LOGLINES

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

DOD COMPUTERS FOR LEARNING PROGRAM

Keyboards

FOR CLASSROOMS

 Providing Computers to 

 Local Schools Through 

 the DoD Computers for 

 Learning Program 

 

The Right Solution — On Time, Every Time January / February 2018

DLA Strategic Plan 2018-2026

To Serve the Warfighter and Our Nation 

Small Business, Big Impact

Buying warfighters’ supplies from smaller 

companies boosts DLA’s industrial base 

and the U.S. economy 

Providers in the Storms

Providing Support to Federal, State 

and Local Agencies Assisting Victims 

of the Fall 2017 Hurricanes
DLA DIRECTOR 

Army Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams

DLA VICE DIRECTOR

Ted Case

ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF

David Kless

DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Joseph M. Yoswa

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Patrick H. Mackin

MANAGING EDITOR

Phil Prater

SENIOR EDITOR

John R. Bell

WRITERS

Beth Reece

Dianne Ryder

LAYOUT AND DESIGN

Paul Henry Crank

LOGLINES

THE OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION OF THE 

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY 

Army Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

From the Director

I

am excited to share our new DLA Strategic Plan 2018-2026 with the 

readers of Loglines magazine. I believe this plan provides the clarity of 

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providing a roadmap to a brilliant future. 

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provided great feedback. One of those teams consisted of junior employees 

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folks who represent the future of our agency.

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be about doing everything possible to strengthen the readiness and lethality 

of our military. 

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a priority we elevated due to the extraordinary growth in our support to 

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contingency operations anywhere in the world.

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these disasters. 

You will also read about our DLA Disposition Services employees 

administering a program that provides excess military computers and 

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Happy reading! LL

LOGLINES is the authorized publication for the Defense 

Logistics Agency’s workforce of federal civilians, activeduty 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 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:

Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency 

Office of Public Affairs, 

8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 2545, 

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221

DLA ON THE WEB www.dla.mil www.facebook.com/dla.mil

SUBSCRIBE TO LOGLINES MAGAZINE

If you would like to be on the Loglines mailing list, 

please email loglines@dla.mil with your name, 

organization and complete mailing address.
Keyboards for Classrooms ...................02

DLA supports the DoD Computers for Learning program by 

providing computers to local schools. 

A Look at DLA’s People 

and Culture Plan ....................................06

The new DLA People and Culture Plan shows how people are the 

heart of the agency. 

DLA Strategic Plan 2018-2026 ............08

Five lines of effort make up the new plan, with Warfighter 

First still our top priority.

Small Business, Big Impact .................25

Buying warfighters’ supplies from smaller companies boosts 

DLA’s industrial base and the U.S. economy. 

Providers in the Storms ........................29

DLA provided crucial support to the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, the Coast Guard, National Guard units, 

local law enforcement and the military services as they helped 

victims of the Fall 2017 hurricanes. 

02

25

06

29

Features

Departments

I am DLA ..................................Back Cover

Rhonda Christie

www.twitter.com/dlamil www.youtube.com/dodlogisticsagency

PEOPLE AND CULTURE PLAN +XPDQ&DSLWDO0DQDJHPHQWLQWKH

'HIHQVH/RJLVWLFV$JHQF\

The DLA Strategic Plan 2018-2026 and the DLA People 

and Culture Plan are now available online at www.dla.mil
page

2 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Keyboards 

District Technology Supervisor Ryan Stockton of Ohio’s Minford Local School 

District shakes the hand of DLA Disposition Services Property Disposal Specialist 

Cindy Anderson as he prepares to load up 1,300 excess laptops that no longer 

met DoD security requirements. The lot, originally valued at $800,000, allowed 

his district to have a dedicated device for every student.

— Photo Courtesy of Minford Local School District
page

January / February 2018 3

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

for Classrooms

 PROVIDING COMPUTERS TO LOCAL SCHOOLS THROUGH 

THE DOD COMPUTERS FOR LEARNING PROGRAM

Story by Jake Joy, DLA Disposition Services Public Affairs

St. Kevin School in Warwick, Rhode 

Island, serves about 250 pupils 

from pre-kindergarten through 

eighth grade. In November 2017, 

its students and staff dedicated 

an academic learning lab outfitted 

with new laptops, docking stations 

and keyboards, and upgraded their 

classroom computers.

The dedication of a computer lab 

at a primary school, on its own, is not 

particularly attention-grabbing. What is 

notable about St. Kevin School is that it 

snagged 50 unopened laptops and peripheral hardware from nearby Quonset 

Air National Guard Base — for free.

The DoD Computers For Learning 

program, created by executive order 

in 1996, allows the Defense Logistics 

Agency’s property disposal professionals 

to authorize and coordinate the donation 

of used and excess Department of 

Defense commercial technology to 

educational institutions like St. Kevin. 

The 321 schools currently enrolled pay 

nothing but the cost of transportation 

and possibly refurbishment, and 

taxpayers get extended use from 

computers that may no longer meet 

DoD’s always-evolving security and 

software requirements. 

From Guam to South Carolina; from 

tiny, 65-student Cascade High School in 

Montana to 2,500-student Tampa Bay 

Technical High School in Florida; private, 

public, parochial schools and educational 

nonprofits serving K-12 students all 

have the opportunity to take advantage 

of technology the U.S. military can no 

longer use. Participants received more 

than $16 million in computers and 

related equipment through the program 

in the past three fiscal years.

Like many participating institutions, 

St. Kevin School’s CFL awareness came 

about through word of mouth. Air Force 

Maj. Charlene Marshall, commander of 

Quonset’s 143rd Communications Flight, 

reached out to the Rev. Robert Marciano, 

a retired military chaplain who pastors at 

St. Kevin. Marshall introduced him to the 

concept and recommended the school 

try to acquire some of the 150 excess 

computers that would soon be turned 

over to DLA Disposition Services. 

St. Kevin’s Paula Reynolds pursued 

the opportunity and reached out to 

DLA’s Computers for Learning manager 

Jose Aguero to determine the steps to 

apply for the excess equipment. 

“[Aguero] was our main point of 

contact, and he is a great representative 

of Disposition Services, and by 

extension, CFL,” Reynolds said. “He 

explained the application process, 

provided step-by-step instructions, and 

emailed complementary documentation 

and links. He was easy to contact 

by both email and phone, and his 

responses to our requests for help or 

information were always thorough and 

timely. Once we received approval, he 

not only helped us navigate the system, 

but he also anticipated what our next 

obstacles would be — especially once 

we began searching for equipment and 

building wish lists.”

Marciano is grateful for the program. 

Elementary students in Drummond, Oklahoma, work in their new computer lab. Their district acquired 114 desktop units 

from Vance Air Force Base via DLA. Older students installed operating systems, drivers, software and network switches 

to prepare the machines for reuse.

Cathy Conrady, Drummond Public Schools
page

4 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

thanks to DoD, the agency and CFL, and 

shared a district newsletter article that 

explained the impact of the donation to 

their local students: 

“Minford will now be able to achieve 

the coveted 1:1 status,” the district 

explained in the newsletter. “That means 

they will have enough devices that any 

student in their district will be able to 

have computer access any time they 

need it with no wait and no restrictions. 

This is a huge deal in an ever-changing 

education landscape where technology 

is tightly woven into everything we 

do. Without equitable access, it is very 

difficult to implement and integrate 

technology to its fullest potential. That 

barrier is now broken in Minford and at a 

minimal cost.”

Schools routinely find value in not 

just the new but in used technology 

as well. Hard drives are regularly 

removed from military computers 

before disposition. That was fine for the 

“I have always known firsthand 

the goodness of our military and our 

personnel, given my 36 years of service 

as an Air Force chaplain,” he said. “But I 

was even more delighted to share that 

reality with our school children, faculty 

and staff when announcing the gift of 

these computers to our school,” he said. 

“Our prayers and gratitude to all who 

made this gift a reality for our children.”

While military units can specify local 

or regional schools to receive their used 

or excess equipment, the schools must 

wait until the end of a standard 14-day 

property screening cycle to secure those 

items. During those 14 days, military 

units, DoD contractors and customers 

from a handful of special categories can 

also requisition the items. But whatever 

remains available at the end of those 

two weeks, the schools may take. 

“The laptop computers given to St. 

Kevin School have been a true blessing,” 

said Principal David Irving. “The teachers are able to use this lab in a variety of 

ways. Whether it is a student typing a 

science lab report or a student practicing 

his or her multiplication facts, these computers are put to good use every day.”

Near the start of the 2016 school 

year, Cindy Anderson, a property 

disposal specialist at DLA Disposition 

Services in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, 

received word that nearly 6,000 DoD 

laptops and roughly 2,500 desktop 

computers would not be compatible 

with mandatory operating systems 

updates and had been declared excess. 

Anderson said some of the units 

ultimately went to law enforcement and 

other qualified customers, but one of 

her first calls was to Aguero, to get CFL 

participants interested. Aguero sent an 

email informing all the schools of the 

opportunity and received responses 

from participants in a variety of states.

Among the fortunate recipients was 

the Mishawaka School District in Indiana, 

which gathered up 1,200 laptops and 

500 desktop units originally valued 

at $900,000. Ryan Stockton, district 

technology supervisor for Ohio’s Minford 

Local School District, quickly rented a 

22-foot truck and drove seven hours to 

pick up 1,300 laptops, valued at more 

than $800,000. The district expressed 

Tommy Gentry, of Georgia’s Irwin School District, loads 45 

desktop computers donated from Moody Air Force Base 

with DLA’s help.

Computer maintenance students in Mart, Texas, re-image 

and test diagnostics on 56 used military laptops they 

received from a DLA disposition site in Oklahoma. 

Photo Courtesy Mart Intermediate School District

DoD Photo
page

January / February 2018 5

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Drummond School District in Oklahoma. 

“Installing operating systems, drivers, 

software and network switches,” in 114 

donated desktop computers made its 

high school technology students “pretty 

good at troubleshooting problems and 

they caught on fast,” said Larry Conrady, 

a technology manager for Drummond.

A few hundred miles away, in the 

tiny Central Texas town of Mart, district 

Technology and Library Services Director 

John Luedke picked up 56 computers 

originally worth $178,000 from DLA’s 

McAlester, Oklahoma, site. Luedke 

teaches a basic computer maintenance 

class and said the machines would 

benefit the end users after they gave 

students hands-on learning as they 

cleaned and prepared the units for use. 

“We normally image our computers 

and then run several tests on them and 

then ... check them out to students,” 

Luedke said. “This program is the only 

way that I could possibly put a nice 

laptop in the hands of my students. My 

tech budget is low, but I feel that with a 

little extra effort and thinking outside the 

box sometimes, my students will have 

more opportunities for success. This 

program is a godsend.”

For schools interested in signing 

up for CFL and screening available 

property, the first step is to navigate 

to the Computers for Learning tab on 

the DLA Disposition Services website. 

Once inside, instructions for signing 

a memorandum of agreement and 

sending it to the agency will allow the 

school to create an access account for 

DLA’s online property-screening tool. 

Comprehensive instructions on account 

registration and website access are 

provided once applicants are enrolled.

CFL advocates point out that any 

military unit can coordinate with its 

chain of command and then make sure 

schools in their local area learn how to 

take part in the program. LL

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT 

THE DOD COMPUTERS FOR LEARNING PROGRAM, 

visit: www.dla.mil/dispositionservices/offers/reutilization/CFL

Editor’s Note – 

Parts of this story were originally written by 

Paula Reynolds and other teachers and officials 

at St. Kevin School.

Students at St. Kevin School in Providence, Rhode Island, test new laptop computers donated from a command at nearby 

Quonset Air National Guard Base. Computers for Learning allows DLA to help public, private and parochial schools and 

educational non-profits acquire used and excess DoD information technology free of charge. 

Photo Courtesy St. Kevin School
page

6 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

PEOPLE AND CULTURE PLAN +XPDQ&DSLWDO0DQDJHPHQWLQWKH

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A LOOK AT

DLA’S 

PEOPLE 

AND 

CULTURE 

PLAN

Story by Kathleen T. Rhem, DLA Human Resources

— PEOPLE AND CULTURE ARE AT THE HEART OF ALL WE DO —

Defense Logistics Agency Director Army Lt. Gen. Darrell K. 

Williams believes the foundation for his agency’s success 

is simple: the more than 25,000 people who make up its 

workforce. His guiding leadership principle — If you take care 

of your people, the mission will happen — is at the heart of 

DLA’s new People and Culture Plan.

Williams directed the development of a human capital 

plan, known in DLA as the People and Culture Plan, as a 

companion document to the agency’s new nine-year Strategic 

Plan, which was released in November. 

“Full commitment to our People and Culture Plan will 

assure we provide the right resources and environment to a 

highly skilled workforce fully capable of mission success as we 

provide global, agile, and innovative support to the Warfighter 

and our Nation,” he wrote in a forward to the plan. 

“People and Culture” was one of five lines of effort in DLA’s 

most recent previous strategic plan, and the new P&CP carries 

forward many of the objectives set forth in the earlier version. 

Williams said he and DLA’s other senior leaders chose to 

develop a separate People and Culture Plan because he sees 

People and Culture as much more inclusive than any other line 

of effort in the broader plan. 

“In my estimation, it’s not a line of effort, it’s at the heart 

of what we do. It touches everything we do,” he said. “Lines of 

effort don’t necessarily intersect with each other; People and 

Culture intersects with everything we do.”

The new plan specifies DLA has adopted the Defense 

Department’s core values of: Leadership, professionalism 

and technical knowledge through dedication to duty, integrity, 

ethics, honor, courage and loyalty. 

It also dedicates two pages to explaining how human 

capital challenges — demographics, the economy and evolving 

technology — could affect DLA and its work environment. 

The organization’s success is “largely dependent on its ability 

to achieve a high-performing, results-driven culture and to 

sustain that culture in light of changes to demographics, 

economics and technology,” the plan states. DLA must also be a 

good steward of resources and effectively manage risks. 
page

January / February 2018 7

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Over several pages, the plan lays out DLA’s People and Culture goals 

in eight objectives. They are:

x Develop Leaders: 

Leverage and expand leadership programs that attract, 

develop and retain diverse talent to meet current and future 

mission requirements. 

x Resource the Enterprise: 

Recruit and retain a diverse, talented and skilled workforce. 

x Manage the Talent: 

Develop, promote and sustain initiatives to strengthen 

workforce competencies to meet emerging mission 

requirements. 

x Sustain Our People: 

Provide the environment, tools and resources for 

employees to be protected, resilient, and mission-focused 

in the face of professional and personal challenges. 

x Fortify the Culture: 

Foster an organizational culture where employees are 

engaged and motivated to achieve mission excellence. 

x Perform and Reward: 

Sustain a results-oriented performance culture that links 

individual performance and recognition to organizational 

goals and performance-based actions. 

x Build Connections: 

Create an environment where employees share a common 

perspective allowing them to work effectively across 

organizational boundaries, eliminate silos, and promote 

actions that are in the best interest of DLA as a whole. 

x Protect the Workforce: 

Leverage and enhance the DLA Safety and Occupational 

Health program to build a culture focused on reducing the 

risk of injury or illness in the workforce and maintaining a 

safe and healthy workplace. 

Each of these objectives is further detailed in two or three subobjectives that shape specific initiatives, investments and human 

resources priorities in DLA for the next several years. 

DLA Human Resources Director Brad Bunn explained the P&CP 

creates an umbrella for initiatives at the enterprise level and the 

organizational level in the agency’s major subordinate commands and 

staff sections. 

“We’re asking commanders and directors to use this as a 

framework in developing their annual operating plans,” Bunn said. 

“As large as DLA is, these objectives aren’t going to look the same for 

every team in every location. We will see the plan’s objectives cascaded 

into the AOPs for the organizations, and elements of those AOPs will 

connect back to the plan.” LL
page

8 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY SUPPORTAGENCY

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

progress in meeting plan goals. 

Managers and supervisors are 

expected to monitor progress and hold 

people accountable for results. They 

also must ensure subordinates clearly 

understand how they and their duties 

align with the DLA Strategic Plan. 

The DLA Human Resources and 

DLA Equal Employment Opportunity 

and Diversity teams also have 

important roles and responsibilities 

in meeting P&CP goals by providing 

expertise, oversight and training in their 

respective areas. 

The plan encourages employees 

to participate in surveys, work with 

supervisors to identify areas for 

growth and maintain a high level of 

performance. And it calls on labor 

unions to represent bargaining unit 

employees’ interests and collaborate 

with management to improve 

productivity, cost savings and 

employees’ quality of life. 

“The key to mission success 

is to continue our focus on people 

and culture and ensure our greatest 

resource, people, are engaged and 

motivated,” the plan states. 

— Kathleen T. Rhem

DLA Human Resources

The DLA People and Culture Plan 

details expectations for leaders at 

every level, certain policy experts, the 

DLA workforce and labor partners. It 

highlights ways the entire DLA team 

should be working to “promote a 

diverse and inclusive workplace where 

all employees can thrive.”

Specific roles and responsibilities 

for senior leaders — such as the 

DLA director, major subordinate 

command leaders and directors of 

staff organizations — include setting 

strategic priorities, considering 

diversity and inclusion as a missioncritical imperative and reviewing 
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 1

STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2026

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

The Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency
2 www.dla.mil

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has a proud history of supporting the Warfighter. 

Since DLA’s founding in 1961, we have remained true to two core principles, providing 

“effective logistics support to the operating forces of our military services” and doing so at 

the “lowest possible cost to the taxpayer.” 

We live in such a complex, rapidly-changing world; DLA must continuously review its 

strategy to meet global mission requirements as prescribed by the Department of Defense. 

This strategic plan reaffirms and extends our commitment to Warfighter readiness and 

lethality and to self-accountability. The plan describes five lines of effort that DLA will 

leverage to provide global, end-to-end supply chain solutions. 

Warfighter First: Strengthen Service and Combatant Command Readiness and Lethality

Global Posture: Prepared for Immediate Action

Strong Partnerships: Leverage the Joint Logistics Enterprise, Interagency, Industry, 

 and Partner and Allied Nations

Whole of Government: Support to the Nation

Always Accountable: Assured Supply Chain, Financial and Process Excellence

Our world-class workforce, both military and civilian, are at the heart of our ability to deliver results. I truly believe people and 

culture is the “secret sauce” of DLA, and it is indispensable to the success of our Agency. In coordination with our strategic 

partners, I have complete confidence in this team’s ability to support our men and women in uniform and other valued customers. 

My confidence rests upon the understanding of “why” our people do what they do – to serve the Warfighter and our Nation.

DLA remains a bold, forward-leaning, and innovative organization. Our strength lies in collective, synchronized action and 

fierce dedication to mission accomplishment by every member of the team. Please join me in furthering the legacy of our 

Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency. 

Secretary of Defense Priorities ..........3

DLA Mission ...............................3

DLA Vision ..................................3

Why ............................................3

Core Values .................................3

About DLA .........................................4

LOEs and Objectives ..........................6

Warfighter First ..........................7

Global Posture .............................8

Strong Partnerships ....................9

Whole of Government ............. 10

Always Accountable ................. 11

People and Culture ......................... 12

People Objectives ................... 12

Culture Objectives ................... 13

Executing the Plan ................... 13

Glossary of Terms ........................... 14 

Director’s Call To Action .................. 15

LTG Darrell K. Williams

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

DIRECTOR’S INTENT

DARRELL K. WILLIAMS

Lieutenant General, U.S. Army

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WARFIGHTER FIRST!
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 3

Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 3

DLA’s MISSION

Sustain Warfighter readiness and lethality by delivering proactive global logistics in peace and war.

DLA’s VISION

We are the Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency ... Global, Agile, and Innovative; Focused on the Warfighter First!

WHY

To serve the Warfighter and our Nation!

CORE VALUES

Leadership, Professionalism, and Technical Knowledge through Dedication to Duty,

Integrity, Ethics, Honor, Courage, and Loyalty.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PRIORITIES

• Restore Military Readiness as We Build a More Lethal Force • Strengthen Alliances and Attract New Partners • 

• Bring Business Reforms to the Department of Defense •

PEOPLE AND CULTURE ARE AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO

Integrity, Ethics, Honor, Courage, and Loyalty.
4 www.dla.mil

4 www.dla.mil

ABOUT DLA

As the Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency, the 

Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) manages the global supply 

chain – from raw materials to end user to disposition – for 

the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 10 

Combatant Commands (CCMDs), other federal agencies, 

and partner and allied nations. DLA sources and provides 

nearly all the consumable items America’s military forces 

need to operate, from food, fuel and energy to uniforms, 

medical supplies, and construction material.

DLA also supplies 86 percent of the military’s spare parts 

and nearly 100 percent of fuel, manages the reutilization 

of military equipment, provides catalogs and other logistics 

information products, and offers document automation 

and production services to a host of military and federal 

agencies. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, DLA is a 

global enterprise – wherever the Nation has a significant 

military presence, DLA is there to support.

DLA accomplishes this with the dedicated men and 

women of its Major Subordinate Commands (MSCs). Four of 

these MSCs acquire and provide supplies and services: DLA 

Troop Support, DLA Land and Maritime, DLA Aviation and 

DLA Energy. In addition, DLA Distribution provides storage 

and distribution services, while DLA Disposition Services 

provides “reverse logistics,” disposing of surplus or excess 

materiel from the military services and DLA. One-star 

general/flag officers or members of the Senior Executive 

Service lead these organizations. They are directly 

responsible for meeting customer needs and report to the 

three-star DLA Director. 

Through a network of more than 12,000 suppliers (80 

percent of them small businesses), DLA:

• Provides more than $34 billion in goods 

and services annually

• Manages nine supply chains and about 5 million items

• Supports more than 2,300 weapon systems

• Employs about 25,000 civilians and military 

personnel

• Directly serves CCMDs through dedicated 

liaisons and regional commands

• Coordinates a global distribution network with 

U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)

• Administers the storage and disposal of strategic 

and critical materials to support national defense

• Operates in most states and 28 countries

• Manages distribution centers worldwide

• Supports disaster response and humanitarian 

relief efforts at home and abroad

• Delivers $4.2 billion worth of Whole of Government 

support, which includes state and local governments

• Supports 110 nations with $2 billion in foreign 

military sales
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 5

Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 5

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

FORT BELVOIR, VA

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

OF DEFENSE

DLA PACIFIC

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI

DLA CENTCOM & SOCOM

MacDill Air Force Base, FL

DLA EUROPE & AFRICA

Kaiserslautern, Germany

DLA AVIATION

Richmond, VA

Provides repair parts 

for aviation weapons 

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equipment, maps, 

environmental products 

and industrial plant 

equipment.

DLA ENERGY

Fort Belvoir, VA

Provides petroleum and 

lubrication products, 

alternative fuel/renewable 

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DLA DISPOSITION SERVICES

Battle Creek, MI

Disposes of excess 

property by reutilization, 

transfer and 

demilitarization; conducts 

environmental disposal 

and reuse.

DLA LAND AND MARITIME

Columbus, OH

Provides repair parts 

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and maritime weapons 

systems, small arms 

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and electronic 

components.

DLA TROOP SUPPORT

Philadelphia, PA

Provides food, textiles, 

construction material, 

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medical supplies and 

equipment, 

to include 

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DLA DISTRIBUTION

New Cumberland, PA

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distribution solutions/

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distribution centers. 
6 www.dla.mil

6 www.dla.mil

DLA LINES OF EFFORT

U.S. interests are global, and our logistics presence 

must address a dynamic security environment and 

posture for future contingencies. Our support must ensure 

victory against a trans-regional multi-domain threat in an 

increasingly complex global environment.

We have identified five lines of effort in this strategic plan to 

serve as our roadmap:

LOE 1: WARFIGHTER FIRST 

Strengthen Service and Combatant Command Readiness 

and Lethality

LOE 2: GLOBAL POSTURE 

Prepared for Immediate Action

LOE 3: STRONG PARTNERSHIPS

Leverage the Joint Logistics Enterprise (JLEnt), 

Interagency, Industry, and Partner and Allied Nations

LOE 4: WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT 

Support to the Nation

LOE 5: ALWAYS ACCOUNTABLE

Assured Supply Chain, Financial, and Process Excellence

DLA Technology, Innovation and Data Management

strategies follow several core tenets: shifting to commercial IT 

solutions and cloud-based services; promoting the collection 

and analysis of the right data to facilitate optimum decision 

making; and improving processes to enhance our agility.

People and Culture are at the heart of everything we 

do. Without the great work our people do every day, we 

can’t execute our mission. The DLA People and Culture 

Plan (P&CP) identifies objectives to acquire, develop, 

engage and retain our diverse, skilled and agile workforce. 

Success requires fostering an organizational culture that 

values high performance and quality at the individual and 

enterprise levels.

We must build and sustain a culture that values innovation 

to shape the future of logistics.

Our first priority is continuing to improve 

Warfighter Readiness.

 — Secretary of Defense James Mattis

AVIATION

LAND

MARITIME

ENERGY
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 7

Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 7

LINES OF EFFORT AND OBJECTIVES

 WARFIGHTER FIRST: 

Strengthen Service and CCMD Readiness 

and Lethality

Our number one priority is sustaining the full range of military 

operations in an increasingly complex global environment. 

Objective 1.1: Nuclear Enterprise 

– Support the DoD Nuclear Enterprise to ensure deterrence 

forces remain safe, secure, reliable and ready. Our adversaries 

increasingly present a nuclear threat. We will continue to 

strengthen support to the Nuclear Enterprise. 

Objective 1.2: Readiness and Lethality 

– Link performance to Service and CCMD Readiness and 

Lethality. DLA must be ready to support Warfighters engaged 

in any possible operation while achieving the efficiencies our 

Nation and customers expect. We will prioritize wargame and 

exercise participation, training, and realistic logistics scenarios 

that ensure we validate our Concepts of Operations (CONOPs). 

Objective 1.3: Address Risk 

– Ensure readiness and lethality across the end-to-end 

supply chain by reducing risk, improving efficiency, and 

optimizing retail and industrial support. DLA will continue 

to address risk areas (operational, cyber security, terrorism, 

counterfeiting) across Major Subordinate Commands (MSCs) 

and improve supply chain resiliency and security.

Objective 1.4: Predictive Technology 

– Anticipate and position solutions for Warfighter 

requirements by combining big data, predictive analytics, 

automation, artificial intelligence, sustained supply chain 

visibility and continuous communication. Through employment 

of trend analysis and predictive algorithms, DLA is able to 

consistently predict and position the right logistics solution on 

time, every time.

Objective 1.5: Warfighter Trust

– Continually earn the Warfighter’s trust as the Nation’s 

combat logistics provider. DLA will make it fast and easy for 

Warfighters to work with our Agency by quickly understanding 

our customers’ current requirements and anticipating their 

future needs. 

W

Strengt
8 www.dla.mil

8 www.dla.mil

While there is no way to guarantee peace, 

the surest way to prevent war is to be 

prepared to win one.

— Secretary of Defense James Mattis

GLOBAL POSTURE: 

Prepared for Immediate Action

DLA’s logistics presence and posture must enable the 

Nation’s ability to protect its global interests. The speed and 

complexity of global crises require resilient networks, robust 

partnerships, and quickly integrated teams. We will position 

resources for rapid use, build more deployable capabilities, 

and strengthen our partnerships using integrated logistics 

and contracting services. 

Objective 2.1: Strategic Positioning

– Strategically position DLA capabilities where the 

Warfighter needs them most. DLA supports Service Members 

around the world by providing comprehensive logistics 

support and services, even in the most austere environments. 

Objective 2.2: Single Point of Entry

– Ensure DLA regional commands, customer liaisons and 

CONUS-based organizations synchronize DLA capabilities with 

their supported CCMD and customers. We will resource, train 

and equip these vital teams for their essential role in presenting 

a single point of entry for all DLA support and services. 

Objective 2.3: Expeditionary Capabilities

– Exercise and deploy DLA Expeditionary Capabilities. We 

are highly deployable and always ready to meet missions in 

war and peace across the globe. We will sustain and extend 

the capabilities of our Rapid Deployment Teams, DLA Support 

Teams, Expeditionary Contracting Mission Support Teams, 

Deployable Depots, Disposal Support Units, and Mobile 

Communications Teams. DLA participates in joint training 

exercises to synchronize our joint logistics capabilities with 

U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) and other key 

partners for real-world operations. 

Objective 2.4: Expanded Solutions

– Expand the availability and use of logistics solutions to 

enable immediate action. DLA will use big data to provide 

accurate demand forecasts, stock levels and positioning to 

enable rapid responses to emerging Military Service and 

CCMD requirements. Our flexible, responsive contracting and 

global services contracts bring additional capability to the 

fight when conditions warrant.

Objective 2.5: Joint Reserve Force

– Enhance the DLA Joint Reserve Force’s integration with 

DLA’s Expeditionary Capability and operations. Global operations 

include complex differences across cultural, language, regional 

and physical environments. DLA will integrate the Joint Reserve 

Force into all DLA expeditionary operations to capitalize on its 

members’ unique and diverse skills.

RAPID DEPLOYMENT TEAMS

DISTRIBUTION

DISPOSAL SUPPORT UNITS
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 9

Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 9

 STRONG PARTNERSHIPS: 

Leverage the Joint Logistics Enterprise, 

Interagency, Industry, and Partner and 

Allied Nations

Mission accomplishment requires close collaboration 

and strong relationships with critical stakeholders: the Joint 

Logistics Enterprise (JLEnt), other government partners, 

suppliers and our allies. We must sustain our partnerships and 

synchronize our efforts with these entities to help DoD and the 

Nation address immediate needs and long-term challenges.

Objective 3.1: JLEnt Partnerships 

– Partner across the JLEnt to improve support for current 

and emerging requirements. Basing our efforts on Joint 

Publication 4.0, we will strengthen our partnerships through 

engagement with JLEnt entities and cooperatively facilitate 

progress toward mutual goals, objectives, and expectations 

of our partners. 

Objective 3.2: DOD and Interagency Partnerships 

– Collaborate with DoD and interagency partners to 

develop solutions that optimize DLA support to sustainment 

operations, government efficiency, support to major 

acquisition programs, business reform and policy objectives. 

Our focus on developing solutions and building relationships 

brings a full range of capabilities to the long-term, strategic 

goals of the U.S. government. 

Objective 3.3: Industry Partnerships

– Work with industry to ensure a capable defense 

industrial base, generate innovative and efficient solutions, 

and maintain a secure and resilient supply chain. By 

building on our strong relationships with industry partners 

we’ll deliver cost-effective, innovative solutions. An agency 

supplier engagement plan will guide us. We will continuously 

assess the strength of our industrial capabilities and develop 

responses to vulnerabilities, reduce single points of failure 

and implement best practices. 

Objective 3.4: Public Engagement

– Engage with public entities to increase understanding and 

awareness of DLA’s mission and operations. In collaboration 

with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), we will 

actively engage with Congress, advisory boards, public 

media, and other stakeholders to facilitate partnerships, raise 

awareness of DLA operations and highlight our contributions 

to the Nation.

JOINT LOGISTICS ENTERPRISE 

INTERAGENCY PARTNERS

INDUSTRY
10 www.dla.mil

10 www.dla.mil

 WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT:

Support to the Nation

DLA’s global network and expertise in supply chain 

management can improve efficiency and increase 

effectiveness of our Whole of Government partners. 

Collaboration ensures a healthy, viable base of suppliers 

able to surge when needed. Working alongside these Whole 

of Government partners in domestic and international 

operations, DoD and DLA strengthen their ability to serve 

national interests. 

Objective 4.1: Crisis Response 

– Strengthen the crisis-response and contingency 

operations of our Whole of Government partners. DLA team 

members plan, organize and train to mutually support swift 

interagency response by proactively engaging with federal, 

state and local organizations. Drawing on our extensive 

supply chain partnerships, we develop processes, actions and 

policies that enable agile, rapid responses. 

Objective 4.2: Provider of Choice

– Extend DLA capabilities to support daily operations of 

other Government partners. While providing uninterrupted 

support to the Warfighter, DLA must provide comprehensive 

and transparent assessments of Whole of Government 

requirements, consistent with business reforms. We will 

offer our collective expertise, focusing on supply chains and 

services where DLA offers a unique advantage. Drawing upon 

our global network of personnel, technology infrastructure 

and service, DLA will earn their trust as a reliable partner. 

Objective 4.3: Offer Value

– Support interagency and DoD reform initiatives. DLA’s 

core competencies can offer the most cost-effective, efficient 

solutions to our Whole of Government partners. Some 

agencies offer similar advantages to DLA. We will assess 

other agencies’ solutions for their value to the government 

and adopt solutions that do not hinder DLA’s Warfighter 

support. We will actively participate in federal initiatives to 

eliminate duplication, capitalize on economies of scale and 

free up resources for higher priorities.

DISASTER RELIEF

MEDICAL SUPPLIES

FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT

LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT

FOOD PROGRAMS

FOREIGN MILITARY SALES

W
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 11

Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 11

Every action we take will be designed 

to ensure our military is ready to fight 

today and in the future.

 — Secretary of Defense James Mattis

 ALWAYS ACCOUNTABLE: 

Assured Supply Chain, Financial, 

and Process Excellence

Trust and confidence in DLA is born from ethical behavior, 

reliability, and transparency. Cost-consciousness, auditability, 

innovation, risk assessment and mitigation, and sound business 

processes are the foundation of this trust. We hold partners and 

suppliers to the same high standards as ourselves.

Objective 5.1: Cost Consciousness

– Reinforce a cost-conscious and process-oriented culture to 

ensure efficient, effective and reliable operations. We promote 

a cost-conscious culture through stewardship and informed 

investment decisions using sound business acumen. We will 

create and refine our business processes, emphasizing cyber 

security, supply chain management and improved supply availability. We will work together to ensure interoperability across 

business systems and share process improvements across the 

enterprise and with government and industry partners.

Objective 5.2: Auditability

– Attain and sustain auditability through process excellence 

and sound financial stewardship. DLA will achieve an 

unmodified financial statement audit opinion using thoroughly 

documented processes, automated tools and general controls 

that are secure and compliant. We will continue to document, 

evolve and test our processes to ensure we implement 

corrective actions and address deficiencies identified in the 

annual statement of assurance.

Objective 5.3: Value Innovation

– Innovate to achieve best-value logistics solutions. 

DLA always seeks opportunities to improve through process 

management and research and development. DLA works 

across the JLEnt to be more agile, adaptable and responsive 

to customer requirements. We are a change agent for 

logistics excellence in support of the Nation’s strategic 

security objectives.

Objective 5.4: Mitigate Risks

– Strengthen risk management to ensure secure, agile and 

resilient combat logistics support. DLA thoroughly manages 

risks associated with alternatives to deliver world-class 

logistics support. We must pay special attention to cyber risks 

and data integrity across the entire supply chain.

Ass
12 www.dla.mil

12 www.dla.mil

PEOPLE AND CULTURE PLAN

DLA’s success depends on its greatest resource...our people! 

Our workforce must possess the skills, tools and supporting 

culture to meet DLA’s ever changing and challenging mission 

demands. In previous DLA Strategic Plans, “People and Culture” 

was a separate line of effort that focused on building and 

sustaining a workforce capable of meeting current and future 

mission requirements. Under this Strategic Plan, we are calling 

out People and Culture as a foundational, critical element 

of everything we do, and therefore have created a separate 

companion human capital plan appropriately titled the “DLA 

People and Culture Plan (P&CP).” 

In doing so, we acknowledge that our people are the 

“secret ingredient” to DLA’s success, and a dedicated, 

focused human capital plan is necessary to ensure that 

we attract, retain and sustain a highly skilled, diverse and 

engaged workforce. The P&CP is an internal document 

focused on overarching guidance for developing capacity 

and capabilities in alignment with DLA’s priorities and lines 

of effort addressed in the strategic plan. 

The P&CP highlights People and Culture as foundational 

elements necessary for our continued mission success. It 

establishes specific objectives to ensure DLA has a missionready workforce, engaged leadership, and a supportive 

organizational culture on which to build and sustain the 

elements of the DLA Strategic Plan.

PEOPLE OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Develop Leaders 

– It is essential that DLA’s managers and supervisors 

effectively lead an increasingly diverse and modern workforce 

to unlock the full potential of the workforce’s backgrounds, 

experiences, and perspectives in a technologically advanced 

workplace. We must assess and improve our current 

leadership model and leadership competencies to cultivate 

supervisors who are prepared to successfully manage in this 

evolving environment.

Objective 2: Resource the Enterprise 

– People are DLA’s most important asset. Without a trained 

and skilled workforce, the Agency cannot accomplish the DLA 

mission. DLA must complement its recruitment and retention 

strategies with a variety of paths to career success. Attracting 

and retaining a highly skilled, diverse workforce requires a 

comprehensive strategic approach, innovative recruitment 

efforts, and the right balance between speed and quality in 

the hiring process.

Objective 3: Manage the Talent 

– DLA Human Resources will partner with Agency 

leaders and Functional Community Managers (FCMs) to 

assess emerging and future mission imperatives that may 

require new enterprise and occupational competencies. 

We will continue developing and updating career maps 

that identify learning and development opportunities 

to help employees chart their career path. All of this 

comprises a comprehensive talent management approach 

that will position the Agency for success. 

Objective 4: Sustain Our People 

– DLA relies on a large and diverse workforce to meet 

its mission. The key to DLA’s future success is to develop a 

flexible workforce with a focus on safety and security that is 

capable of meeting and overcoming obstacles and able to 

adapt to changes. Our capacity to respond to pressure and 

the demands of daily life and crisis operations, to absorb 

those demands, to flex with them, and to recover and return 

to both the DLA mission and our personal lives is crucial to 

maintaining work/life balance.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE PLAN +XPDQ&DSLWDO0DQDJHPHQWLQWKH

'HIHQVH/RJLVWLFV$JHQF\
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 13

Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 13

CULTURE OBJECTIVES

Objective 5: Fortify the Culture

– DLA has used surveys for a number of years to assess 

the current culture and identify ways to improve it, with the 

overarching purpose of developing and sustaining a highperformance culture. The surveys provide a confidential 

mechanism for employees to share feedback on their 

work environment, resulting in opportunities for DLA 

employees and leaders to engage in thoughtful, data-driven 

discussions that lead to informed action and improve our 

collective performance.

Objective 6: Perform and Reward 

– DLA is committed to creating a culture of high 

organizational effectiveness that focuses on employee 

engagement, development, performance, and accountability. 

The benefits of a successfully implemented performance 

management and appraisal program includes a workforce 

where every employee’s duties are aligned with the 

organization’s goals and objectives and where employees 

understand the importance of the work they do every day.

Objective 7: Build Connections 

– DLA must develop and implement opportunities for 

collaboration in a manner that reduces stovepipes and gains 

efficiencies across organizations. DLA must also cultivate an 

inclusive environment that engages employees, makes them 

feel respected and where they have the tools and flexibilities 

at all levels that maximizes individual and collective potential.

Objective 8: Protect the Workforce 

– Leverage and enhance the DLA Safety & Occupational 

Health (SOH) program to build a culture focused on reducing 

the risk of injury or illness to the workforce and maintaining a 

safe and healthy workplace.

EXECUTING THE PLAN

DLA organizations will use the P&CP as a directional 

guide to develop specific initiatives and lines of effort 

to achieve or make progress toward the objectives. 

This will be a combination of enterprise efforts led by 

organizations such as DLA Human Resources and DLA 

Equal Employment Opportunity, as well as organizational 

initiatives implemented by MSCs and other DLA activities. 

These initiatives will be reflected and tracked in Annual 

Operating Plans (AOP), and nested under the objectives 

and guidance provided in the P&CP.
14 www.dla.mil

14 www.dla.mil

ALLIED NATIONS

Includes nations that the Secretary of Defense may enter 

into a formal agreement, usually to provide security, research, 

or financial assistance.

Specifically, these nations break down into groups, each with 

a different set of laws governing the level of assistance the 

U.S. Defense Department can provide. Those groups are: North 

Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations (to include NATO 

organizations), a major non-NATO ally (MNNA), and any other 

friendly foreign country.

MNNA means a country (other than a member nation of the 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization) that is designated as a major 

non-NATO ally for purposes of this section by the Secretary of 

Defense with the concurrence of the Secretary of State. 

[10 USC § 2350a(i)(2)]

COMBATANT COMMAND (CCMD)

A unified or specified command with a broad continuing mission 

under a single commander established and so designated by 

the President, through the Secretary of Defense and with the 

advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

Combatant commands typically have geographic or functional 

responsibilities. (JP 1)

CONTINGENCY OPERATION (CONOPS)

A military operation that is either designated by the Secretary 

of Defense as a contingency operation or becomes a contingency 

operation as a matter of law. 

(Title 10, United States Code, Section 101[a][13]). (JP 1)

DOD NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE

The federation of separate nuclear activities across the U.S. 

Armed Services and Defense Department agencies for the 

execution of a wide range of nuclear and non-nuclear activities. 

(2014 independent Nuclear Enterprise Review Report)

END-TO-END SUPPLY CHAIN

The full scale of “The linked activities associated with 

providing materiel from a raw material stage to an end user 

as a finished product.” (JP 1-02)

INDUSTRIAL BASE (ALSO DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE)

The Department of Defense, government, and private sector 

worldwide industrial complex with capabilities to perform 

research and development, design, produce, and maintain 

military weapon systems, subsystems, components, or parts 

to meet military requirements. (JP 3-27)

INTERAGENCY

Of or pertaining to United States Government agencies and 

departments, including the Department of Defense. (JP 3-08)

GLOSSARY OF TERMS JOINT LOGISTICS ENTERPRISE (JLENT)

A multi-tiered matrix of key global logistics providers 

cooperatively engaged or structured to achieve a common 

purpose without jeopardizing the integrity of their own 

organizational missions and goals. (JP 4-0)

NOTE: This list of providers is defined in Joint Publication 4.0, as “the 

Services, combatant commands (CCMDs), USTRANSCOM, Joint Staff J3 

and Joint Staff J4 - interagency, nongovernmental, multinational, and 

industrial resources.”

LETHALITY

The ability of U.S. Armed Services to apply decisive force.

MAJOR SUBORDINATE COMMANDS (MSC)

DLA’s title for commands under the administrative and operational 

control of DLA’s Director. DLA previously referred to these 

organizations as Primary Level Field Activities (PLFAs).

OPERATION

A sequence of tactical actions with a common purpose or 

unifying theme. (JP 1)

A military action or the carrying out of a strategic, operational, 

tactical, service, training, or administrative military mission. (JP 3-0)

OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

A composite of the conditions, circumstances, and influences 

that affect the employment of capabilities and bear on the 

decisions of the commander. Also called OE. (JP 3-0)

PARTNER NATIONS

A nation that the United States works with in a specific situation 

or operation. (JP 1) 

In security cooperation, a nation with which the Department of 

Defense conducts security cooperation activities. (JP 3-20)

RESILIENCY

The ability of a person, program, or organization to perform 

functions necessary for mission success. For DLA, our supply 

chains, cyber operations and employees can respond across 

a wider range of scenarios, conditions, and threats, in spite of 

hostile action or adverse conditions.

SERVICE MEMBERS

Includes personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, 

Coast Guard, and National Guard Bureau.

WARFIGHTER

A member of the U.S. Armed Forces.

WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT

For domestic operations, USG departments and agencies aspire 

to a whole of government approach. This approach involves the 

integration of USG efforts through interagency planning that set 

forth detailed concepts of operations. (JP 3-08)

NOTE: For the purposes of this document and DLA, a Whole of Government 

approach can and does encompass international operations (likely using 

interagency and international agreements).
Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 15

Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Plan 15

This Strategic Plan was made possible by the significant contributions from our MSCs, HQ staff, regional commands, and 

all those who volunteered to review the document. A special thanks to those junior red team members who had a unique 

opportunity to influence DLA’s strategy.

We have a great strategic plan – it’s now time to move out and execute it. These five lines of effort clearly define our 

priorities and give us the direction we need to meet the needs of the Warfighter. Think of this plan as a roadmap, guiding us as

we make decisions that enable our Nation’s men and women in uniform to achieve mission success.

We will further refine the plan through Implementation Guidance and Annual Operating Plans. We will track progress, make 

course corrections where needed, and stay laser-focused on metrics, connecting outcomes with leadership performance. 

I urge each of you to do your part in helping the Agency carry out this plan. This will give us the best chance of anticipating

and overcoming the unforeseen challenges we know are in our future. We have a phenomenal team here at DLA, fueled by a 

deep commitment to serve the Warfighter and our Nation. Go forth and do great things – this is your call to action! 

WARFIGHTER FIRST!

DIRECTOR’S CALL TO ACTION:

MOVE OUT AND EXECUTE! 
16 www.dla.mil

16 www.dla.mil

Defense Logistics Agency

8725 John J. Kingman Road • Fort Belvoir, Virginia • 22060 

www.dla.mil • www.facebook.com/dla.mil • www.twitter.com/dlamil • www.youtube.com/user/dodlogisticsagency
page

January / February 2018 25

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Small Business,

big Impact

Story by Beth Reece

Being small doesn’t stop American 

businesses from having a big effect 

on warfighter readiness. Small 

businesses supply everything from 

uniforms to parachutes and hardware.

“Many of them want to protect our 

soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines 

just like those of us [civilians] who work 

for the government. They’re a vital 

part of our defense industrial base, 

and supporting them means we’re 

supporting the American economy,” 

said Amy Sajda, director of the Defense 

Logistics Agency’s Office of Small 

Business Programs.

Small businesses make up 99.7 

percent of all U.S. companies, according 

to the Small Business Administration. 

Federal agencies are required by law to 

support America’s small businesses, 

and the SBA works with leaders in the 

federal government and Department 

of Defense to establish annual goals 

that ensure small businesses have 

ample opportunity to provide goods and 

services to the government. 

DLA’s goal since fiscal 2013 has 

been 32 percent, which is higher 

than the governmentwide goal of 

23 percent and the DoDwide goal of 

22 percent for fiscal 2017. DLA has 

met its small-business goal for four 

consecutive years and is on track to 

exceed it again by awarding almost 

$10.4 billion in contracts to small 

businesses in fiscal 2017. 

The numbers reflect the daily work 

of Sajda and about 50 small-business 

specialists at DLA headquarters and 

Jonathan Connell, CEO, and Todd Daughtry, COO, co-owners 

of veteran-owned small business C & C Containers, LLC 

meet in their Albany, Georgia, warehouse with Georgia 

PTAC Procurement Counselor Bridget Bennett to discuss 

product packaging and marking requirements for shipment 

of medical supplies.

— Photo Courtesy Georgia Tech
page

26 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

major subordinate commands like 

DLA Troop Support, DLA Aviation and 

DLA Land and Maritime. Their goal, 

she said, is to promote small-business 

partnerships so the agency can best 

meet customers’ needs.

“The greater number of businesses 

we have in our pool of vendors that 

we use to supply requirements for the 

military, the more we can be assured 

that when the military sends in a 

requirement, we’ll be able to get them 

what they ask for quickly and within the 

parameters of price, delivery and other 

factors,” Sajda added.

Helping the Little Person

During the Great Depression, many 

of the companies that had provided 

parts the military services needed for 

during World War I folded. Congress realized that small-business owners who 

produced wartime commodities lacked 

the money to keep afloat in peacetime. 

They also had difficulty ramping up as 

quickly as larger businesses with thousands of employees. 

In 1942, Congress initiated the Small 

Business Mobilization Act, allowing the 

government to pay small businesses a 

price differential to help them remain 

open and accelerate production. The 

Armed Service Procurement Act of 1947 

later extended that policy to peacetime 

and required a “fair proportion” of 

federal contracting dollars be 

placed with small business. 

Today, DLA’s smallbusiness specialists 

work with buyers and 

contracting officers 

to build acquisition 

strategies for contracts 

valued at more than 

$10,000. Each strategy 

lays out such details as 

whether a contract will 

be competitive or go to 

a sole-source provider. 

“According to 

federal acquisition 

rules, if two or more 

small businesses 

are able to provide 

whatever it is you’re 

buying and there is an 

expectation that the 

award will be made 

at fair-market price, the acquisition 

is supposed to be set aside for small 

businesses. Large business can’t 

even compete for it,” said Chris Hall, 

deputy director of DLA’s Office of Small 

Business Programs.

If the acquisition strategy allows 

the contract to be set aside for small 

businesses, small-business 

specialists also help 

determine whether it 

should be set aside 

for businesses in 

socioeconomic 

categories like 

small; 8(a) small 

disadvantaged 

business; womenowned; service-disabled 

veteran-owned; 

and historically 

underutilized business 

zone (HUBZone) small 

business. 

Creating a strategy 

that meets the goals 

of small-business 

specialists and 

contracting experts can 

be a time-consuming 

process of discussion 

s. sp

d

SMALL BUSINESSES 

MAKE UP:

• 99.9% of all firms

• 99.7% of firms with paid employees

• 97.6% of exporting firms

• 32.9% of known export value

• 47.8% of private sector employees

• 41.1% of private-sector payroll

DLA Land and Maritime Small Business Specialists James 

Secrist (left) and Donna Brino-Blackwell were on hand to 

discuss small business program opportunities with attendees 

at the 2016 DLA Land and Maritime Supplier Conference and 

Expo in Columbus, Ohio.

Charles A. Morris
page

January / February 2018 27

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

engineering, so they can create technical 

data packages for future production. 

This can help reduce lead times, 

explained John Henley, who oversees 

small-business efforts at DLA Aviation. 

“We only have one approved source 

for most of the items in this program, 

and these parts are high priced with 

a long lead-time,” he said. “In other 

words, it may take the manufacturer 

so long to make them that we have to 

wait 400 days before we can get these 

parts delivered. That makes it difficult to 

support our customers,” Henley said. 

Partnering with small businesses 

to increase the number of vendors 

that can make parts with long leadtimes usually yields lower prices and 

increases the agency’s ability to meet 

customer demands, he added. But 

another challenge of working with small 

businesses for DLA Aviation stems from 

intellectual property.

“The difficulty is that a lot of the 

items we buy are proprietary, and the 

technical data packages are owned by 

big original equipment manufacturers,” 

and negotiation, Sajda said.

Performance work standards are 

just one element that both parties must 

agree on. Generating them for contracts 

involving products is generally a routine, 

straightforward process, but for servicerelated acquisitions, setting standards is 

more labor intensive. These acquisitions 

can be information technology and/or 

analytical studies DLA uses to improve 

its business processes, added Rosita 

Carosella of the Small Business Office 

in Philadelphia, which supports DLA 

Contracting Services Office locations. 

“You have to come up with unique 

metrics to identify how you’re going to 

measure success, because it’s not as 

black and white as assessing whether 

an item was shipped on time or not. 

There’s a lot more evaluation involved,” 

she said. 

Small-business specialists 

also conduct market research and 

participate in outreach at events, like 

the Department of the Navy Gold 

Coast Small Business Procurement 

Event, to find new small businesses 

that specialize in commodities and 

services the military needs. The SBA’s 

Dynamic Small Business Search and the 

Federal Procurement Data System are 

other tools that can be used to identify 

potential new vendors or vendors that 

DLA hasn’t yet used. 

Tapping Talent, Innovation

Partnering with vendors that offer 

new, innovative products is a priority 

at DLA and a DoD goal championed 

by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The 

agency uses DoD’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business 

Technology Transfer programs, which 

are congressionally mandated to find 

solutions to defense technology gaps. 

SBIR and SBTT have given DLA a means 

to draw support from small businesses 

that to solve logistics problems such as 

the short lifespan of batteries. It’s also 

supported and products made using additive manufacturing, otherwise known 

as 3D printing. 

“We rely strongly on these small 

businesses to help us improve logistics 

support, not just in the SBIR/STTR 

programs, but in all of our research 

and development programs,” said Kelly 

Morris, DLA’s R&D chief. “But with 

the SBIR program alone, we manage 

anywhere from 40 to 60 contracts at 

any given time with small businesses.” 

DLA also relies on small businesses 

to support aging platforms such as 

the B-52 bomber, Sajda said. Most 

companies that produced the original 

electronic components for the bomber 

no longer exist, but sources of supply 

are still needed because DoD expects 

to use the 1960s-built systems several 

more decades.

“Many of the companies that made 

the original parts went out of business, 

or the owners retired or moved on to 

newer technology. So in cases like this, 

it can be hard to find suppliers who are 

willing and capable of providing older 

technology,” Sajda said.

To find those suppliers, “we 

question vendors at outreach events 

to see if they have capabilities in 

some of these older areas, so we can 

point them to the appropriate supply 

chain as a potential new source,” she 

explained. For items like microcircuits, 

for example,” she added.

Small businesses have helped DLA 

reduce backorders and production time 

for spare parts through research and 

development in castings and forgings, 

through which new molds are created 

to produce old, obsolete parts. DLA 

Aviation also uses its Replenishment 

Parts Purchase or Borrow Program to 

inspire small-business collaboration. 

The program allows vendors to buy or 

borrow items for the purpose of reverse 

Robert Steed, a contracting officer for DLA Disposition 

Services, discusses a new contract with Sheryl Woods, DLA 

Disposition Services’ special assistant for small business.

IN 2012, THERE WERE 9.9 MILLION WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS, 2.5 MILLION FIRMS 

OWNED EQUALLY BY MEN AND WOMEN, 2.5 MILLION VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES, 

AND ABOUT 14.4 PERCENT OF BUSINESS OWNERS WERE IMMIGRANTS. 

Jace Armstrong
page

28 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Henley explained. “So unless small 

businesses go through some type of 

reverse engineering and get approved as 

a source from the services, then we’re 

not allowed to buy these items from 

them,” he continued.

Capable and Driven

Though small businesses do 

face challenges with cash flow and 

infrastructure, most are as capable as 

larger businesses of keeping up with 

DLA’s demand as larger businesses, 

Sajda said. 

“The advantage for large companies 

isn’t just financial backing,” she explained. 

“They have the lawyers and staff who 

understand the complex nature of all 

the stuff the government buys and the 

requirements that we put on vendors 

over and above what’s out there in 

commercial industry.”

Others small businesses are “mom 

and pop” shops that begin with just two 

or three people tinkering in a garage.

“A lot of these small businesses are 

started by individuals who have worked 

in large enterprises and either retired 

or want to focus on a particular niche,” 

Carosella added. “A lot of them have the 

credentials, the academic background 

and professional experience to pull their 

enterprises together.”

Many of the innovations in 

technology that DLA has taken 

advantage of since Sajda joined the 

agency’s small-business office in 

2011 have come from small-business 

owners who were dedicated to creating 

quality products for warfighters. She 

takes personally the task of guiding 

small-business owners toward the right 

supply chain and sharing the nuances 

of government contracting that are 

normally discovered only by trial and 

error, she said. 

But for every vendor Sajda has 

helped steer toward a business deal, 

there are dozens she said she’s had 

to be “brutally honest” with, such as a 

vendor who developed plastic containers 

of personal hygiene products that could 

be clipped to the outside of a backpack. 

“The point was that it wouldn’t 

take up valuable space inside soldiers’ 

backpacks,” Sajda said. “It was a really 

novel idea, but in all the places he went to 

market the product, nobody told the man 

the truth. The military was never going 

to buy it, because when you clipped it on 

and the soldier started walking, it made 

too much noise,” she said, adding that 

her goal is to be honest without deflating 

people’s innovation and drive. 

“It’s not DLA’s business to buy your 

new thing,” she also tells vendors. “DLA’s 

business is to buy what the military 

needs and asks us to buy.”

The agency is also responsible for 

administering Procurement Technical 

Assistance Centers in Washington, D.C.; 

Puerto Rico; Guam and all 50 states. 

PTACs help increase the number of small 

businesses capable of partnering with 

DLA and other government agencies at 

local and state levels.

PTACs offer a variety of services, 

from identifying contracting 

opportunities to providing guidance 

on the bidding process and detailed 

instructions on registering in federal 

procurement systems, such as the 

System for Award Management and 

DLA’s Internet Bid Board System.

“By supporting new suppliers, 

the PTACs promote competitive 

environments and increase smallbusiness participation, which again, 

results in higher-quality goods at lower 

prices,” Hall said.

DLA’s success awarding contracts 

to small businesses is a result of 

teamwork, Sajda added. 

“Small-business specialists really are 

part of the DLA team,” she said. “They 

want to do what’s best for the customer 

while trying to do what’s right for our 

nation’s industrial base.” LL

DURING 2016, DLA AWARDED CONTRACTS WORTH 

MORE THAN $10 BILLION TO SMALL BUSINESSES.
January / February 2018 

Providers in the 

STORMs Compiled by John R. Bell from reports by DLA 

Major Subordinate Commands, Information 

Operations and DLA Headquarters *

DLA CREATIVITY AND SELFLESSNESS SUPPORTING HURRICANE RELIEF

Harvey. Irma. Maria.

As military service members helped 

search for people trapped in flooded 

homes, delivered supplies, and flew 

helicopters to airlift victims, coordinating 

it all was the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency. 

Managing the Department 

of Defense contribution was U.S. 

Northern Command.

And providing whatever was needed 

— from personnel to petroleum, meals 

to medical supplies, contracting to 

communications — was the Defense 

Logistics Agency.

The numbers are staggering. (See the 

graphic on pg. 30 ) But just as profound are 

the individual stories of DLA people, hard 

at work to help their fellow Americans.

Finding a Way 

About 600 miles to the southeast 

of Puerto Rico, the island nation of 

Dominica is home to numerous American 

expatriates and visitors. And like Puerto 

Rico, Dominica was devastated by 

Hurricane Maria.

After the storm, the main hospital 

in the capital city of Roseau suddenly 

needed a critical part used in its 

emergency department and its intensive 

care unit. A pressure transducer, used in 

pumping oxygen and regulating air flow, is 

a small part that looks like a spark plug.

The part has nothing to do with 

military aircraft — which is why it isn’t 

managed by DLA Aviation. Nonetheless, 

the request ended up with DLA Aviation 

personnel, who found a way to get this 

critical item to the customer.

Paula Kanervikkoaho, lead customer 

account specialist on the Air Force Foreign 

Military Sales and Civil Aviation Team, 

discovered this exact transducer was 

no longer in production. However, she 

found the transducer in a higher pressure 

capability from a commercial source. 

The U.S. Southern Command 

chief surgeon approved the alternate 

part. Once the funds were finalized, 

Kanervikkoaho created a purchase 

requisition using an unassigned local 

part number. 

*Tanekwa Bournes, Cathy Hopkins, Ron Inman, 

Jake Joy, Jeff Landenberger, Kenneth MacNevin, 

Shawn J. Jones, Amber McSherry, Annette Silva 

and Mike Tuttle also contributed to this story.

Members of the Texas National Guard in Houston rescue stranded residents in flooded areas from the storms of Hurricane Harvey. 

— Photo by Air Force 1st Lt. Zachary West
page

30 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

24-hour carrier delivery service at the 

contractor facility. With Dominica’s 

airport closed to commercial aircraft, 

DLA coordinated a direct shipment and 

made sure it was placed on the next 

available aircraft headed to the island. 

Just one tiny part for one hospital 

in one small nation — but thanks to 

the resourcefulness and commitment 

of people at DLA Aviation and DLA 

Distribution, the hospital could rely on 

uninterrupted power as it treated victims 

of Hurricane Maria.

Helping at Home 

For some DLA employees, hurricane 

relief had an even greater meaning.

Luis Peña works for DLA Disposition 

Services as a property disposal specialist 

in his hometown of San Juan, Puerto 

Rico. He runs a one-man show that 

covers the military’s disposition needs 

throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. 

Virgin Islands. 

For weeks after Hurricane Maria 

hit the Caribbean, Peña’s home was 

uninhabitable, with no electricity or 

running water. The same was true for his 

DLA Disposition Services office at Fort 

Buchanan. Peña lived with his wife in a 

hotel — their second, after the first hotel 

ran out of generator fuel and went dark. 

Kanervikkoaho forwarded the 

information to Danita Davis, a 

supervisory contract specialist in the 

Emergency Contracting Supplier Branch 

of the Supplier Support Division. 

Davis said several actions started 

happening at once to turn the request 

around in three days. DLA Finance–

Aviation coordinated the transfer 

of funds between the hospital and 

SOUTHCOM and purchase approval with 

DLA Headquarters. Meanwhile, Davis 

and her supervisor, Marita Beckles, 

worked with the supplier to get a quote 

that same day. 

Davis sent the purchase request to 

Chester Keeton, a product specialist in 

her division. Keeton verified the supplier 

could make the part to its specifications 

while Davis coordinated transportation 

with David Pferdehirt, who works in DLA 

Distribution’s Transportation Office. 

Once all the pieces were in place and 

Keeton finished his review, Davis awarded 

the contract in less than an hour. 

Pferdehirt arranged for three 

transducers to be picked up by a 

COMMODITIES 

738 Lines of Pharmaceuticals

 20K Handheld Radios

39K Power Poles

 951 Generators

2.7M Gallons of Fuel

 88.1M Meals

344K 1-5 Gallon Water Jugs

 300K Gallons of Water

22

Deployed

Military

84

Deployed

Civilians

3,474

Trailers

Received

SUPPORT HUBS

Fort Bragg, NC

Maxwell AFB, AL

gg,

Maxwell AFB, AL Maxwell AFB, AL

3

2

C

7

3 Jacksonville, FL

San Juan, PR

JBSA Randolph, TX

Seguin, TX

DLA HURRICANE SUPPORT STATISTICS

An aerial view of the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey 

in Houston, Texas. Hurricane Harvey formed in the Gulf of 

Mexico and made landfall in southeastern Texas, bringing 

record flooding and destruction to the region. U.S. military 

assets supported FEMA as well as state and local authorities 

in rescue and relief efforts.
page

January / February 2018 31

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Communication Nation

Like military operations, 

disaster relief can’t happen without 

communications — reliable phone and 

internet. Yet these are often the first 

things to go in a major weather event.

For all three hurricanes, DLA and its 

customers relied on the Contingency 

Information Technology Support Team, 

part of DLA Information Operations.

To support relief after Hurricane 

Harvey, information technology specialists Robert Garcia and Charles James 

deployed to Texas for about a month. 

“There was a lot of hard work 

involved, but I enjoyed that we were 

a part of the humanitarian effort to 

support those affected by the recent 

hurricanes,” Garcia said. 

Their mission on ground was 

to create a command-and-control 

element for the incident support base 

at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. The 

Mobile Emergency Response Center, 

along with Garcia and James, were 

required to establish communications 

for the DLA Distribution Expeditionary 

teams from Red River, Texas; 

Susquehanna, Pennsylvania; and 

Tracy, California. The services allowed 

DLA personnel on site to access data, 

make phone calls, print and copy 

required documents and coordinate ISB 

Despite shortages of drinking water, 

extremely limited communications and 

hours-long lines for gasoline rations, 

Peña remained hard at work linking DLA 

scrap contractors with the military units 

requiring help cleaning up storm debris.

Peña said doing so without the 

luxury of email or the phone requires 

face-to-face meetings, meaning driving 

through “a lot of traffic” because of 

damaged infrastructure and no working 

traffic lights.

“He’s having to do everything in person,” said Terry Surdyke, his supervisor. 

Peña first evacuated for three 

days in early September for 

Hurricane Irma, another Category 5 

storm that grazed the north of the 

island while churning westward and 

eventually causing an estimated $63 

billion in damage.

Fort Buchanan reopened shortly 

after Irma passed. For the next week 

and a half, Peña continued issuing 

equipment even as predictions for 

Hurricane Maria warned of a direct hit. 

Peña said he was still providing 

generators to law enforcement and 

Government Services Administration 

customers in the days leading up to 

Maria’s landfall, down to the moment 

the base closed at noon and the 

evacuation order took effect Sept. 19. 

“We all faced something we’ve 

never seen before,” Peña said.

Food for the Fight 

Supplying those in need also meant 

providing balanced nutrition to those 

helping provide the relief. 

For Hurricane Irma, DLA Troop 

Support’s Subsistence supply chain 

managed a rush delivery of fresh fruit 

and vegetables to the USS Oak Hill before 

it departed for the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

The ship was running low on fresh 

fruits and vegetables and would need 

to be replenished by the USNS Supply, a 

Military Sealift Command ship. 

An error in the order had left the 

Oak Hill in limbo. Once the error was 

fixed, only four hours were left before 

the ship would close its cargo holds for 

departure. To get the food there on time, 

Larry Muñoz, a field representative for 

the Subsistence supply chain, with the 

help of fellow Subsistence acquisition 

professionals, executed several 

emergency orders. 

Dave Jolls, who manages Subsistence’s produce division, said he had a 

vested interest seeing the order filled. 

“I know how it feels to be on a ship 

and not receive those fresh fruits and 

vegetables,” said Jolls, who spent 24 

years in the Navy.

But getting the order to the Oak Hill 

was complicated, Jolls said. The primary 

vendor was unable to deliver in time. 

So Jolls coordinated with 

vendors in the Norfolk 

area who were able and 

willing to work with the 

vendor under contract to 

meet the requirements. 

Jolls and Muñoz, also 

a Navy veteran, worked 

the phones, drafted 

contracting documents 

and fired off email after 

email to accomplish their 

part of the mission. Their 

efforts paid off.

“It really, literally, 

made it there just on 

time,” Jolls said. “And to 

be able to fill 100 percent 

of their order, that’s the 

icing on the cake.”

Air Force Staff Sgt. James Brush, 502nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, prepares 

over 30,000 water bottles for transport at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, 

as part of Hurricane Harvey relief. DLA Troop Support provided 1.5 million bottles of 

water and 18 million meals to FEMA in support of the relief efforts.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Larry Reid Jr.

Johnny Saldivar
page

32 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

operations with handheld radios.

“Seeing the different organizations 

within DLA come together and work to 

support FEMA during this unfortunate 

natural disaster has been a beautiful and 

humbling, eye-opening experience,” said 

Philip LaGamba of the Cyber Emergency 

Response Team, who volunteered to 

serve on the Maxwell ISB in Florida. 

“As a DLA employee, volunteer, 

Navy veteran and American, seeing 

everybody work together for a greater 

cause is something we should all be able 

to experience in our lifetime,” he said. 

LaGamba also helps with the inbound 

and outbound supply trailers on the ISB. 

“It was surely worth the effort knowing the positive effects our mission had in 

providing supplies to the many Americans 

that were devastated by all the storms,” 

said Charles James, IT specialist for CIT 

West. James drove the Mobile Emergency 

Response Center, which provided communications at the Randolph ISB. 

“It was truly rewarding to support 

such a large scale effort. Knowing that 

so many agencies can work together 

jointly and have a positive effect on the 

many Americans in need made the difficult journey worth it,” James said soon 

after finishing his duty supporting hurricane relief in Texas. “I look forward to 

supporting the mission and agency again 

in my upcoming trip to Puerto Rico.”

Pharmacy Afloat

Food, water, electricity — as critical 

as these are, there’s another thing many 

people can’t live without: their medicine.

When the U.S. Navy Ship Comfort 

arrived Oct. 3 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 

it was stocked with pharmaceuticals 

provided by Medical supply chain 

professionals at DLA Troop Support.

The Comfort is a seagoing hospital 

ship that can support complex medical 

procedures. It has one of the largest 

trauma facilities in the United States, 

with four X-ray machines, one CT 

scanner, a dental suite, an optometry 

lens laboratory, physical therapy center, 

pharmacy, angiography suite and two 

oxygen-producing plants, according to 

the Navy. 

About 800 personnel embarked on 

the Comfort for the Puerto Rico mission. 

The Comfort ordered medications 

for the ship’s routine use, as well as 

controlled substances required for 

surgeries and postoperative care, said 

Randy Owens, a supervisor in Medical’s 

operational customers division.

DLA’s pharmacy team worked with 

the Military Sealift Command and the 

pharmaceutical vendor to ensure the 

ship left port with the medical materiel it 

needed, Owens said.

The medicine was delivered Sept. 

29. But Linda Grugan, DLA’s lead 

pharmaceutical contracting officer for 

THE TOTAL COSTS FOR 

DLA HURRICANE SUPPORT 

FROM AUG. 25, 2017, THROUGH 

NOV. 14, 2017: 

$835,185,150

The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort 

arrives in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Inset) Sailors perform a 

surgical operation in an operating room aboard the hospital 

ship USNS Comfort in the Caribbean Sea. The Comfort is 

providing medical services to people affected by Hurricane 

Maria, with supply support from DLA.

— Photo Inset by Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Danny Ray Nunez Jr.

Air Force Capt. Christopher Merian
page

January / February 2018 33

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Navy hospital ships, said it took a lot of 

extra work.

“As always, the challenge when a 

humanitarian crisis hits is getting large 

quantities of pharmaceuticals ordered, 

picked and delivered to the hospital 

ships in a very short time,” Grugan said.

Power to the People

Fuel may not be as photogenic as 

other supplies, but it’s just as critical in 

a disaster.

Every helicopter, rescue boat, cargo 

plane and hospital ship runs on some type 

of fuel. So too do the portable generators 

set up in locations with no electrical power.

In the response to a major hurricane, 

that’s millions of gallons of diesel fuel, jet 

fuel, gasoline and propane.

As Hurricane Harvey approached, 

DLA Energy was already working with 

FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to put fuel in place. By Aug. 31, 

DLA Energy had delivered 11 generators 

to the FEMA and USACE, and 100,000 

gallons of gasoline and 493,000 gallons 

of diesel fuel to Fort Hood and FEMA’s 

ISB in near San Antonio.

Before Hurricane Irma struck Florida, 

DLA Energy, FEMA and the National 

Guard were on standby at Warner 

Robins and other nearby towns, ready to 

support emergency-response teams.

“Our team closed operations at 

Warner Robins and became 100 percent 

operational at Camp Blanding in less than 

48 hours, without degrading fuel operations,” said Army Lt. Col. Josiel Carrasquillo, 

commander of both DLA Energy Americas at Houston and Task Force Americas.

Army Col. Craig Simonsgaard was 

the deputy commander for DLA Task 

Force Tempest during Irma, Maria and 

Nate and is also the commander for DLA 

Energy Americas, which administers a 

fuels contract with Foster Fuels to meet 

FEMA’s needs for diesel fuel and gasoline.

Task Force Irma’s members included 

some who were themselves displaced 

form their homes. 

“One of our employees had two trees 

fall on his house. Another left his wife 

and daughter at home pulling drywall 

out while he went to Camp Blanding for 

Irma; Simonsgaard said.

Supporting hurricane relief was a 

simpler task in Texas than in Puerto Rico 

and even Florida, he noted. 

“One, the power didn’t go out. And 

two, there’s a whole bunch of ways you 

can come into Texas.” In Florida, the fact 

that so much of the damage was on the 

Florida Keys, which are accessible by one 

highway, made the job challenging there.

Because Puerto Rico is likewise a 

group of islands with no highway access 

to the mainland, it required that supplies 

be delivered via ship and airplane, 

Simonsgaard noted.

And even when a supply ship arrives, 

there’s still the need to staff the port 

at a time when employees can’t get to 

work due to damaged roads and gas 

shortages, he added. In addition, the 

bottom of the harbor underwater must 

be surveyed for any sunken debris that 

could damage the ship. Finally, ports 

require electricity to operated.

“When Harvey started, it knocked 

out the whole petroleum center of North 

America,” Simonsgaard noted. “These 

refineries [near Houston] represent 60 

percent of the refining capacity in the 

United States. So when they were all 

down, that meant there was no resupply 

on the way.”

Whole of Government, 

Whole of DLA

Individuals like these are not unusual 

at DLA, said Army Lt. Gen. Darrell 

Williams, the DLA director. Their efforts 

show just how committed DLA people 

are to providing what customers need, no 

matter the difficulty.

“As I’ve visited our staging bases, 

I’ve seen so many truly inspiring DLA 

people,” Williams said. “I’ve met person 

after person who found a way to get 

the job done, even when the power 

was down, even when there was no cell 

signal or no internet. I’ve met many who 

had been working days at a time and 

in some cases when their own homes 

have been destroyed.”

“Our role as an agency is inherently 

one that’s in the background,” Williams 

continued. “Our job is to support those 

leading the effort. But when I see the 

faces of people who have just received 

their first meal in days or their 

long-awaited medication, I realize 

more than ever just how much our 

fellow citizens rely on the hard work 

of people throughout the Defense 

Logistics Agency.” LL

Trey Ward

A Defense Logistics Agency employee lines up a row 

of tractor trailers on Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, 

preparing to depart for Florida. Maxwell housed more than 

800 trailers laden with relief supplies destined for Florida 

after Hurricane Irma left the state.
page

cover4 WWW.DLA.MIL

LOGLINES

THE RIGHT SOLUTIONS — ON TIME, EVERY TIME

My name Is:

Rhonda Christie

I am:

An equal employment opportunity specialist at DLA Aviation – Cherry Point, 

North Carolina. 

Describe your job in a sentence:

I process EEO discrimination complaints and conduct EEO education and 

awareness classes for the workforce.   

How long have you worked at DLA?

A little over two years. I transferred from the Department of the Air Force to DLA 

Aviation in March 2015.

What is your favorite thing about working for DLA? 

Conducting civil-treatment training, which is designed to give organizations 

tools to prevent, detect and correct inappropriate workplace behaviors and build 

productive, inclusive cultures.

What are your best memories of working here?

My best memory is assisting the Disability Program 

manager and supervisor with providing a reasonable 

accommodation for an employee.

,ŽǁĚŽLJŽƵŵĂŬĞĂĚŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞ͍

By keeping a positive attitude and adding value to 

my team’s efforts by maintaining focus on the mission and 

the purpose of the Equal Employment Opportunity and 

Diversity Program.  

Rhonda Christie