LOGLINES

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY JULY – AUGUST 2016

FACTORY

TO FOXHOLE

DLA AND U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND

WORK TOGETHER TO SERVE WARFIGHTERS

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Lt. Gen. Andy Busch, USAF

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

DLA Director

Air Force Lt. Gen. Andy Busch

DLA Vice Director

Ted Case 

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Renee L. Roman

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Joseph M. Yoswa

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Patrick H. Mackin

/RJOLQHV 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 

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government, the Department of Defense or the 

Defense Logistics Agency. 

LOGLINES

Official Flagship Publication

of the Defense Logistics Agency

LOGLINES STAFF

Managing Editor: Phil Prater

Senior Editor: John R. Bell

:ULWHUV Beth Reece

 Chris Erbe

 Dianne Ryder

/D\RXW'HVLJQ Paul Henry Crank

Headquar ters, Defense Logistics Agency, Office of Public Affairs 

8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 2545, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221

Phone: 703-767-6200 E-mail: loglines@dla.mil

/RJOLQHV is prepared electronically, using desktop publishing applications; no commercial typesetting 

costs are involved. Photos not credited are courtesy of agency sources. 6XEPLVVLRQVDQGFRUUHVSRQGHQFH

may be sent to the address below:

Here at DLA we tend to focus on 

our daily individual tasks rather 

than the Agency’s big picture. I 

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people as they work. But I believe that 

what each of us contributes is a part of 

what makes this whole organization great. 

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able to anticipate and support the needs 

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partners. Whether you work in a supply 

warehouse stocking Humvee parts, protect 

the agency from cyber-attacks, or develop 

lifecycle support plans, we each make up 

a unique and important part of our global 

team supporting a worldwide mission.

To the Defense Department we play a 

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men and women are supplied, fueled, 

nourished, and healed. Our reach covers 

support to current military operations 

overseas and, when called upon, we 

support in humanitarian assistance 

operations at home and abroad. 

At home DLA also provides logistics 

support to federal, state and local 

customers that include the Federal 

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customers in the combatant commands 

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and AFRICOM depend on us to save 

them time and lower their costs to 

support their operations. DLA’s Whole 

of Government response is achieved 

through proactive engagement with 

other agencies optimizing our support 

operations. And our close partnership 

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quickly acquire and transfer parts to the 

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work together to provide innovative 

and dynamic solutions that meet the 

changing needs and requirements that 

meet our partner’s priorities.

In this month’s edition of Loglines 

we are stepping away from our themed 

editions and will focus more on 

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magazine will cover our various tasks 

and experiences that make us DLA. 

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prepared to meet expeditionary logistics 

requirements and how we work with 

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an employee’s journey from refugee to 

police chief. 

I expect the new format will allow 

you to read about the highlights of our 

organization and how we continue to 

be America’s premier logistics agency. 

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and tell them what you think about the 

changes at www.dla.mil. Click on the 

Loglines icon and give them feedback or 

even some story ideas. 

DIRECTOR

FROM THE
Loglines O July - August 2016 1

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

A Conversation with ... 22 

Air Force Col. Michelle Hall

DLA NewsWire 30

DLA Strategic Plan Poster Series 37

Warfighter First

I am DLA Back Cover

Linda Hill-Robinson

DEPARTMENTS

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

DLA ON www.dla.mil www.facebook.com/dla.mil www.twitter.com/dlamil www.youtube.com/GRGORJLVWLFVDJHQF\

THE WEB

Logistics, Live and On Location 2

Two teams of DLA expeditionary logisticians stand ready to 

deploy to support global contingencies. To stay ready, they 

participate in any of four lifelike exercises every year. 

Keep Them Flying 8

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dollars by keeping several dependable veteran aircraft in the air 

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A Proper Fit 15

A critical part was in short supply, with few replacements 

available. DLA Land and Maritime worked to help develop a 

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Factory to Foxhole 18

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to ensure supplies are where they are needed before and 

after shipping.

Synchronizing the Effort 24

DLA’s Joint Logistics Operations Center sustains the agency’s 

operational readiness around the clock and around the world.

An American Story 27

DLA Police Chief Chuepheng Lo’s journey to becoming America’s 

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DLA Warfighter Support Initiative 

Engaging Customers 32

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bring outreach and education directly to customers. 

Slick Solution 35

Conventional motor oil has been blamed for environmental 

damage and is often sourced from foreign nations, and the 

Department of Defense is a major consumer. But a DLA program 

may help change that.

CONTENTS

JULY - AUGUST 2016
2 www.dla.mil

very pilot, military or commercial, 

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with human lives.

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little as 12 hours’ notice.

Seaport Opening — April 2016

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known in this scenario as the Republic of 

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Polk, Kentucky.

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Story by John R. Bell

LOGISTICS

LIVE AND ON LOCATION

Military vehicles and equipment wait to be 

loaded from a new seaport facility created 

by DLA expeditionary logistics teams at Port 

Arthur, Texas, for Turbo Distribution 16-4 in 

April 2016. — Photo Courtesy Port of Port Arthur
Loglines O July - August 2016 3
4 www.dla.mil

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Transportation Battalion to open a 

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Structure and Process

Every year, there are three aerial 

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two exercises per year.

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Humanitarian assistance supplies were 

delivered as part of Turbo Distribution 16-2 

at Sierra Army Depot, California, March 2016. 

A DLA Support Team led by Navy Capt. Paul 

Haslam (second from left), participating in 

Turbo Distribution 16-2.

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo
Loglines O July - August 2016 5

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a universal customer account specialist 

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Loran D. Doane

DLA Distribution employee Eugene Summers 

(black jacket) and DLA Joint Contingency 

Acquisition Support Office employee Craig Hill 

(second from right) conduct a site assessment 

with exercise players and representatives from 

the Fort Eustis, Virginia, 689th Transportation 

Detachment during Turbo Distribution 16-1 in 

Gulfport, Mississippi, October 2015.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez

“As soon as the call is given 

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have the military response 

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— Navy Capt. Paul Haslam 
6 www.dla.mil

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Soldiers from the Army’s 688th Rapid Port 

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Sierra Army Depot, California. The aircraft is 

using an aerial port opening set up by a DLA 

support team of expeditionary logisticians.

(From left) DLA employees Craig Hill, Andre 

Hinson, Paul Chanman, John Snead, Jeff 

Crosson, Eugene Summers, Air Force Col. 

Michelle Hall and Hank Morrow conduct an afteraction review for the “Turbo Distribution” 16-1 

exercise in Gulfport, Mississippi, October 2015.

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Loglines O July - August 2016 7

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to enable the shipment to Fort Polk 

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3$QGWKH&ODVV,IRONV2ZHKDG

>IRRGDQGVXEVLVWHQFHUDWLRQV@DQG

SULPHYHQGRUFRQWUDFWVWKDWZHUHXVHG

Heavy expanded military tactical truck with 

specialized load-handling system, Sierra Army 

Depot, California, March 2016.

Courtesy Photo

This kind of exercise 

“requires you to think 

theater-wide.” 

— Jeff Crosson
8 www.dla.mil

DLA Aviation’s Customer Operations Directorate 

in Richmond, Virginia, is part of a team keeping 

the UH-60 platform mission-ready. The LED, 

light-emitting diode, lights on the M model 

aircraft were replaced with previously used 

incandescent lights because of a halo and glare 

problem when using night vision equipment.

— Photo by Army Sgt. Pablo Pantoja
Loglines O July - August 2016 9

KEEP THEM FLYING

Story by DLA Aviation Public Affairs Office

t has been said wars are won or lost 

based on the strength of a supply 

chain. Or to reference the old 

proverb: For want of a nail, the shoe 

was lost; for want of a shoe, the horse 

was lost.

The inability to sustain supply lines 

was a major cause of Civil War Gen. 

Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, 

Virginia, in 1865 and was responsible 

for Napoleon’s retreat in 1812, during 

the French invasion of Russia. [See “The 

Grand Failure: How Logistics of Supply 

Defeated Napoleon in 1812,” by Lynch 

Bennett, Primary Source, Spring 2011, 

Vol. 1, Issue 1].

Although DLA Aviation supports many 

airborne weapons systems, it has recently 

focused on four: the Marine Corps’ AV-8B 

Harrier ground attack aircraft, the Air 

Force’s A-10 Thunderbolt II close-air 

support attack aircraft, the Army’s UH-60 

Black Hawk tactical transport helicopter 

DQGWKH1DY\¶V)$+RUQHW¿JKWHUMHW

What do these four weapon systems 

have in common to warrant a concentrated 

focus? Their age and the military’s need 

WRNHHSWKHPÀ\LQJEH\RQGWKHLULQLWLDO

programmed lifecycle. The oldest is 

the Harrier, put into operation in 1971, 

followed by the Thunderbolt II in 1975, 

then the Black Hawk in 1979, and last, 

the Hornet operating since 1983. With 

H[WHQGHGÀ\LQJWLPHDQGLQFUHDVHG

operations worldwide come sustainment 

problems the military services never 

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t

b

c

p

w

l

I As with anything mechanical, time and 

wear have taken their toll.

Challenges facing parts support 

include diminishing supplier bases; the 

need to replace unique components; lack 

of data rights, hindering development 

of alternate sources of repair and 

replacement parts; the need for parts 

improvement; and changes in safety 

needs, maintenance and engineering. 

That’s in addition to forecasting and 

funding increasing operations and 

maintenance costs. 

DLA Aviation meets these challenges 

through close relationships with industry 

and the military services and through its 

dedicated workforce, many of whom are 

prior or current military. 

In all cases, DLA Aviation has teams 

dedicated to the health of a weapon 

V\VWHPDQGWKHVDIHW\RIRXUZDU¿JKWHUV

Up and Down, Air to Ground:

The Harrier

7KH$9%+DUULHU,,ÀRZQE\WKH

Marine Corps since 1983, is known as the 

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Three main problems face the aircraft, 

according to a recent independent 

readiness review: out-of-reporting 

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LQḢFLHQFLHVDQGPDWHULDO

DLA Aviation and the Marine Corps 

are addressing the manpower problem 

by increasing the Marine billets assigned 

to the activity. By later in 2016, they 

will have grown the DLA Aviation 

Marine Corps Customer Facing Team in 

Richmond, Virginia, by eight members.

Marine Corps Maj. Chris Story, 

DLA Aviation’s Harrier weapon system 

program manager, said the DLA Aviation 

AV-8B Team is developing better 

forecasting of parts demand to promote 

better supply support. He pointed out that 

personnel at all levels in DLA Aviation 

have devised ways to improve their ability 

to predict demand for parts. 

A critical step in in improving 

forecasting is closer collaboration with 

aviation industrial partners and the 

0DULQH&RUSV+DUULHU3URJUDP2̇FHLQ

Patuxent River, Maryland. 

Story said DLA is collaborating with 

VXFKSURJUDPṘFHVWKURXJKWKH'HPDQG

Data Exchange. This program lets 

An AV-8B Harrier II refuels over Iraq in support 

of Operation Inherent Resolve. OIR is the 

coalition intervention against the Islamic State 

of Iraq and the Levant. 

 Air Force Tech. Sgt. Nathan Lipscomb
10 www.dla.mil

customers transmit anticipated demands 

in the form of national stock numbers, 

quantities and need dates instead of 

waiting for the demand to occur. 

Collaborative forecasting also allows 

WKH+DUULHU3URJUDP2̇FHWRZRUN

with DLA Aviation Planning Process 

and Strategic Acquisition Programs 

Directorates and start buying parts before 

customers need them.

7KH+DUULHU3URJUDP2̇FHZDV

WKH¿UVWWRVLJQD-RLQW&ROODERUDWLRQ

Agreement with DLA to ensure this could 

occur. Story said the DLA Aviation team 

held meetings with key stakeholders to 

prioritize critical items inhibiting readiness.

He also said measures the team 

took to ensure lifecycle support 

through improved forecasting, industry 

FROODERUDWLRQVÀHHWHQJDJHPHQWDQG

supplier summits, combined with 

FRQWLQXRXVSURFHVVLPSURYHPHQWVLQÀHHW

maintenance and supply, have led to a 

positive readiness trend for the Harrier.

Readiness is demonstrated by an 

average monthly Ready Basic Aircraft 

Navy statistic that improved from 46 

DLUFUDIWLQ-XO\WRDLUFUDIWLQ

April 2016 and by the team meeting or 

Visitors to Defense Supply Center Richmond, 

Virginia, may view one of the first models of the 

A-10 Thunderbolt II that is on loan to DLA from 

Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter, South Carolina.
Loglines O July - August 2016 11

H[FHHGLQJWKH2̇FHRIWKH&KLHIRI1DYDO

Operations’ F-402 Engine Readiness 

Goal of 155 engines ready for issue for the 

AV-8B since December 2015. 

God of Thunder

Trying to maintain an antique 

machine is a challenge for any collector or 

parts provider, whether it’s a bicycle, a car 

or a multi-million-dollar weapon system 

À\LQJFULWLFDOPLVVLRQV

The A-10 is one such system. A small 

$LU)RUFH¿JKWHUMHWWKH:DUWKRJRU

“Hog,” is an attack aircraft, providing 

close-air support missions for ground 

troops since 1975. The current model is 

ÀRZQE\$LU)RUFHVTXDGURQVLQWKHDFWLYH

Air Force, Air Reserve and Air National 

Guard across 10 airbases. Its service was 

just extended until 2022.

Steven Utz has a unique perspective 

on the A-10. He served as a crew chief 

for a Warthog while in the Air Force and 

now helps the overhaul of the airframe 

by replacing failing parts in his job as a 

supervisory quality assurance specialist 

at DLA Aviation. Now a reservist, Utz 

said there are no other aircraft in the Air 

Force’s inventory that can perform closeair support like the A-10. 

“It is truly an amazing machine. I was 

proud to work on it and now I am proud 

that I get to support it,” he said. “I never 

understood why it took so long to get 

parts. Now, I understand that it’s not that 

simple. There are some parts that have 

not been manufactured since the A-10 was 

originally built.”

Roy Peay, deputy chief of the 

Aviation and Airframes Division in Utz’s 

directorate, agrees it’s challenging to 

continue supporting the aircraft. 

“Suppliers that 

were in production 

for these spares early 

on have often moved 

on to manufacture 

other products, rid 

themselves of tooling 

that has grown 

dilapidated, or gone out of business,” 

Peay said. 

Emery Cody, the A-10 weapon system 

program manager at DLA Aviation, said 

there are approximately 9,600 NSNs 

unique to the A-10 valued at more than 

$82.5 million, and over 25,500 common 

NSNs, parts that would be used in the 

A-10, as well as other aircraft. 

7KH$ÀHHWKDVEHHQLPSURYHG

on many times throughout the years. 

The most recent improvement is the 

enhanced wing assembly. The Air Force 

allowed Boeing to scan portions of the 

aircraft and create three-dimensional 

model drawings from the 

scans. Boeing also did 

extensive work converting 

existing legacy 2D paper 

drawings into 3D digital 

models. Working with revised 

drawings, DLA is procuring 

EWAs, and mechanics are 

replacing the old wings, which had 

become uneconomical to continue to 

remove and repair. 

Updating old drawings is one of the 

ways DLA is able to provide logistical 

solutions for the A-10s. New, updated 

Some parts have not 

been manufactured 

since the A-10 was 

originally built.

After identifying structural cracks on thinskinned wings on A-10C Thunderbolt models the 

Air Combat Command grounded some planes, 

until DLA Aviation helped fix the problem.

— Photo by Air Force Senior Airman Javier Cruz
12 www.dla.mil

3D drawings minimize misinterpretation 

of legacy 2D drawing information and 

DOVRDOORZVIRUPRUHḢFLHQWFRPSXWHU

controlled manufacturing of parts with 

today’s manufacturing processes. 

Utz said in general, supporting aged 

DLUFUDIWLVDGL̇FXOWWDVNQRWRQO\DUH

the original technology and manufacturing methods antiquated, but also the 

aircraft don’t always conform to the 

original designs. 

“I commend the Air Force for allowing 

Boeing to convert legacy drawings and 

create 3D models for the EWA project. I 

wish they would start doing this for other 

aircraft as well,” he said. 

The wings are an Air Force-managed 

item that DLA provides replacement parts 

for — panels, bolts, and structural parts. 

DLA is stocking NSNs for the original and 

enhanced wing assemblies. Some wing 

panels aren’t interchangeable between 

DLUFUDIWPRGHOVDQGZDU¿JKWHUVUHTXLUH

SDUWVIRUHDFKPRGHOÀRZQ

Dan Phillips, chief of the A-10 

6\VWHP3URJUDP2̇FHDW+LOO$LU)RUFH

Base’s Engineering Branch in Utah, 

said 3D drawings assist in reverseengineering parts. For example, Air 

National Guard machinists in Boise, 

Idaho, fabricated parts for a structural 

repair needed after a bird struck 

WKHZLQJRIDQDLUFUDIWLQÀLJKW'

models are also being designed for 

the rest of the airframe structure and 

its subsystems and are part of the 

technical data package to procure new 

engine nacelles, which is the casing 

around an engine.

-HQQLIHU2OVRQLVWKH$

Acquisition and Sustainment Support 

chief in the Air Force A-10 Program 

0DQDJHPHQW2̇FHDW+LOO$LU)RUFH

Base, Utah. She said the EWAs are just 

one example of the creativity needed in 

sustaining mission-ready aircraft and cites 

Air Force collaborations with Tooele 

Army Depot, Toole, Utah, on the coating 

of ballistic foam as another. 

Bird of Prey

The DLA Aviation UH-60 Black Hawk 

Team is in multiple locations, ensuring the 

helicopter is mission-ready in production, 

deployment and sustainment. 

%RE-RKQVRQ'/$$YLDWLRQ¶V8+

weapon system program manager, said 

supporting the aircraft is truly a joint 

H̆RUW7KHKHOLFRSWHULVXVHGE\DOOWKH

military services, and the demands of 

RQHRIWHQD̆HFWWKHRWKHUV7KH$UP\

has the most demands because it has the 

ODUJHVWÀHHWIROORZHGE\WKH1DY\WKH

Air Force and the Coast Guard. Although 

FRQ¿JXUDWLRQVDUHXQLTXHRQHDFKPRGHO

they have common parts, and DLA 

supports all platforms, including the 

latest, the UH-60M.

“DLA Aviation is focused on tackling 

three areas of sustainment of the highly 

utilized helicopter: safety and maintenance, parts improvements, and updating 

engineering changes and other improvePHQWVIURPLQGXVWU\ ́-RKQVRQVDLG

The UH-60 team includes customer 

account specialists in Richmond, Virginia, 

who play critical roles by tracking and 

Pilots from U.S. Army 2nd Battalion (Assault), 

2nd Aviation Regiment and 3rd General 

Support Aviation Battalion flew in over 300 

Republic of Korea and U.S. Marines on 25 

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for an air 

assault on the multipurpose range complex.

Christopher Bodin
Loglines O July - August 2016 13

expediting parts drivers on the monthly 

supportability analysis/stock reports; 

aviation forward presence teams at 

Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas; 

and customer logistics site specialists 

embedded with the Army Aviation and 

Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal 

and Fort Rucker, Alabama.

-RKQVRQVDLGWKUHHUHFHQW

PDLQWHQDQFHXSGDWHVLQFOXGHGUHWUR¿WWLQJ

all UH-60 models with self-locking 

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the bolt to be locked down without risk 

of overtightening or stripping them; 

replacing the LED navigation lights whose 

positioning on the aircraft tail and side 

ZDVFDXVLQJJODUHDQGKDORH̆HFWVWKDW

interfered with night vision equipment; 

DQGUHWUR¿WWLQJWKHPDFKLQHJXQPRXQWV

because of design changes in the guns 

that interfered with the mount, requiring 

additional machining and an engineeringchange proposal for the current contract. 

-RKQVRQVDLGEROWVDUHEHLQJUHWUR¿Wted, new mounts are being delivered and 

backorders are being cleared. As to the 

navigation lights, he said the solution was 

to revert to a previous model of the lights. 

DLA Aviation also faces supply 

challenges when the services are 

restructured, as is happening now with 

the active Army, Army Reserve and Army 

National Guard units. “The Reserves are 

sometimes giving up aircraft, and the 

active Army may be turning over aircraft 

WR5HVHUYHXQLWV ́-RKQVRQVDLG3,Q

monitoring these types of movements, 

we pull demand data and supportability 

analysis based on the weapon system 

platform each month to review for 

demand surges caused by restructuring or 

¿VFDOGHPDQGVSLNHV ́

And they’re anticipating an increase 

in demands from CCAD where A models 

have been being converted to L models for 

WKHODVW\HDUVDFFRUGLQJWR-RKQVRQ

3$VQHZLWHPVDUHLGHQWL¿HGWKH

system is going to pick up on the demand 

forecasts. The UH-60 is a high-demand 

platform and typically has 15,000-20,000 

GHPDQGVSHUPRQWK ́-RKQVRQVDLG

“We have to rely on teamwork with our 

forward teams at CCAD, AMCOM and 

our industry partners to stay ahead of 

maintenance and safety-related issues.”

-RKQVRQVDLGWKDWHYHU\ZHHNWKH

Army, Navy and Air Force H-60 weapon 

system program managers inform DLA 

of which aircraft await which parts. “They 

have developed a standing critical-item 

list and coordinate with industry weekly 

WRGLVFXVVLVVXHSULRULWL]DWLRQ ́-RKQVRQ

said. As a result, he said in 2015 DLA 

Aviation exceeded its UH-60 depot 

backorder-reduction goal by over 30 

percent, and material availability has been 

consistently over 90 percent.

The Hornet’s Nest

)$+RUQHW¿JKWHUMHWVÀRZQ

by Navy and Marine Corps pilots, have 

patrolled U.S. and international airspace 

for more than 30 years. The U.S. bombing 

of Libya in 1986 and the wars in Iraq and 

Afghanistan are just a few examples of the 

PLVVLRQVWKH\KDYHÀRZQ

The old, worn-out legacy Hornets, 

models A through D, were scheduled 

to be phased out; however, delays in a 

replacement jet means the Navy needs 

WRXSJUDGHMHWVDOUHDG\LQWKHÀHHW

According to the Navy, some F/A-18 A 

through D models will now be going from 

a 6,000-hour lifespan to 10,000 hours 

or more. This will keep these models 

À\LQJXQWLOPXFKORQJHUWKDQHYHU

The F/A-18E Super Hornet is the world’s most 

advanced strike fighter. Designed to operate 

from a carrier, the Super Hornet is fully capable 

in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

— Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy
14 www.dla.mil

anticipated. The E, F and G models are 

H[SHFWHGWRNHHSÀ\LQJXQWLO

0RUHWKDQRIWKHÀHHW¶VDLUFUDIW

have been sitting idle because of various 

problems, according to the Navy. In the 

spring of 2015, the Navy allocated more 

money to buy the parts to keep these 

MHWVÀ\LQJ

To meet the Navy’s requirements, 

DLA Aviation in Philadelphia set 

up a team focusing on high-priority 

requirements, including the F/A-18 

ÀLJKWFRQWUROVXUIDFHV7KHVHDUHDQ\

replaceable parts visible on the outside of 

the plane that attach to the main body of 

the jet, including the wings, rudders, tails 

and horizontal stabilizers.

Brian Farrington, a supervisory 

contract specialist and the team’s branch 

lead, said, “With this volume of work 

and the urgency level, it is an extremely 

daunting task due to many factors.” 

Factors challenging F/A-18 support 

DUHVLPLODUWRWKRVHWKDWD̆HFWRWKHU

weapon systems such as the need to 

resuscitate supply chains that haven’t 

manufactured parts in years; sole-source 

procurements of the necessary parts; 

a diminishing supplier base; unique 

component replacements; and a lack of 

data rights hindering the government’s 

ability to develop alternate sources. 

Lee Wagman is the tactical 

contracting division chief and leads 

the team who are working to overcome 

potential obstacles in acquiring essential 

parts — not only through multiple, 

standalone contracts, but also through 

long-term contracts with the original 

equipment manufacturer. 

“The only way we are going to 

bring [F/A-18s] back into service is to 

EX\SDUWVDQGPDNHWKHPÀLJKWZRUWK\

again,” Wagman said. “When the 

F/A-18 reaches what the Navy calls ‘life 

limit,’ certain parts on the jet need to 

be replaced to ensure the safety of the 

plane and the pilot.”

Adding to the pressure is that 

DLA Aviation in Philadelphia is now 

supporting three times the F/A-18 

requirements as in past years.

Farrington said meeting increased 

F/A-18 demands and requirements is a 

great example of how DLA Aviation is 

constantly positioning its resources to 

best support the needs of DLA customers 

DQGWKHZDU¿JKWHU

These aircraft are just four examples 

of the sustainment challenges faced and 

overcome every day by more than 3,500 

DLA Aviation employees in 18 U.S. 

locations — employees whose No.1 goal will 

DOZD\VE\ZDU¿JKWHUVXSSRUWDQGVDIHW\

Amy Clement, Catherine Hopkins, Bonnie Koenig and Leon 

Moore contributed to this story.

Sailors stand by while an F/A-18 Hornet 

launches from the flight deck of Nimitz-class 

aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. DLA 

Aviation in Philadelphia has stood up a tactical 

tiger team to ensure the F/A-18 continues 

supporting the needs of the fleet.

Sailors perform maintenance on an F/A-18E 

Super Hornet from the Top Hatters of Strike 

Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14 USS John C. 

Stennis’ hangar bay. DLA Aviation supplies 

parts for the F/A-18.

Navy Seaman Tomas Compian

Navy Seaman Sabrina Fine
Loglines O July - August 2016 15

he manufacturer’s tooling was 

in bad shape. Depots were 

supplying remanufactured used 

SDUWVLQLQVẊFLHQWTXDQWLWLHV

It was already taking 120 days 

to get the part to the troops, and demand 

was heavily outweighing production. 

)RUWXQDWHO\IRUWKHZDU¿JKWHUVD

team from DLA Land and Maritime 

and the Ohio Army National Guard 

came up with a solution to keep the 

Humvee rolling along in Afghanistan 

and elsewhere — demonstrating how 

innovation combined with determination 

h

i

s

S

I

t t th

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7KH+XPYHHWRUTXHFRQYHUWHU

experienced a surge in demand from the 

Afghan National Army in September 2014. 

This surge, coupled with monthly use of 

240 converters, placed a huge burden 

on DLA Land and Maritime to keep up. 

,QDQDXWRPDWLFWUDQVPLVVLRQDWRUTXH

FRQYHUWHUWUDQVPLWVRUPXOWLSOLHVWRUTXH

the twisting force an engine generates to 

rotate a driveshaft, which in turn rotates 

the axle connecting the wheels.

At the same time, the approved 

sources, General Motors and AM General, 

Story by Michael Molinaro, DLA Land and Maritime Public Affairs

Photos Courtesy Defense Supply Center Columbus

experienced shortages of remanufactured 

used parts, or cores, in the supply system, 

and the tooling shared between the two 

suppliers had capacity problems that 

limited production to 150 per month. 

Faced with this shortage, GM 

GHVLJQHGDQHZWRUTXHFRQYHUWRUWKDW

could be used in commercial and military 

vehicles. This proposed “hybrid” part has 

Army Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Brown with the 

Ohio Army National Guard tests the fit of a 

transportation bracket, finding the proposed 

torque converter has the same fit against with 

the transmission flange as the current item.
16 www.dla.mil

a production lead time of 30 days versus 

120 days and comes with a cheaper price 

tag, falling in line with DLA’s culture of 

continuous improvement. 

“The hybrid can be used in 

commercial and military vehicles, so with 

DGHTXDWHGHPDQGWKH\FDQNHHSDOLQH

running and increase throughput,” said 

Dan Krist, an engineer with DLA Land 

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of cores would probably contribute to 

reduced lead time as well.” 

Meanwhile, obstacles still stood 

in the way. The tooling operation 

wasn’t functioning correctly, and its 

representatives said GM could not 

increase production for new parts. 

Army depots were supplying cores to 

obtain remanufactured parts but still in 

LQVẊFLHQWTXDQWLWLHV7KHRQO\RSWLRQ

was to convince the Engineering Support 

Activity at TACOM Life Cycle Management 

Command in Warren, Michigan, that the 

FRPPHUFLDOK\EULGZRXOGPHHW+XPYHH¿W

DQGIXQFWLRQUHTXLUHPHQWV

7RVHHLIWKHQHZWRUTXHFRQYHUWHU

ZRXOGZRUNDVDQDOWHUQDWHLWHPD¿W

check was needed to ensure it would be 

compatible with the Humvee engine and 

transmission. But the ESA had facility and 

funding problems that kept it from doing 

the testing. 

So personnel at DLA Land and 

Maritime began searching for an in-house 

alternative. Mohammed Cisse, the Land 

Supplier Integrated Support Team chief, 

asked the Engineering and Technical 

Support directorate to evaluate options. 

Cisse and his team ensure the right 

contracts get awarded and expedited, so 

that troops in theater get the parts they 

need on time. He didn’t have time to wait 

for others to come up with a solution. 

Little did he know one was a few blocks 

away at Defense Supply Center Columbus.

Right down the road on the DSCC 

installation is the Ohio Army National 

Guard’s Combined Support Maintenance 

shop. Engineers from DLA Land and 

Maritime had worked with the Guard on 

RWKHU+XPYHH¿WWHVWVRQSDUWVVXFKDV

windows, so they gave it a shot and called 

down to the shop.

“That day they just happened to have 

a vehicle disassembled with a 6.5-liter 

Humvee engine block available for the 

¿WWHVW ́VDLG-RH&UXPD'/$/DQG

and Maritime engineer. “It was simply a 

matter of timing and luck.”

*0VKLSSHGWKHQHZWRUTXH

FRQYHUWHUDQG6JWVW&ODVV-RVKXD

%URZQSHUIRUPHGWKH¿WWHVWDV'/$/DQG

DQG0DULWLPHHQJLQHHU-H̆HU\&DUSHQWHU

watched and prepared the report for 

TACOM. The item was very similar 

in appearance to the original, and the 

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a maintainer would be concerned that 

the part was not a valid replacement part. 

The engineers checked the thickness of 

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VDPHDQGWKHWRUTXHFRQYHUWHUVHDWHG

well. When the testers rotated it by hand, 

they noted no unusual resistance and no 

scraping sound.

Carpenter said tests with both 

WRUTXHFRQYHUWHUVVKRZHGQRVLJQL¿FDQW

performance margin relative to the 

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$VLGHIURPWKH¿WWHVW7$&20DOVR

KDGDUHTXLUHPHQWIRUDIXQFWLRQWHVW

using a transmission dynamometer — a 

device for measuring twisting force 

The output-shift level test checks the shaft 

ends of the current torque converter (left) and 

the proposed item (right) are the same height 

above the floor.

“The hybrid can be used 

in commercial and military 

vehicles, so with adequate 

demand, they can keep a 

line running and increase 

throughput.” 

— Dan Krist
Loglines O July - August 2016 17

WRUTXHRUKRUVHSRZHUWKHDELOLW\WR

SURGXFHWRUTXHDWVSHHG)RUH[DPSOH

the power produced by an engine, 

motor or other rotating prime mover 

FDQEHFDOFXODWHGE\PXOWLSO\LQJWRUTXH

and rotational speed, or revolutions 

per minute. A commonly cited general 

IRUPXODLV+3 7RUTXH[530·

“TACOM was going to contract out 

this test and bill us — it would have been 

very expensive and time consuming,” 

Crum said. “It just so happened the Army 

National Guard had a dynamometer and 

agreed to perform the function test for free. 

We had no idea they had one of those.”

To run the test, the transmission 

subassembly is mounted on the 

dynamometer. A short lever allows 

the technician to manually shift gears 

between park, reverse, neutral and drive. 

Other connections allow control and 

data signals to pass between the control 

console and the transmission. Once the 

transmission is at operating temperature, 

WKHDXWRPDWHGWHVWPHDVXUHVVWDOOWRUTXH

and then takes a series of measurements 

of the main pressure under 12 conditions 

of input rpm and gear selection.

A transmission test of a current 

FRQ¿JXUDWLRQWUDQVPLVVLRQDQGWRUTXH

converter conducted on the same 

dynamometer was used as a baseline for 

evaluating the similarity of the proposed 

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the performance was nearly identical. 

In addition to the data in the appendix, 

the console had an indicator light that 

VKRZHGWKHWRUTXHFRQYHUWHUORFNLQJXS

as expected during the test. The data 

showed that both subassemblies met the 

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were very close together in the band of 

compliant hardware.

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WKHWRUTXHFRQYHUWHUZDVUHFHLYHGWHVWHG

and approved. After some apprehension 

E\7$&20WKLVH̆RUWDOORZHGWKH(6$WR

approve the new hybrid design. Cisse said 

“a little proactivity and a lot of luck allowed 

us to complete the tests in such a short 

period of time.”

37KLVFROODERUDWLYHH̆RUWZLOOLPSURYH

the [inventory] health of this [item] 

and increase DLA Land and Maritime’s 

UHVSRQVHWRWKHZDU¿JKWHURQDOOIXWXUH

demands,” Cisse said. “Fort Hood is 

SODQQLQJWRXVHRYHURIWKHWRUTXH

convertors by Fiscal 2017 to rebuild the 

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ZLQZLQLQZDU¿JKWHUVXSSRUW ́

By analyzing and developing a process 

management solution that consolidated, 

standardized, and integrated the total DoD 

supply chain, DLA Land and Maritime realized savings, avoided costs and improved 

ZDU¿JKWHUVXSSRUWDOODWRQFH

The Ohio Army National Guard’s Combined Support Maintenance Shop at Defense Supply Center Columbus tested the “hybrid” with their transmission 

dynamometer. The transmission subassembly is mounted on the dynamometer, and technicians use a short lever to shift gears between park, reverse, 

neutral and drive. Other connections allow control and data signals to pass between the control console and the transmission. 
18 www.dla.mil

ogether, the Defense Logistics 

Agency and U.S. Transportation 

Command connect the logistics 

pipeline from factory to foxhole. 

Broadly speaking, one acquires 

WKHVXSSOLHVZDU¿JKWHUVQHHGWKHRWKHU

transports them.

3:HKDYHGLVWLQFWO\GL̆HUHQWIXQFWLRQV

but they’re complementary. The more we 

take our supply background and mesh 

it with USTRANSCOM’s expertise in 

transportation, the better chance we have 

of improving our support to customers 

and saving money along the way,” said 

Andy Monday, deputy division chief 

of DLA Logistics Operations’ DLAUSTRANSCOM Division. 

In 2003, the Defense Department 

appointed USTRANSCOM as the distribution process owner for the military’s 

global distribution network. As the DPO, 

USTRANSCOM synchronizes worldwide 

distribution operations with combatant 

commands, the military services, DLA, 

and agencies such as the Army and Air 

Force Exchange Service and General 

Services Administration, all of which rely 

on the same transportation modes to get 

VXSSOLHVWRZDU¿JKWHUV

The new designation sparked a 

stronger understanding among DLA 

ṘFLDOVRIKRZWKHWUDQVSRUWDWLRQ

pipeline works and led the agency to 

reconsider the placement of stock and 

adjust internal distribution strategies to 

EHWWHU¿W8675$16&20¶VFDSDELOLWLHV

VDLG7RP6KLYHO\'/$¶VOLDLVRQṘFHUWR

USTRANSCOM since 2005 and a member 

of the DLA-USTRANSCOM Division.

T

WK O

Story by Beth Reece

FACTORY TO FOX

The two groups collaborated even 

more with the creation of the DLAUSTRANSCOM Division under DLA 

Logistics Operations in 2012. It is 

a little-known asset, but the team’s 

mission is similar to that of DLA Central, 

'/$3DFL¿FDQG'/$(XURSH	$IULFD

which focus solely on the supply needs 

of regional combatant commands. 

USTRANSCOM is also a combatant 

command, although its focus is functional 

rather than regional. 

$PRQJWKHQHZHVWEHQH¿WVRIWKH

DLA-USTRANSCOM partnership is the 

Sustainment Dashboard, an electronic system that monitors the movement of cargo 

to customers’ locations. USTRANSCOM 

DQG'/$/RJLVWLFV2SHUDWLRQVṘFLDOV

began collaborating on the tool last year 

DIWHUUHFRJQL]LQJWKHYDVWGL̆HUHQFH

between tracking methods for sustainment 

cargo and deployment cargo. 

3'HSOR\PHQWFDUJRLVVWX̆WKDW¶V

LGHQWL¿HGIRUVKLSPHQWDKHDGRIWLPH

You line up the best way to move it 

ahead of time, you build the cargo 

ahead of time and arrange for the lift 

ahead of time,” Shively said, adding that 

the movement of deployment cargo is 

tracked to the nth degree. 

Visibility for sustainment cargo was 

limited, however. Sustainment cargo 

includes items like food, fuel and repair 

parts that are sourced, booked and 

transported according to need. With the 

Sustainment Dashboard, logisticians can 

now place such commodities on a closewatch list. Material that doesn’t arrive 

at a certain port on time or is otherwise 

18 www.dla.mil
Loglines O July - August 2016 19

XHOLE

Air Force Senior Airman Rory Nowosielski stands on 

the ramp as container delivery system bundles exit 

the aircraft during a high-altitude airdrop mission 

in a C-17 Globemaster III over Afghanistan. Close 

collaboration between DLA and USTRANSCOM 

make such deliveries possible.

 — Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.

Loglines O July - August 2016 19
20 www.dla.mil

delayed is highlighted, signaling to users 

WKDWVRPHWKLQJLVR̆WUDFN

 “In the past, there was no single way 

for us or the customer to know something 

was going wrong. Now, we get an alert 

and can start developing alternative 

strategies to get the material where it’s 

supposed to be before mission failure 

occurs,” Shively said. 

The DLA-USTRANSCOM Division 

also made it easier for DLA to be among 

WKH¿UVWWRUHVSRQGGXULQJHPHUJHQFLHV

In 2006, USTRANSCOM created the 

Joint Task Force-Port Opening to 

provide a joint expeditionary capability 

that could rapidly establish and initially 

operate a port of debarkation, as well as 

conduct cargo-handling and movement 

operations, in support of combatant 

command-led contingencies. Because the 

JTF-PO is led by a combatant command, 

it can seek verbal permission from 

the secretary of defense to take action 

during the initial stages of a contingency 

operation or humanitarian assistance. 

“Normally when you go into a theater 

like this, you have to have authority from 

the secretary of defense to be there. In 

some cases, you have to contend with 

whether the U.S. presence is welcome, 

whether it’s allowed. And, if it is, 

sometimes countries put limitations on 

what we can do,” said Glenn Werlau, a 

logistics management specialist on the 

DLA-USTRANSCOM Division team. 

Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and 

Operation United Assistance in 2014 

made it clear DLA should be among the 

¿UVWHOHPHQWVRQWKHJURXQG:HUODX

added. While then-DLA Director Navy 

Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek coordinated 

with his superiors at the Pentagon to get 

approval from the secretary of defense for 

'/$WRTXLFNO\UHVSRQGWRWKRVHH̆RUWV

he and other agency leaders viewed the 

process as problematic.

8675$16&20DQG'/$ṘFLDOV

worked together last year to have DLA 

designated by the secretary of defense 

as a deployable capability in the Global 

Response Force Execute Order, making 

it a part of the JTF-PO construct. Two 

13-member DLA support teams that can 

deploy on short notice have been created 

and begun participating in training 

exercises. [Editor’s note: See “Logistics, 

Live and On Location,” page 2.]

“The beauty about having these DSTs 

is the members will be on the ground 

DVVHVVLQJWKLQJVHDUO\RQDQGFDQLQÀXHQFH

what other DLA assets are pushed forward 

to support,” Monday added. 

The Campaign Plan for Global 

Distribution is another USTRANSCOM-led 

H̆RUWWKDWJHWVIUHTXHQWLQSXWIURP'/$

Its goal is to create a global distribution 

network that can adapt to changing environments. DLA-USTRANSCOM Division’s 

(LOHHQ*UDQ¿HOGDORJLVWLFVPDQDJHPHQW

VSHFLDOLVWZRUNVZLWKOHDGHUVDW'/$¿HOG

activities such as DLA Distribution and 

'/$7URRS6XSSRUWWRLQÀXHQFHWKHSODQ

Topics range from vendor vetting and 

acquisition processes to the location of fuel.

3,WEHQH¿WVXVDQGHYHU\RQHHOVHLVLQ

the distribution community of interest 

to be a partner in this plan because it 

gives us the chance to improve the global 

GLVWULEXWLRQQHWZRUNIRUZDU¿JKWHUVLQ

DQ\WKHDWHULQWKHZRUOG ́*UDQ¿HOGVDLG

Engaging with organizations like 

the National Defense Transportation 

Association and National Defense 

Industrial Association helps the DLAUSTRANSCOM Division stay abreast of 

potential problems.

Air Force Master Sgt. Rob Taylor and Staff Sgt. 

Ken Toney, both C-130 Hercules loadmasters 

assigned to the West Virginia National Guard’s 

130th Airlift Squadron, push a pallet onto a 

K-loader during Exercise Turbo Distribution in 

Gulfport, Mississippi. The exercise gives DLA 

and USTRANSCOM a chance to improve how 

they provide support during humanitarian aid 

and disaster relief.

DLA Logistics Operations team members 

discuss transportation requirements with a local 

logistics company during U.S. Transportation 

Command’s Turbo Distribution 15-7 exercise at 

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

the first time a DLA support team participated 

and deployed with JTF-PO first wave forces.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Larry Reid Jr.

DLA Distribution
Loglines 

O July - August 2016 21

“Something that may seem irrelevant 

to DLA just by topic may actually be 

strategically important. If NDTA projects 

that there’ll be a shortage of commercial 

airline pilots in the future, for example, 

that’s a big deal to us when it comes to 

GHOLYHULQJVXSSOLHV ́*UDQ¿HOGVDLG36XFK

organizations are also more likely to get 

word of the potential for a shutdown or 

protest in an industry that the agency’s 

military customers rely on for critical 

material,” she continued. 

Cyber security is another issue that 

FRXOGD̆HFWPXOWLSOHSDUWVRIWKHVXSSO\

chain, and lessons already learned by 

commercial industry could help shape 

how DLA and USTRANSCOM mitigate 

risk. The two organizations are already 

conducting exercises to determine how 

to react in the case of a cyberattack. In 

February, DLA and USTRANSCOM tested 

their ability to move a select sample of 

LWHPVR̈LQH

32XUIRFXVLVWR¿JXUHRXWZKDWLW

would take for both organizations to work 

R̈LQHIRUDVXVWDLQHGDPRXQWRIWLPH ́

*UDQ¿HOGVDLG

Members of the DLA-USTRANSCOM 

Division are committed to the growing 

SDUWQHUVKLS6KLYHO\VDLGIURPKLVṘFH

at USTRANSCOM’s headquarters at Scott 

Air Force Base, Illinois. 

“We take this very personally, whether 

we’re located here with USTRANSCOM, 

with DLA Headquarters at Fort Belvoir, 

9LUJLQLDRUDQ\RI'/$¶V¿HOGDFWLYLWLHV ́

he said. “If you ask what keeps me up at 

night, sometimes it’s whether we let the 

ZDU¿JKWHUGRZQ7KDWFDQEHERWKHUVRPH

WRPHDQGWRDOOWKHVWD̆RXWKHUH:H

recognize how important the mission is.”

The next step in the DLA-USTRANSCOM 

relationship will take place in August, when 

the DLA-USTRANSCOM Division chief will 

be embedded with the USTRANSCOM 

VWD̆DW6FRWW$LU)RUFH%DVH

Loglines 

O July - August 2016 21

A C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from the 816th 

Expeditionary Airlift Squadron loads container 

delivery system bundles onto the aircraft prior to 

an airdrop mission in Afghanistan. To track such 

cargo, DLA and USTRANSCOM use the newly 

created Sustainment Dashboard, an electronic 

system that monitors movement all the way to 

customers’ locations.

Air Force Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.
22 www.dla.mil

Teodara Mocanu

For readers who are unfamiliar, 

how is DLA-U.S. Transportation 

&RPPDQGGL̆HUHQWIURP86

Transportation Command?

Great question! A surprising 

number of people around DLA think 

the folks in DLA-USTRANSCOM are, 

in fact, from USTRANSCOM. There 

are several personnel assigned to 

our division — some at DLA headquarters and four at USTRANSCOM 

headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, 

Illinois. We are all DLA employees 

and not assigned to USTRANSCOM. 

Our division is similar to DLA’s 

regional commands in that we are 

a combatant command–facing 

RUJDQL]DWLRQ:HDUHGL̆HUHQWLQ

that they are not our customer in the 

traditional sense of the word: DLA 

does not provide USTRANSCOM 

with supplies the way we might U.S. 

Central Command or U.S. Africa 

Command. Instead, USTRANSCOM 

is one of DLA’s most important partners and our division works every 

day to improve the partnership. 

Our division has only been here 

since 2012, and our partnership 

with USTRANSCOM has evolved 

over the years since then. We’ve 

partnered with USTRANSCOM in 

DORWRIGL̆HUHQWDUHDV)DFLOLWDWLQJ

Air Force Col. 

Michelle Hall

Air Force Col. Michelle Hall, who wraps up a year as DLA-USTRANSCOM 

Division chief in August, spoke with Loglines about what the division has 

accomplished in the past year and what changes are in store.

the participation of our DLA 

Support Teams as part of a Joint 

Task Force Port Opening group 

in multiple Turbo Distribution 

exercises is just one aspect. 

:KHQ,¿UVWFDPHRQERDUG

ODVWVXPPHUWKH¿UVWWKLQJ,ZDV

told by [Air Force Lt.] Gen. [Andy] 

Busch and [Air Force] Gen. [Darren] 

McDew, who had just taken over as 

USTRANSCOM commander, was 

to help the partnership and we have 

WULHGWRUDPSXSRXUH̆RUWV

Since January, we have been 

executing a strategic engagement 

plan where we’ve met with DLA 

MRLQWVWD̆GLUHFWRUDWHVDWWKH

GS-15/military division chiefs 

OHYHOWKHGLUHFWRU¶VVWD̆DQG

PDQ\RIRXUSULPDU\OHYHO¿HOG

DFWLYLWLHVWRSURYLGHDEULH¿QJRQ

what we can do to help and about 

things USTRANSCOM and DLA 

are doing. We’ve also increased 

the number of times division 

leadership visit USTRANSCOM 

and conduct key leader 

engagements. Our goal has been to 

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doing with USTRANSCOM that we 

PD\QRWEHDZDUHRIDQG¿QGZD\V

WRKHOSWKHPZLWKWKHLUH̆RUWV

We’ve also tried to engage 

in operational issues to have a 

positive impact. For example, we’ve 

participated in a Class I [subsistence] 

working group with DLA Troop 

Support, DLA Distribution, 

USTRANSCOM and others to 

LPSURYHVXSSRUWWRWKHZDU¿JKWHU

Another example of something our 

Air Force Col. Michelle Hall, chief of the DLA-USTRANSCOM division.

A Conversation with . . .
Loglines O July - August 2016 23

team has helped with: We worked 

with the Surface Deployment and 

Distribution Command, a component 

of USTRANSCOM, to obtain a waiver 

RQDRQHWLPHR̆HUIRUWKHPRYHPHQW

of 18 Class 1 [subsistence] containers. 

This waiver was granted, and the 

customer shipping these items saved 

$1.2 million in shipping costs. 

We have very smart and 

experienced folks who work every 

day to look at all options, integrate 

information and solve problems. I 

think we are sometimes like gold 

miners looking for nuggets. We’re 

out there looking at ways to improve 

this partnership and ultimately, 

support to the customer.

You’ve been the DLA-USTRANSCOM 

Division Chief since August 2015. 

What’s been the most challenging 

thing your division has tackled in 

that time?

There have been a number of 

challenges over the past year but I 

WKLQNGH¿QLWHO\2DQGLWZDVQ¶WRQO\

our division involved in this but a huge 

WHDPH̆RUWDFURVVWKH'/$HQWHUSULVH

— the opportunity to provide 

humanitarian assistance to [refugees 

ÀHHLQJ@6\ULDDQG,UDTZDVRQHRIWKH

PRVWGL̇FXOWFKDOOHQJHVZH¶YHIDFHG

The story about this humanitarian 

relief has been told a number of 

times, so I don’t want to revisit it. 

But it was an extremely complicated 

undertaking, and we had a very short 

timeline. Coordinating requirements, 

information and processes among 

very high-performing, super-capable 

organizations, some of whom may 

KDYHWKRXJKWYHU\GL̆HUHQWO\WKDQZH

did. Integrating all those pieces was 

wicked-challenging, but we were proud 

to play a very small part of the plan. 

If that was the most challenging 

task of the last year, would you say 

it was also DLA-USTRANSCOM’s 

biggest achievement in that period?

:H¶UHGH¿QLWHO\VXSHUSURXG

of the support we were able to 

provide. But in addition — and 

again, we’re just enablers to a 

ODUJHUWHDPH̆RUW2ZHDUHSURXG

of the work we’ve done helping to 

stand up the Rapid Deployment 

Initiative and to help our DLA 

support teams become more 

robust. Increasing partnership 

with multiple exercises and 

helping to build the program is 

also something we’re proud of 

and excited about. Glenn Werlau 

IURPRXUṘFHKHOSHGGUDIWWKH

Memorandum of Agreement 

between USTRANSCOM and 

DLA about this program. It was 

signed in January, and it’s been 

very exciting to see the program 

mature. We’re happy to be part of 

that, because it has the potential 

to provide really great capability 

WRWKHZDU¿JKWHUDQGWKH

combatant commands. There are 

many other things we’ve worked 

on this year we are proud of, but 

this is one big example. 

What changes are in store for DLAUSTRANSCOM as you prepare to 

hand over the reins?

One of the most obvious 

changes will happen in August 

when the military division chiefs 

position, my current position, 

moves to USTRANSCOM. Other 

combatant command facing 

organizations (DLA-Europe/

Africa, DLA-Central, etc.) have 

a military division chief at the 

combatant command. The DLA 

director decided to move this 

position to Scott Air Force Base 

and USTRANSCOM headquarters later this summer. This will 

provide a more robust forward 

presence with USTRANSCOM, 

who the director has said is our 

most important strategic partner, due to the interrelatedness 

of our processes. 

Going forward, this will 

change the dynamics in the 

way we communicate and work 

through issues with DLA. While 

we already have a team of four at 

USTRANSCOM Headquarters, 

this change will put more 

capabilities forward with the 

organization we are partnering 

with. And there’s a lot to be said 

for that.

August 3, we’ll have our 

annual USTRANSCOM-DLA 

Day, where senior leaders from 

USTRANSCOM and DLA will 

converge on the [McNamara 

Headquarters Complex]. We 

have an interesting agenda 

planned for this event and we 

hope it prompts important 

discussion and further partnership. And that will essentially 

be the transition date for both 

me and [Air Force] Col. Michael 

Erhardt, who will take over 

as the DLA-USTRANSCOM 

division chief in August. There 

is a lot more work to be done 

between USTRANSCOM and 

DLA — we probably haven’t 

even scratched the surface this 

year — and it will be exciting to 

see what Col. Erhardt and the 

team do in the future.

What’s the one thing you’d like 

someone who doesn’t work 

directly in logistics to know about 

DLA-USTRANSCOM?

I would like them to know 

DLA-USTRANSCOM is here 

to help. We are strategically 

minded in that we work 

to improve partnership 

with USTRANSCOM on 

far-reaching and strategic 

issues, but we are also 

operationally focused in that 

we want to help enable the 

H̆RUWVRIRWKHUVLQWKH'/$

enterprise with the main goal 

of improving support to the 

ZDU¿JKWHU,ZRXOGDVNSHRSOH

to give us a call or include us 

on an email on something 

they are working with 

USTRANSCOM. And more 

times than not, we can help. 

DLA Public Affairs
24 www.dla.mil

t the lowest level of the 

McNamara Headquarters 

Complex is an organization that 

operates clandestinely; its mission 

is not widely known to most 

Defense Logistics Agency employees. But 

the Joint Logistics Operations Center is at 

the very heart of DLA’s operations. 

In some form, the JLOC has been in 

existence as long as DLA itself, said Don 

Bruce, deputy chief of the JLOC.

“The basic requirements that we’ve had 

WR¿OOKDYHDOZD\VEHHQWKHUH ́KHVDLG37KH

focus of the JLOC is on synchronizing the 

H̆RUWRIWKHVWD̆DQGRXU¿HOGDFWLYLWLHVWR

VXSSRUWRSHUDWLRQDOUHTXLUHPHQWV ́

Though Bruce admits his team of 55 

personnel are working “in a vault with no 

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t

M

C

o

i A

Df L

necessary, since a lot of JLOC’s duties and 

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The JLOC falls under the purview of 

DLA Logistics Operations and operates 

24/7. It comprises all four military 

services, as well as civilians and has three 

EUDQFKHVRU3SLOODUV ́3ODQV([HUFLVHVDQG

Readiness; Mission Support; and Current 

Operations, said Navy Cmdr. Juan Uribe, 

Current Operations chief.

“In a constantly changing 

environment, JLOC provides continuity of 

NQRZOHGJH ́KHVDLG

In a tiered nerve center of activity 

with several television screens at the front 

of the room, members of Uribe’s team 

keep abreast of world news and events 

by tracking business and operational 

KLJKOLJKWVDQGVLJQL¿FDQWZHDWKHU

SYNCHRONIZING

THE EFFORT

systems that might threaten operations 

at combatant commands. The room is 

DOVRWKHVHWWLQJIRUGDLO\EULH¿QJVWR'/$

senior leaders.

All of these tracked highlights, 

including leadership travel are compiled 

into an executive summary report 

disseminated to key DoD leadership and 

across the enterprise, Uribe said.

The operational requirements take 

the form of current operations — events 

taking place presently or in the near term, 

Bruce said.

“As an example, with our support to 

daily operations and the contingencies 

taking place in Iraq or Afghanistan, we’re 

ensuring the information about what is 

happening over there, what the situation 

is and what the requirements are is 

FOHDUDQGXQGHUVWRRG ́KHVDLG3:HDUH

facilitating that sharing of information so 

that everybody in the agency has what we 

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However, not all JLOC’s operations 

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humanitarian assistance missions, such 

as Operation United Assistance, in which 

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western Africa. This operation was almost 

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“There were some portions that were 

FRQGXFWHGLQDFODVVL¿HGHQYLURQPHQW

Story by Dianne Ryder

DLA Joint Logistics Operations Center
Loglines O July - August 2016 25

up front and then later on, it moved to 

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said. “So we adjust to the situation, 

realizing the majority of the agency and 

our industrial base partners work in an 

XQFODVVL¿HGHQYLURQPHQW:HWU\WRNHHS

the information at the lowest level of 

FODVVL¿FDWLRQWKDWZH¶UHDOORZHG ́

Regardless of the scenario, DLA’s 

processes in providing, acquiring and 

distributing materiel to its customers are 

similar, Bruce said.

3:KHWKHUZH¶UHHQJDJHGLQD¿JKWZLWK

an enemy in a foreign country, supporting 

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Agency somewhere in the United States, or 

supporting U.S. Agency for International 

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natural disaster somewhere, the steps are 

WKHVDPH ́KHVDLG

The key to success is sharing 

information and coordinating activities 

RIWKHVWD̆DQGWKHSULPDU\OHYHO¿HOG

activities, Bruce said. 

“Going through the same planning 

process of examining facts, assumptions, 

developing courses of action and 

providing information to senior leaders so 

they can make a decision — those are the 

fundamental building blocks, regardless 

RIWKHVFHQDULR ́KHVDLG3:H¶UHYHU\

good at performing those steps, and we 

can adjust the processes to the situation 

and have the agility to adapt to whatever 

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The JLOC’s mission support branch 

is responsible for recruiting, training, 

equipping and deploying DLA’s support 

teams for the agency’s forward presence 

in a particular mission, Bruce said.

“That can take the place of a full DLA 

support team for something that pops up 

and happens immediately, or an enduring 

operation like Operation Resolute 

Support in Afghanistan, where we’ve been 

GRLQJWKLVIRU\HDUV ́KHVDLG3,W¶VDERXW

individual augmentation or rotating out 

personnel so that we’re not turning over a 

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:KLOHLW¶VLPSRUWDQWWRPDLQWDLQ

a continuous presence in certain 

areas with an experienced cadre of 

personnel, the JLOC also recruits and 

trains members of the agency’s rapid 

deployment initiative, Bruce said. 

Uribe compared the seamlessness 

and cohesion of the trained mission 

support teams to the Navy’s team of 

demonstration pilots who perform at air 

shows across the nation.

3:KHQWKHVHWHDPVFRRUGLQDWHZLWK

each other enough times and get familiar 

enough with each other, understanding 

what everybody is supposed to be doing, 

LW¶VDORWOLNHZDWFKLQJWKH%OXH$QJHOV ́

KHVDLG37KHGL̆HUHQWSULPDU\OHYHO

¿HOGDFWLYLW\FRPPDQGHUVDQG'/$MRLQW

VWD̆GLUHFWRUDWHVDUHDEOHWRVOLSLQWRWKH

formation at the exact time and know 

exactly what they’re doing, and it becomes 

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8ULEHUHIHUHQFHGWKHWHDP¶VH̆RUWVLQ

the humanitarian assistance and disaster 

relief mission performed in Iraq for 

individually displaced persons. 

3:HKDGWRKDYHWKHWHDPIURP

contracts be able to draft up some pretty 

complicated contracts in a very short time. 

And the people from DLA Troop Support 

KHOSHGVWD̆WKRVHFRQWUDFWVDQGPDNH

sure they were ready to go. The people 

from DLA Distribution had to know 

exactly what that distribution network 

ZDVJRLQJWRORRNOLNH ́KHVDLG7KH-/2&

was also “coordinating with people from 

U. S. Transportation Command, USAID 

and with Department of State ... so it 

was a function of understanding what 

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+HDOVRVSRNHDERXW'/$¶VVLJQL¿FDQW

role in the Syrian crisis, when thousands 

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Lebanon. [See story here: http://go.usa.

gov/cJzAB]

3'/$FRQWUDFWHGRXWQRQIRRGLWHPV

WRKHOSVXSSRUWWKDWH̆RUW ́8ULEHVDLG

“The Department of State came to the 

Department of Defense with a list of 

requirements. U.S. Central Command 

was given the lead, but DLA was given 

the responsibility for funds allocation and 

H[HFXWLRQ ́KHDGGHG

3,WWHOOVXVDFRXSOHRIWKLQJV1R

it shows how much faith they had in how 

Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and 

Marines board an Air Force C-17 Globemaster 

III during Operation United Assistance to 

provide logistics, training and engineering 

support efforts to contain the Ebola virus 

outbreak in western Africa. 

The Joint Logistics Operations Center is DLA’s 

full-time coordination point for global logistics 

activities.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez
26 www.dla.mil

3:LWKLQWKDWEUDQFKWKHUH¶VD

responsibility to help develop DLA’s 

participation in exercises conducted by 

combatant commands or other external 

organizations within DoD, or to develop 

our own exercises focused on DLA 

objectives to help train, prepare and 

PHDVXUHRXUUHDGLQHVV ́KHVDLG

37KHUH¶VDORWRIH̆RUWJRLQJLQWR

understanding the plan, designing some 

sort of an environment where it’s realistic, 

and we’re actually going through the steps 

of what we do in that situation if it were 

DFWXDOO\KDSSHQLQJ ́%UXFHVDLG

7RPHDVXUHDQGUHFRUGH̆RUWVDQG

lessons learned in any given exercise, 

DoD uses the Defense Readiness 

Reporting System.

“As an agency, we have derived what 

ZHEHOLHYHRXUPLVVLRQHVVHQWLDOWDVNV

DUH ́%UXFHVDLG3:HPHDVXUHKRZ

well we think we as an agency are at 

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and if we don’t think we’re measuring up 

to the level we should be, then we look at 

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2WKHUFDWHJRULHVRIVHPLSUHGLFWDEOH

events are seasons when storms and other 

environmental conditions are prevalent, 

Bruce said. 

“In the past, we’ve run internal DLA 

exercises that have prepared us for the 

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KHVDLG3:HUHDOL]HEHIRUHWKDWVHDVRQ

good we were in executing the mission, 

and No. 2, it just reiterated how good we 

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“It was like orchestrating a symphony 

and making sure that all the notes were 

KDUPRQLRXV ́%UXFHVDLG

“The range of items DLA procured and 

provided to the sites went from medical 

supplies, pharmaceuticals, clothing items, 

health and comfort items — the things 

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was a lot of communication with the State 

'HSDUWPHQWDQGWKHQRQJRYHUQPHQWDO

organizations to make sure what we got 

DFWXDOO\¿WWKHUHTXLUHPHQW

— that it was the right type of 

item that the refugees would be 

IDPLOLDUDQGFRPIRUWDEOHZLWK ́

Bruce said JLOC’s key 

role is not only to provide 

daily supplies and services to 

military and civilians at their 

home installations. 

37KH¿HOGDFWLYLWLHVGRWKDW

YHU\ZHOOHYHU\GD\ ́KHVDLG

“The challenge is providing 

those supplies and services 

in some new location in the 

middle of a crisis. Determining 

the requirements and orches

WUDWLQJWKDWH̆RUWWRPDNHVXUH

the material and the services 

are provided ... is where the JLOC 

PLVVLRQEHFRPHVYHU\LPSRUWDQW ́

3HUIRUPDQFHDVVHVVPHQWLVLPSRUWDQW

to learn what does and doesn’t work well, 

Bruce said. 

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do we think is going to happen in the 

future, and are we prepared to provide 

support so that when the situation 

changes, there isn’t a delay in DLA 

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%UXFHVDLG37KDW¶VZKDWWKH3ODQV

([HUFLVHVDQG5HDGLQHVVEUDQFKGRHV ́

3HUVRQQHOLQWKH3ODQV([HUFLVHV

and Readiness branch attempt to predict 

how future operations and requirements 

might evolve by working up deliberate 

plans for operations that may occur, 

Bruce said. Many simulations focus on 

scenarios involving U.S. adversaries.

starts in May or June, we need to make 

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been turnover of personnel or because we 

haven’t had a hurricane in a year or so, and 

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7KHVHH[HUFLVHVFDQEHVSHFL¿FDOO\

designed for participants to practice 

and become familiar with the type of 

requirements involved.

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And in some of those cases, we either ask 

the external organizations to participate, 

or if they’re busy, we have role players 

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Northern Command or one of 

the other agencies we would 

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,QPLG0D\WKH-/2&

SDUWLFLSDWHGLQDGLVDVWHU

support exercise to prepare 

for a “defense support of civil 

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earthquake in an area known as 

the Cascadia subduction zone in 

the northwestern United States. 

“It’s a real possibility there 

are some major fault lines in 

that area. And USNORTHCOM 

conducted an exercise in June 

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that several of the western 

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organizations are going to be participating 

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small internal exercise using the exact 

same scenario, and that helps us prepare 

for that bigger exercise coming up in a few 

PRQWKV ́

JLOC personnel view themselves with 

a critical eye and strive for perfection, 

Uribe said. Again, he likened JLOC’s level 

of excellence to the Blue Angels. 

“After an airshow, the pilots and the 

support team ... sit down and talk through 

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H[SODLQHG37KH\LGHQWLI\ÀDZVWKDWSHRSOH

from the ground would have never noticed. 

8ULEHFRQFOXGHG37KHHQWHUSULVH

DOZD\VEHQH¿WVIURPWKHLQVLJKWVJDLQHG

during these sessions, proving the point 

that the world of logistics is in a constant 

VWDWHRIFKDQJH ́

Michaella Olson talks with Navy Seabee engineers during a visit to an 

Ebola treatment unit construction site in Sinje, Liberia. The ETUs were 

built during Operation United Assistance, the Defense Department 

operation supporting the U.S. Agency for International Development-led 

humanitarian effort to contain the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa. 

Army Sgt. 1st Class Will Patterson
Loglines O July - August 2016 27

is life reads like a novel.

Chuepheng Lo, or Ping, as 

most people call him, was six years 

old in 1975 when he, his family 

and his entire village left their 

home in Laos and walked hundreds of miles 

over mountains and through jungles, mostly at 

night, to escape certain death at the hands of 

the Viet Cong. 

Today, however, he is known as Chief Lo. 

In a badging ceremony April 6, Lo was named 

chief of the 70-member Defense Logistics 

Agency San Joaquin Police Force in California. 

6WLOOLQKLV¿UVWGD\VRQWKHMREKHVKDUHGKLV

remarkable story of adversity and resiliency.

Lo is of Hmong descent, a member of the 

mountain dwelling tribes of Laos. Lo’s father 

was the chief of the village of Somtong and 

the provincial governor of Xaiyaburi Province. 

Lo was the middle child in a family of seven 

siblings — four boys and three girls. 

During the Vietnam War, the freedomloving Hmong sided with the U.S. and fought 

the North Vietnamese along the Ho Chi Minh 

Trail. The trail went from North Vietnam, 

through Laos and Cambodia, allowing the Viet 

Cong access into South Vietnam. By 1975, Laos 

had fallen into enemy hands, and the lives of 

the Hmong were in jeopardy. Lo was one of 

DERXW+PRQJZKRÀHGWRUHIXJHH

camps in Thailand.

“One night, my dad got together with 

the other village elders,” Lo said. “We 

picked up the whole village and left. It was 

i

m

o

a

h iL

H

Story by Chris Erbe

Photos Courtesy the Lo Family

Defense Logistics Agency San Joaquin Police 

Chief Chuepheng Lo.

AN AMERICAN STORY

FROM REFUGEE TO ARMY OFFICER TO DLA POLICE CHIEF
28 www.dla.mil

The Lo family in Laos, 1972. Chuepheng Lo 

(age 3) is fourth from left, seated.

Chuepheng Lo (second from left) and his ROTC 

platoon relax in the barracks after training, Fort 

Lewis, Washington, June 1991.

kind of like our ‘Trail of Tears’ that 

the American Indians went through, 

where we just walked from our hillside 

villages to the Thai-Laotian border, 

which was the Mekong River. We 

walked for about a month.”

The trek cost many lives. Out of 800 

villagers who had started the journey, 600 

made it to the river border.

“My most haunting memories about 

that exodus from Laos were of the elderly 

that didn’t make it,” Lo said. “I remember 

VRPHRIRXUSHRSOHPDNLQJDOHDQWRR̆

the beaten path for two elderly couples, 

and they just got left there because they 

couldn’t make the trek anymore.”

Once the villagers reached the border, 

making the crossing over the Mekong 

River presented another challenge.

“We made makeshift rafts out of 

bamboo so we could cross the river into 

Thailand,” Lo said. “During the crossing, 

we lost several more people.”

Once Lo’s family made it into 

Thailand, they were put up in a refugee 

camp, where they stayed for about a year. 

Catholic Charities USA sponsored them 

and brought them to the United States in 

August 1976. They landed in the western 

part of Kansas, in the town of Goodland 

— a place that could not have been more 

GL̆HUHQWIURPZKHUHWKH\FDPH

“Our sponsor was a retired lieutenant 

colonel who had fought in the Korean 

War,” Lo said. “To this day, we still call 

him Grandpa Hill. He was by himself 

and had a three-bedroom basement 

apartment where he put us up. We stayed 

there in Goodland for about two years 

under his sponsorship and with help from 

the local church.”

Lo started kindergarten unable to 

speak any English. In time, he learned his 

new language very well.

“One of the fortunate things for me 

was that I got to start at the beginning 

with an American education,” Lo said. 

”People are surprised that I was born in 

Laos, came over at age seven and speak 

today without an accent. It was because 

I was able to take advantage of the 

education process in the United States.”

Lo continued his education, moving 

to Denver in 1979 and Stockton, 

California, in 1981. He joined the Army 

after receiving an ROTC commission and 

earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy 

at the University of California Santa 

Barbara. Lo retired from the Army after 
Loglines O July - August 2016 29

20 years in 2012, having spent his career 

DVDPLOLWDU\SROLFHṘFHU'XULQJKLVWLPH

in the military, he served overseas tours 

in Alaska and Germany, an operational 

tour in Kuwait, and a combat tour in Iraq, 

earning a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and a 

Combat Action Badge.

When he considered his decision 

to commit to a 20-year career in the 

Army, Lo said it went beyond a sense of 

patriotic duty. 

“It’s more about giving back — saying 

thank you to the young men and women 

who came over during the Vietnam War 

and basically liberated us and gave us 

an opportunity to come to the states,” he 

said. “In Laos, my dad’s goal was to save 

enough money so that he could send his 

oldest son to school and get an education. 

In the blink of an eye, my entire family 

got to come over and get an American 

education. Serving in the military was 

the only way I could pay back those brave 

PHQDQGZRPHQZKRZHQWRYHUWR¿JKW2

especially the ones who never came back.”

After retiring, Lo stayed close to the 

military, serving as police operations 

major at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, 

and as deputy chief of police at Naval 

Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment 

Fallbrook, California. 

Working now for DLA allows Lo to 

express his gratitude, not only for the 

military, but the community as well.

“Now that I’m retired from the 

military, I still want to serve,” he said. 

“I’ve been given the opportunity to 

serve by providing a safe and productive 

workplace to the community that 

VXSSRUWVWKHZDU¿JKWHU,W¶VDOOSRVVLEOH

because of DLA.”

Attending the recent ceremony where 

Lo received his chief’s badge and took 

WKHRDWKRIṘFHZDVRQHRIKLVWHDFKHUV

from Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in 

Stockton, California. 

“He had planted the seed in me to 

never give up and always pushed me to do 

better and not to settle,” said Lo. “Seeing 

him there gave me a great sense that 

everything the community provided — it 

was not for nothing. It gives me a great 

feeling to give back to the community and 

serve at the local level.”

One of Lo’s goals is to become a role 

model for his community, especially for 

those in poor economic circumstances. 

Using himself as an example, he explains 

that he and his family came to America 

with nothing and, for a time, had to rely 

on the welfare system to survive. 

“I talk to groups and tell them the 

welfare system is not meant to be an end 

in itself,” he says. “It should be used as 

leverage to spring forward. For those 

who consider welfare to be a closed-loop 

system, I point to myself as an example of 

someone who used the system to get an 

education and move ahead. But you have 

to want it and you have to work for it.” 

During Lo’s badging ceremony, his 

mother and his wife attached the gold 

eagle pins, indicating rank, to his collar. 

Two of his brothers and a sister were 

there to support. In the audience were an 

unprecedented number of police chiefs, 

HOHFWHGṘFLDOVDQGZHOOZLVKHUVIURP

surrounding communities. It’s natural 

that people like a story of triumph over 

adversity, of resiliency in the face of 

hardship, and Chuepheng Lo is the 

essence of that. 

Chuepheng Lo’s wife and mother pin gold 

eagle ranks to his collar during the ceremony 

installing him as chief of the Defense Logistics 

Agency San Joaquin Police Department.

Chuepheng Lo and his wife, Helen Lo, wear 

traditional Hmong formal attire at the 1992 Hmong 

New Year Celebration in Fresno, California.
30 www.dla.mil

DLA NEWSWIRE

DLA TO HELP RID ARMY OF EXCESS EQUIPMENT

FITNESS CENTER ENHANCES 

RESILIENCY OF DLA SAN JOAQUIN 

7KHRSHQLQJRIDVWDWHRIWKHDUWÀWQHVV

center at DLA San Joaquin, California, is 

meeting one of the main objectives of the 

DLA Strategic Plan; DLA San Joaquin 

employees are becoming more resilient in 

both their professional and personal lives.

DLA’s resiliency model offers four areas 

of focus to help employees understand what 

resources are available to them: mental, physical, social and spiritual. Programs like the 

DLA Fitness Program and offerings such as 

the Tracy Fitness Center build toward working on the physical component of the model.

7KHQHZÀWQHVVFHQWHUKDVD

dedicated exercise room equipped with 

WELLBEATS, a virtual class where patrons 

can choose a class on demand that best 

works for them. 

Oanh Dang, an engineer with DLA 

Installation Support San Joaquin, is a happy 

patron. She enjoys the center and appreciates 

its great location by the installation’s 

employee gate, making it easily accessible. 

She also enjoys all the new and latest 

equipment, programs and tools for all types of 

exercises and health development programs.

 ́7KLVÀWQHVVFHQWHULVYHU\PXFK

comparable to any commercial gym and it is 

free of membership fees,” Dang said. “Plus, 

employees don’t have to drive a distance to 

work out; it is right here on site. Employees 

can stop by in the morning before going to 

work, during lunch break, or right after work 

hours. The new gym has everything you need 

to continue or begin your physical program.” 

— Annette Silva, 

DLA Distribution Public Affairs 

More online: http://go.usa.gov/cSQfe

$UP\RIÀFLDOVDUHGHSHQGLQJRQWKH

Defense Logistics Agency’s disposal and 

distribution experts to help remove more than 

1.2 million pieces of excess equipment from 

unit inventories in the next two to three years.

The effort, known as “All Army Divestiture,” 

is expected to free soldiers from costly, timeconsuming maintenance on unneeded items as 

the service reduces its force structure. 

“All this extra equipment encumbers the 

service in terms of people, manpower hours, 

resources and money for parts. As we help 

take unneeded equipment off the Army’s 

property books, soldiers can focus on the 

mission-essential equipment that’s staying in 

the force structure. It’s all about readiness,” 

said Army Col. Mike Arnold, DLA’s Army 

national account manager.

DLA will assist with divestiture efforts at 

13 U.S. installations. Initial planning for each 

location will be based on the Army’s Master 

Divestiture List and equipment calculations 

in the Army’s Decision Support Tool, which 

weighs the items on units’ property books 

with what units are authorized. That data 

will be used to create a plan agreed to by a 

joint working group comprising installation 

and unit leaders, as well as representatives 

from the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for 

Logistics, U.S. Army Forces Command and 

Army Materiel Command.

“We’re all going to sit down together 

and look at what’s excess, then do a 

bottom-up review of it. We’ll agree, on an 

installation and unit basis, to what’s going 

to be turned in or destroyed, what space it’s 

going to be done in and the process for how 

it’s going to be done,” Arnold said.

— Beth Reece

More online: http://go.usa.gov/cSQwA

Jeff Landenberger
Compiled by Chris Erbe

Loglines O July - August 2016 31

SUBSISTENCE TEAM SEES AIR FORCE FOOD INITIATIVE AT DOVER AFB 

Subsistence employees visited Dover Air Force Base, 

Delaware, April 27 to learn more about the Air Force’s 

Food Transformation Initiative.

The FTI pilot program was launched in 2010 in an 

effort to provide airmen with more variety and healthier 

food options, while ensuring that airmen receive training 

in food service and are ready to deploy.

The FTI was implemented at Dover Air Force 

Base in the fall of 2015 with the conversion of their 

dining facility to a college campus-style setup. The 

initiative allows airmen to use their meal cards at other 

venues on base.

The group explored the FTI at a base dining facility, 

two Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities, and a food 

NLRVNRQWKHÁLJKWOLQH7KHWHDPDOVRWRRNDWRXURIWKH

kitchen and observed staff preparing food and updating inventory.

The Subsistence team sampled some of the available FTI items for 

lunch at the renovated Patterson Dining Facility. The facility now includes 

a salad bar, smoothie station, a Mongolian style grill and grab-and-go 

items. They still offer alternatives like pizza, hamburgers and hotdogs.

Six former Defense Logistics Agency Energy employees were 

inducted in the inaugural DLA Energy Hall of Fame induction 

ceremony at the McNamara Headquarters Complex, Fort 

Belvoir, Virginia, May 19. 

“The DLA Energy Hall of Fame was established 

to honor and preserve the memory of past 

associates for their exceptional leadership, 

service, dedication to duty and contributions 

in supporting the DLA mission,” said DLA 

Energy Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. 

Mark McLeod. “Today, we begin a tradition 

of honoring those among us who continually 

went above and beyond; turning fuel into 

capability and Energy heritage into a proud and 

enduring legacy.”

The 2016 DLA Energy Hall of Fame inductees 

honored in the ceremony are:

• John Bartenhagen, who served in a number of 

positions within DLA Energy, formerly known as the Defense 

Fuel Supply Center and the Defense Energy Support Center, from 

September 1981 to April 2007. 

• Edward Biddle, who served as the deputy director of 

Contracting and Production in acquisition management and 

contracting positions from July 1963 to March 1998.

• Donald Peschka, who served as the chief of the 

Contracting Division of Bulk Fuels from October 

1983 to December 2004.

• William Robinson, who served as the deputy 

director of the organization and deputy director 

and director of the Bulk Petroleum/Fuels from 

May 1971 to August 2001.

Two of the honorees were inducted 

posthumously. 

• Marshall Gore, Jr., a World War II veteran 

who served as the chief of Facilities Management 

from August 1974 to May 2009. 

:LOOLDP0RRQZDVUHFRJQL]HGIRUKLVVLJQLÀcant contributions and more than 50 years of service to 

DLA Energy while serving as the distribution manager of 

DLA Energy Americas at Houston from March 1952 to July 1998.

— DLA Energy Public Affairs

More online: http://go.usa.gov/cSQ74

FORMER EMPLOYEES INDUCTED INTO THE DLA ENERGY HALL OF FAME

ed 

• Don

Contra

198

d

a

w

fro



cant con

DLA Energ

The FTI is still in the early stages but is gradually being adopted 

by other Air Force bases. It may also be adopted by other services in 

the future, said William Diaz, DLA subsistence account manager and 

retired airman.

— Alex Siemiatkowski, DLA Troop Support Public Affairs

More online: http://go.usa.gov/cSQAd

Richard Faso
32 www.dla.mil

t the Vista Point Center at Naval 

Station Norfolk, Virginia, in June, 

hurried participants unloaded 

vehicles and wheeled boxes into a 

large meeting room. By evening, 

they had set up booths and displays for 

what looked like a small convention 

with multiple vendors. This event was 

GL̆HUHQWWKRXJKEHFDXVHHYHU\YHQGRU

A

th h d

Story and Photos by Chris Erbe

DLA WARFIGHTER SUPPORT INITIATIVE 

customers about how to better use DLA’s 

services and capabilities. 

For two days, a group of about 35 

DLA employees educated customers 

about the agency’s ordering systems, 

supply chains, products and services, and 

asked for customer feedback. The group 

UHSUHVHQWHG'/$¶VVL[SULPDU\OHYHO¿HOG

activities as well as Document Services, 

Logistics Information Services, the Joint 

&RQWLQJHQF\$FTXLVLWLRQ6XSSRUW2̇FH

and more. The event was led by the Navy 

National Account Management Team and 

facilitated by the Corporate Events Team, 

both part of DLA Logistics Operations’ 

Military Service Support Division. 

ENGAGING 

CUSTOMERS

Danielle Booker of DLA Aviation discusses 

the agency’s mapping capabilities with Navy 

and Air Force personnel at the DLA Warfighter 

Support Initiative at Naval Station Norfolk. 

represented a division or component of 

the same organization — the Defense 

Logistics Agency.

This was a DLA :DU¿JKWHU6XSSRUW

InitiativeHYHQWSDUWRI'/$¶VH̆RUWWR

engage directly with logistics professionals 

DQGR̆HUWKHPWUDLQLQJ':6,HYHQWV

are held at large military installations 

like Naval Station Norfolk to inform 
Loglines O July - August 2016 33

DLA held a similar event for the Marine 

Corps at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 

in October 2015, and for the Army at Fort 

Bragg, North Carolina, in March. 

“This is DLA’s own forum where 

we focus on providing young service 

members with a professional military 

education about DLA that they wouldn’t 

normally receive anywhere else,” said 

Guy Beougher, executive director of DLA 

Logistics Operations. “Our goal is to reach 

the actual users, the ones operating the 

systems for each of the services, and to 

give them a better understanding of what 

DLA can do for them. Also, we want to hear 

¿UVWKDQGKRZZHDUHGRLQJDQGKRZZHFDQ

improve to best support their needs.”

“We’re here to educate the military 

services about DLA programs and build 

more demanding customers,” said Navy 

5HDU$GP9LQFHQW*UL̇WKGLUHFWRURI

DLA Logistics Operations. “It’s about 

JLYLQJZDU¿JKWHUVWKHWRROVWKDWZLOODOORZ

DLA to help them with their logistics 

requirements. Additionally, we view our 

success through the eyes of our customer 

— so this is also about feedback. We want 

to understand their needs and values so 

we can support them better.”

7RWKDWHQG*UL̇WKDQG$UP\

Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Tobin, DLA’s 

senior enlisted leader, hosted separate 

VHVVLRQVIRUVHQLRUṘFHUVDQGVHQLRU

enlisted leaders to get their take on DLA’s 

support to their organizations. 

In addition to the booths and 

feedback sessions, DWSI breakout 

sessions covered DLA self-help tools; 

storage and distribution support; vendor 

logistics programs; combat gear and 

uniforms; worldwide fuel support; land 

combat systems; mapping and geospatial 

products; disposition services; medical 

support; subsistence products; and more. 

hey are constantly on the go.

A team of three from the Defense Logistics Agency Corporate Events Program 

brings outreach to more than 40 conventions, forums and expos each year. Most of 

those events focus on the military services. Others are in support of the Department of 

Homeland Security, while still others result from a partnership with the Office of the Secretary 

of Defense’s Domestic Preparedness Support Initiative, which supports federal, state and 

local first responders.

Like the DLA Warfighter Support Initiative, the CEP falls under DLA’s Military Service Support 

Division, which also includes the national account managers for all of the military services.

“The whole point is customer outreach and customer education,” said Michael Brletich, deputy 

division chief of the Military Service Support Division. “That’s why the CEP exists. Their mission is 

to educate and inform the customer on DLA’s capabilities, programs, systems and services.”

Anywhere there is a DLA booth at a convention, the corporate events team is there. 

Program manager Heidi Byers leads the team that staffs the booths.

“Prior to the fiscal year, we sit down as a team and we say, ‘Ok, let’s look at some of the 

events we’ve done in the past, let’s look at potential new opportunities,’ and we come up with a 

proposed schedule and cost estimate,” Byers said. “We take our recommendations to our leadership. They review it and approve our package with additions or cuts. That’s how we come up 

with and formalize our plan for the year.”

The team staffs booths at forums and expos of many different types with wide-ranging 

emphases. As such, they have to plan well in advance to coordinate the current messages with 

various divisions within the agency before each event.

“We work with different touchpoints across the agency, to include the National Account 

Manager teams and field activities, to make them aware of opportunities,” Byers said. “We ask 

them if they want to send a subject matter expert to a particular event. We ask if their handout 

information is current. We’re an avenue or conduit they can use to share messages when they 

can’t be there.”

Byers gave an example of interoffice coordination leading up to the team’s participation in 

the National Hurricane Conference this year.

“We were able to work with our Federal Emergency Management Agency liaison officer, a 

DLA employee, to give us new information about DLA’s partnership with FEMA,” she said. “He was 

able to provide us with updated slides that helped us get up to speed on the latest information.” 

Because industry is important to DLA, the team also talks with lots of buyers. They coordinate with DLA Acquisition and with the Office of Small Business Programs to provide information to target audiences.

If you happen to find yourself at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition, Modern Day 

Marine, the National Sheriffs’ Association Annual Conference or one of many other such events, 

look for the DLA booth. The team that is constantly on the go would be happy to answer your 

questions and give you information about the agency that supports the warfighter.

— Chris Erbe

The Corporate Events Program team in front of the DLA pop-up display (left to right) 

Chantae Johnson, Olivia Kortuem and Heidi Byers.

DLA Corporate Events Program

h

b

th

T
34 www.dla.mil

Planners developed the DWSI as 

a bridge to their customers. As deputy 

division chief of the Military Service 

Support Division, Michael Brletich noticed 

a gap in awareness and understanding of 

DLA’s capabilities and programs when he 

would brief various service schools and 

joint courses. He and other senior leaders 

felt that gap needed to be addressed.

“The gap was simply that if you had 

not previously served with or worked at 

DLA, there was an obvious unawareness 

of DLA capabilities, processes and 

systems,” Brletich said. “Our thought 

was to put on a training exposition for a 

couple of days so we could target DLA’s 

PDLQXVHUV2\RXQJ1&2V\RXQJṘFHUV

folks in the trenches who work with DLA 

on a daily basis — to teach them how they 

can leverage DLA capabilities in support 

of their mission.”

The DWSI concept is not a new 

one. DLA implemented a similar 

program in the ’90s in the Northeast 

region called “Spend a Day with DLA.” 

That version evolved into an initiative 

similar to DWSI in the early 2000s 

called DLA Expo. The goal of all the 

programs: educate customers about 

ZKDW'/$KDVWRR̆HU

“We have 11 separate seminars that 

inform our customer how to use DLA, 

whether it is the Customer Interaction 

Center, how to access the DoD Electronic 

Mall, [or] how to use Disposition 

Services,” Beougher said. “It’s those 

things that service members aren’t 

normally taught as they come up through 

their professional careers.” 

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Kevin Burt, from USCG Station Elizabeth 

City in North Carolina, found out about 

the DWSI event at Naval Station Norfolk 

through his supervisor. 

“I’ve only done one year at my unit, 

with three more to go before shipping 

out. I was a good candidate to attend 

because I’ll be around for a while to 

pass knowledge to the newer people 

coming in,” Burt said. “I received a lot 

of good contact information, phone 

numbers, resources and handbooks — 

plus it was nice to meet people and put 

names to faces.” 

Troop readiness was on the mind of 

Army Col. Steven Bundy, from the U.S. 

Army Reserve Command, who attended 

the Fort Bragg DWSI event in March 

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“My most critical interest is DLA’s 

disposition services and getting rid of 

excess equipment in the Army Reserve,” 

Bundy said. “We don’t want to waste 

maintenance dollars or man-hours 

repairing or maintaining items that we’re 

not going to use. We need those resources 

directed toward producing readiness in 

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Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group, knew 

some of the divisions within DLA but 

didn’t realize how much more the agency 

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“It was good information; they 

answered all the questions I had and 

provided some good ‘intel’ that I’m going 

to take back and provide to our folks back 

at the group,” Carrasco said.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Scott 

Schroeder of Army Forces Command 

noted there are a lot of resources DLA 

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unaware of.

“This event brings us in and makes 

us aware of some of those resources,” 

he said. “It also introduces us to the 

faces of the people that are supporting 

us. In turn, it provides an opportunity 

for the teams that are supporting the 

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that we’re facing.”

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the DWSI,” Brletich said. “Even if you 

educate 25 people, that’s 25 people who 

now know how to do business with DLA 

and who understand our processes and 

procedures.” 

DLA Troop Support representative Sally 

Pooler (right) answers questions from a soldier 

at the DLA Warfighter Support Initiative, Fort 

Bragg, North Carolina.
Loglines O July - August 2016 35

on-tactical federal vehicles 

may soon become less environmentally harmful, thanks 

to the Defense Logistics 

Agency Aviation Hazardous 

Minimization and Green Products Program.

DLA, in partnership with the Air Force 

Research Laboratory, is now testing and 

validating “bio-based” synthetic oil in 

government vehicles at four Air Force 

bases and a Department of Homeland 

Security installation. Program managers 

plan to expand testing to several other 

federal agencies soon. 

Bio-based oil is a blend of 25 to 40 

percent agricultural content — such as 

canola oil, soybean oil and/or oils from 

animal fat — and commercial synthetic oil.

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WR¿QGDOWHUQDWLYHVQRWRQO\WRUHGXFH

hazardous materials, but to reduce our 

reliance on foreign oil,” said Andy Shaban, 

chemical engineer and DLA Aviation 

program manager. “Oil and greases are 

typically composed of base oils thickened 

with polymers, solids and other additives, 

which are considered hazardous. Our 

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substitute for the traditional oil that 

military and federal agencies use in nontactical vehicles.”

In January, Air Force personnel at 

Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base in North 

Mi

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i i ti

Story by Chris Erbe

Carolina separated four vehicles from the 

motor pool and replaced the conventional 

motor oil with bio-based synthetic oil. 

The conventional oil was sent to a lab for 

analysis for the purpose of establishing 

a baseline for later comparison with 

the bio-based product. Over several 

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procedure on a total of 40 vehicles at the 

DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training 

Center in Georgia, Luke AFB in Arizona, 

Fairchild AFB in Washington and 

Malmstrom AFB in Montana.

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three manufacturers of bio-based synthetic 

engine oil: Biosynthetic Technologies, G-Oil 

(Loch Sciences) and BioBlend.

Manufacturers of bio-based oils have 

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Industry test results show that use of the 

“green” product contributes to higher 

gas mileage, longer oil-change intervals 

and reductions of greenhouse gases. 

Additionally, bio-based motor oil can 

simply replace conventional oil without 

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Shaban is hopeful that DLA’s tests will 

validate those results. The testing period 

will last from 12-18 months and will include 

long idling sessions as well as driving.

“Some of the testing will be based 

on mileage, some will be time-based,” 

Shaban said. “After a certain mileage or 

ehicles

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meland

managers 

ral other 

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viation

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us. Our

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il that 

use in nononnel at

ase in North 

Carolina separated four vehicles from the 

motor pool and replaced the conventional

motor oil with bio-based synthetic oil.

The conventional oil was sent to a lab for

analysis for the purpose of establishing

a baseline for later comparison with

the bio-based product. Over several 

ZHHNVSURMHFWSDUWLFLSDQWVUHSHDWHGWKH

procedure on a total of 40 vehicles at the

DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training

Center in Georgia, Luke AFB in Arizona, 

Fairchild AFB in Washington and 

Malmstrom AFB in Montana.

3URMHFWSDUWLFLSDQWVXVHGSURGXFWVIURP

three manufacturers of bio-based synthetic

engine oil: Biosynthetic Technologies, G-Oil

(Loch Sciences) and BioBlend.

Manufacturers of bio-based oils have

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Industry test results show that use of the

“green” product contributes to higher

gas mileage, longer oil-change intervals

and reductions of greenhouse gases. 

Additionally, bio-based motor oil can 

simply replace conventional oil without 

PRGL¿FDWLRQWRWKHHQJLQH

Shaban is hopeful that DLA’s tests will 

validate those results. The testing period

will last from 12-18 months and will include

long idling sessions as well as driving.

“Some of the testing will be based

on mileage, some will be time-based,”

Shaban said. “After a certain mileage or

SLICK

SOLUTION
36 www.dla.mil

time frame, the oil will be removed and 

sent to a lab for testing. If the requirement 

was to change the conventional oil at 

5,000 miles, we will test the bio-based oil 

at 5,000 miles and compare.”

The testing locations were also part of 

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“We picked bases and agencies in 

various climate regions around the 

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The Department of Defense uses 

about 1.1 million gallons of four-cycle 

engine oil annually in 180,000 vehicles. 

The entire federal government, including 

the military services, civilian agencies and 

the U.S. Postal Service, maintains a total 

of 633,000 vehicles. 

If testing and evaluation shows that 

bio-based oil is comparable to or better 

than conventional oil, it could lead to a 

complete conversion to the bio-based 

synthetic oil in the federal government’s 

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to convert comes in the form of DoD 

sustainable procurement directives, 

Federal Acquisition Regulations and 

laws such as the Farm Security and Rural 

Investment Act of 2002, which stresses 

the need for the government to procure 

and use bio-based products. 

A successful outcome will be good 

news for farmers, as it will expand 

the market for domestically produced 

agricultural products. Other potential 

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footprint and reduced dependency on 

foreign petroleum. 

DLA Aviation’s Hazardous 

Minimization and Green Products 

Program and their partners will continue 

to expand testing and analyze data. 

Considering the impact of the large 

number of federal non-tactical vehicles in 

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government to take a big step in the right 

environmental direction. 

Air Force Airman 1st Class Michael Schulz, 

341st Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle 

management flight mechanic, changes the oil 

of a government vehicle at Malmstrom Air Force 

Base, Montana. Schulz was one of two airmen 

tasked with changing the oil of six vehicles that 

will be used for testing a bio-based synthetic oil.

Air Force Airman 1st Class Magen M. Reeves
Loglines O July - August 2016 37

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

DELIVER INNOVATIVE AND RESPONSIVE SOLUTIONS

TO WARFIGHTERS FIRST, DOD COMPONENTS

AND OUR OTHER VALUED CUSTOMERS

WARFIGHTER

FIRST
I AM

My name is:

Linda Hill-Robinson

I am: 

A customer account specialist in the Combat Air Force Customer Relationship Management 

Cell, DLA Aviation, Customer Operations Directorate.

Describe your job in a sentence.

I am the primary customer-facing point of contact for order fulfillment, responsible for 

processing customer orders, maintaining contact information, providing product information, 

handling emergency requests, initiating calls to customers, providing and/or validating customer 

account information and general customer support.

How long have you worked for DLA?

I arrived at Defense Supply Center Richmond in 1980. In my 36 years at DLA, I have held 

positions as a data transcriber, keypunch operator, computer operator, team lead, supervisor, 

inventory management specialist and, most recently, as a customer account specialist.

What is your favorite thing about working for DLA?

I have many! DLA provides wonderful opportunities for advancement and educational growth. 

I consider myself a life-long learner and intend to take full advantage of the many opportunities 

offered and afforded to employees. I make it a point to encourage my 

colleagues to seek professional development opportunities and increase their 

knowledge in their field, as well as learn about other job roles. One of my 

favorite things about working for DLA is flextime. Being able to support my 

customer outside the traditional 9 to 5 is great! In addition, I like the allotted 

time for employees to exercise during the work day. 

What are your best memories of working here?

At one time, DLA used to celebrate Multicultural Day, to embrace the 

diversity of others. It was a great time to mingle with friends while sampling 

delicious and exotic foods. This awesome event exposed employees to 

cultural presenters that we would not ordinarily hear or meet, allowing us to 

learn about the beauty of other cultures while expanding our horizons.

,ŽǁĚŽLJŽƵŵĂŬĞĂĚŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞ͍

I believe I make a difference to the warfighter by never forgetting my 

purpose at DLA: to provide unparalleled and superior customer service to 

America’s service men and women worldwide. When I think about the sacrifices they make daily 

so we can live in a free country, I am overwhelmed with thanks and appreciation. I make it a point 

to say thank you for your service to all warfighters whenever the opportunity permits. I am blessed 

to live in the greatest country in the world, and I am proud it!

Linda Hill-Robinson