DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

The Nation’s Combat Logistics Support Agency January / February 2019

Executive Imprint

The DLA Executive Print Facility: 

“The President’s Printer”

Team Achievement

DLA Athletes Win Fort Belvoir

Commander’s Cup

Tested Process

Warfighter Support: 

The Product Test Center-Analytical Way

Fuel’s Gold

Turning Byproducts into Usable Fuel Sources 

Cuts Waste, Maximizes the Supply Chain

HUBs OF OPPORTUNITY

Small Businesses Employ Low-income Community Residents 

While Helping DLA Ensure Readiness and Lethality of Warfighters
DLA Director 

Army Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams

DLA Vice Director

Vacant

Chief of Staff

Kristin K. French

Director, Public Affairs

Joseph M. Yoswa

Deputy Director, Public Affairs

Patrick H. Mackin

Managing Editor

Phil Prater

Senior Editor

John R. Bell

Writers

Beth Reece

Dianne Ryder

Layout and Design

Paul Henry Crank

LOGLINES

THE OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION OF 

THE DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY 

Army Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Loglines is the authorized publication for the 

Defense Logistics Agency’s workforce of federal 

civilians, active-duty military and Joint Reserve 

Force augmentees at agency activities worldwide 

and industry customers of DLA. Contents of this 

publication are not necessarily the official views of, 

or endorsed by, the U.S. government, the Department of Defense or the Defense Logistics Agency. 

Loglines is prepared electronically, using desktop 

publishing applications; no commercial typesetting 

costs are involved. Photos not credited are 

courtesy of agency sources. Submissions and 

correspondence may be sent to the address below:

Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency 

Office of Public Affairs 

8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 2545 

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221

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One of DLA’s most consistent good-news stories has been 

the continual success of our Small Business Program. For 

the past six years, DLA has exceeded its goals for dollars 

awarded to prime contracts with small businesses. During 

fiscal 2018 alone, DLA awarded over $14.5 billion in prime contracts 

with small businesses, an all-time high. 

Small businesses are important to our agency, to our customers 

and to the U.S. economy. They’re where we find much of the 

innovation that leads to better support for the warfighter. Small 

businesses are also where we turn for support for our legacy 

weapons systems. In fact, 80 percent of DLA’s 12,000 suppliers are 

small businesses.

In this issue, we focus on a DLA program that helps small 

businesses in historically underutilized business zones, or HUBZones. 

You’ll read about three examples where DLA helps HUBZone 

businesses succeed while serving the needs of our warfighters. 

It’s important to understand that DLA doesn’t just engage 

small businesses to reach assigned targets. Just like for large and 

medium-sized businesses, we turn to small businesses because 

they help improve the readiness and lethality of our military. 

DLA’s Small Business Program is a triple win — for DLA, for our 

warfighters and for America. 

That’s only one of the great stories you’ll find in this issue of 

Loglines. We also present articles from DLA Energy about how we’re 

saving money and the environment through reclaiming fuel oil and 

how we’re finding new ways to meet warfighters’ needs through 

fuel agreements with foreign militaries. Additionally, DLA Troop 

Support shares a story on how it tests products bound for the 

military through the Product Test Center-Analytical. We’ll also tell 

you about the small but important DLA print facility serving the 

White House and present a phenomenal interview with DLA Troop 

Support Commander Army Brig. Gen. Mark Simerly, and much more.

What a great way to kick off the New Year! Happy reading! 

Warfighter First! 
Executive Imprint .......................................................02

DLA’s support to other parts of the government includes 

employees working at one of the most high-profile facilities 

of the Executive Branch. 

Team Achievement ....................................................05

For the first time, athletes from multiple areas of DLA 

take home the Fort Belvoir Commander’s Cup with wins 

in swimming, golf, basketball and other events.

Tested Process ...........................................................08

Science in support of the warfighter — the Product Test 

Center-Analytical way.

Building Global Alliances ..........................................12

To supply critical fuel to U.S. partners and allies worldwide, 

DLA Energy experts smooth the way with a growing network 

of international agreements. 

HUBs of Opportunity .................................................19

Small businesses are employing residents of low-income 

communities while helping DLA ensure readiness and lethality 

for the warfighter. 

Fuel’s Gold ...................................................................23

Turning byproducts into usable fuel sources cuts waste, maximizes 

the supply chain and helps build a more secure future.

DEPARTMENTS

A Conversation with 

Army Brig. Gen. Mark T. Simerly .............................16

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

Latasha McGee

CONTENTS

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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

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Story by Amber McSherry

DLA Information Operations

T

he Defense Logistics Agency 

is spread far and wide, but one 

place many would be surprised 

to find DLA is the White House. 

Often referred to as “the president’s 

printer,” the DLA Executive Print 

Facility was commissioned in the late 

1970s through an executive order by 

President Jimmy Carter. Now with 

only two employees, the division is 

small but does big work servicing the 

president, first lady, White House staff 

and other agencies of the Executive 

Office of the President, along with 

some members of Congress.

While DLA’s other print facilities 

are primarily on military bases, this one 

is in the basement of the Eisenhower 

Executive Office Building next door to 

the White House. The print facility is 

just a hop, skip and a jump away from 

the president and his staff, and the 

employees are required to have special 

clearances to work there. 

Employees Mischelle O’Neal and 

Jackie Brown are constantly busy. 

Every day brings normal routine tasks 

but also something new. O’Neal and 

Brown are on the ball printing daily 

reports and travel itineraries for the 

president and other EOP agencies that 

fall under the Executive Branch, and 

they provide support directly to the 

 EXECUTIVE 

 DLA SUPPOR 

White House trick-or-treat tickets, volunteer badges, activity 

booklets and other items are among those printed at the 

DLA Executive Print Facility.
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January / February 2019

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LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

president as needed. When not working 

on routine items, they produce a variety 

of posters, large-format photos, place 

cards, signs, flags and other displays. 

They even produce luggage tags for the 

president’s travel. There’s not much 

they can’t do. 

The facility runs in two shifts 

to accommodate these important 

customers as quickly as possible. In 

an average month, they receive about 

200 orders, plus a slew of others that 

come in from their ordering site, Data 

Services Online. It’s typical for them to 

receive a lot of last-minute orders and 

updates to things they may already be 

working on. 

O’Neal knows time is of the essence 

for many of their customers. 

“Everyone is in a hurry in D.C. I 

have finished last-minute orders for 

someone who was standing by to run it 

to the senator waiting in his car, ready 

to go on the Hill,” O’Neal explained. 

She recalled other times when she’s 

hand-delivered orders during events at 

the White House. 

“It’s often a race, but we do our best 

to get the job done and make sure it’s a 

quality product.” 

Quality is critical. Even simple 

things like how tabs are lined up must 

be exact, or the item will not go to the 

customer. There are special papers 

requiring different handling, seals, foils 

and weights. There are also controlled 

items that, depending on the order, 

must get an extra-thorough review 

before they’re printed. 

Proofs allow customers to see 

what they’re getting in advance, and 

O’Neal and Brown always recommend 

customers take advantage of that. 

Much of what they produce has high 

visibility and is expected to be perfect.

“I’ve had things not go out because 

of a small speck on the paper,” O’Neal 

said. “A lot of our items are on display, 

and hence they’re a reflection of the 

White House.” 

Controlled items require special 

paper and seals so they can be official. 

Things like executive orders and 

proclamations are frequently printed at 

the facility. 

Occasionally they see their work on 

TV, catching glimpses of their printed 

briefs in the hands of members of 

Congress or of the news media at press 

 IMPRINT 

TING THE WHITE HOUSE

DLA Executive Print Facility employees Jackie Brown and 

Mischelle O’Neal work the counter at the White House 

printing complex in Washington, D.C.

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo
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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

conferences — or as posters in the 

background at events. 

Last September, they produced a 

series of large photos of children from 

around the world. These touching 

photos were set up at a United Nations 

reception where the first lady delivered 

a speech about the “Be Best” Campaign 

to discourage bullying. 

“We get to be a part of creating 

some great stuff that has a real effect on 

people and events,” Brown said. “Some 

stuff we know will be going straight to 

the president,” O’Neal said.

They recently produced the 

director’s book for the Office of 

Management and Budget. At certain 

points in the year, government offices 

produce reports that typically end up 

in the hands of Congress and even the 

president. Brown and O’Neal print and 

bind them. 

O’Neal estimates that about 60 

percent of the items they produce are 

large format, like posters and banners. 

Poster orders are constant and pick up 

during holidays. 

“We do all the posters for the 

entertainment at the White House 

Holiday Open House,” O’Neal said. 

“Sometimes there are two to three 

bands [performing] in one day, and 

the open house runs for almost a 

month. It’s always fun to see what’s 

coming through.”

They do much more than printing, 

though. The majority of their work is 

hands-on, not just pushing the start 

button. Many items they produce 

require cutting, lamination, trimming, 

curving corners, folding and putting 

things together properly — all requiring 

a lot more time than a typical print 

job. The DLA Executive Print Facility 

supports a lot of different offices in the 

White House with that hands-on work 

— things like making tabs and putting 

them in binders. 

“Sometimes we aren’t printing at 

all,” Brown said. “The photo shop will 

print their own pictures and bring them 

to us to be trimmed and mounted. 

Many of the photos in the East Wing 

were mounted by us.”

“They know they can come to us and 

we’ll take care of it, so they can keep the 

focus on their area of expertise,” O’Neal 

added. The White House Photo Shop, 

Social Office, Calligraphy Office and 

Visitor Center are frequent customers. 

With all the events on the premises, 

things like tickets, badges, credentials and 

parking passes are often requested. The 

duo recently printed 1,050 tickets for the 

White House trick-or-treat event. 

“There are so many things that go 

into these events and make them run 

smoothly that people wouldn’t normally 

think of, and we produce a lot of it,” 

Brown said. 

When asked what the busiest time 

of the year is, O’Neal teetered between 

the holiday season and elections before 

saying, “All the time.” There’s always 

something going on, and they are always 

ready to support. A cake for the White House observance of the Army birthday 

features flags produced in the DLA Executive Print Facility.

Large photos of children, printed at the DLA Executive Print Facility, surround the lectern where the first lady gave a speech 

supporting the “Be Best” campaign last year. 

One of the many displays on the White House complex was 

created by the DLA Executive Print Facility. 

Courtesy PhotoCourtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo
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January / February 2019 5

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Story by Connie Braesch, DLA Energy Public Affairs

TEAM 

ACHIEVEMENT

After years of advancing in the 

rankings, the Defense Logistics 

Agency beat the competition 

in 2018 to win the Fort Belvoir 

Commander’s Cup for the first time.

The DLA director congratulated 

the team for the monumental win in 

an Oct. 4 ceremony at the McNamara 

Headquarters Complex. Army Lt. Gen. 

Darrell Williams thanked the participants and noted that activities featuring teamwork and competition are 

uniquely able to help keep morale high.

Designed to promote physical fitness, 

morale and team spirit, the Fort Belvoir 

Commander’s Cup Program has units 

and agencies on the post compete in 

sanctioned events to accumulate points. 

Competition started in September 2017 

and included flag football, basketball, 

racquetball, volleyball, combatives, 

soccer, tennis, formation run, softball, 

bowling, swimming, golf and crosscountry running. At the end of each 

season, the team with the most points is 

awarded the Commander’s Cup Trophy 

and ultimate bragging rights.

Andrew Green, DLA Strategic 

Materials market analyst, has been 

DLA’s intramural coordinator since 

he started the DLA soccer team in the 

spring of 2014. 

“Every year, three dozen or more 

units and agencies at Fort Belvoir 

compete in intramural sports to earn 

points toward the Commander’s 

Cup,” he said. “We go head-to-head in 

stiff competition as teams from Fort 

Belvoir Community Hospital, Defense 

Threat Reduction Agency, the Army’s 

249th Engineer Battalion, U.S. Army 

Legal Services Agency and DLA have 

controlled the top five for the past five 

years. And now National GeospatialIntelligence Agency is up and coming.”

The 2016 and 2017 defending 

champions, Fort Belvoir Community 

Hospital, started strong after winning 

the first events of the season. 

But DLA had other plans. Fueled by 

last year’s devastating 2-point loss to 

the hospital, DLA dug deep and stayed 

focused on the goal to secure the Cup, 

Green said.

FORT BELVOIR COMMANDER’S CUP

Participants who helped DLA win the 2018 Commander’s Cup pose with DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Darrell Williams (front row, fourth from left) and Navy Command Master Chief Shaun 

Brahmsteadt (front row, sixth from left), DLA senior enlisted leader. Holding the trophy is Andy Green of DLA Strategic Materials, who organized DLA’s participation in the events throughout 

the year.

Teodora Mocanu
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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Finally, on Sept. 19, after taking 

second place in the swim meet, DLA 

clinched the Cup. 

The final tally had DLA winning with 

198 points — 29 points over the Army’s 

249th Engineer Battalion, who came in 

second with 169 points. DTRA brought 

home the bronze with 162 points.

The Team Spirit

Brian Wilt, a DLA Acquisition 

procurement analyst, has been 

participating in multiple DLA 

intramural sports since 2006 and 

coaching the volleyball team since 2015. 

“It’s so nice to see years of 

dedication and tireless effort on the 

part of our leader, Andy, pay off,” Wilt 

said. “It is no small feat to recruit, 

organize, coach and motivate workforce 

members in this many activities and 

then reach a goal like this with such 

fierce competition.”

Green said it’s a team effort just to 

manage all the sporting events.

“This win is the culmination of 

years of effort from a lot of people 

around the building,” he said. “Ellis 

Anderson has been key running golf 

and bowling. Darren Dunham and 

Darrell Brooks have been excellent 

at running the softball team. Kerry 

Bullock runs an excellent basketball 

team. Brian Wilt and Tuyen ‘Tim’ 

Le have been tireless organizers of 

the volleyball team. For softball, 

volleyball and bowling, I’ve been 

happy to just participate, not needing 

to run anything.”

Anderson, a DLA Office of Small 

Business Programs analyst on a 

rotational position in DLA Finance, has 

been the coordinator for the DLA golf 

and bowling team for three years. 

“I’ve been involved in sports since 

I could walk, and I love competition,” 

he said. “The race for the Commander’s 

Cup gives us adults a chance to act like 

kids again, and it’s good to be able to do 

some light-hearted bragging.”

Stephanie Wright, director of 

DLA Finance Enterprise Financial 

Operations, was an instrumental player 

on the DLA tennis team, which took 23 

points in the competition — 13 more 

than any other team. Wright earned 

several of those points when she won 

first place in women’s doubles and 

mixed doubles and second place in 

women’s singles.

“I’m happy I was able to help get 

DLA a few points in support of the 

win,” she said. “Participating is a fun 

way to get to know my DLA teammates 

and to meet players from other teams 

on base.”

Wilt said DLA employee 

participation in the Cup competition 

solidifies DLA’s commitment as a 

Left to Right: Jon Mowl of DLA Finance; Chris Boeding, DLA Energy; Ross Paxton, DLA Energy; Andy Green, DLA Strategic Materials.

Left to Right: Anthony Gartrell, DLA guest player; Brian Wilt, DLA Acquisition; Josh Kovalsi, DLA guest player; Stephanie Wright, DLA Finance.

All photos these pages: Rick Musselman, Belvoir Eagle
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January / February 2019 7

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

culture. Ken McLain, the interim 

DLA Acquisition culture and climate 

champion and DLA’s team member 

in the running and swimming 

events, said sports play an 

important role in building a healthy 

organizational culture. 

“DLA’s participation for the Fort 

Belvoir Commander’s Cup contributes 

to building esprit de corps across the 

entire DLA community,” he said. “This 

enhances the climate of our agency 

and builds camaraderie across the 

organization, which leads to improved 

communication and networking across 

the enterprise.”

Guno Kletter, DLA Energy strategic 

energy initiatives program manager, 

said the connections he’s made 

continue off the field. 

“The relationships I’ve made 

while playing on the soccer team 

have made professional connections 

much easier and seamless,” Kletter 

said. “Many times when I attend a 

meeting, I will see a familiar face from 

the playing field, and instantly we have 

a foundation without saying a word. 

These connections span across the base 

and out into the community.”

When asked why she participates in 

the competition, Michelle Sands, a DLA 

Energy Bulk Petroleum contract specialist, said it’s about taking pride in her job. 

“I’m passionate about the race for 

the Commander’s Cup because I am 

passionate about working for DLA,” 

she said. “Any chance to bolster up 

DLA as the best, I’ll be there as a 

willing participant.”

The events are open to military 

members, their dependents, and 

Department of Defense employees and 

contractors, and are designed to encourage camaraderie across various directorates and tenants on the installation. 

faithful team member of the overall 

military community.

“The race for the Commander’s 

Cup is all about sportsmanship and 

team building,” he said. “By pushing 

ourselves physically and mentally 

in this environment and by building 

relationships, we enhance our ability 

and renew our dedication to serving the 

warfighter and all U.S. interests.”

Mark Albright, a DLA Energy 

management and program analyst, 

participates in many DLA intramural 

sports and is a co-captain of the DLA 

coed soccer team. 

“The team aspect of playing with 

co-workers helps to build strong bonds 

and networks across the agency,” he 

said. “It truly creates the feeling that 

‘we are all DLA’ and not just Energy, 

Acquisition or Finance.”

DLA’s Strategic Plan places 

significant emphasis on people and 

Left to Right: Connie Braesch, DLA Energy; Justin Wingo, DLA Energy; Carter Headley, DLA Information Operations.

Left to Right: Tim Le, DLA Information Operations; Farron Byrd, DLA guest player; DLA Bowling Team: James Turzak, DLA Installation Support; Eric Linneman, DLA Installation Support; 

Chris Tull, DLA Energy; Mike Szego, DLA Installation Support; Not pictured: Ellis Anderson, team captain.
page 8 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Story by John Dwyer III, DLA Troop Support Public Affairs

Photos by Shannon Frady As you step inside the impacttesting room, a towering machine 

that reaches through the drop 

ceiling greets you from the middle of 

the floor. At first glance, the vertical 

pole with a weight attached may look 

like a test-your-strength game at a fair. 

But then you notice a Kevlar helmet 

sitting near the base of the pole. In a 

blink, a weight crashes down onto the 

crest of the helmet, leaving a halfdollar-sized dent. You just witnessed 

warfighter support: the Product Test 

Center-Analytical way. 

At Defense Logistics Agency 

Troop Support’s PTC-A, one of DLA’s 

three product test centers, the Cadex 

impact tester is just one tool used to 

evaluate characteristics of the material 

DLA buys. Employing a variety of 

equipment, the professionals at the 

PTC-A generate reports used to make 

data-driven decisions in contracting 

actions that support the warfighter. 

Breaking It Down

Scientists in the PTC-A perform 

experiments that involve stretching, 

crushing, burning or otherwise 

marring samples sent for testing. It’s a 

necessary means to their end, a process 

referred to as “destructive testing.” 

“When you send something to us to 

be tested,” PTC-A Lab Manager Jamie 

Hieber said, “don’t expect to get it back 

in the same condition — if at all.”

To carry out their mission of 

providing conformance testing, 

the scientists at the PTC-A ensure 

manufacturers meet the exact 

TESTED P

DLA TROOP SUPPORT PRODUCT TEST CENTER-ANALYTICAL

specifications for items such as 

helmets. The scientist behind the 

computer “drops the hammer” from 

a specifically calibrated machine 

equipped with data feeds and cameras 

that produce a controlled, measurable 

result for contracting officers to use to 

validate the helmet’s performance. 

The impact tester is one of many 

pieces of lab equipment scientists at the 

PTC-A use to “tear, rip, burn, cut or hit” 

components and items contracted for 

purchase by DLA, according to Hieber. 

Each piece has a specific purpose. And 

every test is meticulously conducted 

and recorded to provide a detailed 

report of the item’s performance 

compared with the specifications. 

The specifications come from the 

contract requirements laid out by the 

customer. The PTC-A uses the specs and 

test results to make sure the items meet 

the warfighter’s need. 

While other government and 

service labs test items for research 

and development, the PTC-A tests 

what is already under contract and 

being supplied to the warfighter 

— almost like an internal quality 

control. The lab’s product is not a 

recommendation for or against use, 

according to Hieber, but serves as a 

report for contracting officers to use 

in evaluating contract performance 

and detecting potential fraud. 

“We’re sustainment testing,” 

Hieber said. “We’re quality con-

formance. We don’t design. We are 

making sure that we’re toeing the line 

on what the specifications are, what the 

test methods are and what the items 

are supposed to do.” The Cadex Impact Tester is just one tool used to evaluate 

characteristics of the material DLA buys. 

John Dwyer III
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January / February 2019 9

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DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Safety, Quality, Transparency

Hieber is aware that the lab’s 

results have an impact on contracting 

decisions that may affect warfighters 

and vendors, so she strives to 

maintain the highest quality and 

integrity of the results. 

“We’re an ISO 9001 laboratory,” 

Hieber said, referring to its compliance 

with internationally recognized safety 

and quality standards. “We have a 

transparent testing program, which 

means that people can come in here 

and watch us test. Contracting officers 

or quality assurance specialists 

can come in. They can bring their 

contractors in to witness testing.” 

The scientists may be “all about 

the data,” Hieber said, but they also 

understand the implications of their 

work in helping decision-makers make 

the best choices for the warfighter. 

Hieber said the PTC-A supports 

readiness and aids the military services’ 

modernization efforts. 

One recent example was when the 

lab was asked to test the usability of 

service-issued leather gloves that allow 

pilots to use tablet devices while wearing 

them. The gloves needed to be evaluated 

since more military services and career 

fields are experimenting with tablets and 

mobile technology to replace paper-copy 

technical documents.

The PTC-A also tests to ensure 

all uniform items are standardized 

in their color and shade. For this, 

an entire room is calibrated to test 

the cloth for each uniform and its 

component accessories, such as name 

tapes and patches.

“The shade room is used daily,” 

Hieber said. “And so the lights, the 

walls, the equipment colors, the clothes 

worn by the shade lab scientist — the 

entire lab — is a calibrated lab.”

The PTC-A also tests the tensile 

strength of metals, parachute cloth 

fibers and more to ensure those 

items can withstand pulling or 

compressive forces. 

“Our focus is supporting the 

warfighter,” Hieber said. Her team 

maintains that focus through honest, 

accurate and timely reporting.

Recapitalizing with a Purpose 

With all the education, training 

and professional equipment 

needed to provide these reports, 

DLA internal and external 

customers are charged $65 per 

hour of work. The rate comes with 

a turnaround of 30 days for reports 

on all testing. Hieber said the lab 

had met its 30-day goal on more 

than 97 percent of the reports 

produced in fiscal 2018, even with 

an increase of more than 1,000 

reports since the previous year. 

ROCESS

Uraina Gray-Scully (left) and Ardra Farally, color scientists 

with DLA Troop Support’s Product Test Center-Analytical, 

examine the results of a test run on incoming fabric from the 

manufacturer. Product lot testing is required for all clothing 

items to ensure the vendor is meeting the fabric quality and 

color specifications so service members’ clothing is uniform.

Military-issue boots that have been ripped, cut and sole-split 

line the wall in one of the Product Test Center-Analytical labs. 

Boots are tested a variety of ways to ensure service members 

are protected from the elements and hazards they work with 

and to ensure comfort. 
page

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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

The cost of service is a product of 

balancing operational necessities, as 

each of DLA’s PTCs are “zero sum” 

operations. That means for every dollar 

collected in revenue, Hieber must have 

a plan to reinvest the funds into the lab, 

resulting in zero net gain for the year. 

This includes the payroll for the lab 

team, as well as equipment purchases 

to enhance lab safety and capabilities. 

“We’re tracking every dollar 

to make sure we’re truly financial 

stewards of the taxpayers’ money,” 

Hieber said.

One of the ways she’s managed 

to balance her zero-sum operation is 

through equipment purchases that will 

better support the lab’s testing and 

expand existing capabilities. 

The PTC-A recently purchased new 

washers and dryers to test dimensional 

stability of uniforms more accurately. 

Although it may sound simple, this 

testing is required to ensure the 

uniform material DLA purchases 

won’t shrink, fade or tear beyond an 

acceptable level, so it lasts as long as it 

should for the soldiers, sailors, airmen 

and Marines wearing it. 

Hieber also hopes to purchase the 

same laundering equipment used by 

the Navy while at sea. Using a standard 

commercial system does the trick, but 

using the shipboard systems would 

provide better results in testing factors 

required by Navy specifications, 

Hieber said. 

“We want to be sure that the testing 

we’re doing is as accurate as it can be,” 

Hieber said. “So we’re looking to be 

able to replicate what those shipboard 

conditions are.”

The workhorses of the lab, the 

Instron devices for testing tensile and 

compression strength, were also recently updated, gaining attachment arms 

capable of testing the limits of a single 

thread or a block of metal — along 

with cameras to allow the scientists to 

capture the breaking points and crucial 

changes during testing. 

By expanding the machine’s 

capability, Hieber said, it can test a 

broader range of materials and better 

capture the test data. 

“It can take a picture, it’s smoother 

and we have interchangeable jaws for 

all of our Instrons,” Hieber said.

The PTC-A Impact

The reports the PTC-A scientists 

provide aren’t just used for quality conformance and verification. Sometimes 

they’re used to help contracting officers 

determine when bad actors are trying 

to defraud the government, an issue 

termed CAGE compromise.

CAGE, or Commercial and 

Government Entity, compromise 

comes in a few forms. But it boils 

down to the practice of using false or 

misrepresented information to obtain 

a government contract, and then either 

not providing the required product or 

providing one that does not conform to 

the requirements in the contract. 

Mike Moody, a supervisory quality 

assurance specialist in the Construction 

and Equipment supply chain, sees the 

benefit of the lab’s service daily in his 

role battling CAGE compromise in C&E. 

“We’ve been able to report [suspect 

CAGE compromise test results] up 

to DLA Headquarters. And those 

tests have actually gone toward 

the debarment of some fraudulent 

The sole of a military-issue boot is ripped apart by the 

Product Test Center-Analytical Instron tensile tester. Using 

the interchangeable jaws of the machine, footwear can be 

tested to ensure the soles have the proper bond strength 

and won’t separate under field conditions.

Product Test Center-Analytical Scientist Nicole Dysart 

washes an Air Force jacket. Specifications the lab tests for 

include maintaining certain qualities after multiple washes, 

so the scientists often do laundry at work.
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January / February 2019 11

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DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

vendors,” Moody said. “With [PTC-A’s] 

help, we’re helping to build solutions 

for CAGE compromise issues.”

Historically, the PTC-A’s primary 

customer has been the Clothing and 

Textiles supply chain. But the PTC-A 

offers a wide range of capabilities for 

testing other items, with hopefully 

more on the horizon, Moody said. 

“We’ve sent them everything 

from paint brushes to hazard labels,” 

Moody said. 

As an added benefit, lab results can 

also be used by contracting officers 

to address discrepancies unrelated 

to CAGE and manage expectations, 

Moody said. 

“The goal there is to be able to 

go back to the vendors and say, 

‘Hey, you’re not meeting the specs,’” 

Moody said. “Or if they are meeting 

the specs, go back to the customers 

and say, ‘Hey, maybe you’re not 

expecting the right thing here.’”

Eye on the Horizon

While scientists at the PTC-A are 

deep in the weeds running tests and 

writing reports, Hieber also keeps 

her eyes on the future for ways to 

best support their mission. One such 

way is through coordination with 

DLA’s other PTC labs. If the PTC-A 

isn’t equipped for the testing needed, 

Hieber will work with another PTC 

that has the right capability. 

Hieber’s team also works with 

other government labs like the Natick 

Soldier Systems Center to coordinate 

testing requirements and keep an 

eye on what’s in the R&D phases, 

preparing for future testing needs. 

The PTC-A is involved in DLA and 

service planning conversations as much 

as possible. This allows them to plan for 

investments that will support testing for 

the military services’ future acquisitions.

“We spend a lot of time up front 

talking with our customers and the 

services to find out what they’re working on so we can plan accordingly,” 

Hieber said. “It’s important that we’re 

planning for what DLA is going to be 

contracting for in sustainment.”

As busy as the PTC-A is, its staff is 

always looking for new customers and 

projects, Hieber said. As a zero-sum 

facility, more business means they can 

afford more modern equipment, more 

lab personnel and a lower hourly rate 

for customers. 

“I would really like to position us to 

be able to handle whatever testing DLA 

needs,” Hieber said.

With a “wish list” of new equipment 

and lab-improvement projects at the 

ready, Hieber wants to increase the 

PTC’s capabilities to better support all 

of DLA and the services.

The lab exists to provide any testing 

service or referral it can. Customers 

unsure if the lab can handle a testing 

requirement should contact the lab at 

paactlab@dla.mil. Staff will do their 

best to assist or refer the customer to 

someone who can. 

“Talk to us about what your requirements are,” Hieber said. “Let us try 

and help to find a way to do the testing 

needed, have it done in a reasonable 

amount of time and save the government some money.” 

“WE’RE TRACKING EVERY 

DOLLAR TO MAKE SURE 

WE’RE TRULY FINANCIAL 

STEWARDS OF THE 

TAXPAYERS’ MONEY.” 

 — JAMIE HIEBER

Andres Aquino, a Product Test Center-Analytical scientist, 

tests a metal sample in the atomic absorption spectrophotometer. PTC-A scientists use this equipment to analyze the 

concentration of elements in a liquid sample based on energy 

absorbed from certain wavelengths of light. 
page

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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Story by Connie Braesch

DLA Energy Public Affairs

T

he No. 1 priority for Defense 

Logistics Agency Energy is meeting 

the warfighters’ competing 

demands on the battlefield, especially 

when it comes to providing reliable 

and high-quality fuel, supported by a 

network of global relationships.

A vital way DLA Energy meets this 

priority is through its International 

Agreements Program. DLA Energy’s 

International Fuel Agreements team 

is responsible for establishing and 

maintaining long-term Department of 

Defense fuel agreements with foreign 

militaries. Synchronized with DLA 

Energy regional offices, the IFA team 

focuses on providing a global capability 

to meet future fuel requirements. 

“It takes a very special set of 

professionals to make the international 

agreements successful,” said Frank 

Pane, director of DLA Energy Bulk 

Petroleum Supply Chain Services, 

which the IFA team is part of. “They 

need to not only have a firm grasp of 

the operational needs and workings 

of the Class III [petroleum, oil and 

lubricants] supply chain but also fully 

understand the myriad of governing 

policies, integrate successfully with 

the regions, and have the tact and 

diplomacy to conduct successful 

face-to-face negotiations with senior 

military members of partner nations.” 

With no less than 25 years of fuel 

experience for each member, the IFA 

team provides global expertise using 

complex strategies.

“We foster strategic international 

partnerships that provide the capability 

and availability of fuel before it’s even 

needed,” said Michael Maclean, a 

logistics management specialist on 

the team. “We have Fuel Exchange 

Agreements all around the world 

that provide reciprocal fuel support 

between the U.S. and partner nations.”

The agreements give DLA Energy 

the authority to obtain services such 

as pipeline access or fuel in foreign 

countries. DLA Energy has 41 fuel 

agreements across the world with 

countries including Honduras, India, 

Japan, Korea, Spain, Italy, Greece, 

Argentina, Chile, Indonesia and New 

Zealand. The IFA team is continually 

working to expand the area of the 

world with these partnerships in place. 

“If an agreement authority was not 

in place and the warfighter needed 

support, DLA Energy would have to 

consider other solutions that may take 

DLA ENERGY’S 

INTERNATIONAL 

AGREEMENTS 

PROGRAM SUPPORTS A 

NETWORK OF GLOBAL 

RELATIONSHIPS. 

BUILDING GLOBAL 
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January / February 2019 13

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

 ALLIANCES

additional time,” Maclean said. “Our 

agreements provide DLA Energy with 

options to ensure immediate warfighter 

support, and that’s why we focus on 

expanding agreement coverage.”

In a global operating environment, 

the partnerships are also key to the 

non-combat missions DLA supports. 

“The agreements play a vital role 

in any coalition operation, exercise or 

humanitarian mission,” said David 

Alexander, chief of the IFA team. 

“They’re used by our forces anywhere 

we operate and significantly enhance 

interoperability.” 

Capitalizing on Efficiency 

International partnerships are 

mutually beneficial to optimizing 

the supply chain. Alexander said 

the agreements provide economical, 

operational and logistical efficiencies 

between both countries. It’s not just 

about selling a gallon of fuel, he added.

“We have a variety of different 

types of agreements, and we create 

a synergy ... where they complement 

each other,” he said. “For example, we 

have an agreement with the Turkish 

Ministry of Defense for U.S. use of a 

strategic Turkish pipeline essential 

to U.S. operations in the area. To 

expand beyond this capability, we 

also developed a Fuel Exchange 

Agreement with the Turkish Navy and 

Turkish Air Force.” 

When it’s time to reconcile financial 

accounts, the countries can use any 

combination of agreements to settle 

debts, Alexander said. This includes 

offsetting debt balances through 

replacement-in-kind, in which one 

DLA Energy International Agreements Specialist Jim 

Eason confers with Spanish fuel representatives during 

the 2018 Fuel Exchange Agreement Forum in GarmischPartenkirchen, Germany.

A Royal Canadian air force CF-18 Hornet sits on the 

Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, flight line while a U.S. Air 

Force fuel truck prepares to refuel the aircraft during an 

exercise in Alaska. The exercise provides an optimal training 

environment in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region and focuses on 

improving ground, space, and cyberspace combat readiness 

and interoperability for U.S. and international forces.

Irene Smith

Air Force Senior Airman Cassie Whitman
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14 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

country repays the other in fuel. In the 

case of the U.S.-Turkey partnership, it 

means using the Turkish-NATO Pipeline 

System to settle balances in fuel.

“It’s about interoperability,” 

Alexander said. “It creates a single 

supply chain with partnering countries 

feeding off it.”

Maclean says there isn’t one 

agreement that is more important than 

another; they’re all valued equally. 

“We do business with some 

countries more than we do with other 

countries,” he said. “Germany is one 

of our biggest agreements in terms of 

dollar value or volume exchanged.” 

Scott Stafford, lead international 

agreements negotiator for DLA Energy 

Europe & Africa, highlighted one way 

DLA Energy uses partnerships to save 

money: DLA Energy gives the foreign 

partner the standard price it charges 

U.S. military forces and, in turn, the 

foreign partner charges DLA Energy 

the rate it charges its own military.

Alexander added that offsetting 

fuel balances gallon-for-gallon during 

settlement is a great economic efficiency. 

For example, the price Australia usually 

charges for fuel is consistently higher 

what the U.S. pays, he said. 

“If they sold us 1 million gallons and 

we sold them 2 million gallons, the first 

million is offset gallon for gallon,” he 

said. “For that first million, we won’t 

pay more than what we would through 

the standard price.”

Operationally, fuel agreements 

allow U.S. forces to strategically plan 

flight routes and ground movements. 

Alexander cited President Barack 

Obama’s trip to South Africa for 

Nelson Mandela’s funeral in 2013 as 

an example. Air Force One was able to 

take the most direct route because DLA 

Energy’s partnerships with the United 

Kingdom allowed the plane to refuel 

at the U.K.’s Ascension Island in the 

middle of the South Atlantic. 

“If we didn’t have fuel support 

under a fuel exchange agreement there, 

the president would’ve had to go a 

whole different route,” Alexander said. 

Global Positioning 

For DLA Energy, it isn’t only 

about the exchange of fuel; it’s also 

about developing relationships with 

partnering countries. 

Since 2007, DLA Energy Europe 

& Africa has hosted an annual Fuel 

Exchange Agreement Forum for 

KNOW YOUR 

AGREEMENTS

The legal framework for reciprocal support with a partner 

nation is called an Acquisition 

and Cross-Servicing Agreement. With that in place, Fuel 

Support Agreements, Fuel 

Exchange Agreements or Direct 

Bill Agreements are possible. 

Fuel Support Agreements 

FSAs are precise, technical 

arrangements that give 

access to pipeline and 

large storage systems. They 

stipulate payment provisions, 

quality control and logistical 

requirements pertinent to 

transportation or delivery.

Fuel Exchange Agreements

FEAs are more widely used 

and in essence allow DLA 

Energy and partner nations 

to exchange fuel worldwide. 

They optimize supply chain 

capabilities and can be used 

in conjunction with an FSA. 

For instance, a U.S. Air Force 

C-17 could receive fuel on 

Ascension Island after which 

DLA Energy could “repay” the 

United Kingdom in its pipeline 

system via a book transfer. 

Likewise, if an Italian naval 

vessel received fuel in Greece 

and then again in Djibouti, 

Italy could repay DLA Energy 

with aviation fuel via an equalvalue exchange settlement 

option in the Northern Italian 

Pipeline System.

Direct Bill Agreements

DBAs authorize worldwide 

fuel exchanges with monetary 

payment as the primary means 

of settlement between the 

partnering countries.

OPERATIONALLY, FUEL AGREEMENTS ALLOW 

U.S. FORCES TO STRATEGICALLY PLAN FLIGHT 

ROUTES AND GROUND MOVEMENTS. 
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January / February 2019 15

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DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

current and potential fuel-agreement 

partners in Europe and Africa. Last 

September, 64 participants from 13 

countries gathered for the 14th Annual 

Fuel Exchange Forum in GarmischPartenkirchen, Germany. 

“The meeting serves as an annual 

opportunity to bring together 

the international fuel-agreement 

community,” said DLA Energy Europe 

& Africa Commander Army Lt. Col. 

Dennis Williams. “It’s a terrific 

opportunity to learn more about fuel 

infrastructure, future operations and 

share information, which leads to 

increased partnership opportunities 

and the use of agreements.”

The event helps build relationships 

while providing an opportunity to 

begin, continue or finalize agreement 

negotiations; reconcile financial 

account balances; and open or close 

Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreement 

orders to ensure compliance with 

ACSA guidance from the combatant 

command for that region. 

The DLA Energy Europe & Africa 

International Agreements Office has 

been working to expand negotiations 

with several Eastern Europe countries. 

“We’re close to finalizing agreements with Estonia and Latvia and 

are continuing to work through 

negotiations with Romania and 

Lithuania,” said DLA Energy Europe 

& Africa International Agreements 

Chief Steven Helton. “One of our goals 

is to expand DLA Energy military fuel 

agreements throughout Europe with the 

support of U.S. European Command.”

Whether U.S. forces are conducting 

coalition exercises, providing 

humanitarian support or executing a 

strategic mission, they need to trust 

that they have fuel available worldwide 

to perform their duties. DLA Energy 

prides itself on understanding 

customer requirements and 

anticipating future needs to ensure 

warfighters have reliable and efficient 

fuel sources across an increasingly 

complex global environment. 

Safety observers from Military Sealift Command’s dry cargo 

and ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers stand 

alongside Royal Malaysian Navy sailors aboard frigate RMN 

KD Lekiu during an underway replenishment.

A Royal Australian air force F/A-18 Hornet refuels during a 

training exercise near Darwin, Australia. U.S. and Australian 

forces conduct air refueling missions throughout the 

exercise to improve interoperability and familiarization 

with each other’s procedures. 

Air Force Staff Sgt. Alexander Martinez

U.S. Navy

HAVE 

YOU 

TAKEN 

OUR 

READER 

SURVEY 

YET?

GO TO

survey.foresee.com/f/zsGotrftT1
John Dwyer III

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Simerly, DLA Troop Support commander, opens a meeting with DLA Troop Support senior leaders last summer in Philadelphia, which led to recommendations published 

in the 2019 DLA Troop Support Campaign Plan.

What is DLA Troop Support? Why the name 

“Troop Support”? 

Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support 

is responsible for supporting our warfighting 

service members with their critical daily 

requirements everywhere across the globe. 

Simply put, we support America’s troops. 

We support individual service members 

with materials that touch their daily lives, 

including food, uniforms, medical supplies, 

protective equipment and industrial hardware. 

Our responsibility is to deliver optimal, global 

supply-chain solutions to enable ready, lethal 

warfighters and our other valued partners. 

A Conversation with

Our workforce takes tremendous pride in 

DLA Troop Support’s warfighter support mission. 

In Philadelphia, we have a legacy of warfighter 

support tracing back to 1799 and the first federal 

arsenal. We’ve directly supported every conflict 

our nation has taken part in since. 

Our strong, passionate and patriotic team has 

been developed over time based on our historical 

legacy, our culture, our mission and the unique 

skillsets in the areas from which we recruit. That 

tradition and pride in supporting the warfighter 

reaches across the globe through our teammates 

in our regional commands: DLA Troop Support 

Pacific and DLA Troop Support Europe & Africa. 

DLA Troop Support’s commander discusses the agency’s increasing global mission 

supporting the military services and other federal agencies.

ARMY BRIG. GEN. 

MARK T. SIMERLY

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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY
Our passion is clear when reading the 

comments from our workforce in the DLA Culture 

and Climate Survey. When asked what we do 

well as an organization, nearly 70 percent of 

responders answered, “support the warfighter.” 

Our orientation is to relentlessly satisfy warfighter 

requirements, and that’s ingrained in our culture. 

Who are DLA Troop Support’s key partners, and 

how does DLA Troop Support collaborate with 

them to support the warfighter?

We see three categories of partners for 

DLA Troop Support. The first category is the 

warfighters we support — our customers. 

We actively collaborate with them to 

understand their requirements through 

routine, persistent engagement with key 

leaders and materiel planners. 

Another category of partners is our industry 

partners, who possess the capacity and the 

responsibility to deliver the items required 

by the warfighters, in many cases, directly 

on the battlefield. We collaborate with them 

in a very deliberate manner to ensure we 

understand their challenges and their capability 

and to communicate what we anticipate our 

warfighting partners will need.

Our partners across the DLA and Joint 

Logistics Enterprise compose the third 

category. DLA Troop Support cannot operate 

independently. We have linkages to all of our 

other major subordinate commands and can 

only optimize support to the warfighters through 

effective collaboration with our partners at the 

MSCs and at DLA Headquarters. We’re also 

closely tied to other Department of Defense 

and governmental entities with whom we share 

support roles, such as U.S. Transportation 

Command, the Defense Health Agency, 

service materiel commands, the Department of 

Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland 

Security and others. 

While DLA Troop Support has unique 

responsibilities and mission sets within DLA, 

we rely on the entire DLA team to deliver the 

best solutions. The stronger our ability to share 

lessons learned, collaboratively tailor solutions 

and help our DLA partners understand their 

role in support of our supply chains and 

mission, the better warfighter support we’re 

able to deliver. 

How is DLA Troop Support preparing for future 

sustainment challenges?

The services are all at an inflection point in 

their modernization strategies, which means 

DLA Troop Support must posture itself now 

to anticipate their emerging requirements to 

compete in a more complex, dynamic and lethal 

warfighting environment.

This means we have a common responsibility 

to take the time to think clearly about future 

warfighter sustainment requirements. We must 

understand the way our warfighters express 

their future sustainment requirements, how our 

industry partners see potential materiel solutions 

they may have access to in the future, and how 

our partners in academia and in the science 

domain are developing new capabilities we can 

leverage for future sustainment solutions.

One way we’re setting conditions for the DLA 

Troop Support workforce to think, learn, analyze, 

implement and communicate future supply-chain 

solutions is through our Campaign of Learning. 

Through the CoL, we’re executing a series of 

learning events to help us understand the key 

challenges and conditions of the future sustainment 

environment. We’re conducting those learning 

events with subject matter experts, leading thinkers 

in the realm of warfighting, in the realm of science 

and technology, and in the realm of industry. We’ve 

also implemented a professional reading series 

to provoke thought and dialogue regarding future 

sustainment challenges and solutions. 

How is DLA Troop Support evolving with the 

increase in demand from the warfighter and 

other customers?

We see the services increasing their 

operations tempo, resulting in greater demands 

to generate and sustain readiness. That means 

we’ve got to be able to deliver more with our 

current capability. We’ve got to be smart about 

the way we do that, such as by developing 

improved automated tools to allow us to better 

anticipate and plan for requirements and be able 

to deliver them more effectively and efficiently.

Improved automation can save time, provide 

greater accuracy, speed delivery, and reduce 

the administrative lead time and the manual 

touches from our workforce. We also look to 

automation to increase our ability to collaborate 

with our partners and achieve audibility. 

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January / February 2019 17

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DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION
Army Brig. Gen. Mark Simerly, DLA Troop Support commander, conducted a staff ride in 

September at Valley Forge National Historical Park, where service members learned about 

the Continental Army’s battlefield logistics, living conditions, fighting tactics and key leaders 

during the Revolutionary War.

Alexandria Brimage-Gray

One of the things that makes DLA Troop 

Support different is our history of taking unique, 

challenging sustainment requirements and 

developing innovative ways to meet them 

without adding cost, time or personnel and yet 

improving the level of our support.

As we see increasing demands for greater 

levels of support, both for warfighters and 

federal government partners, we have to change 

as well. We’ve had to do it in an agile manner 

that allows us to be anticipatory and predictive 

as to what those future requirements may be.

There is great potential for us to innovate 

in the fields of artificial intelligence, machine 

learning, advanced and additive manufacturing, 

and distributed ledger technology. 

What do you see as DLA Troop Support’s future 

sustainment challenges? What capabilities 

must we develop to meet those challenges to 

continue delivering solutions to warfighters and 

whole-of-government partners?

The future operating environment is going 

to offer challenges in multiple domains. As 

warfighters are contested in the air, sea, 

ground, cyber and space domains, DLA Troop 

Support will also be challenged to support 

them in those domains.

It’s incumbent on us to understand those 

domain challenges and how we can help 

overcome them 

by sustaining their 

operations in an 

assured manner.

Our global supplychain solutions bridge 

commercial and 

military capabilities, 

and will be contested 

from factory to foxhole. 

We need to understand 

how we can best 

procure, position 

and distribute our 

capabilities on future 

battlefields. 

A key vulnerability 

we need to understand 

today is the cyber 

threat to the networks we rely on, which may 

no longer be trusted or protected. We have 

to account for the cyber threat and establish 

supply-chain security, especially within our 

complex networks that include our industry 

partners. We all have a role in becoming 

more cyber fluent so that we understand the 

cybersecurity implications of the decisions we 

make from all our workstations. 

Do you have any advice for your fellow 

logisticians?

First, I’d ask every logistician to constantly 

keep in mind why we exist: to serve the 

warfighter. This means that we need to 

understand and embrace our supporting role. 

Second, as leaders we have an obligation to 

lead in a positive manner in order to build teams 

and develop our teammates. There are several 

key characteristics of positive leadership. And 

for me, it comes down to three things: trust, 

discipline and commitment.

We all have an obligation to build, share 

and maintain trust in our organizations. Trust 

is the lifeblood of our profession and is truly 

the bedrock of all we do. Today trust is the 

essential ingredient for arriving at smarter, 

more affordable and more collaborative 

solutions. The way we support our customers 

is based on trust, on being the best stewards 

of resources we can be and providing the best 

support possible. 

When it comes to discipline, it’s incumbent 

on us all to 

accomplish the 

mission with honor 

and in accordance 

with our values. 

Discipline guides 

us to lead by 

example and to 

always treat each 

other with dignity 

and respect. 

We should also 

be committed to 

team excellence and 

committed to team 

success. If we’re 

successful as a team, 

then the warfighters are 

going to be successful 

in their mission. Finally, we have to be committed 

to customer satisfaction, the ultimate measure of 

our success. 

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DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY
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January / February 2019 19

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Story by John R. Bell

When the Defense Logistics Agency provides critical 

supplies and services to the warfighter, the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, the Forest 

Service and other customers, it’s not just crucial for those 

customers; it also means jobs for Americans across the 

nation — many of them working for small businesses.

Many of those small businesses bring jobs to areas 

of the country with the help of the U.S. Small Business 

Administration’s Historically Underutilized Business 

Zones Program. Through the HUBZone Program, created 

by Congress in 1998, small businesses in areas with 

high unemployment or poverty are eligible to compete 

for federal contracts reserved for competition among 

HUBZone firms, and they receive a price-evaluation 

preference in other acquisitions.

HUBZones also include American Indian reservations, 

recently closed military bases and disaster areas.

HUBs OF 

OPPORTUNITY

The SBA designates and manages the HUBZone regions, 

reviews applications and grants certification, tracks and 

reports the performance of the 24 participating federal 

agencies, and manages any changes resulting from new 

legislation or feedback from small businesses.

To qualify for HUBZone certification, the SBA requires 

that a business meet these criteria:

• Be a small business.

• Be at least 51 percent owned and controlled 

by U.S. citizens, a Community Development 

Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, a 

Native Hawaiian organization or an Indian tribe.

• Have its main office in a HUBZone.

• Have at least 35 percent of its employees live 

in a HUBZone.

 Raonwell Corporation

An employee prepares finished aviation headsets before shipment at the Roanwell manufacturing facility in the Bronx, New York.
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20 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

HUBZone small businesses working with DLA are helping 

their employees, the warfighter and their communities.

Here are a few of their stories.

Connecting Warfighters, Jobs

Roanwell Corporation is on Park Avenue in New York. 

But this Park Avenue is in the South Bronx, a far cry from 

the skyscrapers of Manhattan or the rapidly redeveloping 

Brooklyn. The company is co-owned by an Army veteran 

and his wife. And its location means it also qualifies for 

HUBZone contracts.

Roanwell’s relationship with the Department of Defense 

goes back to its 1948 founding, when Richard Howell and 

James Roantree began supplying the military with aviation 

headsets — a product Roanwell invented, said Chelly Simon, 

vice president of sales for Roanwell.

Today the headsets are used on numerous military aircraft 

— including Air Force One and Air Force Two, he noted.

From there, the company expanded its relationship with 

the government, eventually supplying NASA a variety of 

products — including the microphone John Glenn used as he 

became the first American to orbit the earth.

Nowadays, the company works frequently with DLA 

Land and Maritime in Columbus, Ohio, and DLA Aviation in 

Richmond, Virginia, Simon said. He added that the HUBZone 

certification has given Roanwell a strong competitive 

advantage. “Within that particular [National Stock 

Number], if the other two [suppliers] are not HUBZone 

[certified], we have the edge,” Simon said.

Roanwell manufactures different types of headsets, as 

well as two-way radio handsets and microphones, mostly for 

prime contractors who build DoD communication systems 

— for example, those used in Virginia-class submarines, 

added Simon.

After starting in Manhattan, Roanwell moved to the 

Bronx in 2001, he said. Although this was the first step in 

earning HUBZone certification, the company had not yet 

heard of the program when it made the move. 

When the management team realized the relocation 

could give Roanwell the new qualification, “There was some 

excitement,” Simon recalled.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median household 

income in the Bronx was just over $35,000 per year in 2012-

2016, and nearly 29 percent of residents had income below 

the federally designated poverty line.

“We’ve been able to employ a lot of people in the Bronx,” 

Simon noted. 

The company recently hired an additional 10 full-time 

employees in three months, for a total of 60, he explained. 

They work in areas such as manufacturing, quality 

assurance, distribution and customer service, on contracts 

for a variety of household-name defense companies, known 

as prime contractors. 

“The more contracts you’re awarded, the more people you 

can hire,” Simon said.

One person who’s proof of that is Yaneth Juarez, who 

joined the company in October as an assembly supervisor. 

She said joining Roanwell allows her to work a shift that gives 

her more time with her family.

“I love this job,” Juarez said. “We feel like this is a family 

for us.”

Photo Courtesy Roanwell

Roanwell employees prepare avionics cabling at the company’s factory in the Bronx, New York.
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January / February 2019 21

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Tribe of Experts

Another HUBZone small business that works with DLA is 

part of a separate nation — one whose citizens, as full-fledged 

American citizens, have fought and died in the U.S. military 

since the Civil War.

The Cherokee Nation is the largest American Indian tribe 

in the United States and employs about 11,000 people through 

a number of different businesses. One of those is Cherokee 

Nation Environmental Solutions, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 

said John Sparkman, the company’s operations general 

manager for the environmental and construction sector. 

CNES’ services include soil testing; storm drainage 

assessment; remediation of above-ground and underground 

storage tanks; regulatory contracting; environmental 

consulting; waste-management services; and hazardous 

waste collection, treatment and disposal.

“The HUBZone certification has been a great tool to 

position our company and to ... stand apart from other 

companies,” Sparkman explained. “We strive to provide the 

customer the widest variety of capabilities and tools we can to 

support their mission.”

Using the certification also helps the Cherokee Nation 

provide good jobs for its citizens — one of its primary goals, 

Sparkman said. 

“For the business, it is an opportunity to generate revenue 

where 100 percent of the profit is either reinvested in job 

creation, through more work or business development, or to 

provide services for Cherokee Nation citizens,” he said.

 CNES is supporting DLA Disposition Services customers 

on two contracts for disposing of hazardous waste materials, 

he added. 

In 2016, the contracting office for DLA Disposition Services 

approached CNES about a contract to recycle lamps and light 

fixtures in San Diego, California. CNES put a team together, 

developed a proposal and received an award for the work.

“DLA has a very stringent requirement for quality 

on their hazardous disposal contracts, and in the last 12 

months, we have exceeded all metrics put in place by the 

contract,” Sparkman said. “Working within these DLA 

programs has allowed CNES to expand its footprint both 

geographically and professionally.”

He offered a few bits of advice for other small business 

leaders who might be considering taking steps to get 

HUBZone certification.

“The key is to fully understand the program,” he said. “The 

HUBZone program can be a great tool, but it also requires 

a great deal of understanding. This program requires that 

you understand where your business is located, where your 

employees are located.” In addition, “Your mix of employees 

has to be managed as you grow so you have to keep an eye 

on where and how you grow toward success,” Sparkman said, 

adding that evolving reporting requirements mean staff will be 

needed to make sure the company maintains certification.

‘Aero’ on Target

A few hundred miles east, USAeroteam in Dayton, 

Ohio, is another HUBZone small business supporting DLA 

customers, producing ground-support equipment and critical 

components for jet engines and unmanned aerial vehicles. 

For the F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” USAeroteam provides 

center-line loaders — structures ground crews use to load 

equipment and ammunition into the belly of the aircraft. For 

this effort, the company received a blue-ribbon certification 

from the Pentagon.

“It’s a fairly engineering-oriented business,” said Suhas 

Kakde, the chief executive officer of USAeroteam, who began 

his career as an engineer.

Kakde said his company, along with other small businesses, 

has helped the Dayton area recover from becoming a “ghost 

city” in the early 2000s, when large employers such as National 

Cash Register and Mead Paper Co. left for the suburbs. 

Others left the state altogether.

US Aeroteam & AAC Welcome

DLA Team

Mr. Heath Berkshire & Ms. Donna Brino-Blackwell

9th March 2018

Thank you –Kenny Young, Jorge Arcelay, Carlos Guzman & DLA Team

 DLA Perfect GREEN 100% Quality (Dated 8-25-2017)

 Recipient of DLA's Best Value Gold Medalist in Year 2002

 Our DLA Delivery Record for last 4 Years/50 orders Days Early: 36 

 Total Quantity shipped in last 4-years: 5,860 (2 examples shown)

Jet Engine - Lever Arms/over 1mil Produced 

(with 9938 for CFM-56 in center/$aved $1mil )

F16 – Tool Box F-15C is refueled by a KC-135 powered by 

4 CFM-56 Engines 

Welcome banner from a DLA Land and Maritime visit to USAeroteam in Dayton, 

Ohio, March 2018.

Cherokee Nation workers install concrete reinforcement bars for a commercial structure.

Photo Courtesy Cherokee Nation

Photo Courtesy USAeroteam
page

22 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

In addition, 2008 saw General Motors close its assembly 

plant in nearby Moraine, at the same site where The DaytonWright Company had built a bomber for the military starting 

nearly 100 years earlier, with local hero Orville Wright on the 

payroll as a consultant.

The GM plant at its peak employed about 4,700 people, 

according to the Dayton Business Journal.

When it closed, “Moraine got hit economically like you 

wouldn’t believe,” Kakde recalled. “Thousands of well-paid, 

skilled people were laid off or retired.” 

Dayton in 2012-2016 had a high rate of people living below 

the poverty line, at nearly 35 percent, according to Census data. 

The mean household income was just under $29,000.

USAeroteam now uses part of the building as its 

manufacturing facility — employing local residents and 

enabling the company to qualify as a HUBZone small 

business. It received the certification in 2017, resulting in 

additional contracts with DoD, which allowed the company to 

make capital investments and grow its workforce.

“DLA is doing a great job in trying to identify us and 

helping us,” Kakde said, adding that while the federal 

government as a whole could be more aggressive in seeking 

HUBZone businesses, some prime contractors have seen the 

advantage of working with HUBZone small businesses.

He recalled his company’s success in providing a lever 

arm for the CFM56, a jet engine commonly used in military 

and civilian aircraft. The Air Force faced a backorder of the 

component, which Kakde said USAeroteam produced ahead 

of schedule and at a significant taxpayer savings. 

He noted DLA Land and Maritime in Columbus helped 

the company “enormously” in this effort.

“DLA has a person who focuses on small, disadvantaged 

businesses and HUBZone companies, and we happen to be 

both,” Kakde said, bringing up Donna Brino-Blackwell, a DLA 

small business specialist. 

Kakde also praised the efforts of Heath Berkshire, 

DLA Land and Maritime’s chief of supplier operations, 

who recently brought a busload of DLA colleagues to 

visit USAeroteam and tour the facility and discuss the 

company’s goals and challenges. Kakde said he hopes to 

soon engage in a similar way with DLA Aviation to help 

the major subordinate command achieve similar taxpayer 

savings on other aviation parts.

Raising Readiness 

DLA is doing its part to help these small businesses boost 

their communities and support the warfighter, said DLA Small 

Business Programs Director Chris Young. 

“Serving those areas of the United States that are 

underserved is incredibly important,” she said. 

To that end, DLA in fiscal 2018 far exceeded its goal, 

she noted: Of the total dollar value of the contracts DLA 

awarded, 2.53 percent (over $980 million) were HUBZone 

small businesses. 

“Most agencies find that achieving the HUBZone goal is the 

most challenging socioeconomic goal to achieve, so we were 

excited,” Young said. 

In fact, the governmentwide HUBZone goal has not been 

met for at least a decade, she noted.

DLA’s high HUBZone performance also benefits the greater 

DoD mission, Young said. 

“When we eliminate backorders, it helps increase readiness and the effort to maintain lethality. It’s the multiplier 

effect ... DLA assists a small business in an area of economic 

distress, and they help us support the warfighter,” she said. 

“It’s just good business all the way around.” 

POTENTIAL CHANGES

The Small Business Administration proposed changes 

to the HUBZone program last October it says will make it 

easier for existing business to maintain their status. 

Among other changes, the SBA would consider 

an employee of a HUBZone-certified business to be a 

resident of the HUBZone area for certification purposes, 

even if the employee moves or the area loses its 

HUBZone status because of rapid economic gains in the 

local area. “Smaller firms also have a hard time meeting 

this requirement because the loss of one employee 

could adversely affect [the company’s] HUBZone 

eligibility,” the notice states.

The rule would also “eliminate the burden on 

HUBZone small businesses to continually demonstrate 

that they meet all ... requirements at the time of each 

offer and award” of a HUBZone contract. Instead, 

firms would only recertify annually. This is important 

because for small businesses, the HUBZone certification 

has historically been the most challenging of the 

four certifications to meet, said DLA Small Business 

Programs Director Chris Young. The change, if adopted, 

would also align with the president’s priority of reducing 

the regulatory burden for U.S. businesses, she added. 

The SBA also proposed a change regarding the 

requirement for the percentage of employees who live 

in the HUBZone-certified area. Although the requirement 

would continue to be 35 percent, companies whose 

workforce drops below 20 percent residing the HUBZone 

area would be considered failing to maintain compliance 

and would lose HUBZone status.

Finally, the SBA proposed to define an “employee” as 

someone who worked at least 40 hours in the four weeks 

before the business applied for HUBZone certification.

— John R. Bell
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January / February 2019 23

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Story by Connie Braesch, DLA Energy Public Affairs

As the U.S. government’s largest 

supplier of fuel to the Department 

of Defense and other government 

agencies, the Defense Logistics Agency 

is constantly looking for environmentally conscious ways to cut waste, maximize supply chains and build resilient, 

efficient sources of energy.

Recycling Used Oil

 When DLA Energy Quality 

Assurance Representative Daniel 

Muranaka learned the Navy was 

spending a lot of money to dispose 

of its used fuel oil, he decided to do 

something about it – and found a way to 

not only save up to $1 million per year 

but actually generate a revenue.

 For Muranaka, recycling fuel oil 

reclaimed, or FOR, is about saving 

money and the environment through 

proper quality control.

FUEL’S GOLD

Previously working as a chemist 

at the Pearl Harbor Fuel Laboratory, 

Muranaka was familiar with specification testing of FOR.

“By working through the process 

of retesting and resampling the FOR 

in preparation for sale, we learn how 

to manage it to meet the specification 

requirements,” he said.

Although FOR is routinely purchased 

by refineries, blended with high-sulfur 

fuel oil and sold to specialized customers, the FOR at Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii had trace 

amounts of used oil in it, making it 

harder to sell, Muranaka said.

“Used oil is a regulated waste, and 

facilities are not allowed to process used 

oil or products containing used oil unless 

they have a permit to do so,” he said.

NAVFAC Hawaii accumulates 

FOR from Navy vessels’ bilge water, a 

mixture of water and oil. According to 

federal regulations, oily bilge water can 

be contaminated by oil from leakage 

or maintenance work in machinery 

spaces. The water portion of the bilge 

water is treated and discharged, and 

the remaining oil is tested and sold to 

refineries for recycling.

Because refineries weren’t purchasing its FOR, NAVFAC Hawaii had been 

paying a commercial contractor up to 

$2.50 per gallon to remove and dispose 

of the 200,000 to 400,000 gallons it 

collects annually — a cost of up to $1 

million each year.

“I became passionate about 

NAVFAC Hawaii’s FOR when I 

learned about their difficulty getting 

their FOR purchased,” Muranaka 

said. “NAVFAC Hawaii supports the 

warfighter, but no one was supporting 

them on this issue.”

The Navy is using temporary tanks like these to store fuel oil reclaimed.

Courtesy Photo
page

24 www.dla.mil

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

THE NATION’S COMBAT LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGENCY

Searching for a solution, Muranaka 

contacted the local refineries, such 

as Island Energy Services, which are 

permitted to accept FOR with used 

oil. He educated the staff about the 

product and explained why it’s suitable 

for recycling. He then worked with Luis 

Beza-Cay, a contracting officer forward 

deployed to DLA Energy Pacific at 

Hawaii, to help negotiate a contract.

After months of working through 

the process, DLA Energy awarded 

Island Energy Services the contract 

Nov. 13 to purchase 185,000 gallons 

of NAVFAC Hawaii’s FOR at $.02 a 

gallon. This resulted in a cost avoidance 

of up to $462,500 for disposal and 

generated revenue of $3,700. 

While the remaining 87,000 gallons 

of NAVFAC Hawaii’s FOR was deemed 

not salable, Muranaka said some reuse 

is better than none at all. 

Throughout the process, Muranaka 

worked to educate NAVFAC Hawaii 

personnel on proper management and 

testing of the FOR for future sales. 

Muranaka was inspired to take 

on this project while attending the 

Emerging Leaders Course at the 

Pacific Leadership Academy. He was 

encouraged to develop a plan for a 

challenging work-related project that 

would stretch him out of his comfort 

zone. Although Muranaka encountered 

obstacles and setbacks during the 

NAVFAC Hawaii FOR project, the 

course supplied him the leadership 

skills to succeed.

Muranaka credits Lisa Simon, 

the Emerging Leaders Program 

director, for her encouragement and 

guidance; Jessica Hiraoka, his Pacific 

Leadership Academy mentor from the 

U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare 

Systems Command in Hawaii, for 

broadening his understanding of 

strategic thinking; and Ralph Wells, 

his supervisor and the deputy director 

for DLA Energy Pacific at Hawaii, for 

helping him prioritize his workload to 

accomplish the project.

Muranaka’s leadership commended 

his innovative, thoughtful and 

collaborative problem-solving.

“Through networking, creative 

logistics thinking and applying his 

expertise in supply-chain 

management, Daniel 

has not only found a 

way to more effectively 

manage used fuel oil but 

also to save millions of 

dollars in the long run,” 

said DLA Energy Pacific 

at Hawaii Commander 

Navy Cmdr. Eric Lockett. 

“His ingenuity and 

extensive outreach with 

both the refineries as 

well as NAVFAC Hawaii 

personnel strengthens 

DLA’s reputation for cost-consciousness 

and ethical business processes.”

Muranaka said seeing the project 

through has built his confidence as a 

leader and influencer. 

“As a quality assurance representative, I don’t have the opportunity to 

manage and analyze programs and 

projects, especially those that transcend 

agencies with millions of dollars at 

stake,” he said. “This project allowed 

me to demonstrate the capability of 

managing and analyzing projects with 

significant impacts.”

Pulp to Propulsion

Across the United States and at the 

other end of the product lifecycle, DLA 

Energy is investing in woody biomass, 

commonly known as wood pulp, to 

produce energy.

“The pursuit of alternative energy 

is necessary to bring forth a robust and 

sustained domestic alternative fuels 

industry that will ease dependence 

on petroleum,” said Lindsey Hicks, 

the DLA Energy Readiness Program 

manager for research and development 

projects and initiatives.

One of DLA Energy’s funded 

projects is the Biomass to Bioproducts 

Pilot Plant at the University of Maine’s 

Technology Research 

Center. The plant is 

working to convert 

cellulosic material like 

recycled paper and 

cardboard into jet fuel. 

According to a 

UMaine news release, 

the plant is capable of 

processing up to 1 ton of 

woody biomass per day 

into chemicals that can 

be used to manufacture 

bioproducts, including 

biofuels, biochemicals 

and advanced materials. 

Efforts to turn biomass into 

alternative fuel at UMaine began in 

2010 when the DLA Energy Readiness 

Program awarded the university a 

SALES OF FUEL 

OIL RECLAIMED 

RESULTED IN A 

COST AVOIDANCE 

OF UP TO 

$462,500 FOR THE 

GOVERNMENT

DLA Energy Pacific at Hawaii Quality Assurance 

Representative Daniel Muranaka pulls a sample from a 

fuel tank of reclaimed oil at Naval Facilities Engineering 

Command Hawaii to conduct testing.

Daniel Muranaka
page

January / February 2019 25

LOGLINES

DLA’S OFFICIAL FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

three-year contract to complete the 

development of its fuel conversion 

technology as a laboratory bench 

procedure, Hicks said.

Since the conclusion of the 

process development in 2012, 

UMaine has been working to expand 

the process to validate actual fuel 

production capability.

“In fiscal 2015, they received 

an award of $4.5 million to initiate 

the upscaling development and 

determine viable coproducts to make 

commercialization more profitable,” 

Hicks said. “The project was funded 

as a result of congressional funds set 

aside by the delegation of Maine for 

the innovative development of fuels 

and chemicals from cellulosic [woody] 

biomass suitable for both military and 

commercial usage.”

In fiscal 2018, an additional $5.8 

million in congressional funding 

was added. UMaine intends to 

explore additional upscaling 

options, develop new strategies 

for producing finished fuel blends 

through hydrotreating, and develop 

additional coproduct revenue 

streams to improve the economics 

of fuel production, Hicks said.

Certification

While UMaine has had a good 

start to the use of woody biomass to 

generate fuel, the certification process 

is long and complex.

“Although UMaine’s process has 

been able to produce laboratory-scale 

amounts of diesel and aviation-grade 

specification fuel, certifications 

— particularly for aviation fuel 

specification acceptance — can take 

several years,” Hicks said.

While ethanol and biodiesel fuels 

exist, they aren’t yet compatible with 

aviation and marine diesel-grade 

fuels, he said. 

“Acceptable alternatives must 

be certified to ensure that they 

display the same chemical, physical 

and operational integrity of their 

petroleum counterparts,” he said. 

“Such fuels are commonly referred to 

as drop-in replacements.”

DLA Energy is helping UMaine 

reach out to industry and the 

military to get alternative methods 

approved, Hicks added.

“To be accepted into commercial 

automotive diesel fuel specs, 

there are faster mechanisms that 

don’t require the rigorous, timeconsuming certification efforts 

necessary for U.S. Navy F-76 marine 

diesel,” he said. 

Although alternative processes 

are now included in commercial 

and military fuel specs, DLA Energy 

has only been able to contract with 

one supplier providing F-76 fuel 

containing a 10 to 30 percent biofuel. 

“Bulk jet fuel purchases with 

alternative components have yet to 

occur,” Hicks said. 

As DLA Energy continues to work 

on renewable energy projects like 

this one with UMaine, DLA’s R&D 

efforts stretch across its nine supply 

chains. They range from using robots 

to modernize distribution processes 

and building strategic materials 

to improving combat rations and 

making batteries lighter, longer 

lasting and with higher energy. 

Whether investing in new 

sources or finding new ways to 

reduce waste and save taxpayer dollars, the people of DLA Energy never 

stop looking for new ways to build a 

more secure, sustainable supply for 

tomorrow’s warfighters. 

The University of Maine’s Biomass to Bioproducts Pilot Plant 

at its Technology Research Center is working to convert 

cellulosic material like recycled paper and cardboard 

into jet fuel.

Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii employees 

conduct sampling of fuel oil reclaimed.

Courtesy Photo

University of Maine
page

cover4 WWW.DLA.MIL

LOGLINES

THE RIGHT SOLUTIONS — ON TIME, EVERY TIME

I AM DLA

My name is: 

Latasha McGee

I am:

A resolution and transportation specialist for DLA Energy 

Pacific at Hawaii.

Describe your job in a sentence: 

I manage fuel inventory and processing for 10 defense 

fuel support points; oversee processing for 33 fuel accounts 

distributed across the Hawaiian islands; and coordinate and 

schedule fuel deliveries to four military installations on Oahu.

How long have you worked at DLA? 

I began working at DLA in November 2017.

What is your favorite thing about working for DLA? 

It’s evident that serving the warfighter is the first priority. 

The commitment I see from my co-workers is astounding and 

admirable. Working at DLA has provided a feeling that my 

work ethic, diligence and commitment to the warfighter is not 

unnoticed and is greatly appreciated. 

What are your best memories of working here? 

At my predecessor’s going-away luncheon, he fought back tears as he spoke. I thought, 

“This must be a really good place to work if he’s crying during his going-away speech.” 

How do you make a difference? 

Accountability! My job supports the warfighter by ensuring the fuel needed to support 

their missions and exercises is well accounted for. We ensure that no negligence, fraud or 

theft is being done against the government. Fuel is essential to the warfighter in all modes of 

transportation, during wartime and peace.

Latasha McGee