portable X-ray machines, to 

FEMA sites.

Representatives from DLA Troop 

Support’s subsistence, medical, clothing 

and textiles, and construction and 

equipment supply chains worked 24/7 

to fulfill FEMA and U.S. Northern 

Command requests.

“I’m so impressed with the tenacity 

and urgency our folks exhibited in 

support of hurricane relief efforts,” DLA 

Troop Support Acting Commander Navy 

Rear Adm. Patricia Wolfe said. “Troop 

Support has ready access to so many 

urgently needed resources like meals, 

blankets and generators, and we worked 

with FEMA to bring those to bear and 

help the tens of thousands of people who 

really needed them.”

Bill Addison and Michael Tuttle work for DLA Troop Support Wolfe went to Joint Base McGuireAn airman guides a loader stacked with blankets to the ramp of a C-130H Hercules at Martinsburg,

W. Va. DLA Troop Support provided more than 172,500 blankets to Hurricane Sandy survivors.

Air Force Tech

Sgt

Chad Chisholm

DLA TROOP SUPPORT
Loglines l January - February 2013 17

Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., as the lead DLA 

representative to Joint Task Force-Civil 

Support, the Defense Department entity 

coordinating DoD support for FEMA 

recovery efforts. Additional DLA Troop 

Support personnel also worked with the 

task force.

Wolfe said her team members’ 

efforts represented a paradigm shift, not

only for how they conducted business, 

but how the other agencies viewed DLA 

Troop Support.

“They had to see us in a new light, 

not just as a provider of commodities 

but as a true partner in the war fight that 

they have for disaster response,” she 

said, noting the team’s efforts to provide 

what DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. 

Harnitchek calls “significant activities, 

urgently executed.”

Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared Strickland, a

DLA Troop Support Subsistence customer

care specialist, said working on the relief

effort was a gratifying experience.

“To be able to get out from behind the 

computer and that cubicle, to get here on 

the ground and see someone able to smile 

because they have a hot meal has been 

very rewarding,” he said.

Strickland was part of a team 

embedded with the Alabama Army 

National Guard’s 167th Theater 

Sustainment Command, which was 

mobilized to the joint base to support 

DoD’s relief efforts. 

For Strickland, DLA Troop Support’s

efforts during Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath

also laid the groundwork for successful

disaster relief operations in the future.

“I think that what DLA has done in 

this natural disaster is blazing trails for 

the future,” he said. 

Army Col. Lee Ellis, 167th TSC 

support operations officer, said having 

DLA directly available to his unit helped 

complete the total relief package.

“It is hard to quantify the importance 

of having DLA here with us; it’s 

absolutely critical,” he said. “They can 

provide visibility [of] their capabilities, 

their assets [and] their commodities and 

transition in a way that’s immediate to us 

and that we have to have.”

One of the biggest obstacles faced by 

responders was restoring power. The U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers deployed teams 

to help get power to affected areas. 

“We deployed two power plants to

Rockaway, N.Y., and we didn’t have all

of the building materials we needed,”

said Army Staff Sgt. Josh Strausbaugh, of

246th Engineer Battalion from Fort Bragg,

N.C. “[DLA Troop Support] ordered it, and

we had it in by the next day.”

A DLA Troop Support Construction 

and Equipment team was at Lakehurst, 

N.J., to provide generators, pumps and 

construction supplies as needed.

“I think it was a major benefit having 

them on ground,” Strausbaugh said. 

“Whenever we were short on supplies, we 

could just walk over to them and they’d 

get it for us, and fast.” 

Kyle McCarthy, chief of the DLA Troop

Support Construction and Equipment

Collective Customer Division, said that

since generators were being leased to other

federal agencies by DLA Troop Support

rather than sold outright, it became his

responsibility to maintain the inventory.

“You have to have boots on the ground

here,” he said. “These other agencies are

extremely busy and don’t have the time

to look for your equipment and provide

accountability. That’s something we need

to be here to do.”

Looking forward, Wolfe said she sees

the role of DLA Troop Support evolving to

handle more domestic contingency operations. She added that there are already

plans to train with the task force in coming

months, which will help increase the

interagency cooperation and trust that has

been built during this disaster.

“When we go to a disaster response, 

we go hand in hand and we know each 

other,” she said. “DLA can bring a lot of 

speed to the fight or, in this case, disaster 

response fast.”

Wolfe, a New Jersey native, added

that for DLA Troop Support personnel,

supporting relief efforts after Hurricane

Sandy was not just about providing disaster

relief to their fellow Americans, it was

about supporting their neighbors, family

members, friends or even their co-workers

who were affected by the storm.

“It was very, very personal,” she said. 

“It made our sense of urgency and our 

sense of purpose to the operation much 

closer to our hearts.” 

New York Army National Guard Soldiers load

meals to provide to residents affected by

Hurricane Sandy at Coney Island, in Brooklyn,

N.Y. DLA Troop Support provided more than

6.3 million meals to the storm’s survivors.

Army Sgt. William Adams
18 www.dla.mil

Getting

It There

Story by DLA Distribution Public Affairs

lankets, cots, meals and fuel 

components are just a few 

of the commodities Defense 

Logistics Agency Distribution 

moved during Hurricane 

Sandy relief efforts. When the storm hit 

the East Coast in late October, DLA’s 

network of distribution centers went 

into action supporting affected areas of 

A distribution process worker at DLA Distribution Susquehanna, Pa., moves pallets of blankets

destined for New York and New Jersey. DLA Disribution coordinated the movement of supplies

the agency provided to the relief effort.

DLA DISTRIBUTION

lankets,

components

of

Logistics

moved B

Sandy relief

DLA Distribution
Loglines l January - February 2013 19

New York and New Jersey. 

In support of the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, DLA Distribution 

headquarters representatives managed 

the transportation planning of more than 

6.3 million commercial meals. 

“This effort included ordering 

and tracking over 286 trucks for 

FEMA,” said William Budden, DLA 

Distribution’s deputy commander. 

“Throughout the relief efforts, our representatives maintained contact with 

the transportation carriers to ensure 

the most accurate, up-to-date information was available, not an easy task 

when moving items into areas affected 

by the storm.”

In addition to the commercial meals, 

almost 4,000 cases of meals, ready-to-eat 

were shipped from distribution facilities 

in Norfolk, Va., and Albany, Ga. 

DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark 

Harnitchek said DLA Distribution’s 

efforts to get food to the storm’s survivors 

were crucial.

“When the last raindrop fell, DLA 

Distribution’s lines were burning up with 

phone calls for meals. They didn’t miss 

a beat; they just made it happen. They 

made it look easy,” he said . 

DLA Distribution San Joaquin, Calif., 

shipped 96 unitized group rations, the 

military’s heat-and-serve meals, to a 

facility in Glen Gardener, N.J. 

“In addition to the UGRs, the San 

Joaquin workforce moved more than 

115,000 blankets to Lakehurst, N.J.,”

said Marine Col. Adrian Burke, DLA 

Distribution San Joaquin commander. 

Additional blankets came from DLA 

Distribution Susquehanna, Pa., which 

shipped almost 36,000. 

Other commodities shipped from 

DLA Distribution Susquehanna included 

5,000 cots, more than 24,000 feet of 

wire, lighting kits, cables and flatware. 

A Nov. 4 emergency request for fueling components was received late in the 

day at DLA Distribution Susquehanna. 

Employees picked, packed and moved the 

material to nearby Capital City Airport, 

in Harrisburg, Pa., where two Blackhawk 

helicopters from Fort Indiantown Gap, 

Pa., picked them up and transported 

them to New York. 

“Our organization loaded all that

could fit into the Blackhawks,” said Army 

Col. David Touzinsky, DLA Distribution

Susquehanna commander. “The remaining

orders were shipped out the following day.” 

In addition, all requisitions in support

of Hurricane Sandy were constantly traced. 

“Our representatives monitored 

every order through delivery,” Budden 

A Soldier fuels a car using components moved

to New York by DLA Distribution Susquehenna,

Pa.,on short notice after Hurricane Sandy.

When the storm hit 

the East Coast in late 

October, DLA’s network of 

distribution centers went 

into action supporting 

affected areas of New York

and New Jersey. 

DLA Distribution Norfolk, Va.

said. “We worked closely with our DLA 

enterprise partners, transportation 

carriers and logistics partners to ensure 

shipments were received on time.” 
A Conversation with . . .

20 www.dla.mil

In what ways did you interact with 

DLA prior to becoming a senior 

leader here? 

I’ve been a recipient 

of DLA’s services since I 

began my career as an Army 

logistician, particularly in 

my positions as U.S. Pacific 

Command’s and U.S. Central 

Command’s director of 

logistics. DLA’s impact on the 

strategic focus of a combatant 

command was a key enabler, 

especially in the fuel 

commodity. The DLA support 

provided to the warfighter in 

those areas of responsibility 

is top notch and critical to 

meeting mission goals.

DLA’s New Logistics Operations Director Discusses His Views on the Agency Before and After His Arrival.

Now that you are leading DLA 

Logistics Operations, how has your

perspective of the agency changed? 

Having the opportunity to

support our warfighters and the 

nation from the tip of the logistics

spear in J3 has provided me with

a more complete Department of

Defense supply-chain picture.

DLA Director of Logistics Operations Army Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dowd (far right) discusses post-Hurricane Sandy dewatering operations with

maintenance managers at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. 

Navy Lt

Cmdr

Ron Hoak

Army Maj. Gen. Ken
DLA Strategic Communications 

Loglines l January - February 2013 21

DLA Strategic Communications

The significance of the DLA 

mission is impressive. We make

amazing things happen on a

worldwide scale. The capability of

the agency is boundless, from fuel

to medical to meals for the troops

and humanitarian assistance

and disaster relief. The logistics

missions we execute on behalf of

the nation make me proud to be

leading the J3 organization. The

leadership team in place is taking

the agency to the next level. It

pumps me up every day to see

what else we can accomplish on

behalf of our customers.

How would you characterize your 

leadership style? 

My No. 1 priority is the 

care of my people: military 

and civilian. I like to stay 

tuned in to the concerns of my 

folks and make sure they have 

every opportunity to succeed 

in their environments. I’m 

high energy. My posture is 

to consistently lean forward, 

anticipate the questions, 

and have the answers before 

they’re asked. I expect the best 

from myself and my team. 

At the end of the day, we are 

all accountable. Working 

together with common goals 

and understanding creates 

an environment of high 

productivity and engagement. 

I prefer to break through 

the bureaucracy, and I 

encourage my team to do 

the same: Keep pressing 

to get the answers for our 

customers; break a little 

glass when necessary. Taking 

the appropriate actions for 

the right reasons sets the 

standard. I have complete 

trust in my team for getting 

the job done and exceeding 

expectations where possible. 

Another thing I like to do 

is walk around the J3 work 

space. It gives me a chance 

to see the faces of those who 

do the job each day. I always 

learn something new from an 

impromptu walkabout among 

the troops; the less formal, 

the greater the likelihood for 

candid conversation.

What leadership priorities are most

important for you and your leaders?

Customers and employees 

are the No. 1 priority. I expect us 

to be aggressive in anticipating 

the needs of our customers, keep 

communication lines open, get 

answers to the warfighter, and 

collaborate with other leaders 

across the agency to create a 

climate of dignity and respect.

What are your hot-button issues 

and pet peeves as a leader?

I like to keep meetings to 

no more than an hour. The 

best use of our time is solving 

customer issues rather than 

endlessly discussing them. I 

encourage open dialog within 

the team and don’t believe 

in holding grudges caused 

by differences of opinion. 

I have one standout peeve: 

“We make amazing things

happen on a worldwide

scale. The capability of

the agency is boundless,

from fuel to medical to

meals for the troops and

humanitarian assistance

and disaster relief.”

nneth Dowd
A Conversation with . . .

22 www.dla.mil

interrupting me before I can 

get my thought out. We have 

an intelligent workforce with 

fast minds. Completing my 

sentence for me won’t impress 

me with your brilliance. 

East Coast, the DLA team 

immediately postured itself 

to provide support. The Joint 

Logistics Operations Center 

went to 24-hour operations, 

we teamed with the Federal 

Emergency Management 

Agency by embedding DLA 

personnel into its organization, 

and we moved assets and 

supplies to areas that needed 

them most. The range of our 

capability and speed with 

which DLA provided meals, 

generators, pumps and fuel is 

unparalleled. 

DLA Troop Support 

quickly provided more than 

6.3 million meals and other 

supplies, DLA Distribution 

got them to the critical sites, 

and DLA Energy trucked 

8.7 million gallons of fuel to 

the region. DLA Disposition 

Services worked to support the 

removal of 75 million pounds 

of trash and debris. DLA 

Acquisition put the pumps 

and generators on contracts 

that included crew support 

and accessories to make them 

functional. 

All in all, it was a 

marvelous team effort. 

Although we were flexing to 

meet the requirements of the 

nation, we never missed a beat 

in our support to our citizens 

who suffered as a result of 

super storm Sandy. This is 

the level of performance that 

DLA brings to the fight, a true 

demonstration of the monster 

logistics capacity in our 

organization. 

“We never missed a beat

in our support to our

citizens who suffered as

a result of super storm

Sandy. This is the level

of performance that DLA

brings to the ght, a true

demonstration of the

monster logistics capacity

in our organization.”

huge dividends: The customer 

knows the J3 pays attention 

and stays engaged. 

We’ve been building on 

the director’s concept of bringing in our industry partners 

– key DLA suppliers and 

vendors – to help us meet our 

goals. During these roundtable 

discussions, we look at innovative and cost-effective ways 

to meet mission requirements. 

These forums are gaining 

strength both internally and 

with our industry partners. 

My other key focus is to 

reduce operating costs by 

improving distribution and 

transportation efficiencies. 

We have major departmentlevel efforts under way 

such as Strategic Network 

Optimization and post-Base 

Realignment and Closure 

efficiencies. These programs 

will significantly contribute to 

achieving the target goals of 

reducing cost and inventory. 

Lastly, audit readiness 

is a critical requirement that 

touches everyone around the 

agency. We are doing our part 

to support the agency’s audit 

team by standing up an audit 

readiness sustainment division 

in J3.

The agency played a large role 

in the relief efforts following 

Hurricane Sandy. What do you 

consider the most notable highlights of DLA’s efforts?

When Hurricane Sandy 

devastated parts of the 

How is your directorate 

supporting DLA Director Navy 

Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek’s 

“Big Ideas?”

J3 has a major role in 

each of the Big Ideas. We 

have many initiatives working 

under the director’s five goal 

areas. J3 is a primary touch 

point for our customers. 

Part of my philosophy 

for improving customer 

relationships is fostering 

communication. Each week, 

I reach out to key customers 

to talk about items of mutual 

concern and receive feedback 

as to how we could better meet 

their requirements. This pays 
LogPoints DLA Strategic Communications 

75 MILLION 

Pounds of debris hauled away via DLA 

Disposition Services contracts following 

Hurricane Sandy, equal to the daily 

garbage disposed of by 16,666,667 

average Americans. 

8,272

Pounds of turkey breast meat shipped 

to warfighters in Afghanistan for the 

December holidays by DLA Troop 

Support, equal to the total cooked meat 

of 1,292 16-lb. gobblers. More than 860 

full birds were also sent.

10 PERCENT 

Ratio of DLA employees who identify 

as people with disabilities, three 

percentage points higher than the federal 

government average. 

Source: www.opm.gov

15

Number of thread colors used in the 

presidential flags hand-sewn by DLA 

Troop Support team members. Assembly 

time: 45 days.

BY THE NUMBERS

“I talked to my dad and he just told me, ‘Son, other than raising your kids, this 

will be the best thing you can do in life. Go over there and kind of boost morale 

of the troops. Show them that you appreciate them and everything that they’re 

doing for us back home.’” 

— Washington Capitals Forward Matt Hendricks, talking about the influence his father,

a former Marine, had on his decision to go on holiday USO tour to Afghanistan.

“We’re in this together. The health of the industrial base is 

very important.” 

— Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for

acquisition, technology and logistics, speaking to

defense industry executives and investors.

“As one of the largest landowners and energy consumers 

in the world, our drive is to be more efficient and 

environmentally sustainable.” 

— Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a speech to

the Environmental Defense Fund.

“The professionalism and the capability of the workforce 

and how it’s supported, more than anything else, affects 

acquisition outcomes.” 

— Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition,

technology and logistics, regarding acquisition reform initiatives.

“It’s clear we’re not going to be a bystander anymore to 

cyberattacks.”

— James A. Lewis, cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic 

and International Studies, discussing President Obama’s

November cybersecurity directive.

QUOTABLES

Loglines l January - February 2013 23
24 www.dla.mil

African Nations,

American Logistics Story by Amanda Neumann

ith Defense Logistics Agency

missions in the U.S. Africa

Command area of operations

increasing substantially over

the past three years and an

increased focus by President Barack

Obama, DLA Europe and Africa has

expanded its support to operations on

the continent.

Covering 54 nations on the African 

continent, USAFRICOM was established 

ith

missions

Command

increasing

the

increased

W

 focus

by President George W. Bush in 2007. 

Obama expanded USAFRICOM’s 

reach and ordered the establishment 

of several efforts, including logistics 

support, to its area of responsibility.

“America has a respons-ibility to

advance this vision, not just with words,

but with support that strengthens African

capacity,” Obama told the Ghanaian

parliament in 2009. “When there is

genocide in Darfur or terrorists in
Loglines l January - February 2013 25

Somalia, these are not simply African

problems, they are global security

challenges, and they demand a global

response. That is why we stand ready to

partner through diplomacy, technical

assistance and logistical support, and will

stand behind efforts to hold war criminals

accountable. And let me be clear: our

Africa Command is focused not on

establishing a foothold in the continent,

but on confronting these common

challenges to advance the security of

America, Africa and the world.”

To assist in meeting these security

challenges, DLA provides subsistence

items, construction material, repair

parts, medical supplies, fuel, distribution

support, and disposition services to 

U.S. and host-nation forces. These 

support operations are coordinated by 

the DLA Europe and Africa team, which 

includes representatives from all of the 

agency’s primary-level field activities, 

at a joint logistics operations center 

in Kleber Kaserne, in Kaiserslautern, 

Germany. DLA Europe and Africa also 

has Tom Herrmann, DLA Europe and 

Africa liaison officer, Gene Warren, 

USAFRICOM joint logistics planner, and 

Sam Cooks, DLA Energy liaison officer, 

working specifically on issues in the 

USAFRICOM area of responsibility near 

the combatant command’s headquarters 

in Stuttgart, Germany. In addition, 

representatives at Camp Lemonnier, 

Djibouti, support Combined Joint Task 

Force-Horn of Africa and other U.S. 

forces operating on the continent. 

“Building stability and security on the 

continent is paramount,” Warren said. 

DLA Europe and Africa plays an 

integral part in supporting two of 

USAFRICOM’s most critical military 

tasks: strengthening the defense 

capabilities of African states and regional 

partners and assisting with humanitarian 

efforts in the region, Warren said.

“We provide logistical support to 

military forces deployed in the AOR and 

support efforts to train and equip those 

forces with the Excess Defense Articles 

and Foreign Military Sales programs,” 

Warren said. 

For DLA, one of the major logistical

challenges has been the lack of infrastructure on the continent, Warren

said. Poor road networks and onerous

customs and border crossing procedures

that vary from one country to another

make providing logistics support a

unique challenge. 

Another unique challenge to deliveries in Africa is the weather, Herrmann 

added, noting that delivery times within 

Africa can be iffy at best.

“The issue is not getting it to a port 

but getting it inside the country,” he said. 

“Based on the time of year, you can get 

U.S. service members deliver more than

20 boxes of supplies to villagers in Bi’idley,

Djibouti, after a strong wind storm destroyed

much of the village. DLA Europe and Africa

manages Defense Department logistics

throughout the African continent.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Ruano
26 www.dla.mil

something from Dubai, for example, to a 

port in East Africa. But the final delivery 

destination might be 200 miles inland. 

Because of the rainy season, it can take 

you 10 days to go 200 miles. And that’s if 

you’re able to even get over the roads.”

Fuel requirements, diesel in particular,

have been increasing as well due to

missions such as Operation Observant

Compass, a U.S. effort to provide training,

funding, airlift, logistics, communications

and intelligence support to a four-nation

A Navy explosive ordnance disposal technician

practices explosives disposal with a Kenyan

trainee in Nairobi, Kenya. DLA Europe and

Africa helps supply teams of American service

members in a variety of missions across a land

area larger than the United States, India and

China combined.

OVERALL DLA CONTRIBUTION

DLA provides about $25 million in 

operational support in nine African

countries, supporting 14 ongoing U.S. 

and coalition operations. 

DLA IN 

AFRICA

Air Force Staff Sgt. R.J. Biermann

FUEL

FUEL

coalition fighting the Lord’s Resistance 

Army in Central Africa, said Sam Cooks,

DLA Energy liaison officer.

“Fuel-wise, Camp Lemonnier is our 

most active and busiest location that we 

support,” Cooks said. “Certainly in some 

other locations, such as Uganda, South 

Sudan and the Central African Republic, 

we expend a lot of time on those because 

they are such far-reaching areas. Between 

February and August 2012, DLA Energy 

executed 25 spot buys to procure fuel 

in 55-gallon drums to haul out to those 

various sites. Quantity-wise, it’s about 

75,000 gallons that we’ve executed 

overall, and about 95 percent of that fuel 

has been diesel. It doesn’t sound like a 

lot, but you’re talking about moving a lot 

of drums into very remote locations over 

immature transportation networks. There 

are unpaved roads that are impacted by 

the rainy season, monsoons that wash 

away the roads, and rivers that swell and 

make the bridges impassable. It can be 

very challenging.”

With 29 “into-plane” contracts, 10 

marine gas oil bunker locations, and 

a defense fuel support point at Camp 

Lemonnier, DLA Energy supports both 

land and sea operations.

“We have 29 into-plane contracts 

at major international airports in 

Africa,” Cooks said. “Any time a Defense 

Department aircraft shows up, they can 

FUEL

DoD INTO-PLANE FUEL

USAGE AT 

DJIBOUTI-AMBOULI

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

(Gallons/Fiscal Year)

2010 – 1 million 

2011 – 3.3 million

2012 – 2.6 million FUEL

DLAENERGY CONTRIBUTION FUEL

FUEL CONSUMPTION 

AT CAMP LEMONNIER, 

DJIBOUTI 

(Gallons/Fiscal Year)

Diesel 

2010 – 4.8 million

2011 – 5.9 million

Unleaded 

2010 – 51,300

2011 – 52,700

Jet A1 

2010 - 8.1 million

2011 - 9.9 million
Loglines l January - February 2013 27

just go to that vendor and lift fuel at the 

DoD contract price, which is most times 

more favorable than buying on the open 

market. The marine gas oil bunkers are 

similar to the into-plane, just at seaports. 

The Navy can pull in and lift marine 

gas oil for the surface ships for their 

propulsion. Our defense fuel support 

point in Djibouti provides military 

specification maritime fuels for the U.S. 

Navy: F-76 for the ship’s propulsion and 

JP-5 for the ship’s aviation operations.”

Along with diesel fuel, DLA Energy 

also provides liquid oxygen and aviation 

gasoline to Camp Lemonnier. Thanks 

to these two contracts, the customers’ 

sustainment burden has dropped 

significantly, saving not only money but 

air cargo space, Cooks said.

 “One of the contracts we have, the 

liquid oxygen contract that supports 

Camp Lemonnier, was stood up in May 

2012,” he said. “The previous sustainAn Ethiopian veterinarian, a U.S. Army civil

affairs ofcer and local animal heath assistants

examine a bull during a veterinary civic action

program clinic in Hirna, Ethiopia. Defense

Department teams operate in small groups

scattered across U.S. Africa Command’s area

of responsibility, and DLA Europe and Africa

ensures those teams have what they need to

accomplish their missions.

LOGISTICALLY SPEAKING

Comparison of the size of the

African continent versus other

nations, such as the United States,

China and India. One of the major

logistical challenges for DLA

in Africa has been the lack of

infrastructure on the continent’s

road network, causing increased

delivery times within the continent.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald R. Allen

ISTICALL

 of

 continent

 such as

 India.

 challenges

 has been

infrastructure on

 network, causing

 times

ISTICALL

 of

 continent

 as

 India.

 challenges

 been

 on

 causing

 times within

ISTICALLY SPEAKING

 of the size of the

 continent versus other

 as the United States,

 India. One of the major

 challenges for DLA

 been the lack of

 on the continent’s

 causing increased

 within the continent.

UNITED STATES

SPAIN AND

PORTUGAL

BELGIUM

FRANCE

GERMANY

ITALY

SWITZERLAND

EASTERN

EUROPE

INDIA

CHINA

CHINA

PART 2

INDIA

PART 2

UNITED

KINGDOM

JAPAN

ment method was for the Air Force to

actually fly that product in. Now that 

product is imported into the country then 

delivered to the camp. The significance 

is now they don’t have to fly it in with 

the contract in place. It’s the same with

aviation gasoline. The contracts save a

lot of money and free up air cargo space

for other critical items that truly need to

be airlifted.”

DLA Troop Support also supports 

efforts in Africa, providing medical 

supplies, equipment and 

DLA TROOP SUPPORT CONTRIBUTION

DLA Troop Support has provided about $2.7 

million to date in subsistence and construction 

materials.

2009 – $440,000 worth of material over 10

deliveries to eight ships, six ports, five countries.

2010 – $192,000 worth of material over 10

deliveries to five ships, five ports, five countries.

2011 – $1.4 million worth of material over 13

deliveries to four ships, eight ports, eight countries.

pharmaceuticals through the Global 

Health Initiative, helping fight malaria 

and HIV and AIDS and improve 

maternal and child health. DLA 

Disposition Services provides excess 

medical material not needed by U.S. 

Defense Department customers to 

other federal customers through 

such programs as the Humanitarian 

Assistance Program, contributing to the 

reduction of child mortality in Senegal, 

Rwanda, Kenya and other 

African states.
28 www.dla.mil

Story by Beth Reece

NA technology has been used to protect 

fine wines, high-end apparel and even 

currency from being counterfeited. Now 

the Defense Logistics Agency is using it to 

up the Defense Department’s game against 

counterfeit microcircuits.

“DoD has become aggressive about keeping 

counterfeits out of the military supply system, and 

DLA is leading that effort by working closely with 

manufacturers to find innovative ways of proving 

product authenticity,” said Air Force Col. Arthur 

Beauchamp, deputy director of DLA Logistics 

Operations’ Technical and Quality Division.

In March 2012, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of 

defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, issued 

a memorandum directing all military departments and 

defense agencies to prevent, detect and investigate 

counterfeiting in DoD’s supply chains. Five months 

later, DLA announced that all electronic microcircuits it 

buys must be marked with botanical DNA. 

The change requires manufacturers and distributors 

that want to sell microcircuits to DLA to mark those 

items with “SigNature DNA,” a product invented by the 

civilian high-technology firm Applied DNA Sciences for 

forensic authentication and counterfeit prevention. 

DLA spent 18 months working with Applied DNA 

Sciences and several manufacturers to prove that 

NA

fine wines, high-end apparel and even 

currency from being counterfeited. Now 

the Defense Logistics Agency is using it to 

up the Defense Department’s game against D

counterfeit microcircuits.

microchips could be marked with botanical DNA 

during production and that those marks could later be 

read. The DNA is embedded in the ink suppliers use to 

mark their products and can be detected by a handheld laser reader or swabbed for testing at an Applied 

DNA Sciences lab. 

“The DNA can’t be altered or copied, so we 

can be sure items marked with SigNature DNA are 

authentic,” said Chris Metz, chief of the Technical and 

Quality Division in DLA Logistics Operations. 

Microcircuits are the first commodity DLA is 

targeting because they have a high risk of being 

counterfeited, she said. The agency buys about 80,000 

different types of microcircuits, which are used in 

everything from aircraft and ships to medical equipment.

“Microelectronics is where a lot of counterfeit 

issues have been occurring. It’s also where, if things go 

wrong, they could really impact system performance 

and lives,” Metz said. 

DLA is also developing several methods to prove 

the authenticity of parts already in its inventory or 

on existing long-term contracts, as well as those that 

are no longer in production. Metz’ staff has partnered 

with the Electronic Product Testing Center at DLA 

Land and Maritime to evaluate long-term contracts 

and determine whether they should be modified or 

possibly canceled. 

Combating

Counterfeits

28 www.dla.mil

Story by

counterfeit microcircuits.

“DoD has become aggressive about keeping 

counterfeits out of the military supply system, and 

DLA is leading that effort by working closely with 

manufacturers to find innovative ways of proving 

product authenticity,” said Air Force Col. Arthur 

Beauchamp, deputy director of DLA Logistics 

Operations’ Technical and Quality Division.

In March 2012, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of 

defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, issued 

a memorandum directing all military departments and 

defense agencies to prevent, detect and investigate 

counterfeiting in DoD’s supply chains. Five months 

later, DLA announced that all electronic microcircuits it 

buys must be marked with botanical DNA. 

The change requires manufacturers and distributors 

that want to sell microcircuits to DLA to mark those 

items with “SigNature DNA,” a product invented by the 

civilian high-technology firm Applied DNA Sciences for 

forensic authentication and counterfeit prevention. 

DLA spent 18 months working with Applied DNA 

Sciences and several manufacturers to prove that 

D

counterfeit microcircuits.

Counterfeits

28 www.dla.mil

Story

counterfeit microcircuits.

counterfeits out of the military supply system, and 

DLA is leading that effort by working closely with 

manufacturers to find innovative ways of proving 

product authenticity,” said Air Force Col. Arthur 

Beauchamp, deputy director of DLA Logistics 

Operations’ Technical and Quality Division.

defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, issued 

a memorandum directing all military departments and 

defense agencies to prevent, detect and investigate 

counterfeiting in DoD’s supply chains. Five months 

later, DLA announced that all electronic microcircuits it 

buys must be marked with botanical DNA. 

that want to sell microcircuits to DLA to mark those 

items with “SigNature DNA,” a product invented by the 

civilian high-technology firm Applied DNA Sciences for 

forensic authentication and counterfeit prevention. 

Sciences and several manufacturers to prove that 

D

counterfeit microcircuits.

Combating

Counterfeits

A hand-held laser reader used to detect and

authenticate botanical DNA embedded in ink

used on microelectronic parts to help prevent

counterfeiting efforts.
Loglines l January - February 2013 29

Distributors with unmarked parts will 

be asked to show documentation proving 

the items can be traced to an approved 

source and must then mark the items 

with SigNature DNA. The test center is 

also outlining a set of tests that can be 

conducted to ensure untraceable items 

aren’t counterfeits. 

“The tests for microcircuits have 

become pretty sophisticated and include 

microscopy, X-rays, looking inside the 

part to verify its internal components 

and making sure the dye on the inside 

matches what’s on the outside of the 

product,” Metz said. “I think our product 

test center is about as good as it gets in 

terms of detecting counterfeit electronic 

components, and now they’re working 

hard to test our inventory, as well as 

looking beyond electronic components 

to see if there are counterfeits in other 

critical items.”

Suppliers’ responses to the new 

requirement have been mixed, Metz 

added. Some see it as a step forward in 

proving authenticity of both military and 

nonmilitary products, but others say the 

solution is to buy only from authorized 

sources and suppliers rather than independent or secondary-market distributors who typically don’t invest time and 

money to inspect the items they sell.

“Where we can, we do go to 

authorized manufacturers that are on 

the qualified manufacturers list, then we 

go to the qualified distributors list. But 

some of the parts we buy have been out 

of production for a long time and aren’t 

easily available, so we’re forced to go to a 

more high-risk supplier,” Metz said. 

While military systems may be in service

for decades, the components may be manufactured for only two years, Metz explained.

“And the fact that we frequently buy in

small quantities doesn’t make it economical

for larger manufacturers to continue

producing the parts,” she added.

Suppliers have also expressed concerns

about the additional cost of DNA marking.

“But we’re willing to accept of the cost 

of this in the price of the item because it 

effectively reduces risk,” Metz said.

Electronic items such as connectors 

and resistors also have a high risk of 

being counterfeited and may be next in 

line for authentication marking, Metz 

said. Meanwhile, the agency is reviewing 

responses to a formal request for 

information that was released in October 

asking industry for details about other 

types of authentication marking. 

DLA is also working to establish a

software system that detects inconsistencies

in suppliers’ addresses and buying patterns,

similar to the way credit card companies

use fraud detection software to show that

there’s an unusual pattern of spending on a

cardholder’s account.

Officials have found increasing 

overlap in cybersecurity and counterfeit 

prevention, Metz said. 

“You really don’t know until you’ve 

found a counterfeit and done the 

investigation if it was just somebody 

trying to make money or someone being 

malicious,” she said.

Problems with counterfeit parts in 

the military supply chain became widely 

known in 2008 with the release of a 

Business Week news article detailing 

how counterfeit computer components 

were getting into aircraft and ships. In 

2009, DLA created the DoD Counterfeit 

Parts Integrated Project Team to help 

develop anti-counterfeiting guidance. 

DLA’s Electronic Product Testing Center 

has also increased testing of high-risk 

commodities. And in 2012, the agency 

released a one-hour computer-based 

course to help employees with certain job 

specialties recognize counterfeit parts.

Lawmakers announced during a

November 2011 Senate Armed Services

Committee hearing that investigators

had found about 1,800 cases of suspected

counterfeit electronics being sold to the

Pentagon, with the total number of parts in

those cases being near 1 million. Pentagon

officials have said they are unaware of any 

loss of life or catastrophic mission failure

due to counterfeit parts, but Metz said

delaying prevention efforts isn’t an option.

“The sooner we begin to prevent 

and aggressively deter counterfeits 

and the more difficult we make it for 

counterfeiters, the better we safeguard 

our warfighters,” she said. 

Microchips such as this employ

SigNature DNA markings in an effort

to reduce the possibility of counterfeit

parts being used in everything from

aircraft and ships to medical equipment.

DLA worked with Applied DNA Sciences

and several manufacturers to prove that

embedded DNA could be instrumental in

combating counterfeit parts.

DNA-embedded ink 

is highlighted when

exposed to a hand-held

laser reader
I AM

My name is:

Cynthia Merceron 

I am:

A customer account specialist in DLA Troop Support Clothing 

and Textiles. 

Describe your job in a sentence.

I provide customer support for Army and Air Force Exchange Service 

stores.

How long have you worked for DLA?

Eight years.

What is your favorite thing about working for DLA?

I like knowing I provide support to our nation’s armed forces.

What is your best memory of working here?

I went to Columbus, Ohio, for three weeks of training with my 

intern class. We truly developed an unforgettable bond. 

How do you make a difference to warfighters? 

I go above and beyond to ensure they have what they need. 

Deploying to Kuwait showed me just how critical supporting those 

warfighters’ needs is to allowing them to do what they do.

Cynthia Merceron